Out November 4th, 2025
Adrienne Young’s Fallen City is a hauntingly beautiful descent into a world where ruin and resilience walk hand in hand. From the very first page, Young’s prose wraps around you like smoke—elegant, elusive, and impossible to ignore. The city itself is a character, crumbling under the weight of its secrets, and Young paints it with such vivid melancholy that you feel its pulse in every shadowed alley and broken rooftop. It’s a setting that breathes despair, but also dares to whisper hope.

The protagonist is classic Young: fierce, flawed, and achingly human. Her journey through grief, betrayal, and self-discovery is rendered with raw emotional clarity. One line that stayed with me was, “I didn’t know if I was running toward something or away from everything. Maybe both.” It’s this kind of introspective honesty that makes Young’s characters feel like old friends—wounded, yes, but never hollow. The relationships in the book, especially the fragile alliances and unexpected loyalties, are layered with tension and tenderness.

What sets Fallen City apart is its thematic depth. Young doesn’t just write about survival—she writes about what it costs. The novel explores power and corruption, the ache of memory, and the quiet strength of found family. There’s a moment when a character says, “Grief doesn’t ask for permission. It carves itself into you, whether you’re ready or not,” and it encapsulates the emotional gravity of the story. Every choice feels consequential, every betrayal cuts deep, and every act of kindness feels like rebellion.

As a longtime fan of Adrienne Young, I can say Fallen City is her most mature and emotionally resonant work yet. It’s not just a dystopian fantasy—it’s a meditation on rebuilding, on reclaiming identity, and on the fragile beauty of hope in a broken world. I finished the last page with tears in my eyes and a heart full of admiration. If this is only the beginning of the duology, I can’t wait to see how she brings it all home.

Thank you 3000 to NetGalley and Saturday Books for this ARC!

So Adrienne Young is my go to author. A book comes out by her and I will always read it. I absolutely adore her books. However, this one was just plain confusing. It was really hard to get into and form a relationship with the characters. I feel like there wasn’t enough character development and the story was mainly political tale. The whole book didn’t have a lot of back story or action. It was just one note. I did finish it but I probably wouldn’t read a sequel to it.

4.5 stars rounded up. I've loved the previous books I've read by the author, but I will admit I was nervous going into this one. I'm still very new to the fantasy genre but this was a great book to dip my toes into. The world building wasn't overwhelming and was super easy to keep up with. I loved the world, and the writing was so beautiful. I knew going in that this was not a standalone, but I was still so upset with the cliffhanger ending 😂 I really enjoyed the dual POVs and dual timelines, the way it all came together worked perfectly. It also kept the story moving and kept me engaged and not wanting to put the book down. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, I just hope we get a happy ending for our star-crossed lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saturday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Adrienne Young book! I love love love a good duology. Sinking into this Greco-Roman-inspired fantasy world felt so unique and so immersive. I’m glad I'll get to visit this "fallen city" again.

Politics, intrigue, bloodlines vs. found family, and an interesting magic system. I‘m anxious to learn more about the power that the gods have in this fantasy world, and more about how the magic works.

It took me a little bit to hit my stride with this one but I think that was the intricacy of the politics and the number of characters. The end justifies the means as everything starts weaving together and the collapse of the City‘s politics comes to a head. Getting to know our star-crossed lovers also helped to pull me into the story.

I will be anxiously waiting for this story’s conclusion and recommending this read to those looking for the slow burn of tangled politics, power struggles, and betrayal.

This review will be posted on my Instagram profile on Sept 04 2025.

A war that tears between two lovers.

The start was a bit slow for me but nothing terrible. I always enjoy reading her prose and watching her worlds unfold.

Highly recommend this one!
I’ll be back for a more detailed review as I sit on it for a moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

DNF @15%

I genuinely am so confused. Lost. It's probably a me thing but I'm 15% in and could not tell you what is going on. People seem to love this author though so check it out when it's released if you're curious. She just may not be for me, and that's okay.

I will start by saying that I loved this book, but I will also say that it feels very different from anything. I have read by Adrienne, I have also only read her adult books so this review does not reflect any opinions or feelings on any of her young adult novels. I finish the book and was instantly put in a feeling of not knowing how to feel because I was thinking and feeling so many things. Haha
Adrienne did it again with giving us a beautiful job in creating a pre-existing world but in a version that is all her own. It was so wonderfully descriptive. I could feel the dirt and the grime, the coldness the characters felt not just from the climate but from what they were dealing with. I could smell the sweet breeze every time on blew past or the dank mustiness of going down below into a tunnel or catacombs. I could feel the hurt and sorrow the characters were feeling.

“My mind was racing from one thought to the next, counting the rippling effects this would have. It was the kind of beginning that gave birth to an end.”

