2 stars

I was so excited to see Julie had started a new series. I really liked her Fae series.

Man, this book too be over 150 pages to even get into, which is why I rated it 2 stars. That is alot of precious reading time almost wasted. If something doesn't capture my attention within the first 50 to 75 pages, then it's most likely not worth it, in my opinion. Life is too short to read lame books.

Anyways, the world building was great, but the plot was very slow. I didn't enjoy the characters enough to feel a connection and the romance was...meh.
I won't be waiting in the line for the sequel...

Fun and beautifully written, we're taken into a world lore, and ancient magic. As a band of thieves, the navigate the forgotten kingdom and find all types of challenges along the way.

High-stakes adventurous fantasy! Fateless by Julie Kagawa is the first in a new YA fantasy series that follows Sparrow as she sets out on an adventure centuries in the making. Sparrow is an orphan of the Thieves Guild who has been given a solo mission to retrieve a special artifact from a mythical underground city. The catch is that everyone who has previously been sent has not returned. Retrieving the item proves easy for Sparrow, but awakening the Deathless King was not what she signed up for.

Sparrow is an interesting and relatable character to follow. She has spent her life as a thief and the prodigy of the guild’s master. With an every man for himself attitude, Sparrow has kept herself alive. But this new mission, and the consequences of it, send her spiraling. She spends a majority of the book searching herself to determine what she believes and who she is.

While I like Sparrow, I love her new found friends. Halek is a Fatechaser, someone who literally chases Fate daily with a come what may attitude. He shows up towards the beginning of the story and travels to the Underground city with Sparrow. He provides some comic relief and levity to an otherwise heavy plot. Raithe is my favorite. He is an Iylvahn assassin (Fae-like), sent to stop Sparrow from finding the artifact and raising the Deathless King. His role in the book plays heavily into Sparrow’s character development. Then there is Kysa, who the trio meet as they trek across the desert ocean. She’s a fierce fighter with tightly held beliefs.

The story itself reminds me a lot of The Mummy and Tomb Raider, maybe even a little Indiana Jones thrown in. I loved the rich background Kagawa adds to the plot as well as the intricate belief systems. It really adds to the story to know what each of the characters are fighting for. The plot is fast-paced, full of twists and turns, and even a touch of romance.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fateless. This is my first Kagawa book, and it will not be my last. I’m on a waitlist now for the first book in her Iron Fey series. But back to this one….I loved the high-stakes adventure, the sweet, slowburn romance, and the found family/friends Sparrow collects during her journey. If you enjoy adventurous fantasy with rich background, I highly recommend it.

I have been wanting to read Julie Kagawa's books for years and this new one certainly did not disappoint! The story follows Sparrow, a thief surviving in a brutal, fate-ruled world, who discovers she is the Fateless, someone whose destiny isn’t written in the divine Tapestry. It is full of intriguing world building and action! I can't wait for the next book!

“Fateless,” by Julie Kagawa

I really liked this book. I love how more books where the setting is a desert is such a nice change of pace from the overwhelming amount of forest fantasies. I loved the post-apocalyptic vibe in the story, but it was still heavy on the non-real world fantasy type. I adored above all else was the thief’s guild that the FMC was a part of, I think if readers loved Celeana’s thief/assassin aspect of Throne of Glass series than this a good book because it immediately reminded me of that. The romance was slow and minor to the plot as in the fantasy story was the goal and biggest aspect of the book and the romance just helped develop the characters throughout. In that aspect though, this book took me longer to read because it wasn’t a lot of romance and fluff, so I took more break because of the density of the story. It’s a book I definitely recommend to most fantasy readers, and I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars.

-Desert Setting
-Thieves

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This was such a fun read. Julie Kagawa really knows how to craft a great fantasy adventure, and Fateless delivers everything I’ve come to love from her work: strong pacing, just the right amount of romance, gorgeously dangerous worldbuilding, and a surprisingly dark streak that sneaks up on you in the best way. It’s a solid 4 stars for me, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

The story follows Sparrow, a thief surviving in a brutal, fate-ruled world, who discovers she is the Fateless, someone whose destiny isn’t written in the divine Tapestry. That premise alone hooked me. The world Kagawa builds here is genuinely intriguing. Desert cities, sunken ruins, deadly creatures, and ancient kings trying to claw their way back to life. It’s such a vivid setting, and it feels immersive without being overwhelming.

