One thing to know about me is that I go into virtually every book I read blindly; sometimes it's a good things, sometimes it blows up in my face. In the case of Fate's Bane it gave me an intense feeling of not being able to put the book down.

First things first, I should have noted that the cover shows two female-appearing character, but since I missed that I didn't immediately realize it was sapphic. Not that, that's a bad thing but it is my own fault that I got to Chapter 7 and questioned when a character was referred to as "sister." When I think of the writing style, the word moody comes to mind. There is something poetic and mysterious about the prose, which I found I really liked.

The overall book is novella length, but don't let that fool you---the emotional punch is there in every chapter and the ending. Oh my word, I was not ready for that ending. Any of them. In fact I was in public sitting in a massage chair while finishing the book wondering why I'd dare finish it in public as my heart shattered, got pieced back together and shattered some more.

This is my first by C.L. Clark and likely won't be my last.

Thank you TorDotCom for the gifted ALC.

A both familiar and creative tale of two women entangled in fate, clan, family, and love. Clark is a great writer. Teens and adults looking for an instantly rereadable tale should pick up this book.

the perfect balance of sapphic yearning and dream-like world building. great pacing for a novella, it flowed all the way through, never lingering for to long but still giving us a full picture of the this world. I know this comparison gets thrown around a lot but it was giving Game of Thrones vibes, with its rivaling factions, wards used as bargaining pieces and the outside forces two steps away from disrupting the main conflict.

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced copy

I’m going to be screaming about this one until time collapses inward. C L Clark has been a favorite author of mine since I first picked up The Unbroken. Fate’s Bane simultaneously shattered me and put me back together. This deserves a spot of honor on every tragic myth lovers shelf.

For a book heavily marketed on its star-crossed lovers romance, the love interest is tragically underdeveloped, which is a detriment to the overall story. Fate's Bane is an exercise in style and form, with a very medieval Scottish legend-like structure and interesting choices regarding the ending. However none of that matters because I can barely tell you anything about Hadhnri. Even worse every time, she appeared and made a decision that I was surprised by, because she seemed so incoherent. Agnir, no problem, she is actually a really interesting character that I felt for.

Hadhnri was so lacking that it is to the detriment of the entire story, which, again, hinges on the love story. Hard to root for their romance when you're still questioning why it exists at all. Unfortunately, this book sacrifices substance over aesthetics.

Thanks to Netgalley for this early copy!

This one unfortunately didn't work for me. DNFing at 22%.
I think this just nailed the coffin shut on CL Clark being an author I'll keep reading. I just don't jive with their writing style, and this book was no exception. It felt like it was trying way too hard to be something unique and fairy-tale esque, but instead of being nicely flowing, it really... just felt like I was being dragged through mud. Didn't really care for either of our characters, and didn't understand their power that was starting to manifest enough or care about what was happening to keep going. Love that it was sapphic though.

This novella really exceeded all my expectations. I did not like Clark's book The Unbroken, but I thought this cover was so beautiful I just had to try it, and I'm so glad I did. This is a fast read at under 200 pages, but there's so much packed into every single sentence. I thought the worldbuilding was incredibly strong, especially for a novella. I loved the romance between Agnir and Hadhnri, and especially the ambiguous ending.

“They called it trickster, they called it the luck-hound, they called it fates-bane.”

Thank you to Netgalley and @tordotcompub for the eARC.

I loved this book. It’s such a beautiful, beautiful tale. I have to talk about the ending first. I have read some amazing endings before but I was not ready for this one. C. L. Clark makes no consideration for their readers’ poor, poor hearts. It’s an explosive triple threat that leaves the reader going through the whole gamut of human emotion. Truly masterful work. It is perfect, more than satisfying, and absolutely elevates the whole story.

I went in blind and I suggest everyone try that too. It has an awesome cover (take a bow- Mary Metzgr and Christine Foltzer) and is written by C. L. Clark. Those were enough for me. Since I just said it is best to go in blind, I will not talk about the plot. I will simply say that if you liked things in Spear by Nicola Griffith, The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi, This is how you lose the time war by Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar, The river has roots by Amal El-Mohtar - You will certainly like this book too. It stands alone as an extremely unique tale but it shares elements from those other books.

The writing in particular is very similar for me to Moses Ose Utomi’s Forever Desert series. It is a kind of a fairy tale or a fable with themes of mythology, segregation, truth, and culture. The actual prose is gorgeous too and complements the setting so well. Add in the narrative closeness to the fable nature of the story, lush swampland atmosphere and the reader can see how well all of it plays service to transporting the reader out of the room they’re in and into the book itself. This is one of those books where the land itself becomes a character in the story. Agnir is an excellent character to follow and the readers will be invested in her really quickly. The supporting cast also feels very, very authentic and real.

Romance is a very important part of this story and it is executed superbly. Despite being a short novella -I am certain it will satisfy the most ardent fans of yearning. I’m ending the review with a direct quote from C. L. Clark that sums up my review as well - you will certainly not regret adding two sad swamp lesbians to your TBR.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley.

C.L. Clark's writing is always lovely, and her characters and scenarios always memorable as well. In Fate's Bane, a short mythic fantasy, the author's mastery of metaphor, imagery, and characterization are on full display, making for a extremely satisfying read.

Fate's Bane follows two young women living in a fen with their clans (about which see note later!), who have taken care of the land and existed in an uneasy set of shifting alliances and rivalries for a long time. Agnir, the book's viewpoint character, and the firstborn of her clan, is offered up as a ward and hostage to her enemy clan's chieftain at a young age, and grows up there with complicated feelings towards both her clans: the one she was born into and the one that has raised her.