The twists and turns leaving the cliffhanger ending. I would follow it all allover again. The intense moments made the simple little moments so sweet.

“Every part of me that matters, every part that’s real, you’re taking with you.”

The only disappointing part of this story is the fact that this one hasn’t been published yet which means I have to wait so long for book two.

Thank you so very much NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for the chance to be one of the first to read this novel and the fabulous Adrienne Young for writing this book.

We get dropped into this book world during an active war. It quickly becomes apparent that this war has cleaved a rift between two lovers.
She’s on the side of the loyalists, he is on the side of rebellion.
I’m super picky about romances but these two? These two were perfect with their imperfect love.

Through glimpses into the past, we discover what started the war, how these lovers met and what ultimately split them apart into opposing sides.
The prose was extremely compelling, the world building is detailed but easily digestible. The characters were well fleshed out. The author packed so much punch into this shorter romantasy.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc for review.
The only downside to being an arc reader is that you have to wait EVEN LONGER for the sequel.
Solid 5 star romantasy from Adrienne Young.

I will say to start... I cannot wait for the next book. There's so much to explore; this was the perfect book to the start of a duology. Just enough satisfying resolution as well as some very interesting storylines to make me hungry for the next installment. This was a solid 4 star read for me.

Adrienne Young's adult contemporary novels have become auto-buys for me. This is my first foray into one of her fantasy worlds and I am not disappointed. As with the authors other books, we get a very slow start and excellent world building that leads into the weaving of a captivating tale. I'm so glad I got to read this.

The story of Isara is told from the points of view of our FMC and MMC in a dual timeline format. In an Ancient Roman inspired world full of the magic of the gods and political intrigue, the book weaves the tale of the love story of two twenty somethings on opposite sides of a brutal war between the wealthy political elite and the lower citizens of the city of Isara.

The world building and political system are both rich and well plotted. The characters and their development through the dual POV & dual timeline were perfectly paced and well done. I loved the slow reveal of their world leading up to the war. I think a little more could have been done to really flesh out the romance for an adult audience. I loved the yearning and the relatively closed door nature of the romantic scenes in this book; they are described just enough to be enticing but not so much that the book devolves into smut. A+ focus on the world and emotions without too much romance to derail the real plot of the book.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin's press for the digital ARC.

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Adrienne Young for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book read like an epic movie script. The Ancient Roman city setting was immersive and captivating. I found myself at times envisioning scenes from the movie Gladiator. The details and descriptions by the author made the vision so easy to see. From the very first page you are dropped into the gritty action of war. I enjoyed how the story about that war and how it came to be was unraveled through multiple POV’s and timelines. The main characters Luca and Maris were compelling as was their romance, and it was tragic and bittersweet, and I wanted so much more for them. I am hoping that the next book in the duology sees a satisfying ending for them. The minor characters stood out and were strong pillars and catalysts for the story line. I was enthralled by the way the gods were interfering in the outcome and fates of the characters. And how they choose certain mortals to gift and use as tools to alter the outcome of the city and its corruption. While I very much enjoyed the pacing and the way the story was told, I can recognize that some readers may find the story to be slow paced. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I am really excited to see how it is received when published.

If you crave richly built worlds, political intrigue, and romances that tug at your heart while revolution rages around you—Fallen City is a win. It’s beautifully brutal and deeply emotional. Sure, it might require a bit more focus initially, but trust me, by the time you hit “the end,” you’ll be just as hooked—and just as desperate for the next chapter as I am.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Saturday Books for an Advanced Ready Copy of this book!

Fallen City is a dual timeline, dual pov romantasy. As always, Adrienne Young’s atmospheric writing keeps you immersed in the setting. The book delves into two characters who ultimately want the same end goal (a less corrupt city) but believe in very different paths to get there. I love that the characters are complex and never entirely agree or disagree with one another. At times, the jumping around (timeline and pov) slowed the momentum of the book, but these jumps also served as interwoven world building that proved to be informative to later plot points. 4/5 stars

Storylines I look forward to in book two: where is Nez, Theo 🫶, how the gifts will intertwine

This book was absolutely amazing! I dont think there is a Adrienne Young book that I dont like. The plot, the twists, the world building, was immaculate

Favorite quote(s):

"You should take more care," she said. "This game we play is a very long one.”

“The tide was turning and we were the wind."


What to expect:

A Greco-Roman city under siege, two star-crossed (or are they really?) lovers on opposite sides of a war, betrayal, priestesses with golden god-blood running through their veins and more.

Dual POVS and Alternating Timelines

Fantasy with Historical feel

FMC Priestess Apprentice/Magistrate

MMC Centurion/ Philosopher Apprentice

Low spice

Part one of Duology

Twisty plot and more.