I really liked Sparrow as a protagonist. She’s prickly and wary in a way that makes perfect sense for her background, but she also grows throughout the story. Her journey from self-preservation to something more vulnerable and trusting was one of my favourite elements. I also really enjoyed the side characters, especially Halek and Kysa, but there’s one in particular who I’m still not sure about. They felt a bit underdeveloped, though I suspect they’ll become more important later on.

The romance between Sparrow and Raithe worked for me. It’s understated and slow burn, and never overtakes the main plot. That’s something Kagawa always does well. Her romances feel earned, never rushed or overly dramatic, and they complement the character arcs without taking over the story. I do wish we had learned a little more about Raithe though. He’s still a bit of a mystery, but hopefully that’s by design and we’ll see more in book two.

Overall, Fateless feels like a really strong series opener. There’s a good mix of action, magic, emotional beats, and political intrigue. The themes of fate and free will are woven in beautifully without being heavy-handed. It’s not my absolute favourite of hers just yet, but it definitely has the potential to get there. I’ll be picking up the sequel the moment it’s out.

I really enjoyed this book! The author did a great job of richly describing the city of Kovass as Sparrow undertakes her dangerous missions for the Thieves Guild. You can definitely pick up on her background of playing video games where she just enjoyed openly exploring cities. After that city, the descriptions of locations may have been slightly less detailed, but her character development was spot on. I definitely wanted to go right into the second book after finishing this one. I’ve rated this one a 4.25.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!

One of the hardest parts of starting a new series or trilogy—especially from an author I already enjoy—is the worry over whether the first book will leave me hanging or offer a satisfying resolution while still setting up what's to come.

Thankfully, that concern was unnecessary here. Not only does this first story arc wrap up in a fulfilling way, but it also makes it clear that Sparrow’s journey is far from over. I'm both excited and a little frustrated, because I need book two now—not later!

The action throughout was gripping, at times even intense, and the characters felt fully realized and engaging. I loved discovering their world, and the various plot threads kept me intrigued and constantly guessing what would come next.

As a fan of fantasy and magic, this introduction to the author’s new trilogy delivered exactly what I was hoping for—and then some.

Julie Kagawa has given us the beginning of what is likely to be one of the best fantasy series of this decade. Fateless shows us a world that feels like an alternate earth where deserts are the norm and water is not. In the city of the Deathless Kings, magic is just a fable and the Deathless Kings are just a story. When orphan Sparrow unknowingly begins the events of a prophesy, all hell breaks loose - eventually.

The story or Sparrow, who is grateful to the leader of the Thieves Guild for taking her in as a child, is given an impossible task one day. She doesn't think it's truly impossible and does some impressive out-of-the-box problem solving to accomplish it. That leads to an even harder/greater task that shows her what her world is really comprised of.

The writing craft is so well done for this book, And the storytelling is superior. The story is entertaining, and if there are any plot holes, I was so into the story that I didn't notice any. I cannot wait for book two!!!

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGally for the opportunity to review this book.

it took me like a whole month to read this (thanks med school) but i did really enjoy it! the romance kinda felt a little forced to me but other than that i had a fun time

Rating: 4 stars!

The rest of this series is going to POP OFF and I just know it. During the first quarter of the book, the world building reminded me of Dune mixed with some Star Wars. Its a desert landscape with weird double suns and a guild of Thieves. When our main character was tasked with stealing a mysterious black stone from the depths of an underground abandoned city, we as the reader knew things were about to get wild. I loved every single character in this book, with a special love for the Rock Beetles. The storyline that is going to continue in the rest of the series is sure to bring the 5 star vibes.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely adored the first 1/3 or so of the book. It had Assassin’s Creed and The Mummy energy with characters sneaking across rooftops and stealing ancient artifacts. Things kind of went down-hill for me during the second mission. The mission went pretty flawlessly without many traps and the "elite assassin" character really didn't try that hard to complete their mission. The trap part gets explained, but the zero-stakes aspect felt weird.

