More of a 4.5.

I’m always excited for Tor’s novella debuts and this seemed even more fun because I love exploring new mythologies. And while I didn’t read this quickly because life got away from me, it’s definitely a very easy one sitting read.

The author does a marvelous job creating this world based on Yoruba mythology, making us feel like a part of it in just a few pages. Interspersed with other tales and POVs, we mainly follow the narrative through Ashake’s eyes, who is feeling a conflict with her faith but finds herself on even more shakier ground as the story goes, when revelations and twists open her eyes to the actual reality. This gives us the opportunity to learn about the world along with her, feeling immersed in an organic way and never being overwhelmed with infodumps despite the low page count.

The epilogue especially thrilled me because of its implications as it now feels like we’ll have three groups with differing motivations, unsure who’ll prevail at the end. I can’t wait to see what happens next but unfortunately it’s probably gonna be more than an year long wait.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

This book was one of my favourite YA reads this year. As a Nigerian, I really enjoyed reading this book. It follows a young woman who struggles to access her magic and is set on a path of great power by her determination and resilience.

I loved the Yoruba mythologies and the Yoruba Pantheons playing alongside humans to make decisions for mankind.
This was a fast paced Novella and before I knew it, I'd reached the ending and I needed the next book.

Make sure to pick it if you enjoy fantasy, Pantheons channeling through humans, magic and creatures and epic adventures

This was a wonderful novella and set up for a fantasy series. I am excited to read more from Ogundiran.

A new series with potential, but the first installment fell a bit short in characterization and dialogue. Ashâke comes off as entitled and spoiled, especially at first, and although it is stated on-page that she is 22, she often seems much younger. Many of the other characters seem to exist mainly to help or hinder her, rather than being fully fleshed as people. However, I was drawn into the world-building and story, and do plan to continue the series when the next book comes out.

"In the Shadow of the Fall" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of family dynamics. With beautiful prose and compelling characters, Ogundiran delivers a story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a heartfelt and thought-provoking read!

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy!

Thoroughly enjoyed this novella, it was short and sweet but extremely detailed. I’ve been trying to diversify my reading so it was nice to read something that was from West Africa, which is not something I would pick up.

The story was rich and the prose was well written and kept me engaged with the story. I loved it.

What a fun and emotional read!

I loved how the author used the Chosen One trope and made it his own, infusing it with Yoruba religion and mythology.

This was a very quick read. The pacing was perfection. The author let us stew in the slower parts in order for us to understand what was happening, but then jerked us along when action scenes start rolling.

At times though, it does read like YA, but that didn't hamper my enjoyment. I think it actually helped that the FMC, Ashâke, was young, naive, and ignorant of the greater world around her because you experience the worldbuilding alongside her. I've read full-length novels that fail at this type of worldbuiling, so to have a novella excel in this aspect blew me away.

Speaking of the worldbuilding, for a setting that was very insular (Ashâke only goes to like 3 places), it was very rich and well-defined. You understand Ashâke's role as a failed acolyte, the temple's belief in the orisha and their role in promoting this belief, and the role of the griots as oral historians. It felt like I was physically in this world along with Ashâke. It was a wholly immersive experience.

I probably would've rated this higher if the reveal wasn't so YA. That was my only issue with this.

Anyway, I'll definitely be here for future installments!

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for this arc.

From the get go this book as pull me in. Even though it is fantasy Novella, this book didn't miss anything, the world building was clear the story line didn't have plot holes and It didn't feel like the story was rush the pacing was great.
The story follows Ashake on her journey of self discovery, she was aiming to be simply to be just accepted by her Orisha and to be a priestess but she was destine to be more. Looking forward to reading book two to see more of Ashake journey with her new knowledge of herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and TorDotCom for providing an eARC of this in exchange for my honest feedback!

In In the Shadow of the Fall, Ashâke is an untrained acolyte waiting for the orisha to call her into service as a full-fledged priest. When she grows tired of waiting, she attempts to summon the gods and finds herself thrust in the middle of an epic power struggle that will decide the fate of the world.

This novella was so well-done - there was enough explanation of the world and backstory but, I still felt like I was in the middle of the current situation. The story was fast-paced, descriptive and engrossing, such that I felt like I was missing out every time I had to set the book down.

I’d put this in my top reads of 2024, and would recommend this to anyone interested in Yoruba mythology and epic high-stakes fantasy.

Can’t wait for the next one!

I mean this in the most positive way possible but what did I just read?? WHY is this only a novella?? There is so much more exploring I want to do in this world and now I'm further away than necessary from book #2 because I read this ARC (thanks netgalley). I already know that is going to be one of the best novellas (if not the best) I will read this year.

My only criticism is that it was a little hard for me to follow at some points but that is probably because this was a valiant attempt at packing a rich and layered world into very few pages.

I would give this a 4.45/5 (rounded down to a 4). This is an excellent rating from me since the first book in a series is not usually my favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor.com for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions found within are my own.

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Phew, okay. Let's start with what I liked.

The cover is lovely.

I thought the setting was really cool and wanted more of it.

I liked the revelation of what was actually up with Ashâke and the orisha.

I loved the griot community, and thought what they did toward the end was beautiful and creative.

And then, there was Ashâke. To say I found her frustrating is the kindest and blandest way of putting it.

She's selfish and self-absorbed. The kind of selfish that, when a seer tells her that seeing the future is a curse which takes a toll on your sanity, retorts with, 'but you'll still use your powers to see whether an orisha will pick me, right?' Fuck your wellbeing, person who's taken care of me and kept me alive, it's all about meeeeeeee.

