I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh. My. Gosh. This book! Kendare Blake is a pro at creating and writing strong female characters. She's also got a knack for world building - it's in a way that keeps you engaged, yet doesn't dump everything on you at once. The pacing is good, and I love Reed's backstory. It really gives us insight into the character.

The fight scenes were great, the banter is good... I just wish I felt a little more chemistry between Reed and Hestion. Maybe it'll pick up in the coming books - which I can't wait to read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book! It starts fast and that pacing never really stops. This book deserves to be at the top of everyone's TBR list and I am only sad I have to wait so long for the next one to come out.

This is a really solid 4 star YA fantasy. If you like the writing style of mythology retellings, the idea of an order of mythical female warriors and immortal horses ~ I would say this is definitely a book for you. I personally really enjoyed it overall. I would have loved to see more depth to some of the characters, and I wasn't in love with the chemistry and progression of the romance between Reed and our hero, but the world and the story itself was unique enough to be memorable.

I've always had a thing for Valkyrie and Amazonian inspired story, so I immediately jump on Champion of Fate when I read the summary.

Let me just say, I can not express how blow away I was by this tale, and it's just the first book!

And I'm so grateful there'll be more, or I would boycott! Because I simply could not accept the deviation and grief the journey created...

My thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Champion of Fate” by Kendare Blake is the gripping tale of a young child orphaned in a raid, who after watching her family killed in front of her is about to be sacrificed to the raiders’ god. Instead, passing Aristene free her and induct her into their order, where she trains to become a warrior who will guide great heroes to glory.

This book was absolutely fabulous. Right from the get-go I fell in love with Reed’s mother - the way she fought for her daughter was so beautiful in what little page time she has, and I loved how Reed later learned to fight for others in the same way. The themes of motherhood and sisterhood were so strong and so gorgeous throughout the novel. The Aristene are like the warriors of Themyscira from Wonder Woman combines with the Valkyrie from Norse mythology, but the young initiates are trained at Camp Half-Blood before they can ascend to the city of Atropa (Mount Olympus + Valhalla). The mishmash of different mythological influences was very fun. I also loved how Blake threw in a Fennbirn queen as one of the immortal Aristene - it was such a fun way to tie it to her other series (if you haven’t read Three Dark Crowns you definitely should, although I actually like this new book even more). I also loved the intrigue and mystery of what the Aristene elders were up to, it really added another great layer to an already complex plot.

My only real gripe is that I never truly bought Reed and Hestion’s chemistry, which kind of undercut the central conflict that Reed faces: choose a life as a full member of the Aristene, or a life with Hestion. This didn’t bother me too much though because ultimately this really is Reed’s story. She’s deeply imperfect, best evidenced by her unwillingness to trust Sar simply because he is from the same culture as the raiders who killed her family, even though that had nothing to do with him. Watching her learn and grow over the course of the book felt so rewarding that the ending, even if it wasn’t the hardest to predict, felt very earned. That’s not to say the whole book is predictable - there were two huge twists that I never saw coming. I wholeheartedly recommend this fantastic read and I will be very eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series!

Love, love, love this book.

Many of my students have already delved into the writing of Kendare Blake and this book is going to keep their love of her writing intact.

The characters are spot on, the story is creative, and the world-building is beautiful. The twists are all classic Blake -- unexpected, unpredictable, and perfectly disruptive.

I loved this book! It’s well written, unique, and intriguing—so much so that I wasn’t sure if I should hurry up and find out what happens, or savor it for longer. The world building is fantastic and done in an organic way, so it’s not too overwhelming. I love Kendare Blake’s other books and this one is just as good!

Okay first of all I need the sequel like yesterday. The book was longer than I expected, but the pacing was well done where the story didn't drag and I didn't feel overwhelmed. I loved how well done the found family trope was and it made me feel connected to the characters. The characters are strong but also complex enough to the point where you don't want to put the book down so you can see how they develop.

