Fatemarked: The Fatemarked Epic, Book 1

So glad I gave this series a try! It's a rare first book that makes me want to spend money on the rest of the series, but as soon as I finished the Fatemarked I was downloading the next with no hesitation.Highly recommended for anyone looking for an expansive, immaginative fantasy world with all kinds of different characters and locations. The Game of Thrones comparisons are inevitable, but each will probably appeal more to different audiences. Fatemarked moves faster but is not dripping with detail, but for me that was a fine trade-off; I found GoT to be too much of a slog for the amount of time I can devote to reading.So here we have a fantasy land of four kingdoms constantly at war, a new and frankly terrifying enemy, and the next generation of rulers combined with the 'fatemarked', those born with a superhuman power. David Estes gradually weaves the threads of all these stories together, taking the reader through different settings (very cool Iron Forest), cultures, and belief systems. He introduces dozens of characters but impressively manages to provide them each with distinct voices.My favorite storyline was definitely Annise and Tarin, they were written with heart and humor and I really enjoyed their individual and shared development. But, for me the 'love triangle' of Roan, Gwendolyn, and Gareth fell completely flat, which I'm sorry to say because it was meant to be a main driver of the story. Roan was just kind of dopey and it was surprising to read that Gwen was "in love" with him, because their relationship always seemed more like siblings. Gwen and Raven, on the other hand, had sparkling chemistry, and I could definitely have seen them together.Despite minor shortcomings, I'm happy to rate this five enthusiastic stars, and was so satisfied when it was over! This series should have a higher overall rating, but I've seen that some readers rated it poorly because this imaginary world included heroes who were not just straight, white men and was thus "too PC". How sad for them to miss out on a truly fun adventure.

I find sometimes with epic fantasy that where there is a great concept, there is not always great execution. This series (I've read them all) bucked that trend.Other reviewers have already neatly summarised the plot, so I will just mention quickly what I really appreciated about the writing.Yes; there are parallels to Game of Thrones, but only really insofar as the descriptions of some geography. The writing is excellent and the dialogue smart. Like all people, there were very few who were consistently good or bad. As a reader, you are expected to pay attention and follow facinating chracter development arcs. The author writes women well (thank you for making women concerned about more than men!) and wrangles a complex storyline well and wasn't afraid to kill off characters when necessary for story cohesion.

Very few authors can make me feel so strongly for the characters that I cry or laugh along with them. David Estes is one of those authors. An ugly but incredibly strong princess; a beautiful but extremely emotionally flawed princess; an autistic knight; a nobody who loves and is loved by almost everyone he meets; a young boy whose destiny is to kill rulers; and more. The story is wonderful, and the characters are incredible. You will love them, hate them, change your mind about them, and follow them as they fight for their lives and their countries. I could not put this book down.

I truly did not think that I would like this series. After seeing it recommended several times and my curiosity peaked.... I finally caved, thinking what the heck, if I don't like it, I won't have to finish it. Well... Once I got into it, I was hooked. Bravo, Mr. Estes ! Now, on to the next installment !

A fan from very early in the story :-) it has all the right elements for a good series where we get quickly attached to the characters. World building is simple but original. Best part of volume 1? The fact that after some "evils" are trimmed off, most of the emerging main characters have the making of good individuals/heroes... Only to be somewhat pitted against each other. Gasp! This is going to be very interesting!!

This was one of those because you read XYZ you might like. Probably the best fantasy book I've read in along time, right next to Dark Kings Tidings, The Name of the Wind. I couldn't put this down. Each section built a little more of the story and universe out. Loved the different story lines and while you know it is 5 series book it was very captivating in its own. Very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I picked this up on a friend's recommendation, thank you friend! Another must read for all fantasy buffs, you will not be disappointed.Characters catch your thoughts and don't let go until your last turn of the last page. I rarely rush out a buy the rest of a series...I did with this one.

Such a good read, I'll be buying the rest of the series as well. If you like Game of Thrones, Sarah J Maas, anything like that, you will love this book. I honestly couldn't put it down. The characters are so captivating, the story flows like water. Amazing author, amazing book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

It's an attempt to clone JRR Martin but targeted more at kids. The world consists of 4 kingdoms on a square map imaginatively titled the North, South, East and West kingdoms. It uses JRR's POV technique except it doesn't grow out of a small start. Rather we have teenage protagonists who are all somehow special but have been bullied or overlooked all their lives and have never met. It's a well worn trope using 'borrowed' other tropes to try to appear epic. There is nothing original here and nothing much happens.It is classic 3rd rate YA fiction and there are so many better examples out there.The author even attempts to wrangle in a medieval fantasy version of Twitter to make it more relevant to generation snowflake's obsession with social media. It's just ridiculous.If you are a far left SJW who doesn't care about quality then you may like it. The two main characters are a butch, plain princess who gets teased by the boys but can beat them up - stock standard Mary Sue striong woman - and a gay vegan dude who lusts after a handsome prince. If you like well developed characters and don't care about political agendas then find something better.

