ARC Review: Fateless (Fateless #1) by Julie Kagawa

Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

Title: Fateless (Fateless #1)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: July 15, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for providing me with an early copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I'm so sad to have to DNF this book (at 57&) but I'm just bored. I usually love Kagawa and her writing but this one just did not hold my interest even over halfway through the title.

I tend to really dig into an assassin themed book. Given my love of Throne of Glass, I have high expectations when it comes to this genre. I need to feel pulled into the world and understand the characters who play these rolls. What makes them tick? What makes them stay?

The build up of the fantasy world seemed like it would be interesting to me at first. Julie's writing and lush and full of apt descriptions, usually enabling me to be able to frame the scenes out in my mind. And the book had a fast pace to it. But I was lost as to how the world came to be and how the magic system worked. There was some action that held my interest for a bit but not enough to make me want to keep turning the pages. I felt like a lot was happening but not much was happening all at the same time. It was like watching an Indiana Jones film but never really getting to the point of why I was investing my time.

I also wasn't invested in the characters. I wanted to give them a chance but I just didn't feel a pull to them or find them relatable. I didn't care about any of them or what happened to them. 

I am a fan of well written YA, which is why I picked this one up. Plus, Kagawa has not steered me wrong in the past. But this is not what I expected. I can see how it may appeal to the very young YA crowd, perhaps middle school. I won't give up on Kagawa but I won't be continuing with this series.

Author:

 

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in horse country in Kentucky with her husband and a pair of Australian Shepherds.