I am still reeling from the Three Dark Crowns series, so when I was contacted to review Kendare Blake’s first book in her latest series, I jumped at the chance! Overall, Champion of Fate is a solid start to a highly anticipated and action-packed series. Kendare excels in creating strong and complex female characters with equally strong and complex relationships. Reed is a headstrong young woman with a very solid vision of her life in her head. While her story starts in horror, she eventually creates a found family for herself in her fellow initiates and the Aristene. She has a solid foundation and knows what she thinks she wants, but she is easily thrown when new people and new desires threaten to change all she planned. Her sometimes hotheaded decisions and actions have far reaching consequences and I enjoyed the fact that her journey is not cut and dry and neither are the things and people she thought she understood.

Another strength Kendare has is her world building. This new world is steeped in history and magic and we are just getting started in understanding all the systems and organizations involved. The Aristene are intriguing in their desire to bring their goddess glory yet staying as politically neutral as possible, or so it seems. The world of men and their politics seem to be separate and many are not even aware of the Aristene, but there are major hints of a growing faction that seem to want to take their power.

All these threads are setting up for a solid fantasy series. The battle scenes were excellent and well executed, which gives me hope for the rest of the series as we follow the threads left at the end of this book towards the bigger story. My only qualm of the book is pacing. I love an emotional roller coaster full of pining and angst, but some consistency with plot would help too.

Kendare Blake has again crafted a believable, magical world full of action, a little romance, and strong friendships. There are some flaws in character development - none of the characters is particularly deep or thoroughly drawn out, backstories are mostly hinted at but not explained - but since this seems to be part of a series, perhaps the author will spend a little more time on the characters in the next book. Overall, an enjoyable, quick-paced novel.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake is the first book in a new and upcoming duology. Blake has written a number of other good series so I was excited to see this on NetGalley. This story focuses on Reed, who is an initiate in a secret and mystical society who train to protect and help heroes. Reed’s life has some hardship but she is found at her darkest point and starts her path to this society.

Like I said I had high hopes for this book but it fell a bit flat for me. The main character Reed acts pretty stupidly for most of the book. She has training but makes immature decisions. Her mentor was a good character but otherwise the people around Reed were pretty annoying. Other characters lacked motivation and were just moving through the story. Some details and events in the book come out of nowhere which was confusing; like it thought we had some other knowledge but it was never provided to us readers.

Knowing me I like to see books come to a conclusion so I would read the second in the series whenever it comes out just to see what happens. This was not one of my highest rated books though. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

In this Young Adult Fantasy written by the amazing Kendare Blake. This is the second book that I have read by her and it did not disappoint. This is the first in the Heromaker series.

I am quite familiar with Ms. Blake’s other works, Three Dark Crowns and Anna, and was really looking forward to start this new series. Overall, I loved the world creation and setup of the story and adored the ending leading to the next book (btw not a huge cliffhanger which I despise). The middle of the book was quite prosaic following the usual path of an unrequited love story.

Reed is orphaned at a young age by a marauding tribe and only escapes being sacrificed herself when she is chanced upon by two female warriors. One of these warriors, Aster, is part of the legendary order of the Aristene who are called upon by their Goddess to lead heroes to glory. Aster feels a pull to save Reed from certain death and brings her back to the elders of her order to be tested and trained.

Reed trains hard and accepts her role as a future Aristene and even forms close friendships with two other apprentices, Lyonene and Gretchen. Reed and Lyonene are each given a hero to help to glory in a military campaign competing against one another. Reed finds no surprise in her hero, Hestion of Glaucia, and even from the beginning has developed a slight crush on the would-be hero. The developing relationship between Reed and Hestion is what I found mundane and often skipped pages. Lyonene and Reed’s relationship also deteriorated during this trial.

The final battle picked up in my esteem and both heroes finally came together with the help of Reed and Lyonene to defeat a common foe. The elder Aristene and Reed were challenged in their commitment to serving their Goddess and Reed makes a decision to change her and Hestion’s fate. This decision will either save the world or end it as they know it. I will be on the lookout for book two in this series for sure.