My main gripe is that most of this novel is travel. Like 60-70% of this book is just the main character and her comrades traveling while they chat amongst themselves with some adventure sprinkled in as things try to kill them along the way. It just had really odd pacing and it was unclear what the point/climax we were working towards even would be. It was just a bizarre experience from an author that’s so well established.

This was fantastic! I was hooked from the very first page. The world was so richly done, the characters were compelling and felt real, and the plot was so captivating. The vibes of this story were immaculate, and I flew through it. The fate aspect combined with the found family elements worked really well in conjunction, and I was so sucked into this story because of that. I also appreciated that while there was romance, it was peppered in as a subplot---a nice change of pace.
I haven't read much from Julie Kagawa, but I'll definitely be checking out more of her backlog in the future because Fateless was great!

Fateless is clearly a love letter to video games, and I love this for Julie Kagawa. However, I think this would be better in video game form (probably a narrative game).

It’s the first in a new series and follows Sparrow, a member of the Thieves Guild in the city of Kovass. She finally gets noticed by The Circle, who overlook her guild, and they send her on a top-secret mission to retrieve the Tapestry of the World from the Temple of Fate — failure’s not an option, and if she fails, both her and her guild master will be punished. But things don’t turn out as expected, sending Sparrow on an adventure across the land of Arkyennah with some unlikely allies that ultimately become friends.

My overall feelings about Fateless are similar to what I felt with Soul of the Sword, the second book in her Shadow of the Fox trilogy. This is very much a journey book as Sparrow and her companions leave Kovass — Julie Kagawa puts us immediately into the action of the story and keeps a steady pace. However, while it feels like there’s a lot going on and not much going on, Fateless definitely is set up for a potentially exciting rest of the series, and I have no doubt Kagawa won’t disappoint.

The world is immersive and descriptive, and I really felt like I was getting dragged into the story with the characters. There’s a lot of information being thrown; it often felt like an info-dump. I felt like that dragged the story down quite a bit, and that was exactly how I felt with Soul of the Sword (it’s also a journey book). I think it would be fantastic in a video game, though.

It’s clear Kagawa pays a lot of attention to the details of the world, and I appreciated learning about the different cultures and creatures in Arkyennah. I especially loved the history behind the Scarab Clan and how it shows a ritual evolves over the centuries, even if the needs and purpose change.

I also appreciated how each of them have different takes on fate and destiny: like with Halek, a Fatechaster we meet very early on, is constantly going where the wind takes him. He’s the definition of carefree and flutters around like a butterfly, and he very much has an energetic puppy aura that he carries about him. And then we have Sparrow, who has always believed her fate is set in stone: once a thief, always a thief. Everyone has their place in the world, and there’s no changing it.

The characters are relatively similar to Kagawa’s other works: we have a quiet assassin (Raithe) who has a mysterious aura about him and a Fatechaser (Halek) who brought a lot of sunshine and puppy vibes to the book. I’m fully convinced Halek carried the story with his optimism and charm, because I’m not too invested in the other characters (yet), including our protagonist (except for Kysa). Sparrow honestly felt really repetitive after a certain point, and I think her constant repetitive refrain of, “I’m just a thief. I’m not a hero. I’m not a warrior” kind of overshadowed her character.

But let’s be real here: when you’re raised to be a thief under the belief that you can’t change your destiny and then suddenly find out you can, in fact, change your destiny, there’s bound to be some sort of existential crisis involved. I think Kagawa portrays this pretty well, even if it was annoying to read that every few pages. That being said, Sparrow does start questioning her identity and her place in the world, and I’m interested to see how this plays out in the sequel.

Fateless was overall a lot of fun to read. It gave me the same vibes as Kagawa’s debut, but with the maturity of a seasoned writer. It’s not my favorite book by any means, but Kagawa is definitely a comfort author for me, and this is a solid start to a new series.

I'm a fan of Kagawa, so when I saw Fateless was the start of a new fantasy trilogy, there was no doubt I'd be requesting the ARC from NetGalley.

