Recent Reads: Fatemarked by David Estes

Fatemarked by David Estes
Series: The Fatemarked Epic #1
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication Date:  March 1, 2017

 

Format: Ebook/Audible Audiobook
Source: Free for Prime Members. Read for Book Club.

Rating:









Goodreads Synopsis: 

They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. 

An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. 

A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore. 

In the spirit of fantasy epics like Throne of Glass and The Lord of the Rings, enter a world of magic and dragons, kings and queens, and victory and defeat, during a time when honor and valor still meant something.  

Review: 
I read this book with my book club, we have been picking books as a group where everyone nominates 2 and then we all vote. This book is the first in an epic fantasy series that is available on Amazon. The first book, when we downloaded it was a Freebie. The overall story is about a world where some are born with Fatemarks, which give them special abilities, however in some areas they are revered whereas in others they are put to death.

The book is written in alternating point of views, we travel with and see the world from the eyes of Roan - a Fatemarked traveler, Annise  - a princess, Rhea - another princes of another territory, Grease - a thief, and Bane - another Fatemarked and a king killer. The story itself is about the death of kings, Bane's Fatemark compels him to kill and there is a prophecy about the death of 8 kings which is now coming to fruition. 

If you are looking for a series that feels like Game of Thrones and almost every other epic fantasy, this is a good fit for you. I will disclaimer by stating that I do not intend to read more of the series, not for lack of interest but more for lack of time and I have other things I would prefer to read first. The story was very interesting and it kept us asking questions and really getting into discussions about who was who and how the overall theme would work out in the end, even though there was no real conclusion at the end of book one. 

There were characters that I loved and some I wanted to strange, and some that I originally hated but come to resonate with, it was a good cast of diverse characters and backgrounds and even one that was bisexual. 

The ebook and physical book include a map, the ebook also includes more stories at the end focusing on some of the other characters and their backgrounds as well as a list of all the different Fatemarks, which I never looked at because I didn't want to spoil any surprises.

So if you like epic fantasy, prophecies, multi-character POVs, and a lengthy series, this would be a great book to grab.