In the Shadow of the Fall is an enthralling novella that drew me into a richly imagined world steeped in African mythology. The story follows Ashâke, an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, who yearns to be made a priest and serve the orisha. However, Ashâke is the only acolyte the orisha refuse to speak to, leaving her in a state of perpetual frustration and longing. As her peers ascend to full priesthood, Ashâke remains on the sidelines, desperate for a breakthrough.

Driven by her desperation, Ashâke attempts a forbidden act: summoning and trapping an orisha. Instead of success, she experiences a vision so terrible it catches the attention of a powerful enemy sect. This vision thrusts Ashâke into the heart of a centuries-old war that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her world.

From the beginning, "In the Shadow of the Fall" grabbed my attention and didn't let go until the final page. Ashâke is a compelling protagonist whose struggles and determination resonate deeply. Her journey is one of self-discovery and courage, as she navigates a perilous path filled with ancient conflicts and divine mysteries.

What truly sets this novella apart is the world Ogundiran has created. The vivid imagery and intricate details bring to life a setting that is both mystical and grounded in African cultural heritage. The mythology woven throughout the narrative is outstanding, offering a fresh and immersive experience for readers.

Despite its short length, the novella manages to provide a rich and engaging story. However, the brevity also left me yearning for more. The world-building is so intriguing that one can't help but wish to explore it further. Thankfully, this is just the beginning of a new fantasy series, and the anticipation for the final installment is high.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was a delightful and quick read. I really enjoyed Ashâke and how she handles her loss of faith and identity as she feels the orisha have abandoned her. Her character growth and understanding of her world are fantastically written. Her story expands so much as we learn what has truly happened with the orisha and that there is a larger secret war going on.

The world and setting is beautiful and based in Yoruba Religion and Mythology and is vividly described and well-developed for the short length of the story. I was surprised by just how much the author accomplished in this novella, setting us up for part two of the duology that comes out in January.

enjoyed this novella the writing was good the pacing was good it did leave me wanting more tho but most novellas do that bc so much but yet not enough is packed into that format

In the Shadow of the Fall begins by asking us what we would do when we feel destiny has passed us by. What would we do if we felt like our greatness was just beyond our fingertips. What would we be driven to do? And it takes that idea and delivers a novella which is captivating. A world which is rich and immersive with every page. For fans who enjoyed The Lies of the Ajungo, you have to read this one! There are similar themes of belief, discoveries, and what we will decide to do with knowledge.

This was such a fun novella! I really liked Ashake, our main character. She makes some questionable decisions, but she seemed very real. I loved the mythological elements of this book, and I'm excited for the next one!

This is a fantasy novella with a magic system based in Yoruban mythology. I quite liked the magic system and the setup, although the denouement felt a bit rushed: a lot of explanation and a quick progression of plot elements were thrown into the last few chapters. I'm intrigued by the series concept. This feels a bit like a prologue novella rather than a complete story arc. I'll definitely be continuing the series!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.

In the Shadow of The Fall, the first in the billed Guardian of the Gods duology, is an African inspired fantasy based on Yoruba mythology.

Ashȃke is an acolyte in an undisclosed temple. Seemingly passed over by the orisha, the spirits/deities of the story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and attempts to bind one.

Now, you know that this is not going to go well. I mean does it ever?

With disastrous results, Ashȃke is subsequently punished for her over enthusiasm. Seeing this as a step too far, Ashȃke flees the temple and steps into the wide world where she meets the Griots and learns the truth about both herself and what she thought she knew.

Plotwise, the book is not terribly original. It uses general tropes that most fantasy readers have been familiar with since Tolkien was in short trousers. In addition to that, the story went pretty much as expected and didn’t really give too many shocks or surprises.

The characters on the whole were pretty thin, and in all honesty, the book could have done with some more pages to flesh them out a little bit. Ashȃke, comes across as a entitled and ignorant, which was fine, but then her arc becomes a little too quick with barely any exposition on her transformation.

However, what does save the book from being a normal run of the mill fantasy by numbers, is Tobi Ogundiran’s writing and the vibrant world that he paints with the use of the Yoruban mythology. Ogundiran writes with a clipped tone that tells the reader exactly what they need to know without bogging them down in flowery, illustrative displays of prose, ultimately managing to convey the richness of the world that he has built. And the broader strokes of the Yoruban mythology adds colour and vibrancy.

In The Shadow of The Fall is an enjoyable read, but just don’t expect too much from it.

