Fragmented Fates

by Nancy Foster, Орм (Illustrator)

• The hero.
• The seer.
• The child.
• The condemned.

After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic.

As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel.

Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people... and gain Talgel's unrequited love.

Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings.

Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn't understand his role in the greater scheme of things.

Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel's body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2023

About the author

I live in Mexico and enjoy traveling and watching anime. Oh, and I also like cats. I write books in English and Spanish.

Soy autora Mexicana y Estadounidense, crecí en el DF pero aquí ando puebleando en un rancho. ¿Por qué? Pues, tiene buen clima y la comida está chida, así que ahí le ando dando átomos. Casi siempre reseño en Inglés, pero de vez en cuando también reseño en Español. ¡Saludos!

Reviews

[Timothy Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read of a complex and fascinating world. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of the magical elements, characters, and worldbuilding, if you're the sort of fantasy fan who needs epic battles and constant action, this book may not be for you.

I was confused at the start, mostly because of all the characters introduced (some with very similar names) and complex social structures with elves, humans, half-humans, and harlequins. I always appreciate when fantasy tackles the idea of discrimination with "pureblood" elves and that sort of thing. Maybe I'm too pessimistic but I feel that's how it would happen in the real world if different fantasy races co-existed. After a while everything clicks, and the story focuses primarily on dissolving a sham marriage to fulfil a prophecy, which will lead to a split between pureblood elves and harlequins. If that seems bizarre for a fantasy novel, there are severe implications for this, with everyone having their own motives for defending the relationship or encouraging its end.

Talgel the blind oracle was by far my favorite character. She drives most of the plot, and honestly, I wish she had more POVs, though it must be difficult to write a narrative for a character who sees the future. The magical elements of this story are fascinating, though I am still a bit confused on who has access to magic and how (I think its based on their species? A character notes later in the story to being a half-ling and that's why they can absorb mana.)

Mana beasts are the best. Mages can summon ethereal blue lizards to ride or attack their enemy, and this is treated with the proper sincerity, where it only happens in very tense scenarios since the implications are so powerful. I admire Nancy's constraint with limiting this magic. If my characters could summon ethereal lizards to do battle, it would probably happen every other chapter lol

All in all this was a quick read I managed in two sittings because it was so interesting. Highly recommended to anyone looking for fantasy more prevalent with drama and prophecies rather than constant action. Looking forward to part 2!

“You realize that by attacking me, you have sealed your fate. There are no longer any paths you can follow except for the one of your prompt demise,” Talgel snarled

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this to judge for the Indie Ink Awards for two different kinds of rep, disability and Latinx. I already owned the kindle version.

This has one hell of an opening. Jamarnid was sleeping with a harlequin. Well, he thought she was human, which was still a crime, but this one’s even worse. She became pregnant, which is treason, and he was sentenced to death. The entire opening is a whirlwind of lore, action, and torture. He is willing to die for his crimes, but not everyone may agree. It’s fast and strong and you feel it even though you’re still learning characters.

Otherwise though, I do wish that it was labeled as the prologue, rather than chapter one, as it’s really the only chapter that truly takes place in the past. It kind of made the rest of it harder to follow, as the pace never quite speeds up that much again.

This is a multiple POV fantasy that features different races and ages. Full blood elves, harlequins, half bloods, and humans (mostly just mentioned). After the opening, the exiled members have fallen victim to two different purges from the full blood elves. Those that survived made their own city, Almjarhad, where all they want is to live self sufficiently. The POVs, as the blurb states, showcase the hero, the seer, the child, and the condemned, and with that of course, peace is never that simple. I really enjoyed each character and how the author had them operate with each other, especially when they appeared in each others chapters.

There is a very cool and well written sword fight in this, but other than that, this did want for action in my opinion. With the large and intense opening, I guess I expected something to come and outdo that, and there isn’t anything. Although, I will say that this is only book one and it does end with practically everything in a cliffhanger. So I assume the build to action is what follows.

https://fanfiaddict.com/fragmented-fa...

[Electromignion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I first take a few seconds to talk about how gorgeous this cover is? I love it so much! The art is incredible and fit the whole book perfectly!