Review:

This was a book I was so excited to read. It was one that Adrienne had mentioned years ago but hadn't got the chance, now it has. I loved the Greco-Roman type setting and world building. This book was full of political intrigue and messy gods having a hand in it all. I really enjoyed the main characters of Maris and Luca and how it showed both their POVs from the current time of the book and before those events. There was a lot going on with both of them but their love story was beautiful too. They had different things pulling them this way and that. Not to mention they were rivals and had messy family stuff. There were a lot of other great characters, a favorite was Théo. He was amazing. The ending chapters were really surprising. I mean both were always plotting and scheming but I was still shocked by Luca and his choices and even Maris’ choice at the end. I can't wait for more and to see how the rest of the story unfolds. I do think I wanted a bit more about the families especially with the secrets and mysterious deaths, but that might come later and more on all the moving pieces. Overall this was a good read for me and I enjoyed it a lot.

4.5

Fallen City takes us on a dark, emotional, and captivating ride surrounding a crumbling empire in the midst of war. In a dual timeline and dual POV, we follow Luca and Maris, who are forbidden lovers that inadvertently end up on opposite sides of the war.

There is a lot of mystery and political intrigue throughout. Not only do you desperately want to learn more of Luca and Maris, how they come together, and how they end up where they are, but you also want to understand the politics within the Citadel.

I will always say this, but Adrienne Young has such an immersive storytelling ability that transports you when reading while also tugging on your heart strings. This is another new writing style for her and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I need the next book stat 😭

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so heartbreaking!! I was immersed from the beginning and if I wasn't in the middle of moving, I would have devoured this in one day.

You pretty much get two stories in one from two POV's since there are "Now" and "Before" chapters. I always wanted to know what happened next from each version. I did get a little confused about which version I was in at times and kept flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to check, which is why I rounded down for my rating. Otherwise, I have high hopes for the next book being a 5 star read for me 😀

I love everything I've read by Adrienne Young so far and can't wait to see how this duology ends!

For those interested in the spice level... it was almost nonexistent except one very brief scene!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This is a typical Adrienne Young book by “typical” I mean beautifully written with some whimsy. This is the start of a duology and I’m so thankful there will be another book and not a trilogy or series. I appreciate how authors are gravitating to duologies more. This has Young’s beautiful prose and characters that make you feel invested in their story. This book has political intrigue, and gods. I tend to enjoy fantasy politics in books because I love the drama it brings.

This is about Maris and Luca and is told in each of their POVs and also in a dual timeline of before and after. I’m a little unsure how I felt about the dual POV/TImeline because I had to stop and think about which timeline/POV I was currently reading a few times. It was jarring sometimes, but it was a nice way to build the world without too much info dumping. Each chapter would give you little bits of information to help move the plot forward but it was a bit more to keep track of. It was well done even with that choice, and easier to follow along than what I’m making it seem. It also has a beautiful romance with lots of yearning and I can’t wait to see how that is impacted in the next book.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy light fantasy with romance. It is beautifully written and is a good time.

This book was a fun, and entertaining read. We follow Luca and Maris in two timelines, before and after the start of a rebellion in their city of Isara. We follow the choices they make in both timelines and how it affects the war.

I had a good time with this book and I think it could be a really good start to a series.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline aspect of this book. The before timeline being my personal favorite. I thought this worked really well to build the plot and romantic tension in tandem. I will say that I enjoyed the past timeline more than the present, but I think both were effective and fun to consume.

The politics in this book are super fun to watch. I enjoyed learning how the city functioned especially in relation to the gods. Watching Maris and Luca navigate this world was engaging and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although this book was fun, not much really happens and I didn’t find myself surprised by much. The very very end though, that did surprise me. I think there is a lot of opportunity for future books to build on this one, but the plot to this book felt a little on the boring side at times.

Overall I think this book is a fun and entertaining read if you’re in the mood for small scale politics, a hint of magic, and a complex romance. I think this book sets a good foundation for the series and I will definitely be continuing the series.

Adrienne Young is an auto-buy author for me. I fell in love with her beautiful prose in her magical realism novels. So when I found out she was writing an adult romantic fantasy inspired by Greco-Roman mythology… I died.

I came back to life again when this showed up in my shelf (a bazillion thanks to Saturday Books, St. Martin’s, and Net Galley).

I’m guilty of saying “this is everything I want in” a lot when reviewing. But this is everything I NEED in a book. Mythological inspiration. Forbidden romance with true yearning. Dual-timeline structure. Emotional depth. Political intrigue. It has it all!!

Then add Adrienne Young’s immaculate prose and you basically have the perfect start to a duology! (PTL we get another book) Every sentence feels like it was written with intention. Every detail pulls you into the world.

My only complaint? I need book 2 NOW.

This was a unique and intriguing story. If you are looking for a read that’s different from the typical stories, then this is for you.