Oh my gosh, this audiobook had me literally HOOKED! In a chokehold! I couldn’t stop! I love this author and now I’m addicted!

I applied for this audiobook before it was published, so as an arc. Didn't get a response until today (August 1st) except I finished the book on July 28th! I actually got my copy from the library a day early and read half of it in one day. Took a while to get to the rest as I've been busy but finished the other half in one day too. This book was AMAZING, love the characters, the writing, everything. I've been a huge fan of Julie's for years and years. Have reread multiple books of hers tons of times. Recommend her to anyone who asks for book/author recs (because they're always getting the same people over and over). I was so excited when I saw that she was coming out with a new book, love this one. Can't wait for the second in the 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.

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌: ᴅᴇғɪᴀɴᴛ

𝒯𝒶𝑔𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒: sᴛᴇᴀʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴛᴇ. ᴜɴʀᴀᴠᴇʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ.

𝒪𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑒: ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @HTP ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ!

𝐹𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 ɪs ғᴀᴛᴇʟᴇss ɪs ᴀ ʙᴏʟᴅ, ғᴀsᴛ-ᴘᴀᴄᴇᴅ ʏᴀ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴡᴇᴇᴘs ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅ ʙʏ ғᴀᴛᴇ—ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴʟᴇᴀsʜᴇs ᴏɴᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ɪᴛs ᴄʜᴀɪɴs. sᴘᴀʀʀᴏᴡ, ᴀ sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ᴛʜɪᴇғ ʀᴀɪsᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪᴇᴠᴇs’ ɢᴜɪʟᴅ, ɢᴇᴛs ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ-ᴅᴇғʏɪɴɢ ᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪʀᴄʟᴇ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ, ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ. ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ ɪs sᴀᴄʀᴇᴅ—ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ’s ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴅ ғʀᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴘᴇsᴛʀʏ.

ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs sᴛᴏʀʏ ɪs sᴘᴀʀʀᴏᴡ’s ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ᴀʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴀɪᴛʜᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴏᴏᴅʏ ɪʏʟᴠᴀʜɴ ᴀssᴀssɪɴ sᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋɪʟʟ ʜᴇʀ—ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴀʟʟʏ. ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʙᴏɴᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴘᴀʀᴋs ᴀɴᴅ sᴜsᴘɪᴄɪᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ʙᴜɪʟᴅs ɪɴᴛᴏ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sʟᴏᴡ-ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ. ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴀ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴘᴀʏᴏғғ sᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴅ ᴍᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴀʀᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ . ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋs.

ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ-ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ? ᴄʜᴇғ’s ᴋɪss. ᴊᴜʟɪᴇ ᴋᴀɢᴀᴡᴀ ᴄʀᴀғᴛs ᴀ ᴛᴇxᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ʀᴇᴀʟᴍ ᴏғ ɴᴇᴏᴘᴇʀsɪ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴛ ᴄɪᴛɪᴇs, ᴜɴᴅᴇʀɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ʀᴜɪɴs, ғᴀᴛᴇ-ᴡᴏʀsʜɪᴘ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴡᴏᴠᴇɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴛᴀᴘᴇsᴛʀʏ . ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏғ 𝒜𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃'𝓈 𝒞𝓇𝑒𝑒𝒹 ᴍᴇᴇᴛs 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒲𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒹𝑜𝓂 ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴅᴀsʜ ᴏғ 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝑔—ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏғ ʟᴏʀᴇ, ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪɢʜ-sᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ .

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝐸𝓁𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈:
✨ ғᴀᴛᴇ ᴠs ғʀᴇᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ
⏳ ʜᴇɪsᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴍʙs
✨ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛɪᴇs
⏳ ʀᴇʟᴜᴄᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴀʟʟɪᴇs → sʟᴏᴡ-ʙᴜʀɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
✨ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴛ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ + ᴜɴᴅᴇʀɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ʀᴜɪɴs
⏳ ʙʀᴏᴏᴅʏ ᴀssᴀssɪɴ & ᴛʜɪᴇғ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄ
✨ ʜɪɢʜ-sᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ & ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟs

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝒱𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉: 𝐹𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ʜɪɢʜ-ᴏᴄᴛᴀɴᴇ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ, ʟᴀʏᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ-ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇғɪᴀɴᴛ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ʜᴇʀᴏɪɴᴇs, ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴀʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇ ᴏғ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ-ᴅᴇғʏɪɴɢ ʀᴇʙᴇʟʟɪᴏɴ—ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴏʙsᴇssɪᴏɴ. ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀɪᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ɪɴsᴛᴀʟʟᴍᴇɴᴛ!