She's childish, throwing an actual toddler temper tantrum when told her future does not include being chosen.

She's so, so stupid. The aforementioned tantrum culminates with her running off into the woods with no supplies or plans, and only belatedly does she go 'wait, I'm just going to get lost and die.' (She does not get lost and die.)

She seems to lack the ability to self-reflect on any of this. And that, to me, is the core issue. I love character flaws, but the narrative needs to fully acknowledge them, and the character needs to experience some growth and self-awareness.

The narrative claims Ashâke's twenty-two. I don't buy this. Honestly, half the time, fourteen is more believable, I'd buy twelve, and sixteen is an insult to sixteen year olds.

She pinballs through the story, helped or hindered by others, but not actually doing anything until the very, very end,

This, unfortunately, leads me to another major problem: the entirety of this novella is setup for the actual plot, which I can only assume will happen in the sequel. There is no completed narrative or character arc. I think it would have made much more sense to just combine the two novellas into one.

As far as the sentence-level writing is concerned, it's mostly good, with a couple of relatively minor issues. I personally dislike the use of all caps to indicate shouting. It feels amateurish, though I've seen it enough to know not everyone will agree with me.

Then there was the use of the word 'siesta.' The setting of this book is a secondary-world fantasy with West African roots. 'Siesta' is a Spanish word rooted in Latin, 'sexta hora.' As far as I can tell, there's no indication of contact with Spanish or Roman analogues within the setting. It's a small thing, but it breaks immersion and jars me out of the story. Using 'nap' would have been much more unobtrusive.

I really wish I could say nicer things. I would love to read an unrelated story in this setting. I'm curious to see what Ogundiran does after this. But I doubt I'll be picking up the sequel. Not with Ashâke as the protagonist.

A very sad two stars.

A powerful and mesmerizing novella, “In the Shadow of the Fall” follows a young acolyte who has spent all her years in service to her temple. Despite her unwavering devotion to her practice and her gods, she is yet to ascend into full priesthood. The gods have not chosen her to spears their holy word into the world as they have her peers and friends. After years of failure, Ashâke desperately searches for answers.

This book includes:
- unique world building and religious lore
- a complex protagonist
- internal battle between faith vs. proof

This novella is spectacular. The characters are dynamic and flawed. The plot is fast paced and engaging. And the world is completely immersive and different from the fantasy standard. Ashâke was so compelling in the way that she felt confused and overwhelmed by her world, and that really allowed me to empathize with her and place myself in her story. I loved the interludes that added context, mystery, and variation to the story. I am looking forward to the rest of this series and hope we hit more fantastic novellas.

I recommend this book to fans of “A Story Spun in Scarlet” as it has similar themes as the relationship between faith vs proof that we see fantastically portrayed here.

I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Tobi Ogundiran, and Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

I really enjoyed this novella! I've been looking for a quick read to get me out of a reading slump, and this did the trick. The story really moves at a fast pace, which for me was a great thing. I loved the world, and the main character Ashâke has such a unique voice that I couldn't help but care about her struggle. I'm excited to see what's next in this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I am very picky with novellas as it can be difficult for an author to write a captivating story in 200 or so pages. In The Shadow of the Fall did not have an issue with this - I was hooked within the world, and captivated by the African mythology. The journey that the main character Ashâke experienced in the short pages of the novella was heartbreaking. Some authors need 500+ to do what Tobi Ogundiran did in 160 - create a protagonist with believable character growth.

I cannot wait for the next installment of the Guardians of the Gods duology. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC.

Thank you TOR publishing for the arc! The cover pulled me in but the story omg, this novella was amazing. You get God's, fast pacing, and keeps you guessing. I cannot wait to see what's in-store next.

In the Shadow of the Fall is a novella about an acolyte, Ashâke, who has been refused a promotion to priesthood. She attempts to summon the orisha (deities), but fails and instead sees a terrible vision. And with it being a novella, I can’t say too much else without spoiling the story😅

This was so good! It’s such a quick read — the first couple chapters are a little slow, but once you hit the first interlude, we’re off. Every few chapters, we get an interlude from the POV of a side character. Those interludes were my favorite chapters because that was where the world-building really got to shine.
For only 150-ish pages, the story and the world is very well-explained. The pacing was smooth, moving quickly but not at a breakneck speed.
The last third of the book had me in a chokehold, I couldn’t stop reading because it was so exciting. I can’t wait for the second book of the duology, and in the meantime, I’ll probably be reading Jackal Jackal for the first time.

CW: death/murder, suicide, violence, religious trauma

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Black women/girls in fantasy/mythology is my favourite genre. This being about Yoruba mythology made me eat it up even more. The author was able to do so much with this being a novella.
I can’t wait for book 2!!

Wow! Novellas are not usually my cup of tea, but this Yoruba-inspired fantasy caught my attention while browsing Netgalley. It is an enchanting beginning to a story I cannot wait to see continue. I love our main character and her struggle to believe, and while it was short, I felt like I could be stuck in the world for days. I didn't know what to expect given that I have little familiarity with the culture of the Yoruba, but Ogundiran wrote this world very nicely and in less than 200 pages. It was easy to understand without losing the nuances he was conveying. I hope this one gets a lot of love upon publishing. If you're looking for a short read or something based on a culture you don't see a lot of in fantasy, THIS IS IT!

This epic fantasy novella was quite enjoyable! Incredible world building and I loved some of the characters Ashâke meets along the way.

It was a little too much plot for the size of the novella so it felt rushed at times. However, I would be interested in continuing Ashâke’s story!

Thank you Net Galley for providing this novella in exchange for an honest review.