The Shadows of Heaven:

Trials of Fate #1

by KaliVictoria

The existence of angels has been kept secret for centuries. They watch over the earth, and over humans, from each of the four hidden realms around the globe, acting as Guardians, Nurturers, or Disciples. Gale Geffen has trained his entire life to be a Guardian, to follow in his parents’ footsteps and to protect the Human Plane from demons. But for the past two years, Gale has been given the boring task of his title—fixing the ozone layer. His fate remains stagnant until God calls upon Gale and his friends with a different task in mind. A lurking evil in the Realm of Hell wants to eradicate the Human Plane, but in order to stop this evil, the trio must find another for this fight. They’re tasked with finding her. The prophesied vine. The human...

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Angels, LGBT, Queer, Adult, Fantasy Romance

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2020

About the author

KaliVictoria makes her debut as an author with the first installment of the Trials of Fate series, The Shadows of Heaven. She is a city native and lives within the tri-state area of the United States. Learn more about the Trials of Fate series at www.kalivictoria.com

Reviews

[Holly | The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m an absolute sucker for books with angels in them, and this book did not disappoint.

I will quickly say that it wasn’t without issue - some parts suffered from telling us instead of showing us, the passing of time didn’t translate across in some places, and I didn’t feel as connected to some of the characters as I wanted to be - however, for a debut self-published author? Guys the levels to which I am impressed and in awe of this book are astrological. It was a one-sitting kind of read that had me hooked from the first chapter.

The story revolves around Havena, a regular 18-yr old who suddenly finds out she’s half-Angel and part of a world-saving prophecy when three (extremely good looking) Angels crash land in front of her just as a demon is getting ready to put her 8-ft deep. So uh, yeah, you could say she’s a tad shocked.

This book has everything you could want:
• angels
• lgbt+ rep (with so much more to come in book two!)
• poc rep
• wingspans
• potential enemies-to-lovers
• girls supporting girls
• short chapters which create a fast pace
• and again, for all you acotar fans, wingspans, which are literally mentioned in the first chapter and apparently, do not disappoint

The plot did feel a tad predictable at times but was still super enjoyable, and was definitely redeemed by the twists at the end which I’m still reeling from! And as for characters, whilst there were some I didn’t connect with, the ones I did? I would die for.

We have Leah, the human best friend who is so ride-or-die she’s willing to give up her old life to venture with Havena into this world of angels and demons even though it’s extremely dangerous. I live for girls-supporting-girls and that’s what this book repeatedly gives us! She is honestly just *chefs kiss* and I hope we get a few more of her POV’s in the next book! Oh, and did I mention she’s bi? Looks like I’ve found a new comfort character.

Then there’s Theseus, which, big himbo energy. Actual golden retriever with a heart of gold and if anything happens to him there will be riots at dawn.

And then there’s Ruth, who I’ll let you discover on your own, but I just cannot wait to see what happens with her in the next book!

And if you’re still not convinced to pick up this book, then here are some quotes/interactions that made me scream:

‘I’m not a gremlin, you bird.’
‘You’re right. You’re a very strong rat.’ (p.135)

‘the homophobic verse in the bible was introduced in 1946 - by man - and doesn’t exist before then. The actual translation condemns pedophilia.’ (p. 259) - OMG THANK YOU TO THE AUTHOR FOR INCLUDING THIS, I LITERALLY HAD TO TAKE A MOMENT AFTER READING IT BECAUSE FACTS. ACTUAL FACTS. If the author happens to see this thank you for including this! And honestly, this entire conversation in the book is absolute gold.

‘where I’m from, people like to say they don’t see colour. But living inside of a colourless world is so boring to me. No colours are the same, and I’d like to see every colour there is one day, rather than erase what they represent.’ (p. 259) - Guys just go read this book please.

‘The bullseye’s on my back,’
‘Then let the arrow rip through both our hearts.’ (p. 283) I just- guys.

So what are you waiting for, go buy this book because not only is it absolutely fab, but you’ll be supporting a debut diverse self-published author!