The only negative point I can say is that there were too many names in a very few pages to grasp so I ended up reading and rereading pages to understand who was who and who was doing what and who had which purpose and came from which clan. But it’s surely a me problem, and as it went it became a bit easier for me.

I really loved to see how the different narrative frames went with each other, and with my issue on names explained, it was only at 25% of the novel that I truly understood how the past and the present were connected, but it’s brilliant and makes it really interesting!

I really got to be interested into Jamarnid’s story and how it intertwined with his son, Jarahad. I really enjoyed Talgel as well, she’s such a strong character, she’s mysterious, confident, I really loved her overall characterisation!

Sharad’s introduction was perfect to me, it had its mix between the seriousness of the situation and the humour which really worked well for me.

I really got interested by the idea of kinda mana enchanted tattoos, it was something super effective visually in my mind when I read it, and it was something that struck me.

I wish we already knew more about Henrietta because all the mysteries surrounding her intrigued me so much haha! I also felt a lot of sympathy for Tioja.

The relationship between elves, harlequins, humans and halflings were really interesting to read too as it was to me, well developed and I was able to fully sense what was at stake with everyone, so that’s great!

I really like how it went with all the characters and I’m very curious about what is bound to happen afterwards. As I was reading the novel I felt as if it went better and better and I truly could see what was going on visually in my mind, and I loved it, it was really flowing and it was super interesting. I would love to see what’s coming next for these characters especially Talgel 🤞 (I might have become one of Talgel’s greatest fans gotta admit)

*Thanks to booktasters for the opportunity of reviewing the book and thanks to the author for handing me over an ebook version for me to read it!*

[Blaise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about magic, elf’s, demons, and humans trying to exist in the same world. Darker than I originally thought but worth a read.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that drew my attention to this book was it's beautifully designed cover. I've never seen another cover with this art style before so it really made me curious about the book. When i read the description of it I was immediately interested because I really enjoy reading books in a fantasy setting where there is world-building and different species other than humans as well.

I liked the fact that there were a lot of characters because we got different perspectives of the story at the same time, although sometimes i got confused as to who was each person because I'm not used to reading about a lot of different characters at the same time but this wasn't a big problem because as the story progresses it became clearer who was who and in which setting we were in.

I really enjoyed the story because I found it light and refreshing. It doesn't bombard you with a lot of information about the world and instead it introduces it's laws and scenery in a very enjoyable way.

For me, this story feels like the perfect start because it gives you different characters and their motives, there are decisions being taken that will make you wonder as to why the characters chose to act the way they did and it will certainly leave you curious for more!

There are certain family dynamics that you will understand as you progress through the book because their stories go through a lot of development as they go through different emotions and hardships. One thing that this book reminded me is that we shouldn't rush to judge someone as we don't know what situations they may have been through and in result, what made them act the way they do today. That's why i took my time reading this book, sometimes going back and fourth between chapters to have a better look at the characters and their stories.

I really enjoyed reading this book, because although I do like fantasy books, most of the time I prefer books without a lot of battles because it makes me feel lost when a lot of things happen at once, so this book was like a breath of fresh air for me. The story flowed smoothly and it made me feel like i was seeing a movie with how well it's descriptions were of the scenes!

[mumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.⭐️

I finally finished it! There’s so much I wanna say about this book, so I will try to be as clear as possible.

I’m gonna start by saying that, at the beggining, I found myself a little bit confused by all these similar names, by the way magic worked and the conflict between these magical creatures. But, as the story went on, it all became more clear and interesting! The concept of summoning a phantom beast was sometimg i really liked; Talgel powers that allowed her to see the future, all the magic training Jarahad had to endure, etc. The moments where the characters interact with magic were my favorite.

Once you realised this book works more like a prequel, everything makes a lot of sense hahaha. The lack of action, for example. It takes its time to set up the first step of these characters, which is completely valid. Tho i have to say: I think (of course, in my opinion) that the book takes mistery a little too far. In many ways it works, but sometimes the lack of information didn't allow me emphatize with what the protagonists were going through.

And I first wanna talk about them by saying that one of my favorites parts of this book was the disabled representation. It is not a topic I know very well, so I won’t get deep on it, but it’s an important thing to mention.