A multi perspective grand fantasy, Fatemarked is the story of a dark prophecy coming true. It’s a well written story, action packed and engaging. It tells the story of a number of people, but the threads come nicely together in the end. A great book, and loads of potential for the rest of the series. Read on.Fatemarked is about a prophecy, and damn it, but it’s suddenly coming true. It was prophesised that one would come who would kill eight kings and bring peace to the world. Well, he’s here. Roll on action through four separate kingdoms and multiple POVs. Nice ingredients, I’m sure you’ll agree.I really liked this book. At first glance it has something of an RR Martin feel to it (multi viewpoints broken between chapters), though of course, the scale is not quite on a par (but what is?) It’s a bold place to go with a book, but the author has made it work and made it stick. Very well done.One of the best things is actually how the POVs are managed. Having so many viewpoints can be really tough, but the chapter breaks make it work, and each character has their own journey, which is essential. Each character is also suitably interesting, and their paths knitted together nicely. Overall, a great effort.That being said, there were some areas where the perspective broke down a bit. One such area was the final fight, where the conventions were broken in favour of a jumpy rapid-fire model, and this didn’t work nearly as well. It broke the tension and created a somewhat shallow finale, but it was one small part of a whole, so we’ll forgive it, I think.The other POV gripe I had was that of Bane. Without giving the game away, the Bane perspective is used fleetingly, and appears to be mostly as a mechanism for transferring information to the reader. Personally, I feel the book could have done without this perspective. I think it would have added to the tension.In other news, this is a classic fantasy worldscape with (wait for it) a cold North, an arid and hot South, and something lush and green in the middle, split west and east. I especially like the originality of the Easterners, and their unique way with the world. They are effectively tree-huggers, but not like you know it. You’ll have to read on to find out more!This is also a really well written book – third person past tense (my favourite), flowing text, and a generally easy read. There are perhaps periods where the internal monologue goes on a touch too long, but again, we’ll forgive this. Really, it is nit-picking.The final great thing about this book is the provision of additional short stories at the end. They add meat to a number of additional peripheral characters without clogging up the prose, and we are definitely interested enough to delve in. This is a really nice touch.So there it is. A great epic fantasy novel that’s an easy read, but still packs a punch. Well worth a read, and I shall be reading on!

I admit, I was hooked from start to end and honestly didn't't want to put this down to do pesky things like eating, sleeping and working... unfortunately I need to get paid in order to buy more books so my options were limited. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, Fatemarked is a sprawling epic fantasy tale following a collection of diverse and interesting characters. Told from multiple perspectives, this starts off a little confusing but the characters are all so well thought out and developed that you quickly become accustomed to it.The set up of the book is based around the war that has been waxing and waning between the kingdoms for decades and there is a depth here that draws you in. Whilst it is very character driven, because the characters are from different kingdoms and areas, you get a look at the complex political machinations and underlying tensions from a variety of viewpoints. The various lands are all ruled in very different ways and much like the characters, Estes depicts the varying cultures and religions well.. somd are ruled with an iron fist and a cruelty beyond belief, others more liberal and still others controlled by a religious sect and strict moral code. It's a diverse world and one that keeps offering up details to draw you in.Interlaced with this is the Fatemarks or Sinmarks, depending on the kingdom. In some those with Fatemarks are all but revered, in another used and in another still despised and reviled, killed on discovery. Each mark does something different, each offers a different power. Each kingdom is very different and this is shown clearly in how they treat those with these magical marks. More clever still is how various characters interact with their own marks dependant on how they were raised to think about their power. It makes for a complex and intricately woven tapestry that confoumds and enlightens in equal measure.As a backdrop to the huge cast of characters, mythical creatures and the war filling the land with destruction and violence though, there is a prophecy that may change the fate of all. For peace will be brought when eight rulers die and the one bearing the Deathmark shall be the one to mete out the blows. This is built into the story well and whilst you may cheer the death of one, the political ramifications of such a sudden power vacuum are demonstrated to be wide and sweeping, extending far beyond the simple line of succession. The sudden instabilities often lead to unpredictable twists and turns and Estes has a talent for keeping you on your toes.And then when you think it's all wrapping up, Estes treats you to six shorts, all delving into the back stories of characters that you saw through the eyes of others. Things you thought set in stone are turned on their head as you are shown just how unreliable individuals can be as narrators. Events and people are twisted slightly from this new view and you are made to contemplate once more the complexity and frailty of the mortal mind. It's cleverly done, giving you insight into characters you might have written off and deepening your understanding of others.So. For the second time in under a month I have to take my proverbial hat off. This is excellent and deserves all the praise I can muster. Kudos, David Estes.

Both characters and storyline kept me page turning. I loved the idea of the mini stories at the end which fill you in on the main characters lives before the start of this book. Looking forward to starting book 2 which will be as soon as I have posted this!

WOW Another fantastic book from David Estes. The story is well written with detail on every aspect of every character. You really feel like you know the main characters personally. The flow of the story is leading up to something I can't wait to find out about. I have pre-ordered the next books as and when i can without worry of being disappointed as i know Davids books are well written and addictive. Well done David.If you haven't discovered David Estes books yet then you NEED TO.