I'm of two minds about this. The world in which this story takes place is very cool, with interesting magic systems and a villain who is extremely creepy and interesting.

However, I felt like the execution of the story was quite rushed, and as a result the characters felt flat. There are a few moments where we're told that Ashâke experiences a major shift in her worldview, but I didn't feel it. This came down to pacing. There's a lot of external action, but it all happens so quickly, AND in the midst of two extended flashbacks, that I wanted more. More description, more emotion, more fleshed-out scenes. Several times, I could flip back a page or two to see if I had missed something because things happened so quickly. There's also a pretty significant cast to keep track of, but they don't get a lot of characterization.

I did say, "Oh, sh**!" aloud when we got to a certain dramatic reveal, and I will keep an eye on this author's work in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this as an ARC; my comments are my own.

Book 1 of a novella duology, In The Shadow of The Fall is a promising fantasy story. It was full force from the very start. I think it being under 200 pages lent itself to having to get to the high points of the plot. The stakes are high and I felt that with each page.

Looking forward to reading the conclusion next year. The cover is also stellar.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this novella!! In the Shadow of the Fall is a short work of fiction centered around African mythology. The main character, Ashake, was fiery and frustrated and so relatable and I appreciate her growth in only 160 pages. The world building and back story were well developed for such a short work. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the eARC.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was really good! In the Shadow of the Fall is a fantasy novella drawing on African mythology. It follows a young woman who has been training to become a priestess, but the orisha's won't talk to her and she has been stuck as an acolyte for years. So she does something desperate, not knowing there are larger things at play in the world. It's an engaging story and I'm invested in seeing what happens in book 2. The world-building and mythology are rich for such a short work, and the characterization is good too. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Wow this novella was exceptional. In less than 200 pages it connects you to characters, gives you a rich history and creates such tension for future books. The writing is gorgeous, lyrical and vivid. It is a new take on a familiar trope of gods and humans and good vs bad. I can’t wait to see where it goes. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This felt more like the prologue to a novel than a novella in its own right. I thought the mythology and premise were interesting, but ended the book wanting more of an actual story rather than the lead up to one.

I found the writing slightly clunky at times, and I don’t love the stylistic choice to use ALL CAPS to indicate yelling, but overall the prose is pretty readable. I just wish this and its sequel were being published as a single novel, as there just isn’t much *there* there.

Despite the short length, Tobi Ogundiran manages establish centuries of history and establish dynamic characters in In the Shadow of the Fall. I loved learning about West African mythology and look forward to the second novella in this duology. I almost wish it was longer just so the plot could have developed slower.

For such a short novella, this one really hits hard at the story that it was trying to get across. A war between the orisha and a powerful enemy, really the only negative I could even think to say about it is I almost wish it was a novel because I wanted to know so much more about what happens with Ashake. Tobi Ogundiran skillfully wrote this novella in a way that will pull you in fast and have you angry when it’s over because you need more. Thankfully there will be another one.

Read if you like: diverse representation, epic wars, false worlds

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The best part of this book was the worldbuilding. For such a short novella, I was easily able to picture the setting. The world felt unique and Ogundiran's descriptive writing allowed for fantastic visualization. However, I do feel like the length worked against the character and plot. I never was able to get into this plot as it moved so quickly that if it was novel length, I think it would have worked a lot better. The plot was just getting started when the book ended. It also felt more YA than Adult based on how the character was presented. She felt more like a teen rebelling against her upbringing than I think she was supposed to.

This is a short novella that has been packing a punch amongst a lot of early reviews and it definitly left a great impression for me personally. It drops us into a world full of different gods and temples. In fact the protagonist is an acolyte and after some events she actually makes a god angry after trying to bind an Orisha because she wants to me made a priestess, instead she draw the attention of an enemy and finds herself in the middle of an ancient war. For a novella, it felt like a fully completed 400+ paged story. I’m really curious to see how the story continues in book 2.

This was a good start to this series. I became attached to Ashake. I wish I had more to this story and more of the back story of the Orisha. This is good story for those who want a quick read.

In The Shadow Of The Fall is the first novella of a duology inspired by African mythology. Tobi Ogundiran has managed to create an epic fantasy, with rich world building and an action packed plot, concisely conveyed within a 160 page novella.
This story has found family, a cosmic war, religious trauma (loss of faith/belief), magic, and twists you won’t see coming. I can’t wait to read the second half of Ashâke’s journey.

I really enjoyed this. I would recommend to friends and family and our bookstore. It was a short but intriguing read.