I liked the evilness of Talgel and Jamarnid and the vague morality of other characters. It is something you have to keep in mind while reading. But i would have prefered a much more deep exploration of elf and harlequin society. Knowing the social costums and morals would’ve help me to understand the gravity of the characters actions.

But now I’m intrigued with what will happen later on 👀 and I think the story really has potencial.

THANK YOU so much to Nancy for sending me her book and to Booktasters for making it possible 🤍

Ps: Sorry if there is any mistake in my writing, english is not my first language 😅

[Maria Espín · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s such an amazing although short read for how many characters were introduced. I read this in 3 sittings because it’s hard to put it down once u start.

It starts out a bit confusing while introducing all the characters as they all have similar names and it’s a complex world. But once you become more familiar with the characters and the story goes on it all becomes much more fun and interesting.

as i said, it is a complex story and could go a lot deeper into the customs, culture and society of some magical creatures like the elfs or the harlequin. But even then, it is a beautiful world to imagine in many ways. (also want to say how pretty the book cover is).

I’m excited for there to be a 2nd part to this story!! and to dig deeper into detail in this universe!.

[Nancy Foster]

I am so excited that this book is finally getting released after a whopping 3 years of waiting. I cannot write a review on my own work because that would look cheesy, but I would have probably given it 4 stars, haha.

Oh, and this gorgeous cover was drawn by the insanely talented Ukrainian artist Armd. I have loved working with her and hope she can draw the cover for the sequel. She truly captured Talgel's cruelty and aura of mystery in her drawing.

And according to my faithful beta reader that has always read my books and wanted to know, Henrietta's secret identity will be revealed in the upcoming sequel and finale of this duology. Stay tuned!

[Obasi Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed reading this book! While it was not what I expected, there is something unique and original about it. The beginning of the book at first was a bit confusing to me but as I read on, I slowly began to understand the plot.

My favourite character is Talgel. I love how strong she is and how she didn't let her disability stop her from achieving great things. I do wish there was a lot of her POV though. I was always looking forward to her chapters.

Overall, this was a great read, and I am looking forward to reading the second book!

[Bahaa Gxkog · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is goood the plot the characters everything i fell in love with talgel she’s smart the only issue i found is the names i got confused at some points because they are similar that’s all i think
Keep up the gooodwork nancy! I love this book

[Sandra]

I read this for my batch of SPFBO9 books under judge Covers with Cassidy. Check out my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/dl0dFLjXKAg

Found it hard to capture the heart of the story and the characters I liked were not in center.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fragmented Fates takes place in a magical world, in the city of Almjarhad. Almjarhad is a newly developed city within a vast desert, populated by Elves and Harlequins and their offspring. An exiled elf, Lord Jamarnid, rules alongside his halfling son Jarahad. They help guide their people, as their city is built from the ground up. Jarahad is deeply in love with Talgel, a gifted woman who can see the future. Though she loves him too, she refuses to marry for reasons unknown to any but herself. When she sees a troubling vision of the future for Almjarhad, Talgel begins pulling the strings of those around her, to shape the future in the way she prefers. This deeply involves the leader of the Harlequins as well as a young halfling boy named Tioja. What will the future entail? Only Talgel knows.

As this story started, I was fairly confused as to what was going on. Some of the high fantasy names were too similar, and it felt like I was just thrown into the world, with little backstory. I did eventually settle into the rhythm of the story, but never felt fully satisfied. The writing felt stilted, which kept me out of it a bit. The magic system is quite different, with magic users each summoning a special beast/demon that is unique to their magic. I like this system, though I'm not sure I fully understand it even after finishing the novel. I also liked the slowly developing mystery of Talgel's vision. I didn't feel much of a connection to any of the characters, though Talgel was probably my favorite. I am curious to see how the action will ramp up in the sequel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fragmented Fates" by Nancy Foster is a mesmerizing journey through interconnected lives, woven intricately with threads of fate and chance. Foster's prose is both poignant and evocative, drawing readers into the lives of her diverse characters with empathy and insight. Through skillful storytelling, she navigates the complexities of human relationships, weaving together tales of love, loss, and redemption. Each character's journey is masterfully crafted, resonating with authenticity and depth. Foster's exploration of fate's interplay with individual choices is thought-provoking, leaving readers pondering the mysteries of destiny. "Fragmented Fates" is a compelling read that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned.

