Aina and her mother live in a condemned realm, where evil corrupts every part of the world. one moment of grace and mercy changes the spin of Aina's fate, sending her to a higher realm that her mother can't reach. now, Aina is doing everything she can to descend to the lower realm and reunite with her mother, including joining with the balancers, a group that works to treat those abused by the conditions of the lower realm.

Toranic Law has guided every part of Aranel's life in his blissful realm. his desire to ascend and be with his family again spurs him to take on a mission to descend to the lower realm and infiltrate a group of balancers. the lower realms prove to be more disturbing than Aranel can handle; immediately, he's captured by a boy with a bad attitude who plans to trade him for medicine.

Meizan believes in loyalty above all else. when his clanmates are injured, Meizan captures a balancer in an attempt to make a trade for medical supplies. the promise of gaining more abilities that will help him find his missing clan leader brings him into the balancer group, too.

as their lives intersect and weave together, Aina, Aranel, and Meizan will have the fate of the universe balancing on their shoulders.

this book is for those who love the found-family dynamics of shonen manga (which I do!). this book is also for those who love intricate magic systems with deep, well-developed lore. I could tell A. A. Vora was just scratching the surface of this world and its creatures. Vora also did a great job of laying the foundations for all the twists and turns that happened in this novel, making it so that, while at time predictable, still made me go, WOOF! loved how, even during the training "montages," there was conflict that pushed the story forward, character relationships that were fleshed out, and an ending that felt <i>so</i> punishing for the reader and yet so well-earned for the story. loved loved loved this book.

This was a fascinating YA high fantasy influenced by Indian philosophy and Japanese manga. While I haven’t really read any manga before, I could see the elements of it through the characters’ iteractions and decisions. 🪷

I found the magic system amd world building intericate and at times daunting, but in the best way. It’s been a while since I had to think and visulize this hard in a YA novel, and I was so happy that it was done this well. The element bending did remind me of my favorite childhood show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it still felt unique in its casting and workings. I also found the creatures in the story to be so different from everything that I ever seen; I saw another reviewer mention that they felt Pokémon like, and I couldn’t agree more on this observation.🐬

The story follows three POVs: Aina, Aranel, and Meizan. Aina is from the world of Malin, the land where suffering is rather endless for its inhabitants and war seems to be a constant. She was a complex character for me as I could understand her desire to return to the mother that she was so viciously separated from in the beginning of the book, but the way that she is so easily manipulated by those around her was rather alarming for me. Towards the end of the book, I felt so bad for her, and I liked the rather dark turn she took.🌀

Aranel is a wonderful example of devout religious practioners slowly finding out their beliefs are not as solid and righteous as they previously believed. He reminded me of a goodie-two-shoes that is so far out of his depth that he has no choice but to adapt. I liked his slow realization that his faith isn’t as good as he thought it was, and how he tried numerous times to right this via his newfound friends. He also is a bit gullible, but not as much as Aina to me, so his ending is rather up in the air for me, and I find that I rather like that. ✨

Meizan was probably my favorite of the bunch. Sulky, moody, and standoffish, he is the perfet image of a boy who really hates being the leader. I really liked his story of trying to find the remnants of his clan after being separated from his chief. I loved the revelation that Aina and Meizan had in the middle of the book, and I like the idea that there might be a weird kind of love triangle going on with the three.🗡️

In general, I had a great time reading this book, and I'm so excited to see what the next book has in store for these crazy teenagers. Big thank you goes to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for accepting my request in exchange for an honest review, and to the author for creating such a fascinating world and magic system! 💮

Publication date: May 7!

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Spin of Fate" by A.A. Vora is a stunning debut in the fantasy genre, brimming with originality and vivid world-building. Vora's book stands out for its masterful crafting of a richly detailed world, well-rounded characters, and a very unique magic system. I really enjoyed the writing in this book as the characters were realistic while the plot itself focused on some heavy themes, making this book perfect for teen readers as well as adults who enjoy well-written YA fantasy.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the worldbuilding that came to life through Vora’s breathtaking imagery. Establishing a unique world and magic system can be quite difficult to accomplish, especially in a YA book, without some confusion as well as info-dumping, but Vora’s writing really shined when it came to establishing the setting. Right from the beginning, you are presented with a unique and imaginative setting that feels both familiar and refreshingly original. From kingdoms nestled inside lotuses to energy waterfalls and magical creatures like peacock snakes and winged dolphins, every aspect of the world feels meticulously crafted and beautifully described.