[Mads · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book, the only reason i can’t give it 5 stars is because i didn’t form any sort of emotional connection to the characters, but that’s probably my fault for reading it in literally an hour and a half so i’ll probably change my rating whenever i reread it

[Victoria Pewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy woah.
Okay this book was everything I wanted it to be in the best way possible because OHMIGOD. It started out a bit slow but still was overall extremely entertaining. Somehow there was the perfect amount of romance and it was SO INTERESTING. The plot twists absolutely got me and I physically cannot wait for the second book to come out!! Havena is an icon. This is wingspans done the RIGHT way. Honestly this reminded me of Legendborn for some reason and I loved it all the same. READ. THIS. BOOK. You will not regret it.

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the standard chosen one story and moments of insta-love, but with a really interesting approach to world-building through a Christian lore lens.

The story is slow in the first half as there is quite a bit of info-dumping while our main protagonist learns that angels are even real, but picks up with loads of chaos and twists in the second half that I thought were really fun. The perspective shifts and overlapping personal histories running alongside new information surrounding angels and demons got a bit confusing but cleared up within the following chapter.

I wish we would've seen Haven mourn more before jumping into the life-threatening adventure and romance. It felt like this big, devastating loss happened and we only saw her bring it up or think about it to bond with her love interest.

The language surrounding the visuals and imagery detailed and clear and I'm excited to see how these characters and angel society develop in the author's other books.

[andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

*SPOILER FREE*

I enjoyed this book a lot! It took me a while to get into it because I'm not really a angels & demons kind of person; at least I haven't been since middle school, but by halfway through the book, I was so into the plot that I could not put this book down.
I adore the way this book discusses trauma bonding and romantic relationships! It's something that is so romanticized in books that it was really refreshing to see it discussed and dismantled!
I thought the characters of Havena, Gale & Ares were really well developed in this book & I'm hoping to see Leah, Theseus & Ruth be more developed in the second one!
I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 just because it took me a little to get into & because I wanted to see more development for the characters I stated above. Another reason I had to take a star off is an entirely personal reason regarding my own experiences with religion but I refuse to let it affect this wonderful book because it was easy enough to push aside! This book is definitely still a favourite though and I'm so excited to read the sequel when it comes out!

tw// description of blood, violence.

[Lin Capp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so sorry. I really tired. But this book needed so much more editing to make it really great. The story line is good, the world building was getting there...It just wasnt fully baked ya know? I have so much respect for a self publish and I do not regret my purchase. I really hope someone will see the potential in this book and pick it up with a good editor in mind. The tenses were off a lot of the time, which I would find often threw me, the relationship between Havena and Ares was really odd and made next to no sense in it's development, and I needed some more detail just overall. The first scenes were really bad, when the car was attacked I couldnt picutre where the demon was, at one point it was on the hood, then it was touching the friends face, and im left trying to figure out if she has elastic arms that can go through apparently unbroken glass. Like I said, I am sorry I didnt love it more but I think with a bit more time and practice, and editing this book could be great.

[Alice 🦋🥀🦄 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - it was everything I wanted in a fantasy story. This also got me out of my reading slump, so that was a bonus part of it.

Havena’s characterisation and growth throughout this short introduction to the series made me so happy for her. She came into her own by the end of the book and realised that her found family would stick behind her. Her POV is refreshing and really nice to read in. I never got bored with her thoughts, and I was constantly rooting for her. The shift between POVs was easy, because they all had a distinct voice and none of them felt the same. Theseus’ especially proved to me that he’s the comic relief character, in his hilarious outlook on life. Gale needs to stop pining over Havena, cos we’re supposed to be not shipping them and dismantling his ego. Ugh, his unnecessary jealousy towards Ares in particular when we are in his POV is uncomfortable to read about, but I know it’s part of Kali’s aim to deconstruct trauma bonding, which is a brilliant thing for her to be doing in her book. Ruth’s chapter…well, all I have to say about that is SCREM. Ares is an interesting person, but his chapter at the end shed some light on his motives that I don’t entirely agree with (and I am angry that he used Havena), but his actions are explained, ready to be developed in the rest of the series.