I love the book and 100% recommend.

[Ayrton Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has been a tough book to write about. On the one hand, I didn't really vibe with the style, and struggled in the first chapter. On the other hand, the book had enough positives that it still kept me reading, and even enough to warrant the four stars.

So let's get to those. First off, I liked the future sight mechanic in this one. I liked how the future can be seen without being set in stone, and how steps can be made to ensure a desirable future comes to pass. Talgel proved very good at this, and I particularly liked how ruthless she could be in her efforts. On top of that, the mechanics behind the phantom beasts were intriguing, and reminded me (in a good way) of other magic systems I enjoy.

I also liked most of the characters. Talgel herself was my favorite, and I had fun trying to figure out her motivations. I also really liked Tioja (though things don't look so good for him) and legitimately respected Jarahad. Even the characters that were obvious jerks (looking at you, Jamarnid) were mostly well-written, so that's a plus.

There isn't a lot of action in this one (if that's what you're looking for), but I can't in good conscience fault the book for it, since it doesn't promise a lot of action anyways. Just a warning. Likewise, if your brain works like mine you'll probably struggle a bit to figure out the plot.

Fragmented Fates doesn't strike me like a plot-driven book, or a character-driven book, which are the norm, but rather as... something more historical, I guess? It focuses a lot on the people as a whole, and how the setting develops, and once you figure that out it becomes more enjoyable.

At the end of the day, it's still a good book, and if you're into the things I mentioned, I can safely recommend it.

[Silviu · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was given a free copy in exchange of an honest review by booktasters*

I was not expecting to enjoy the book as much as I did. With that said, I still have a few critics.

First off, the names, too many things and people named in the beginning made it really confusing to know who is who.

Second off, I feel like the characters could've been written a little better, some characters will be acting in a way in one chapter then turn to 90° in the next chapter. I just wish their writing was more consistent.

Other than that I really enjoyed the book.

[Bill Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragmented Fates is the first part of a duology that takes place after a purging event that has sent elves and harlequin survivors into an inhospitable land where they try to build their own city from the ground up. This is a shorter story, only some two hundred pages in length, and almost reads more like a first part of a larger story rather than a true standalone. There is a beginning, middle, and end point but it does feel like most of the story is setting up something larger that will unfold in the second half of the duology. It's not bad, mind you, just be aware of this as you read.

But what is presented in this first book is interesting, nonetheless.

The main plot arc of FF is that for the city of Almjarhad to prosper, the survivors need to separate themselves from one another, no longer two clans (the Grey Clan of the Elf Kingdom and the Orsenmuray harlequins) living together in one city. [For reference, the harlequins are almost a demon-like species with reddish skin tones, pink eyes, and bat-like wings]. Half-elf/Half-harlequin seer Talgel has seen the future and it is her prodding of her former lover, the current steward of Almjarhad, Jarahad, to see the split of the clans. Jarahad's father, Jamarnid, was an integral focal point of the previous purge, and Jamarnid sees Talgel's visions as demon sorcery. Finally, we have a halfling child named Tioja who's potentially the key cog in Talgel's visions.

As far as the characters go, Talgel is probably my favorite because her actions can be considered dubious at best, deliberate at the worst. She is interesting because she has this "phantom beast" she can summon, when in reality it's a demon, and said demon shows her visions of the future that always come true. As a consequence, Talgel has lost her eyes, so she wears a ceramic masquerade mask. But make no mistake, Talgel has some really dark aspects to her character and that makes her interesting. Jarahad represents the opposite side of the coin to Talgel's grey morality. He wants to do what's right for his people, so much so, that he's willing to perform some dark magical arts to possess a demonic harlequin sword. His heart is in the right place, but to get there, he has to do some very very...um...bad things. He's also in love with Talgel but she continually refuses his approach for marriage. Jamarnid is kinda like the grumpy old disabled warrior that hates everyone. And Tioja's arc is integral to the overall plot because his parents are key to the separation of the clans, plus he has some nasty magic inside him that Talgel goads out of him.