Fateless started out slow, but I'm thinking this is a me thing. I initially listened to the audiobook. While the narrator does a wonderful job, I feel like I missed some details along the way. Around the 55% mark I switched to the ebook, and that made the difference. I immediately gained a better understanding of this desert-like world and the dangers that come along with it. Being caught out in the scorching heat during Demon Hour is nearly a guaranteed painful death sentence.

As an orphan raised in the Thieves' Guild Sparrow was taught to trust no one and to put her own well-being above all others. Her self-esteem is in the toilet because Fate determines your place in the world at birth, and the only release from it is death. Consequently, Sparrow believes she's "only a thief" - but she's a clever one and a fierce fighter. When her mission goes off the rails and a Deathless King is raised, she has no choice but to go against her instincts and take a chance on unlikely allies - the occasionally comedic Halek, cunning assassin Raithe, and the insect-riding warrior Kysa. Trust doesn't come easy, and I enjoyed watching Sparrow learn to care about others and form bonds.

The Fateless is mentioned several times over the course of the story and plays a significant role in the fight against the Deathless King, but I'm just as uncertain as Sparrow of what that term means exactly. A vague explanation is given, but I assume more will be revealed in the sequel.

With a high stakes adventure, endearing characters, and shocking betrayals, there's a lot to keep readers flipping the pages long past bedtime. Some may swoon over the romance brewing between Sparrow and Raithe. Recommended to fans of fate and prophecies, settings that are nearly characters, and strong bonds of friendship.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.

2.50-2.75 stars, still mulling my feelings on the rating. Tandem read with audio which I purchased myself. Narrator was very easy to listen to. This review is for the contents of the book itself.

The main thing I can say about this novel is that it unfortunately suffered from an identity crisis especially in the back half. The first part of two was actually pretty good, maybe a bit repetitive and a little too much tell instead of show, but I was enjoying the ride and the worldbuilding. When the first part ended (at 48%) it felt like it had reached a natural conclusion and like I had gotten a whole 350 page adventure in half that amount and had it really ended there, I would've been excited for book 2 and my rating would've been a lot higher. Alas part 2 was really the novel's downfall.

I'll start with the pacing. Part 1 was pretty steady. it might've not gone the way I was expecting with the synopsis as indicated but it had a rhythm and things were happening. Part 2 absolutely dragged and felt overall, narratively pointless by the end. It was a large amount of traveling to an alternate destination than what was decided on at the end of part 1 once another side character came into play that just so conveniently happen to have the answer to the FMCs dream nightmares that were not an issue in part 1. But, the catch was, they had to travel some more to a remote clan no one has seen in centuries and the FMC would have to pass the trials in order to get the warrior tattoos. A lot of time skips and identity crisis later, the FMC saves everyone in the big random battle in the end and falls in love with the hundreds year old MMC who is some kind of elf assassin in this world.

Now that I mentioned characters, let's talk about them. The FMC is, by all accounts told, the best thief in the history of like ever at 17. She is also the Fateless which isn't really explained much until the end but she can change Fate itself because she exists outside of it or something. Honestly still unclear on that and what it means but we know shes incredibly lucky so there is that? She also suffers from an identity crisis and religious trauma for the entirety of the second half of the book which like fair considering what happened but there is also not anything else to her. The MMC is again, this world's elf assassin that is hundreds of years old and was sent from the mysterious elven kingdom by their Queen (who is sus and I suspect one of the Deathless Kings or whatever) to be silent, mysterious, and kill people that affect the Weave too much aka the FMC. But he doesn't because Things happen and there has to be a romance. The first sidekick character is what they call a Fatechaser who is just some happy go lucky, wherever the winds take me kind of goof that is the comedic relief. The second sidekick (that comes in during part 2) is some warrior woman with magic tattoos that rides a giant beetle and comes from an equally mysterious place as the MMC. Thats it. Thats the characters. Everyone else is equally onenote and forgettable including the villains or villain of this first book.