I liked the plot in this one, the story going from the MC Reed's tragic childhood, through her training and her hero trial, and ending with her final destiny. I thought that the ending was pretty well-rounded, and I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that this is a series! I would love to see more adventures of this MC and in this world, there's so much potential for (possibly tragic 🥲) stories here!

I guess I gave 4 and not 5 stars, because personally I didn't feel a lot of emotional connection to the plot? I did like the MC, but the narration was more of factual stuff than feelings, and usually I prefer that books have more emotional stakes in them.

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

OMG I am obsessed with this book! I was immediately hooked and completely absorbed the entire time. Honestly, it’s so freaking good I can’t even express it in words. Badass, immortal, women warriors who are responsible for all the glory of the world’s greatest heroes? Say less!

The characters really come to life and I felt every emotion right along with them. I’m so glad we got to actually experience Reed’s backstory, rather than it just being told to us. I connected with her on a much deeper level. Her feisty colt stole my heart! The relationships and dynamics between Reed and other characters had me swooning, heartbroken, heated, overjoyed, and everything in between.

The world building is magnificent. The lore, politics, and magic systems are all expertly crafted. I was totally immersed in this story and I never wanted to leave.

The pacing of the plot is impeccable and there’s never a dull moment. The tension builds into an explosive crescendo. It’s one continuous exciting journey. There are moments that will bring tears to your eyes. There are moments of dread that make you pause, where you know something bad is going to happen and you just aren’t ready to handle the fallout of it yet.

This is a story unlike anything else I’ve read. I mean, wow, was this a nice breath of fresh air after reading so many cookie-cutter books. This story is one that will stick with you - the characters are endearing, the world is enchanting, the events are harrowing and tumultuous.

This book is fantasy perfection. The kind of story everyone hopes they write. Kendare Blake is proving to be a master of writing with this one.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. You absolutely have to read this book! I see this series easily becoming everyone’s newest obsession and I’m here to be an early pioneer for hyping it up. I’m gonna die waiting over a year for the next one. I loved this one so much I’ll probably get a physical copy and re-read it right before the next one comes out.

5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I LOOVEEEEE fantasy book with a strong female mc and Kendare Blake delivered. I have her “Three Dark Crowns” series sitting on my bookshelf in my bedroom and now I’m thinking I need to immediately read that series. Also, how am I supposed to wait possibly several years for the next book to be released????

I hate a love/hate relationship with long fantasy books like this one because SO MUCH happens, but also SO MUCH happens and I just want to know how it ends!!! I could not have seen this ending coming, but it was so worth it.

Found family, FMC character development!!!, a little romance, everything you could ever want. Delivered. 4+4= ATE.

Kendare Blake has done it again! This is a bit of a new venture for her, and she does NOT disappoint. From the first page, you are steeped into the world, environment, and culture of this novel. The flavor is strong and intentional. I read this book FAST since I could not stop or put it down unless I had to. Reed is a very compelling protagonist who struggles to find her place after her family is slaughtered. As per usual, I love how feminist the story is and how it speaks to social issues and makes a statement about the world. I already can't wait for the next book!

Kendare Blake is truly a master of the craft. This was another stunning work of YA fiction. The characters were so well done and I really enjoyed reading about them and the way they interacted with each other and the world was so compelling. I also thought this was really well-paced--I didn't have moments where I felt like skimming to get to the next interesting piece, and I was thoroughly invested in what was going to happen next. I really flew through this novel! Fun and complete world-building, a cast of characters that were thoroughly enjoyable, and a tightly plotted story meshed together so well to create this novel.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

Kendare Blake is one of the best teen authors in the market, and I have read all her books. This book is a perfect example of why she is the best. She is at the top of her game her, and this book was near unputdownable. The characterization is perfect, the plot is thrilling, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I highly recommend this book and think anyone who needs a satisfying read is in for a treat with this one!