THE PLOT TWIST IN THE LAST 33 PAGES HAD ME READING WITH AN OPEN MOUTH BECAUSE F*CK ME I DID NOT EXPECT THAT. THINGS BETTER GET RESOLVED IN BOOK 2 COS I CANNOT HANDLE PEOPLE BEING HURT.

Alas. The diversity in this book is so great. Ares is black, Ruth is Korean, Havena is a black MC, there’s Middle Eastern characters, and there is a developing enemies to lovers sapphic relationship with a bisexual rep on both sides (I believe). Kali has said there’s gonna be more rep in future books, which I am excited to see.

Another point to note is that the line spacing was formatted really nicely, so there was enough gap between the lines to make reading easy for everyone, which I’ve seen dyslexic readers really appreciate. The short chapters likewise keep the pace flowing well and keeps the reader’s interest enough to not get bored. There were a few little slip ups with tense changes, but it didn’t impact the clarity of what was being said too much, so I won’t dock off any points for that bec they can be easily fixed.

If you’re looking for a fantasy book with angel lore, elemental magic/control, angst, plot twists, found family, girls supporting girls, developing romance, intricate, rich cities with fascinating histories and wardrobes you could only dream of owning, this is the book for you. It was a fantastic first instalment in the series and I am highly anticipating book 2, His Descendant.

Thank you, Kali, for creating such a beautiful world, and thank you for reading this review. I hope you have a great day. See you soon :)

[mars · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was marvelous but of course that’s to be expected from my gorgeous author-friend kalivictoria!
i thought the plot was well thought out, it never felt like we were mindlessly stumbling, everything had a purpose. i started off loving every character, and ended up only truly loving/feeling connected to theseus and leah but i’m sure that’ll change a bit as time goes on (and i progress further through the series). i can’t help but want gale to be together with havena (even though i know i shouldn’t!!!) but their chemistry was written so well i felt like their bond went deeper than trauma or being ‘fated’. i never trusted ares and i’m glad i didn’t, that whole plot arc threw me off i had no idea who to care for and want together but i thought it was a really interesting approach to usual romance tropes. this is a side note, but i love how everyone’s names have a deeper meaning to them as well. overall, i loved this book and i can’t wait to read the second book and see how the journey continues!

[Shannen O’keefe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNFed this book. I got to about 40 pages but the author was only telling not showing in her writing and I couldn’t deal with it.

[Christiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not finished the book yet, but I am already seeing some problems with the book. Usually, the things I am about to talk about would not be an issue. However, because the main sell point of the is book is its diversity, these are issues. It is relatively hard to tell what race the characters are. Except for Theseus, I had no idea what race the characters were. Again, under normal circumstances, it would not be a problem. But not knowing the races of the character means poor writing and or tokenism. For example, Heaven is described as brown, and her hair is constantly flowing in the wind. However, when I checked the author's TikTok she had Ryan Destiny as her. Ryan looks very different from how Heaven is described in the book. And while black people can have straight hair naturally, it rare. Gale was also hard to figure out I thought he was a tan European then I thought he was South Asian since in the book wings match the character's race? Well based on TikTok he is a white Latino. This brings me to my second point, besides two black characters the rest are either white or white-passing... I am not done with the book so maybe there are other characters introduced later on, but the main characters are not diverse. Throwing two black characters in does not equal diversity or at least not how I would describe diversity.

Thirdly, when storytellers say a story is diverse, they just mean characters. Diversity should not end at characters the settings and the stereotypes should also be diverse. Theseus, the only character I was sure of race wise is white. The author makes him the hottest and he attracts all the girls. Basically, perpetuating that whiteness is the beauty standard. As well the cities in heaven are all based on white architecture or white-approved architecture. I have not read about the city of Hannah yet but from what I have seen in the TikTok video, it takes inspiration from Egypt. As an art student, there are better Middle Eastern architectures. For example, the Gates of Ishtar and the city of Babylon under the ruling of Nebuchadnezzar II. Which is located in modern-day Iraq. Too often Egypt is used in stories to depict the Middle East and while it certainly has its charms. It is not the best or even good representation of the Middle East. I also think it would have been cool if there were cities that represented the elements. That way there could have actually been more diverse cities. Pompeii could have represented the fire element, Djenné could have represented earth, Inuvik for water, and Leh-Ladakh for wind. Additionally, both the cities and the characters have Eurocentric names. I realize that the author is working alone and is probably influenced by other books of the same genre. However, it is her job to actually consider what diversity means. And that writing a diverse book means breaking away from the western way of writing stories.
Lastly, I am not part of the LGBTQ community, so I do not think this is my place to say. But one character that is bi… If the book was not marketed as diverse and was just another story about angles, it is good. I do have other issues plot-wise but those are concerns that I have with the genre as a whole and not exclusive to this book.