One of the book's other standout features is its cast of characters, each with their own motivations and arcs that add layers of complexity to the story. From the charismatic Zenyra to the conflicted Arenel, every character feels fleshed out and multi-dimensional. I found myself quickly growing attached to the different characters, and they actually felt like teenagers, which is also sometimes difficult to accomplish in a YA fantasy. Vora created distinct voices for each of the main characters, lending authenticity to their individual perspectives. I also enjoyed the deliberate subversion of tropes and exploration of moral ambiguity.

The plot unfolds at a steady pace, though the book does start off a little slow. That is probably what I struggled with the most with this book. I just found it difficult to get invested right from the beginning with the plot itself, even though I was really enjoying the characters and the setting. Some scenes also felt a bit unnecessary or were overly drawn-out. However, what kept me going was Vora’s writing, especially once the plot started picking up.

Overall, "Spin of Fate" is a fascinating YA fantasy book that fans of the genre will definitely enjoy. I can’t wait to see the sequel.

Spin of Fate is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. With well-developed characters and a complex magic system, this book is sure to satisfy anyone who loves high fantasy. I recommend this for anyone that loves fantasy, complex magic systems, originality in stories, and vivid world building. I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

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This is a very well-written book. The world building is original, meticulous, and generally top-tier. The characters are three-dimensional, and Vora does a great job letting the narrative breathe and letting all three leads develop nuanced, meaningful relationships with one another. Of the three, I thought Aranel was the best-written, with the clearest character arc and the most development. I also loved the sheer amount of dimension devoted to Kanna and her relationships with Meizan and Aina.

Other reviewers have said it best, so I will reference them here: there's a great deliberateness and intentionality to the way Vora tells her story. You can tell she knows what she wants to say, and she says it, without sinking to triteness or oversimplifying. The themes are clear and the characters representing them are messy, and that's truly the best combination.

That said, there were a couple of elements I did not like as much. The magical system oftentimes got overly-detailed for me. I liked having a gist of it and most importantly its social and metaphysical implications, but more details beyond that made my eyes glaze over.

Additionally, while I think Aina was a good <i>character</i>, flawed and human and portrayed with empathy, I have to say I did not care for her narrative arc. She spent way more time playing damsel in distress, hampered, and deprived of agency than either of the boys. True, she was not the only female character meaningful to the story, but she was the only female <i>protag</i>, as well as the character most prominently featured in the novel's blurb, so this was not a great combination. She was also frustratingly gullible and easily led, but given how much time Aranel likewise spent trying to find the letters G U L L I B L and E on the ceiling, this annoyance was mitigated.

So do I think Spin of Fate is perfect? No. But would I recommend it to my fellow readers? Absolutely! And will I pick up the sequel the moment it's out? Without a doubt.

Spin of Fate by A. A. Vora is an Indian-inspired YA fantasy with three POV characters and a fascinating magic system inspired by karma. Aina is a young girl living in one of the lower realms, Malin, when her soul is found to spin fast enough for her to go up to the next highest realm. Life is easier, she is provided with what she needs, but she is trying desperately to return to Malin. When the Balancers contact her, Aina chooses to go back to Malin to reunite with her mother and destroy the Toranic system. Aranel from one of the upper realms and Meizan from Malin are also recruited by the Balancers and have their own goals regarding Toranic Law.

What I really liked was how this broke down ideas of karma and predestination and how some souls are ‘born tainted’ and destined for suffering unless they improve in a world that is constantly trying to destroy them. It felt in conversation with The Good Place, where the thesis statement is that humans deserve love. While Spin of Fate doesn’t have the exact same thesis, it does draw attention to how small children who didn’t even ask to be born are sentenced to suffer when though they hadn’t committed any sins to deserve it.

