Book Review: Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh

Series: Yes - Book #1 in Reign of the Fallen series.

Cover: I LOVE THE COVER. Absolutely gorgeous. I love the empty space around the skull with the title wrapped around it.

Rating: 2.5/5 This might be one of the lowest ratings I've done for a book in a really long time.

Review: Like always, the first part of the review is spoiler free and the second half is going to cover main points of the book. If you want to read the spoilers, go for it! If not, that's cool too. I really looked forward to reading this book. Basically, the first 80% of the book was boring and a bit infuriating for me. The last 20% of the book bumped my rating from a 2/5 to a 2.5/5.

This book covers the journey of Odessa, an orphan that can raise the dead. She is one of the best necromancers in centuries giving her the nickname of Sparrow. She is called Sparrow because she weaves in and out from the land of the living and dead easily. She is talented, but stubborn. This stubbornness is also her downfall and also a reason why I didn't like her while reading the book.

Reign of the Fallen takes place on the kingdom of Karthia. Karthia is a kingdom that hasn't changed for centuries. They do not allow new traditions, new food, new people, etc. Heck, coffee is considered an illegal substance in Karthia. In this world, your eye color determines the power that you can possess. Blue eyes are necromancers, green eyes are beast masters, gray eyes are weather mages, etc. The richer the color of your eyes, the stronger you are. I enjoyed how the world was presented and the funny holidays that the people celebrate.

Sadly, the characters in this book didn't do justice for the world that they live in. The main character is completely hopeless. I understand that she suffers through a very traumatic situation, but I want her to be able to survive and conquer that problem. Instead, she just wallows in her suffering and had to get the supporting characters to bring her out of her despair. Odessa is told by many people around her not to do X thing and she ends up doing it anyway. Only to have the supporting characters save her butt repeatedly. Also, this book is very, very, very predictable. 

What I did enjoy, is the representation of LGBT+ in this book. In the world of Karthia, it doesn't matter what gender you or your lover is. We have gay, straight, and bi characters in this book. There are characters that sleep with 70+ people and characters that have never slept with anyone. There is no stigma in this society in terms of romantic interest. Odessa is bi, and no one questions it. That's beautiful.

Lastly, in my personal experience, I wouldn't recommend this book if you're looking for a deep story line. I believe if I was younger, around 12-15 I might have enjoyed this book more. If you want to read about an LGBT+ relationship, you might want to skip out on this book. Although Odessa is bi, the relationship isn't covered much in this book. Finally, even if I gave the book a low rating, it doesn't mean you SHOULDN'T read the book. My tastes are different than yours. 

!!!!!!!!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, from here on out, it is rant city.

The romance in this book was hard for me to be interested in. At first, I loved the romance between Odessa and Evander. After Evander died, I was just annoyed with how Odessa acted. Evander was barely buried for a week and she already starts making out with Jax. Then she meets Meredy and falls for her. Legit, Evander and Firiel just died, not even a month ago and Meredy and Odessa are already making out with each other. 

Also, the amount of bad decision making that Odessa makes grinds my gears. I was so tired of everyone saving her instead of her saving herself. Odessa, you have the nickname "Sparrow" and you're supposedly the strongest mage of the century, yet you can't do anything correctly. Why?  Reading the book, I KNEW that Hadrien was the bad guy. Heck, even Meredy knew, but nope, Odessa the "smartest" mage couldn't figure it out. 

The only redeeming part of this book for me is the last 20% or so. Odessa finally takes charge and follows through. Although she still needed help from her friends. Also, it ticked me off when she says " Oh Valoria, I'll help you be the new queen and all" and then she runs away. She says she loves Jax, Simeon, and Meredy, yet she pushes them away. Finally, at the very end, SURPRISE!!!! Meredy is on the boat with her. Who couldn't have predicted that *eye roll.* 

Basically, this book is 80% BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Action!!!!!!!! Depression..... ACTION!!!!!! The End. 

Favorite Line: 

"You looked like a princess that day, standing on the manor step with mud on your boots and leaves in your hair and all those caterpillars you'd found for me. I remember thinking I'd never met anyone as in love with the world around us as I was, until you."

Top 3 Favorite Characters 

Meredy - FINALLY SOMEONE THAT ISN'T AFRAID OF THE MAIN CHARACTER. I was waiting for someone in the books to stand up to Odessa and slap her awake. Good for you Meredy.

Danial - I want a best friend like Danial. This dude has amazing fashion sense and is good with a sword. Bonus is that he can heal your cuts and bruises too. 

Valoria - Bless this poor girl. She is so innocent. Legit, I feel sorry for her. She is also the "perfect" character in this book as well.

That is the end of this review! I'll put book #2 into my reading list. I know I probably shouldn't, but I'm stubborn and I like seeing how everyone's story ends. MAYBE book #2 will be fantastic. The end of book #1 was better so I'm hopeful for #2. If you've read this book, what did you think of it? Let me know, down below :)