I am going to round out this review by quickly talking about the worldbuilding and the vibes. I will say that both were the most enjoyable parts of the novel. The inspirations were clearly there but I was having fun with that, and while it was a bit repetitive and heavy handed with the worldbuilding, I was intrigued by it. I do think that I wanted more from both though and to be integrated a bit better. I can tell that there was a whole sandbox that the author wanted to play in, and she did, but it wasn't quite a castle by the end of it.

All in all, I will sadly not be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Julie Kagawa for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fateless was an engaging and exciting read, with strong character development and a fantasy world that pulled me in from the very beginning. The banter between Raithe and Sparrow was a highlight for me—sharp, fun, and layered with real emotional growth. Their dynamic evolved in a satisfying way, though I could have done without the underage age gap—Sparrow being 17 and Raithe being a few hundred years old was a bit odd. I kept thinking... could she at least have been 18? I know 1 year, especially at that age does not make a huge difference, but it did not sit well with me.

I also really loved the friendships in this story—Sparrow's relationships with Halek and Kysa were warm and supportive, adding depth to her character and balancing out the romantic tension with Raithe with some genuine camaraderie.

Vahn served well as the book's initial antagonist, giving us a solid arc to follow and defeat by the end. As for the Deathless King, I was hoping for more direct interaction, but I suspect the author is intentionally keeping him more enigmatic for now. Still, my curiosity is definitely piqued for the next book.

While the beginning and end of the book were fantastic and full of energy and momentum, I did feel the middle dragged a bit. There were stretches of travel and downtime where I wished we’d gotten more relationship development or plot movement rather than recurring dream sequences or passive progression.

That said, I really enjoyed this book overall and am absolutely looking forward to what comes next in the series.

I am personally a hard core Julie Kagawa fan. I have read all her series’, I’m probably missing just her middle grade and the last two of the Evenfall trilogy. I’ve loved all her books so far and this one does not disappoint.
What I love most about this book is that it’s heavily inspired by Assassin’s Creed. Kagawa loves that series and wanted to create a world similar to the RPG. The world she created definitely was as expected from her by now, exciting and interesting and it keeps the reader wanting more.
Our main character Sparrow is a thief trying to survive the city of Kovass. When she is sent to retrieve an item from an underground city, her world gets flipped in the worst way possible. Honestly, just knowing that little detail is good enough to get you to want to read this. I wouldn’t want to spoil more.
I loved Sparrow. I normally enjoy Kagawa’s main characters, she’s strong, independent, hard headed, everything you’d want from a 17-year-old girl.
I would say the only issue I had with this was the romance. I’m normally a sucker for it but this coupling did not feel organic. There isn’t a true connection that would have the characters falling for each other besides moving the plot along.
I’m also starting to see patterns within Kagawa’s works. There’s always one girl and two boys, hardly any other girl characters introduced. The love interest always have blue eyes. Just some things I’ve noticed within these books
If you haven’t read this book or anything by Julie Kagawa, I highly suggest you do!

Fateless promises thieves and heists. There's an element of ego and risk associated. And that's only the beginning. Early on we experience themes and explorations of fate and whether everything is just fated to be. Talk about a theme as old as time itself. If everything is written, what choices do we have? But if all our fates were told, what if there was something else? Fateless consistently scratched an itch in my head. I love a story pondering out part in the world and whether we can change our fate. Even more so, I enjoyed how Fateless explores combating a mentality where everyone is out for themselves only.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of Fateless.

This felt like being dropped into a D&D campaign already in progress—with a snarky rogue, a cursed relic, and a love interest who probably has blood on his hands and daddy issues. In other words: entertaining, but a little disorienting.

Sparrow was sharp and stubborn, which I usually love, but sometimes I wanted her to stop monologuing and just move. Raithe had potential but leaned too heavily on the “brooding assassin with secrets” trope. Their chemistry? There. Their communication? Missing, presumed dead.

The tomb-raiding adventure had solid worldbuilding, and the guild politics were intriguing, but I wanted more tension, more stakes, more… clarity. The pacing dipped right when it should’ve surged. Still, I kept turning pages.

This was fun—but I wasn’t breathless. I’ll probably read book two, but only after I’ve detoxed from fate-driven plot twists and shadowy puppet-masters.