I really enjoyed this novella and can’t wait for the conclusion. I appreciated the addition of west African elements and the fast pacing. I read this in one sitting and felt so much along side the characters journey. Even seeing the cover, after meeting her I didn’t know where she would end up, and I’m so excited for the second novella.

Loved the world building and loved the characters. I feel like this could definitely be a long series because I really wanted more in a good way.

This was a fast paced read. It takes the chosen one trope and shakes it up a bit while invoking some humor and Yoruba religion.

TL;DR

Tobi Ogundiran’s In the Shadow of the Fall opens up a duology in which ambition leads to the re-ignition of an old war. Can Ashâke handle the consequences of her actions? Recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

Fantasy is a field that possesses endless possibilities. We read it to escape, but we also read it to escape to a world where good can overcome evil. Where the little one can defeat the big bad. And where we can be so much more than ourselves. Ashâke, the main character of In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran, understands this. She sees others passing her by, making more of themselves and their lives than she’s doing. So, she decides to take action and force the issue. Her attempt reignites an old war for the cosmos. She will learn that she may have more parts to play in this war than she knows and that her ambition has unseen consequences.

Ashâke is a woman with ambition. She wishes to summon and bind an Orisha, and the story starts with her attempting to do so in the Sacred Grove. Ashâke is a priestess in training, and the final part of her journey is to be visited by an Orisha as have all the others she’s studied with. It just hasn’t happened for Ashâke yet, but she’s determined to force the interaction if she has to. Inexplicably, the ritual goes wrong. Ashâke is visited by visions of fire and burning. She failed, but she doesn’t know how badly she’s failed. Yet. In fact, she’s nearly turned away from the temple. Only through the interaction of the High Priestess does she stay. Her punishment doesn’t sit well with her though, and Ashâke decides to escape the temple. Out in the world, she meets Griots, travelers and storytellers. But Ashâke is in danger, and her very presences has put the Griots in danger. For her failure with the Orisha signaled to an ancient enemy that the temple has been weakened. The time for this enemy to destroy the temple and rid the world of the Orisha may be at hand.

In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran is a third person fantasy novella about hidden potential, secret intentions, and fitting in. It’s a fast paced, lovely story that ends a bit too soon for my tastes. While there is a conclusion to the story, it doesn’t feel like a conclusion. I don’t mean that it ends on a cliffhanger; it just sort of ends at a point that feels like mid-way in other stories. To be fair, In the Shadow of the Fall is being sold as a duology with At the Fount of Creation, which arrives on January 28th, 2025. The story, itself, leading up to the ending is fun and interesting; so, I think despite the ending it’s definitely worth reading.

Worldbuilding

Ogundiran has created a world worth exploring, and the structure of the novella does just that. We begin the novel focused in on Ashâke, alone, and soon expands to the temple. From there, Ogundiran takes us out of the temple, and we, along with Ashâke, get to experience the world outside. Ashâke has spent so much time in the temple that she doesn’t know much of the outside world; so, we get to experience the wonder of it through her. And there is wonder. I enjoyed Ashâke’s encounters with the Griots. They were joyful and playful in way that Ashâke seemed to need.

Next, the enemies of the temple get their own point of view during interludes in the story. Ogundiran does a good job making the enemies feel not-quite-human and menacing while still adaptable enough to blend in. I look forward to learning more about then in At the Fount of Creation.

Conclusion

Tobi Ogundiran’s In the Shadow of the Fall starts off the duology with an interesting and inventive world. The ending feels a little lackluster, but overall this is a story worth reading. I’m looking forward to the conclusion, and I’m sure you will too.

4.5/5 rounded up to 5 stars. This little novella is packed full of story! I fell in love with the FMC and enjoyed going on her journey of lost faith, found family, a big twist surprise and realizing her place in the world may be right where she started! I am so excited to read book 2! Highly recommend.

In the Shadow of the Fall is the first novella in a duology that centers an acolyte named Ashâke who’s drawn into a centuries-old magical war.

I loved the African-inspired mythology in this and was definitely intrigued to know what was going to happen next!

Because of its length constraints, I really needed the characterization to pack a punch and do a lot with only a little. It was hard to know what really made Ashâke tick beyond her acolyte-related woes!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for my review!

3 Stars

This was a nice little quick read. I liked the story but it didn't pull me in. It took me a bit to get in to but once things started going it was so interesting.

Thank you to Tor publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

**_In the Shadow of the Fall_** by Tobi Ogundiran is a gripping entry into the world of epic fantasy, where the fates of gods and mortals intertwine. This novella, the first in a duology, follows Ashâke, a frustrated acolyte at the temple of Ifa. Unlike her peers, she has yet to be chosen by the orisha, the deities she serves, which leaves her yearning for the priesthood and a life of divine purpose. When she tries to summon an orisha on her own, she instead attracts dark forces, leading her into a war that threatens to unravel her world.

There is so much story packed into these 150 pages, and I cannot wait to read the sequel/conclusion! Ashâka feels abandoned because she is five seasons behind her peers, all of whom have heard from the orisha and been elevated from acolyte to priest, but she is still an acolyte. When she decides to try binding an orisha to her to ask what she’s doing wrong, she sets into motion events that have been brewing for 400 seasons. All the revelations and the ending are so masterfully done, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Ashâka.