Aina serves as a midpoint when placed next to Aranel and Meizan, with Meizan having grown up in Mala\in like Aina had but Aranel was born and raised in the upper realm with his entire family eventually going to the highest realm. Aina knows the luxury of the upper realms but she also knows the suffering of the lower realms, rejecting her new chance at life because it’s not worth it without her mother. While Aranel is originally not compassionate to Aina, when he sees the suffering of the people of Malin, he becomes empathetic and doubts the system. Meizan is cynical due to his life in the lower realms but we see the goodness in him fairly quickly.

A. A. Vora handles the more difficult subject matter respectfully and honestly. Aina’s mother is harsh and even slaps her daughter, reflecting the world they live in and how Aina has to be strong in order to survive and it can be difficult to reconcile some of that treatment with a mother who does seem to genuinely care about her child. There’s no waving off the worst implications of the worldbuilding and we get a sense of just how difficult life truly is in the lower realms very quickly, putting it into such sharp contrast to the upper realms where Aina is forgiven quickly for her actions against others as long as she is repentant.

Content warning for depictions of child abuse and allusions to SA and CSA

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy who also liked the philosophical elements of The Good Place, readers looking for a unique magic system, and those looking for Indian-inspired fantasy with multiple POV characters.

I wanted to love this. The world and the magic system were both super interesting. In this world, souls are separated into four realms depending on how pure or foul they are, and these realms range from unimaginable utopias to nightmarish hellscapes. Couple this with the presence of terrifying, fantasy Pokémon and a magic system that’s somewhere between Naruto and Wheel of Time, and I was so down for this book!

The problems (for me) cropped up with the dialogue, character work, and prose. The dialogue often felt wooden, and I had trouble telling who was speaking in a given conversation. The characters start out pretty annoying, which is fine, lots of characters have growth arcs, except that these didn’t. They just remained annoying. Lastly, the prose itself (imo) was clumsy and heavy handed. Much was told rather than shown, and again, we have another author who enjoys $10 words. Look, I’m fine with authors using words I don’t know. I enjoy learning new words! But when the vocabulary in your book is even simpler than mine is in this review, and then you randomly throw out words like refulgent or persiflage? I’d rather you didn’t.

All in all, fantastic ideas for a truly captivating world, but it read like an unpolished middle grade book. I’m still not sure why this was marketed as YA, actually.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the review copy!

To start, this book was a breath of fresh air I didn’t realize I needed. It had such beautiful and well constructed world building as well as character development. It’s marketed as An Ember in the Ashes meets The Last Airbender which I’m sure will attract lovers of fantasy and a great adventure that certainly has its rough moments along the way.

This book has some of the best found family vibes I’ve read in a long time! The trio that we follow throughout the story- Aina, Aranel and Meizan are EVERYTHING! Aina is a tough cookie who also has a such big heart for those she cares about and we both love her for it and root FOR HER. She especially cares about her mother. Aranel is a pure cinnamon roll who is very optimistic and we love him. And Meizan is hard to the core but has a soft spot for his clan and maybe his new companions… He would do anything- even k*ll for his clan.

The world and magic system is absolutely breathtaking to visualize and the concept is so unique. Love the focus on injustice within class and wealth and the consequences that come with challenging the “norm” set by a governing system aka. Toranic Law.

One of my favorite quotes: “A war might do them good. If this is how they choose to waste their peace.” ABSOLUTE CHILLS.

Diving into this intricate world, there may be points where it feels like a lot of information is being thrown at you but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this AMAZING debut to what is to become an unforgettable trilogy.

Spin of Fate is a book full of chaos. Have you ever noticed how the shiniest, prettiest things tend t0 be the worst possible things? Aranel has a soul spin the goes in the best direction possible, a forward one.This means that his Keiza is brghter than those below him in Malin. Aranel is sulllen at the though of his brother Sam getting to ascend to Paramos the next level of existence reserved for those of the purest soul spins. Worse a girl who somehow ascended from Malin which is almost unheard of has been making his life miserable. Aina wants to go back to Malin. Born into this place she was born considered bad just because of the place she was born into. The Torana is a flawed system that punishes those born to ones that have descended to Malin and further. These are the realms belonging to those who crave the chaos, the fighting and the death. Aina somehow was able to ascend but wants nothing more to descend and be withher mother. Something seems to be amiss in Aranels realm. He has been enlisted to descend into Malin and covertly join a group called the balancers that are said to be trying to overthrow the Toranic Law. Aina, Aranel and a young man named Meizan become Balancers together all for their very own reasons. However being part of this movement changes each one of their lives not necassrily for the best either.

