In the Shadow of the Fall

I was captivated by this short story from start to finish! We follow two perspectives, both our protagonist, who is trying to find her place in the world, and our antagonist, who will, of course, disrupt that.

Ashâke was supposed to ascend to priesthood years ago, but has been overlooked by the gods yet again. In her disappointment and frustration she is unaware that she is in the middle of a cosmic war between the gods, and the secrets the high priests keep will determine her fate.

The use of dual perspectives really heightened the tension. In the first scene with our antagonist we see the immense power he has as he takes over the body of a pickpocket. Knowing that he can disguise himself as anyone makes it easy for him to pop up in unexpected places - which he continually does throughout the story.

There is a lot of world building packed into this little book! We see very few places in this world, but the world still feels immense. We learn about the gods and their histories, as well as getting glimpses into the lives of different people groups. The world feels vast and alive and lived in. It feels very real.

Ashâke goes on an emotional journey as she starts to question everything she has been taught. The world in this story pulls from African mythology and the journey Ashâke goes on is very much a religious one, using religious language. She has to figure out what is true, and she is, at times, asked to believe things without evidence. Readers will probably view the story differently depending on their own experience with religion.

While much of this story is driven by inner turmoil, it moves at a fast pace as Ashâke leaves everything she has known and encounters dangers outside the safety of the temple. While she doesn’t know who she can trust, she is able to open up to the kindness of the griots.

I loved seeing the griots and how welcoming they are to outsiders. Their magic in storytelling was also fascinating and beautiful to read. I would have been happy to spend more time with them and explore their way of life.

The ending was beautiful and devastating! Readers get the satisfaction of answers to the main questions presented in the story, but are also left with the knowledge that a bigger threat is to come.

I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion to this story with cosmic level stakes in the next installment!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

I really, really enjoyed this novella. Interesting characters; beautiful prose; a fluidly built world that felt real and lived-in without being over-exposited. The main character made several choices that had me going, “OH NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING,” and yet I understood and sympathized with her reasons for doing what she did—which can be a fine line to walk. There was a big twist I didn't see coming, and the ending left me longing for the next book in the series. In terms of tone, this tale never flinched away from horrors but also never felt devoid of hope, and I love stories that can find that balance.

(I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)