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ
ᴡᴡᴡ.ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ.ᴄᴏᴍ

Fateless spins the story of a thief, an assassin, and a fate chaser who have to team up against the rise of the Deathless Kings, immortal kings of old. Kagawa does an excellent job of world building. As the first book in a new series, the reader learns the abundance of new information in an organic way that doesn't overwhelm or tell.
Of our trio of main characters the Fatechaser, Halek, was probably my favorite. Our heroine Sparrow is okay, but very obviously a teenage girl as shown through her actions and thoughts. (This isn't necessarily a criticism of the character, but just a thought that maybe I am aging out of really enjoying a teenage chosen one as much as I would have in the past. I think may make me old...ugh.)
I listened to an advance copy of the audiobook and I enjoyed the narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. She brought a lot of emotion and personality to the characters of this book.

:I really enjoyed this audiobook! While it’s labeled YA, it definitely reads upper YA and I think older readers will definitely love it. The concept of fate as magic felt super fresh and different, and I really liked that the FMC is fateless. She’s basically out here messing up the system, and I was so into it.

The characters were fun, the story kept me hooked, and I’m definitely interested to see where it goes next. I already know book two is going to get even wilder. Also, major props to the narrator. They crushed it with the emotion and pacing.

An epic start to a remarkable high fantasy! I knew from the moment the dedication mentioned Ezio and Altair that this was definitely a series I was going to enjoy. If Assassin’s Creed and Tomb Raider had a baby with the setting being in the desert you’d get this phenomenal story. Brilliant world building, well rounded and quirky characters, and the plot plotted! I was hooked from start to finish! Nothing predictable in this book and it left me craving more! Ya fantasy, no spice, no cliffhanger, no need for trigger warnings.

A first by this author and won’t be the last. I did the audio and the narration was spectacular!
Thrilling action and wonderful world building. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the book to life
A great mix of adventure and fantasy. I’’m excited to see where the story goes in book 2

Probably more like 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up.

A thief is tasked with stealing a relic that belonged to a deathless king. Except whoops, that will end up releasing said deathless king and destroy the world. Bet you no one saw that coming.

The plot definitely has The Mummy meets Prince of Persia vibes. Stealing a relic? Check. Getting chased by hoards of the undead? Also check. Everything going horribly wrong as buried cities rise again? Yeah I've played this video game and I love it.

The action is top notch. My main complaint is after the pulse-pounding part 1, the pace slows down a ton as the gang makes their way to their next destination. Sure, they're attacked by magical undead creatures a few times, but there's also a lot of drinking in taverns where I'm not sure if they stopped at a port somewhere or if it's inside the giant walker thingy that navigates the sand sea?

But whatever, Halek the fate chaser is the best. #TeamHalek all the way. Raith is okay if you like elvish broody types which is what I assume he is. All the character interactions were lively and I enjoyed the team vibes they had.

The worldbuilding was a little sketchy but that might be because I'm not really a visual person and I was listening to the audiobook while doing other things. The narrator was top notch and did a great job having different types of voices for all the characters and infusing Sparrow's emotion into the narration.

Recommended for fans of Aladdin, desert fantasy, and early 2010s YA fantasy as it felt like a fun throwback. While there is a slowly developing romance, it isn't the focus of the story and I really appreciated that.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Unfortunately I don't think this one was for me. The pacing was slow, and the writing style was repetitive and lacked meaningful descriptions. I found myself bored through the majority of the book.

Thank you for this ARC, I appreciate the chance to read this before release!

Thank you, @htp_hive and @htpbooks, for the ALC review copy.

I enjoyed this audiobook of Fateless. I thought the narrator did a good job depicting the world and characters of this book. It was an enjoyable listen.

The setting and atmosphere of this book were so interesting and really added to the world building. The worldbuilding was very descriptive, making you feel immersed in the story and was definitely one of this book's strengths. Add in thieves, heists, some politics, a romance subplot, and a fast-paced story with action to combine together for an enjoyable read.

I’m not sure why I’m recently obsessed with all these desert themed YA fantasy books but WOW. Fateless was so incredible! It follows a teen who is the best thief in the guild (also the adopted daughter of the guild master) and she gets sent on a mission to retrieve a stone from a long forgotten and cursed city under ground. From the very first chapter I was SAT. I wanted to know what the heck was going to happen and boy oh boy I was in for an epic treat. I loved the plot, I loved the characters, I loved the twists and turns, I loved the tiny touches of romance, and I loved the heart pounding action. I need book 2 like yesterday!

🎧 The audiobook performance was immaculate. I completely forgot it was one person narrating the story because each character felt different and so real. I was finding every excuse to keep listening to the audiobook as I went about my day!