I loved this book. Going through this book through Ashake's eyes was incredible. The twists in the story were good and unexpected. This book was an amazing introduction into African mythology and I look forward to continuing this series

I can sum it up in one phrase. I wanted more! Given the length of the book there is some lacking in character development. The reader has to make a lot of assumptions and form their own idea of the characters. For me, this made it difficult to feel immersed in the story and the characters for a good portion of the first part of the novella. I found it difficult to feel connected and engaged with Ashâke. The world building is a bit rushed as well; however, with basis in mythology it was pretty easy to fill in some of the blanks. I think that could have only been solved by maybe another 50 to 100 pages. Despite that, I hung in and quickly was quickly swept up in the action following the big reveal. From that point I couldn't put it down. This is a part one of a duology. I'm curious to read the second and see where the story leads. I am also interested in discovering if the two together would have made an excellent full length novel. The writing is really good. I loved the way Ogundiran wove together the story. It definitely was a fun read.

"In the Shadow of the Fall," the first volume in Tobi Ogundiran's Guardians of the Gods series, is a compelling novella that explores the intense journey of Ashâke, an acolyte desperate to become a priestess. Unlike her peers, Ashâke struggles with a painful reality—she cannot communicate with the divine forces she is meant to serve.

Driven by frustration, Ashâke makes a risky decision to summon and trap a deity, but instead, she experiences a terrifying vision that thrusts her into a centuries-old conflict. This vision not only alters her fate but also draws the attention of a powerful enemy, placing her at the center of a dangerous and high-stakes battle.

Ogundiran’s writing is vivid and engaging, effectively bringing Ashâke’s world to life. Despite its shorter length, the novella delivers a richly layered story with tight pacing and strong character development.

Ashâke should be a priestess by now, but while all of her peers have ascended into service, she’s still an acolyte, toiling away at menial tasks in a remote, isolated temple. Desperation leads her to try to call on the orishas directly, but instead of binding the gods to her will, Ashâke discovers incredible things about the state of the spiritual world and her place in it. All of this leads her on a quest full of surprising truths, new friends, and frighteningly nasty villains.

There are so many things to love about this novella (the first in a planned duology),

Ashâke is the chosen one, bound to gain power and knowledge and focus, and while it doesn’t necessarily feel earned yet, it does fit into a sense of a much larger world happening around our heroine. Here’s hoping the next book takes us further into that world and solidifies her place in it. I’m certainly looking forward to whatever comes next.

This is a great novella that has enough world building for the novella length and character depth that doesn't feel you wanting more. The cosmic african mythology is really good and I cannot wait for the second book!

I enjoyed my experience with this book. I was rooting for Ashâke the whole time and enjoyed seeing her discover her true potential. I also did not see the ending coming, that was a fun twist. I am looking forward to more from the author. 

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

⭐️: 5 / 5

Publication Date: August 6, 2024

I want to thank Tor Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, was following the FMC’s journey. She’s a young woman trying to escape a life she’s only ever known for the past 22 years. While this book is short it takes you on quite the journey from there.

As for my reservations, I only wish this could have been a bit longer. I knew going into it that it would be shorter but I still was left wanting more at the end.

Overall I thought this was a spectacular novella. The opening chapter hooks you into following the rest of the journey. There’s twists and turns throughout that kept me engaged the whole way through, and I absolutely enjoyed the ending. It left me waiting eagerly for the next installment in the series.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Character driven stories
- Mythological stories
- Spirits
- Short chapters

⚠️ violence

Man, if this would have been a full length novella, I could easily see this being a 5 star read. As a novella I give it 3.5.

I loved the plot and the setting. It was just hard for me to fully get behind the characters and their motives because it simply wasn’t enough time to flesh those things out. There were events that took place that should have pulled some type of emotion out of me but I simply didn’t care enough about the characters because I didn’t get to know them. The interlude parts and going back in time were necessary for the world building but it felt jarring at times and took me out of the story.

The writing was excellent, the story line superb… it just needed more room to breathe. There is a burning question that I need answered so I’ll definitely be reading the second one.

Thank you NetGalley and Tordotcom for the e-arc.

Ashâke is an acolyte biding her time, waiting for her accession to Priestess. In the temple of Ifa the acolytes must wait to be spoken to by the orisha, in order to ascend and be given the honour of spreading the word and serving them throughout the Kingdom. She gets impatient and takes matters into her own hands but her summoning goes wrong and her actions set into action the coming of things way bigger than herself and powers determined to bring the end.

This book was so compelling I could not put it down. The author did such a fantastic job of putting so much characterization, and world building into the length of a novella. The plot was fast paced but did not gloss over important details. The writing was truly phenomenal. I just wanted a little bit more as I do with all novellas, but I cannot wait for the follow up and to continue to learn about this world and characters.

I wanted to like this book but the character development was really lacking and I just could not find a connection with the characters.

Genre: epic fantasy novella

A novella length debut from Tobi Ogundiran. This trend of epic fantasy tucked into a novella length story is one that I absolutely adore, not only because it's easier to consume in shorter form, but because it showcases an author's skill at concise worldbuilding. In the Shadow of the Fall borrows from Yoruba legends to create a vibrant and terrifying clash between people and gods.

Ashâke, acolyte in the temple of Ifa, is desperate to summon an orisha, so performs an illicit ceremony. When the priests catch her, she's punished. Escaping to the wider world, though, leads to knowledge Ashâke isn't ready to hear.

I picked up the audiobook, which is narrated by Channie Waites (who also narrated Ring Shout by P Djèlí Clark), and it was a treat! I love the way she brings characters to life through voice acting, lending a subtle air of terror to the story overall.