[Bones · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I start, wow wow WOW. This book was SO good at making me feel things, The feelings between Havena and Gale and Havena and Ares were so... *chefs kiss* and the comedy!! It definitely made me giggle a few times! And I was so close to tears near the end. Just saying,,, he may be bad but I'm kind of hoping he's alive in His descendant.

[Frank N'Stein · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept is excellent and the religious themes were well thought out, but it was all so poorly executed. The writing itself is full of grammatical errors, poor word choices and awkward phrasing. Often the narration switches from past to present tense in the same paragraph. Adverbs are overused and the prose is generally unpleasant to read. Much of the book's emotional points felt forced, rushed, or both. Suspense and tension were rarely present and so big emotional moments fell flat. The romance was a distraction from the plot. I think the author shows a lot of promise, but this book needs much more revision before I would consider it readable.

[Avni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The representation of bot POC and LGBTQ+ in a realistic way is brilliant and exactly what we need for the future of fiction.

Not only that, but the plot is great and the plot twist with Ares physically made me gasp. It also makes sense and can be understood, something which writers often overlook.

Overall, this book is a firm favourite of mine and I'm eagerly awaiting for the next book!

[KaliVictoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it cliche? Yes. Is the romance predictable? Yes. Did I do that intentionally and absolutely have a blast romanticizing Gale (and his every word) as he trauma bonded with our FMC? I sure did.

This is your typical YA (16+) venture into fantasy/romance and it blows my mind how different and unpredictable the story becomes in book 2. I'm really happy that we go from book 1 to book 2 and it gives you (enjoyable) whiplash, lol!

The most common themes in this series are:
- Dismantling the romanticization of SA and toxic men in fantasy. We explore that with Gale's beguiling story arc, as established in book 1, and we get to explore his downfall later on as the dangers of a "nice guy" (and his imagined entitlement to the MC) get revealed. Although each book can essentially be read on their own, book 1 provides a great amount of context for Gale's character arc, as well as the MC's wants/needs in a relationship.

- The second theme becomes more prevalent in book 2, His Descendant, but book 1 sets the tone for our "fantastical" and "innocent" environments throughout the angel realms. Once we get to book 2, we'll notice how (and here's our theme) storytelling can impact a society and influence the customs of its people for generations to come. Of course, some people see through the stories and *cough* the lies *cough* in those stories, hence our eventful plot and twisted betrayals that come after (read the rest of the series and you'll find out). But yes, rhetoric has the potential to maintain (and create) civilizations, laws, "right from wrong", ignorance AND innovation.

So if you've made it this far in this review, thank you! I'm assuming you've read my novels or else you wouldn't be reading the words of a rambler... I mean, you've read my books, right? Maybe? Possibly? Will you? Throw me to the top of your TBR if this quote seems exciting enough:

"I would get on my knees, beneath her jeans, and place my tongue against the softest part of her body with my head between her legs. I would mutter her name across my lips as I cling to her skin, with every breath, and it still wouldn't be enough.
I am hers, every part of me, and she can't even begin to know of all the ways I've thought about satisfying her." — An Angel's Mistake, BOOK 3 in the Trials of Fate series.

[Nimnim]

I’m so sorry I dnf this book at page 210. Should I finish it? I probably should. But I just can’t bring myself to pick it up. However, that absolutely does not mean it isn’t a good book, just not for me. I didn’t rate it just bc I thought I wouldn’t be able to give the right accurate rating it deserves.

