Champion of Fate - Review

Champion of Fate (Heromaker, # 1)

By: Kendare Blake

Expected Publication: September 19, 2023

480 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--Behind every great hero is an Aristene.

Aristene are mythical female warriors, part of a legendary order. Though heroes might be immortalized in stories, it’s the Aristene who guide them to victory. They are the Heromakers.

Ever since she was an orphan taken in by the order, Reed has wanted to be an Aristene. Now, as an initiate, just one challenge stands in her way: she must shepherd her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and Reed will take her place beside her sisters. Fail, and she’ll be cast from the only home she’s ever known.

Nothing is going to stop Reed--until she meets her hero. Hestion is fiery and infuriating, but what begins as an alliance becomes more, and as secrets of the order come to light Reed begins to understand what becoming an Aristene may truly cost. Battle looming, she must choose: the order and the life she had planned, or Hestion, and the one she never expected.

I missed the Anna Dressed in Blood craze back in 2011 and 2012. But I did read Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne. I liked the synopsis, but the execution of these books fell flat for me. I decided to DNF the series after book 2. With that said, I went into Champion of Fate hesitantly. After series like Throne of Glass or Fourth Wing or shoot even The Hunger Games and Divergent, the synopsis behind this book had a lot to live up to as well. I was nervous that the execution would fall short with this book as well.

Champion of Fate had a slow start with the three girls training. Reed and her two friends are as close as sisters. Of course, it's easy to be that way when they are the only ones around to be friends. Reed has this spark that's somehow visible to some of the Airestne warriors. She was chosen at an early age to train. Lyonene is the most natural of the three girls. She is fierce. Gretchen is perhaps the nicest. They are all working towards becoming Aristene Warriors.

The concept of the Aristene tripped me up at times. They are the force behind many men and women destined to be great throughout history. But the Aristene themselves are not to be remembered. I didn't see how this concept was possible. Reed connects with so many other people besides Hestion. I can't think of any specific examples at the moment, but as I was reading this book, I kept thinking that there were holes in the concept of the Aristene.

Hestion and Reed have been fated since Reed was young, and she saw his face in the well when she wasn't supposed to. He's been in her dreams ever since. Because of this, she feels a connection to him. She feels like she knows him. And while it isn't forbidden for an Aristene and her warrior to have a relationship, the relationship can't last. The Aristene always move on. Mortal as they are, the warriors will eventually die. Hestion is all about trying to have a relationship with Reed, but Reed fights it. I think because she knows that if she allows herself to go there, she will fall and fall hard.

Just as I was getting interested in the story and the characters, things started taking a turn in a direction that I wasn't excited about. And the ending left me feeling uninterested in continuing the series.

Favorite quotes:

-...you are are so afraid to fail. But if you don't fail here then your first failure will be real--and you will be dead.

-"If you fight only for glory I will tell you now: the glory isn't worth it."

Ultimately, Champion of Fate fell a little flat for me. The beginning was slow. I was driven for a while by the potential romance. But the ended left me wanting...not in a good way. And I felt like the concept of the Aristene had some holes that didn't make sense. All of that left me uninterested in continuing the series. Champion of Fate gets 3 Stars. Have you read Champion of Fate? What did you think? Let me know!