Not least of these complications are her feelings for Hadhnri, the daughter of the chieftain. When they are still children, the two pledge themselves to one another. As they grow into young adulthood, those feelings only go stronger. As well as their complicated loyalties to their clans and their love for one another, the two also have a power called "Making," where the leather crafts they make bring with them blessings—or curses.

I loved every word of this sapphic tragedy, and especially liked the way the author ends the book—to me, that ending elevated this book from "sad swamp lesbians" (which to be fair is awesome by itself!) to a far more powerful story that is sure to resonate with readers today. Agnir and Hadhnri will be with me for a long time.

Note for the history nerds:

it isn't specified where or when, exactly, the book is set or if it's even intended to be in our world, but given some of the descriptions (a character with red hair, peat bogs, and the fact that the characters use axes and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seax">seaxes</a> to fight), the setting reads to me as a kind of fantasy Anglo-Saxon England.

Fate's Bane
By C.L. Clark
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Book: 47Favorite Quote: Are these the questions that matter as you wend your way through these woods?
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read Fate's Bane by C. L. Clark.

Fate's Bane is a quick read but is also quite dense with information. C. L. Clark begins in what feels like the middle of the story. Two warring clans, a forfeit child, and love ignited. This book was a bit difficult for me to grasp what was going on at all times, to be honest. It felt like reading old folklore. The story of Agnir and Hadhnri is a heartbreaking one. I feel like it follows a sort of Romeo and Juliet formula but with a taste of Scottish clans and the children of chieftains.

I've had the Magic of the Lost series books on my TBR for longer than I care to admit. After reading this, I want to finally get to them more than ever! I finished Fate's Bane in two sittings, although you could easily finish it in one. By nature of being a novella, many years are stuffed into this short read - I could have easily read more, especially since I'm a big fantasy reader and I would've loved more of the world and the relationships. That said, what we do get is satisfying enough. I loved the way magic was imbued in the story (and the type), as well as the lore. It really felt like a tale being told you around a fire or in one of the roundhouses mentioned throughout the narrative. The setting itself is not something I've read too often and I found myself looking at the cover more than once. It's so gorgeous and really evocative of all the greenery they're constantly surrounded by!

This was a one-sitting read for me. I was completely drawn in from the start. I loved the richly woven world of the fens, with its tense clan politics, powerful magic, and quiet emotional undercurrents. C. L. Clark does an incredible job slowly unfolding both the world and the characters, so by the time the magic fully reveals itself, you’re deeply invested in what’s at stake. The relationship between Agnir and the chieftain’s daughter adds real heart to the story, layered with longing, loyalty, and the threat of everything unraveling. The concept of Makings, magic worked into leather, was beautifully unique, and I really appreciated how the story explored the cost of power alongside the pull of fate. It’s intense, romantic, and quietly tragic in all the right ways.

This is my first book from CL Clark but I really enjoyed and plan to read her other series soon. This book had so many of my favorite fantasy elements and also had a very sweet sapphic romance with tons of yearning and a semi tragic end (depending which one you believe).

This was a really fun and quick queer fantasy read. It was easy to follow and I was immediately hooked. Very atmospheric and great characters!

I love the emergence of queer books in fantasy. I am obsessed with this book and so thankful for the ARC copy. It was just so good.

I did not know that "sad swamp lesbians" were buzzwords for me until this week. I really like this tragic Romeo and Juliet but make it gay novella.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Sept 30th
Blog post goes live September 30th
Youtube Review will be in Friday Reads on June 6th
Amazon and Barnes & Noble reviews will go up when available


**TL;DR**: Haunting and beautiful, this one will linger with you.
**Source**: NetGalley , Thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: A simple story of two girls from opposite clans falling in love, with consequences.
**Characters**: The characters were lovely, nothing ground breaking but well done.
**Setting:** A swampy, ancient vibe that really carried the story well.
**Fantasy/Romance:** I was actually shocked how much I liked the romance and the fantasy was a very light touch.

**Thoughts:**

Fate’s Bane is a simple story of two girls, from opposite clans who fall in love. One girl is the ward, held in a forced peace, the other the daughter of the clan leader who holds her. They meet while young and slowly grow together. Not only that but the discover a magic spring that could deeply impact their lives.

This story is very simple, I can’t think of one big twist or change in this that blew my mind. But it has haunted and lingered in my brain for awhile now. I loved the tone and the voice on it. It felt swampy, and dense, but the reading experience flowed so well and so quickly. The girls were believable and were well drawn. Everything in it, though it was simple in it’s construction was so well done I can’t complain about anything.

The only thing I can say is I wish I had more. I clearly needed to dive into C.L. Clark’s backlist but I hope, hope, hope she does more with this world and setting. It could stand on it’s own, but truly this was so beautiful I’d love to have many more like it.

Fate's Bane is an excellent example of a novella being the perfect length. There's a lot going on in a little over 150 pages, and that's what makes this novel so phenomenal. C.L. Clark's prose has a dark, fairytale-esque quality to it that made it impossible to put down. I'm also a terrible sucker for sad sapphics and Agnir and Hadhnri pretty much ruined my life (in the best way).

I think that this would have been a flawless book for me if the ending wasn't so... open-ended? Or rather, if the ending hadn't taken such a different path than what I was expecting. It was beautiful and circular, in a way that many myths or folklore stories tend to be, but I wish that Clark concluded it in a different way.

I can definitely feel Clark's passion for this world and these characters though. If you love an angsty, star-crossed romance and interesting politics, you need to add this one to your TBR.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own! :)

Fate's Bane is a tragic Sapphic love story between warring clans. A queer love story that will appeal to fans of This Is How You Lose The Time War.

Enjoyed this novella and liked getting to know the characters. Liked that this was sweet with very low to no spice. I was hoping the endings would have turned out different.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.