I very much enjoyed #SpinofFate by #A.A.Vora.
I want to thank #Netgalley and #PenguinYoungReadersPublishing for giving me the chanceto read #SpinofFate in return for a fair and honest review.

Spin of Fate is an extraordinary fantasy novel with a highly original magic system based on karma. I was pulled into the plot right from the start and eagerly devoured the complex world building and religious system.

I enjoyed each of the three distinct POVs and learning more about the four realms that make up the world. This is a story about the lowers and the uppers, those born with and those born without, and who is deemed worthy and unworthy. I appreciated Aranel’s character development most of all, as he opened his eyes to the injustice of the law he put his entire faith and being into believing.

This was an exceedingly compelling series opener and I am eager to learn what happens next! Although marked as Young Adult, which I agree with from the standpoint of the characters’ ages and development, the story’s world building and magic system are more reminiscent of adult fantasy novels. Perfect for fans of The Last Airbender, Narnia, Tolkien, and more!

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Spin of Fate is, at its base, a morality tale. The world exist in 4 levels, ranging from the lowest, populated by beings described as demons, to the highest, populated by those deemed most deserving. There’s a twist, however; the level you’re born into may predetermine your ability to rise higher; those born into Malin, the second lowest level, have chitrons - a basic particle the allows the user to manipulate matter - that spin in the opposite direction of those born in the upper two levels, so not only must the speed of their chitron’s spin increase, but the direction must reverse for those born in Malian to ascend to the next level, Mayan, which is the reverse of Malin. Where Malin is lacking resources, filled with predators , and in a constant state of war, Mayan is clean, safe, and well-provided with anything needed not just to survive, but to thrive.

Intended or not, this novel has significant religious overtones - one is born to sin in Malin, and must do something truly extraordinary to escape to Mayan; in contrast, one is born to grace in Mayan, and must do something truly extraordinary to be sent to be sent down to Malian. If that doesn’t bother you, or you’re able to ignore or overlook it, this is a good book, with some interesting characters; if not, you may have some difficulty getting through it - and it gets stronger as the book progresses.

I was provided an advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a girl who was obsessed with Naruto throughout most of middle school (and some of elementary school), this book spoke to my soul. I think that anyone whose enjoyed Naruto (obviously), The Last Airbender, or likes the magic systems in Sanderson’s works will really enjoy
To start with, I really enjoyed reading from each of the three narrator’s perspectives. Something I dislike a lot in a lot of novels that use multiple perspectives is that the pacing of the story often takes a hit because the alternating perspectives are used to retread upon prior events in the story without adding much of anything of value to justify their presence or that the different perspectives, who have had very distinct upbringings and non-similar personalities, will have the identical character voices. This was never the case in this novel, as all the main character’s had their own unique voice, and seeing the world from all three of their perspectives added so much depth and variety to the world. The pacing was also perfect—I was never bored, even in the downtime of the story as I feel that it gave opportunity to learn more about the character’s and explore their relationships with each other.
I thought the characters were all very complex and well-written. Of the POV characters, my favorite was Aranel. Although he could be arrogant and self-righteous, he developed complex relationships with other characters and experiencing different parts of the world causes him to question his beliefs, and I found this to be an interesting journey.. The other characters were also also very compelling—Aina and her relationship with her mother was a highlight, and I liked Meizan’s loyalty and secretly soft heart.
Another thing I really liked was the magic system and world. You rarely ever see YA fantasy novels with such complexity or depth in their magic systems, so I found this novel to be a pleasant surprise. The training arcs were fun, I really enjoyed all of the fights, and the unique magical creatures.
I do think that a lot of the themes were obvious and maybe somewhat heavy-handed, but it never really bothered me because I thought they were handled well and with a decent amount of complexity. Some of the plot points and twists were also fairly obvious, but I also felt that this wasn’t really an issue for me as I found the plot to be enjoyable and well executed.
This was a phenomenal opening to the series, and I really look forward to the sequel or anything else that A.A. Vora writes in the future.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for the ARC. I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the concept of the different realms, and the way your soul spins if you're able to ascend, or not. The plot was very different from other fantasies out there in an amazing way which is probably why I got sucked into the story quickly. I loved this book and I can't wait for the next!