I RECOMMEND IF:
If you like The Mummy, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Shadow and Bone, or the Air Awakens series, then there’s a good chance you will enjoy Fateless.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
• YA epic fantasy with a touch of romance
• chosen one
• career thief turned hero
• who can you trust?
• epic battles
• listen to your intuition
• interesting laws of “fate”
• monsters
• found family

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good start to a new YA fantasy series by Julie Kagawa. This is my first book with the author, and she usually has high ratings for her books, so I am interested in reading more by her. It's aworld filled with a thieves guild, assassins, treasure plundering adventures, and betrayal. It is fast-paced and very engaging, making you want to know more. I wish there was a little more world building as I feel that was a little lacking, but maybe we'll get more in the second book. It definitely has the YA feel to it, but it's enjoyable enough for adults as well. Sparrow is an interesting character, and I can't wait to see how she develops further in the books. Great audiobook!

Great adventure! I really enjoyed the world building and the characters as a whole in this one. This was my first read from Julie Kagawa and I'm looking forward to picking up more from this author.

I loved this book. I am a bit biased because I absolutely love everything Julie Kagawa writes but this was excellent. The world building was fascinating and really unique. I felt like I could see the inspiration but it felt entirely new. Major points for creativity because I really haven’t read anything else like this world. I also loved the found family elements in this story. Julie Kagawa always does found family so well (please see her Shadow of the Fox series if you haven’t already!) and this book was no exception.

Lastly, I loved the romance. It was slow burn and enemies to lovers and everything I wanted. Dare I say it, but it almost gave Rowan and Aelin vibes??

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Most importantly, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook. The narrator was great! The characters really came to life and I love first person narration on audio. I will definitely continue the series in this medium.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sparrow is a thief in the guild, raised by the guild-master. The land is a desert with 2 suns that rotate in the sky.

She is tasked to steal a relic that will literally change their fates.

Now a deathless god is has returned and Sparrow and her friends are on the run.
⏳
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a fun story. It’s very reminiscent of a “Mummy” movie with skeletons protecting a hidden city, relics, and a “protector” who is trying to stop the the undead king from being brought back.

It’s filled with Undead Gods, giant Beatles, desert land, lost city, battles, found family, the chosen one
⏳
There is No spice (so far).

It had a good ending, no major cliffhanger, the story is not finished.

I’m not sure how many books are planned in the series.
⏳
The audiobook was well done.

I was in desperate need of some good, old-fashioned, YA fantasy and Julie Kagawa's Fateless perfectly fit the bill.

With gorgeous world-building and a propulsively plotted first-half, Kagawa drops you right into Sparrow's world in the Thieves Guild that raised her. With touches of Throne of Glass, Six of Crows, and a hefty dose of The Mummy, Fateless is atmospheric and thrilling. The latter part of the book really ramps things up for the next installment and I can't wait.

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to read the audio version of this book and I cannot recommend it enough. The narration was perfect and I loved the way it moved the story forward.

Fateless was a roller coaster. It started off really strong with The Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes and then slowed down quite a bit until the end of the book. A lot happens in the beginning while the rest of the book is to set up the trilogy. The worldbuilding was really great. At times I could feel the heat of two suns on my face (this summer is brutal). The side characters really stand out in Fateless and help break up the severe personalities of Sparrow and Raithe. An interesting story though that I enjoyed reading. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw does a wonderful job narrating this story. I especially loved the energy she brought to the Fatechaiser, Halek.

Fateless was a great YA fantasy book set in a deadly and mysterious desert world. It was filled with thievery, heists, adventure, danger, an evil immortal tyrant, and the best found family. It felt like a mashup of Assasin’s Creed, Tomb Raider, and The Mummy, and I loved it!

The characters in this book are so fun. Sparrow was raised in the Thieves Guild, so she’s morally grey, but also has a conscience. Halek brings the comedic relief as her quirky fate-seeking friend. And Raithe is the broody assassin who starts out as Sparrow’s enemy but quickly becomes much more. These unlikely allies band together to fight the Deathless King and to find out Sparrow’s destiny as they travel across the desert and try to save the world. Their adventures are filled with banter, danger, and a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance.

The audiobook was narrated by Mia Hutchinson Shaw and she did an amazing job bringing Sparrow’s story to life. It was an excellent way to start the series, and I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperCollins, Harper Audio, Julie Kagawa, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.

📔Fateless
✏️ Julie Kagawa
📆 July 15, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🪲 desert world
🪲 thieves and assassins guild
🪲 fighting against fate
🪲 evil deathless king
🪲 giant insect and dragon riding
🪲 found family

This was an amazing book I absolutely loved the characters and the plot! I will definitely be posting a review on my bookstagram tomorrow! It was fast passed and kept my attention the whole book! I adored sparrow! The world building was absolutely amazing! Definitely cannot wait for the next book!