Beautifully written, with lush world building and lyrical prose, FATE'S BANE is a story of sapphic love and tragedy that will stick with you long after you've finished reading.

I received a free copy from Tordotcom via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date September 30th.

I was excited to see a new standalone novella by CL Clark! In Fate's Bane, Agnir has been held hostage by an enemy clan since she was a child. Growing up among the enemy, Agnir becomes close to the chief's daughter Hadhnri--but blood ties pull her elsewhere, and peace sits uneasy on the fens...

This was a short and intense novella with a plot that suited the length (I say, as someone who frequently complains that novellas should have been a short story, or a full novel.) Clark does an excellent job depicting the war-torn Fens, which felt bit adjacent to Beowulf. This impression was strengthened by the prose, which tended towards the sort of rhythm--"filth-crusted and fear-stinking", "gentle as a feather-kiss"--which echoes some of the better verse translations. There was also a surprising amount of detail about early leatherwork.

This is also a story that's strongly centered around the sapphic romance. Hadhnri's father doesn't trust an enemy hostage, even one raised by his clan from a child, and Agnir's father is set on war. With the diverging ties of family, Hadhnri's and Agnir's loyalties are inevitably and tragically set at odds. And ultimately, this is a story about history fading into myth. We get glimpses of the contradictory fragments of the clan origin myth interspersed throughout the text. And like their ancestor, Agnir and Hadhnri's fate is left teasingly ambiguous.

An intense and powerful novella. Recommended for sapphic fantasy fans.

Fate’s Bane was my first book by C. L. Clark, but it won’t be my last. Clark’s writing is beautiful. It’s lyrical. It’s different from anything I’ve ever read. I felt like I was in the middle of a painting while reading this. I really enjoyed this world, which I was sucked into from page one. It’s atmospheric and interesting and she did so much world building in such a short amount of time. I loved these characters and this star crossed lovers story and the idea that love is magic. And a bit tragic. 10/10 emotional sapphic love story.

“I loved you the moment I saw you in the dark, with the slaves—before I even knew what love was. And when I learned, I loved you all the more.”

This is the first book I’ve read by C. L. Clark, and I liked this. This is a short yet powerful novella. I really enjoyed the characters, sweet yet well-rounded, the plot, and most of all, the worldbuilding. I loved the depiction of the tribes, the power imbalances, the star-crossed sapphic lovers. I even liked the ambiguous, open-ended conclusion. The magic system was ok.

This could’ve been a perfect read for me because I love stories that have an ancient, mythological feel. Unfortunately, the writing style was too much. It wasn’t poetic or flowery, it was too heavy-handed. It dragged the storytelling down and took me out of the story so many times that I wanted to DNF the book. But the story didn’t deserve that and I’m glad I pushed through. Still, it was tough.

I wanted to read Clark’s other books, but if this is her usual style, I won’t be able to finish them.

Thank you to Tor, Netgalley and the author for gifting me this arc in exchange for this review.
3.5 stars rounded up.

A very short but impactful novella. This has so much detail and building for so few pages. You really feel for each character and their two different tribes despite only knowing them for few pages. Such a tragic love story!
My only complaint is the slightly ambiguous ending but it's very clearly part of the storytelling and exactly how the novella should end so I wouldn't change a thing!

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame kind of has the same vibes in my opinion. Slightly less tragic but the same sapphic vibes and yearning!

OH. MY. GOD. Do not be fooled by the page count of this book. It may be little, but it is mighty!!! I think I read this books in about 2-3 hours and that is because I cold NOT put it down. C.L. Clark was able to write such groundbreaking characters in such a small amount of time that I am simply astounded. I have read a good amount of sapphic books as of late and I have to say that this is one of my favorites by far. The way that the relationship between Agnir and Hadhnri was written and built throughout the story was absolutely beautiful.

This was a beautiful and tragic little novella with allll the Romeo and Juliet vibes. I'm obsessed with the world the CL Clark created here. The fens feel magical and mysterious. My one quibble is that some of the magic is just glossed over so quickly that I still found myself a bit confused by it. However, I think that may actually appeal to some, and may be what Clark was going for.

A truly gorgeous little story.