I found the magic system to be equally interesting and unremarkable in its execution, some really cool concepts mixed with the ho-hum every day type of magic. The concept of mages and magic is just there, we have some earth mages that do some things with the earth off page, that's the unremarkable part, nothing overly special or unique. Just mages being cool-ass mages doing mage stuff. However, the phantom beasts, the harlequin tattoo magic, the mana absorption parts, those are really awesome and I wish we had more of it! I'm certain more to come in book 2. The phantom beasts are neat because they are different for everyone and have different personalities/behaviors. Jarahad undergoes the harlequin tattoo magic multiple sessions within this book and it ends with this test that gets insanely dark, but the resulting magic he claims is pretty neat. While the mages being mages is your standard fare of magic, the cool part is that some magic wielders can absorb said mage magic while it's being used. So there are times in the story when one magic user is being a jerk and Talgel absorbs his mana, thus cutting the spell off. I thought that was nifty. (Also, poor cheating doofus had some humorous curses levied against him after his mana outburst, I chuckled)

The prose is straightforward and without a ton of purpleness. The pace is relatively brisk, no slow parts, nothing to bring down the growing tension of the plot arc. There is hardly any info dumping, nor are there concepts underdeveloped. This book isn't action packed (I think there really were only two scenes of decent action), so if that's what you're looking for, this book isn't for you. But if you like political maneuvering involving mysterious visions of the future, then this is for you!

If I had to pinpoint any criticisms that might detract from taking this story from pleasantly good to great is that some scenes would have worked better on page than off. For example, when Tioja summons his phantom beast, we witness this through Talgel's POV but instead of showing the beast, we actually get her phantom beast/demon showing her another vision. I would have liked both Talgel's vision but also Tioja summoning his beast through his perspective. I mean this kid just unleashed a monster of magic, show that to me please! Another thing that could have been clearer was the timeline of this book. I'm pretty certain after Tioja's parents' issue is resolved, maybe fifteen years pass? I get that these are long-lived elves but he's still presented as a young child. Finally, I have to admit that there is a very dark scene with a trigger warning piece of content that might be difficult for some readers. I was shocked by it and it did make me see Talgel in a different light.

Overall, the story was a quick read and I'm very interested in seeing how this duology concludes when book two is released this year.

[nath ᥫ᭡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[SENT BY BOOKTASTERS]

3.75🌟 definitely darker than what i expected but i really enjoyed the fantasy and world building aspect of this !! the magical tropes was something i really liked and wanted to read more of. one downside for me would be the lack of action. however, knowing this is part of a duology also makes me more interested in book 2. can’t wait for the sequel to be out!

[Ymir · Rating 2 out of 5]

The names are heavily confusing and sometimes you may not know what's going on, aside of the orientalism. That aside, if you are tired of always reading Occidental-based High Fantasy, this book might catch your attention.
It's not a light read so don't grab it thinking you'll be done with it in one weekend, tho! Either way, it was very interesting.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

*free ebook from Booktasters*
Definitely the most well written book I received from Booktasters.
A political fantasy with a lot of similar names, a family tree might help!
A good read for someone who enjoys epic fantasy and wants to learn about a brand new world with some prophecy added in!

[N. R. Gravel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not your typical elven story. It felt middle eastern entwined with seers, demons, and royalty. The abilities the elves have with mana was unique. It was a bit hard to follow at times but I usually don’t read novels of this nature.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my #SPFBO9 readalong (I'm not a contest judge).

Fragmented Fates is a dark political fantasy with some truly original character designs and concepts.

Right from page one, Foster doesn't hold back in terms of how brutal her world or its characters can be, setting the stage for much of the ongoing political drama by showcasing a would-be execution scene.

The heart of the book, for me, was the cultural, ethnic, and national tension between the different racial groups in the novel, and Foster uses her fantasy world to comment on the dangers of ethnonationalism, as well as the cost of inter (and intra) group conflict. The political focus and the complexity of the relationships between the characters and nations will make the book a perfect read for fans of Malazan (though in a much tighter, shorter package).

This was a fast read that packed a lot of story into its short length.

A CW for one particularly brutal scene involving animal death (though I emphasize that it was well handled and had a narrative purpose).