This slapped. Fascinating world, compelling characters, so much growth. I'm super excited for the next book, since I can totally see all three of the main characters having great corruption or growth arcs. Aina was the least interesting of the three, despite her backstory. Aranel reminds me of Lester/Apollo from the Trials of Apollo. Very similar vibes, just a little more grown up (but still whiny). His sections reminded me of 2014-6 era YA the most. Meizan is a classic YA book antihero. Broody tragic past and utterly devoted to what he cares about. I'm a little worried he'll be caught in the middle of a love triangle eventually though. I'm so ready for book 2.

This is a slightly different fantasy book. The world building is interestingly structured, the world consists of four different dimensions that only have contact via different portals. However, one is limited in getting between them depending on which direction and how fast one's soul spins. In the top dimension are those whose souls are the best and brightest, in the bottom those who have the darkest souls. Depending on how you live, you can change speed and direction of your soul and thus get higher up or fall further down.

We get to follow three different perspectives, there are three young people with completely different circumstances and living conditions. They all end up in Malin, which is the second lowest dimension. There they have to fight for their survival and are challenged in their thoughts about what is right and wrong, what is fair or unfair. It is not entirely clear who or what is the enemy and whether good is always good. The characters change and develop throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book, especially that we got to follow different characters and the idea of building the world on four separate dimensions with such different living conditions. Looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel about a world with different realms. People live in the realm based off of their souls. The realm of Malin is one of despy and violence. One of the main characters Aina, was born in Malin and later ascends. She also ends up as part of a a rebel group called the Balancers. This was such an interesting book I couldn't put it down and I definitely can't wait to see where the next book goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

The story line and plitbwere really good, but I had a really hard time reading this one. There was to much technical gorgon that I did not understand, and it made it hard to follow the story.

After a while, I found myself skipping entire paragraphs to get by all the needless nonsense.

The characters, plot, and story were good, but 1/4 of the technical gargon could be cut.

Three stars

this was a very intriguing and fast read for me. the protagonist navigates a world of corporate espionage and political machinations, they must unravel a series of mysteries to uncover the truth behind a sinister conspiracy. I noticed sections of the novel dragging while others rushed by too quickly and because of this, at some points in the book., the plot can feel overly convoluted, however at its core, the work explores themes of deception, betrayal, and intrigue

DNF at 22%
I wanted to like this so bad. I originally requested this arc because another reviewer raved about its worldbuilding, and because it’s being marketed as being like Avatar the Last Airbender. Unfortunately, I found my eyes dragging over the pages, barely reading it. I wasn’t hooked. I wasn’t invested. From what I did read, I think the world and magic system is exceptional. You can tell the author put a lot of time and thought into it. Unfortunately, at least to me, the characters dragged this story down. If this was my story, I would’ve maybe sat on this idea a little longer, let it cook a little more. Cause I want this book to exist. I just think the characters didn’t help carry the story as well as they could’ve. They needed more time to develop. More time to develop that particular writing muscle. And I’m saying this not to be mean, but as someone who is trying to workout those muscles too and understand how hard it is. I also struggle with my characters but have an easier time with world building. If you’re looking for more details as to why I ended up DNFing, it was because it felt a little middle grade (not to talk down on middle grades, I love them), but in the sense that the characters’ personalities and motivations and the theme were told to us and in a matter that was kind of heavy handed. Yet, even though they were telling us the reasons we should care about them, I didn’t. It sort of lacked that elusive spark that tethers me to them.
If you look at the other reviews, you’ll see I’m the minority on this. So I recommend you read and form your own opinion, cause I think many others are obviously going to really enjoy it. For me, I wanted to like it, but the book needs to at least hook me enough to want to keep reading instead of reading any of the many, many other books on my TBR or doing anything else in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the eARC for Spin of Fate. Unfortunately the kindle file has spacing issues, making it difficult for me to read with dyslexia. I still look forward to reading it when it comes out as it's one of my most look forward to new releases this year. I'm pre-rating four star because I anticipate really enjoying it once in a format I can process.