Sapphic yearning is here and it’s here to stay. This was just delightful. I heard tragic sapphic adventure in the description of this book and said I need to read this book immediately. This felt like a lovely fairytale of two girls from different clans who grew up together and have fallen in love but are destined to not be with another woman.

The writing in here was exquisite and it really reminded me of the River has Roots that I also just finished recently. This was a novella a little under 200 pages and it felt like the perfect length to me. I know some people might have a problem with that. I would highly recommend this if you love sapphic stories.

I love these sad swamp lesbians! This was a beautiful novella that felt just about the perfect length, though I also wouldn't have said no to a full length novel of this haha.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR for providing this eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of C.L. Clark's Magic of the Lost series, and was excited to read something else from them outside of that series. I think fans of the soon-to-be-trilogy will enjoy this novella. The writing style was different but very engaging. It feels as if you're huddled around a fire, hearing elders retell a story that has been told many times before. I was quickly immersed into this misty world woven with a mysterious magic and a tale of two star crossed lovers. This is my sapphic Romeo and Juliet. This tugged at my heart strings and had me struggling to put it down. I think the ending will be controversial for some, but I enjoyed it and think it fit this book's folk story retelling style.

3.5?? Fate's Bane has an enchanting quality to it. In many ways, this reminded me of This is How You Lose the Time War, another sapphic novella about two women on opposite ends of a war. This book is slightly different though; it's softer and has a dream-like quality to it. The world is reminiscent of many old tales and legends. The ending is quite up to interpretation, which I know won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it and I think the ending added to the fairytale/myth of it all. The sapphics, of course, were delightful. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, but I know this will hit all the right notes for many others.

Another banger from C.L. Clark. Prose on point, gorgeously atmospheric, and the LONGING. My little gay heart was wrenching. Not to mention the ending, which was frankly ballsy as hell. I do think the story could have been expanded into a full length novel, and I’m a little sad at the narrower scope, but it’s a small nit to pick.

I really enjoyed the unique dynamic between the main characters, and I love the idea as a whole! Unfortunately, this felt like a story that could have perhaps doubled in size to really make me feel for the characters and their storylines. The ending was not necessarily my favorite because I’ll admit, I got a little confused. However, it is something I have not read before and I am grateful for new experiences! Thank you!

I really really liked this. I loved the atmosphere this story created. The world was so unique. It was giving Romeo + Juliet in the Scottish Highlands. The characters were lovely. The writing was absolutely beautiful.

While the ending was not my favorite, it did really work for this type of story.

Would read more books similar to this, and more by this author. Would also highly recommend this book, and will probably buy the hardcover!!

I really wanted to like this book. The plot seemed interesting, the blurb was nice, but when I got to read it I did not vibe with it at all. It has fantasy, romance, politics, overall a good plot. It just failed to have my undivided attention, the way the story was written didn't get me hooked. The dialogue also felt flat and at times awkward. Like I said, I really wanted to like this book, but it didn't work out. I'm rating it a 3 stars because it still has an interesting plot.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the chance to read this e-ARC in exchange for a review. All my thoughts are, of course, my own. Honestly, one of the things that intrigued me about this book were all the comparisons to This Is How You Lose the Time War, which is one of my favorite love stories of all time. It definitely lives up to the high bar that book set, but I honestly felt it was actually more similar tonally to Amal El-Mohtar’s latest release, The River Has Roots. Still, Fate’s Bane stands on its own and offers a completely original story that will appeal to any fan of folklore-inspired fantasy and nature magic.

The prose is gorgeous and the magic is very vibes-based, but in a beautiful way. Personally, I prefer soft magic systems and for the author to leave a bit of mystery as to how everything works. Isn’t that part of the appeal of magic? The magical elements of the book also work to support the romantic narrative and they really feel fully intertwined. I’ve read enough romantasy to know that balance definitely isn’t easy to strike.

The specific details of the story are unique and the emphasis on things like crafting and leatherwork are fascinating to read about. There’s a little bit of sapphic Romeo and Juliet, a lot of yearning, and an ending that leaves you with plenty to think about. Fans of writing that feels at home alongside authors like Kat Dunn, Naomi Novik, and Juliet Marillier in particular will probably find a lot to love.