Pros:

Looooooved the plot, super interesting. I love fantasy, especially if it includes handsome angels and mystery. I liked most relationships between characters (ehem the chemistry between Leah and Theseus. Love that duo). I also appreciated the diversity of the characters soooo much. Lastly, the switching between perspectives helped me understand how both sides were feeling at specific moments which I also loved. Oh, and I surprisingly liked the mystery of Ares. I would pause the book to debate with myself on whether or not I should trust him. OMG I can’t believe I almost forgot to include the descriptions. They will also be in the cons section, BUT I loved how the author captured emotional moments JUUUST RIGHT. My tears flowed easily thanks to the word choice and natural reactions. Not just sad moments, but also the flirty/wholesome moments got me smiling like an idiot.

Cons:

Soooo... I picked this book up on January and now it’s May. The most important thing for a book (personally) is my emotional attachment to characters. I only really liked Theseus’s personality, the others kind of just felt bland or annoying. At many times I got mad at Havena because of how bratty she acted. I felt like Leah was out of place and unnecessary when she was just going to be a burden that needed to be protected. And I would’ve loooooved Ruth at the first sight if I had a different first impression of her. I hated that Gale was still wavering and it felt like he was using Havena to get over his own problems. There wasn’t much sincerity or trust. The second thing is the description. I had to read the lines over and over again to get a clear picture in my head but the description still felt vague. And just when I would think I got the right picture in my head, another detail would be introduced and it wouldn’t fit the picture in my head. I would have to go slow, pause, go back, and read again which slowed down my reading. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful (but just confusing). I also didn’t understand the whole Nurturer or jobs thing I just couldn’t memorize it while reading (but maybe it’s just me).

I do not think I’m the right person to criticize a book (as I don’t have much experience), but I just wanted to help out with my own humble opinions. :)

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

so so so everyone should read this yes

Did I fully understand everything that was going on, especially the ending? not on the slightest.
Did I still have a good time and enjoy reading this? absolutely.
But that’s just because I’m a bit head empty no thoughts when it comes to reading books.

Now I love Leah, Ruth, and Theseus and I just wish we got more of them but I have an inkling that book 2 will provide all of tht juicy goodness for us so I’m excited and cannot wait. Leah and Ruth about to serve sapphic realness and perhaps this is just wishful thinking but Theseus gives off mlm vibes - there’s 3 more books to go so we shall have to see I guess.

Havena is a good main character. Her povs were fun and interesting and I loved exploring this world through her eyes. At times she was hot headed and impulsive which I don’t really like from characters but it’s something that I’ve kind of gotten used to since most main characters are like that.

Gale, on the other hand, I did like him but sometimes he would speak and I’m just like stfu. I know we’re not supposed to ship him and Havena, which I’m not saying I do because most of the time I was rolling my eyes, but there were some scenes where I was like maybe I could support. I think I was being entrapped if I’m being completely honest, totally the author’s fault for writing it so well and showing up the subtly of red flags.

So that leaves us with Ares. I don’t like him, sorry. I thought I could but even after it was stated he was not a snake I was still sceptical like Gale. Everything about his storyline felt a bit rushed and I really could not support whatever was going on between him and Havena.

All that being said, go buy this freaking book and support this self pubished debut own voices author right now. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I've read it twice in a pretty short timeframe (partly because I had nothing else to read, and partly because I wanted to pay more attention to the way Gale thinks about Havena, something that kind went over my head during my first read).

This was my first angel lore book, so the entire concept was definitely something I had to get used to. But after the first couple of chapters it started to become easier to read.
The story is quite fast paced (which I love! Short chapters are amazing because I'm the type of person who sometimes needs some assistance with staying 'into' a story), though there are some instances where I felt as if there was a bit too much of an info dump.

All in all, the lack of the fifth star in this review is just because of personal taste. There were some awkward sentences, and sometimes the characters didn't quite sound like "themselves" when speaking. I really did have moments where I thought "man, I would have seriously worded this differently". But again, just personal taste!!

The characters are wonderful (I'm especially in love with Leah), but specifically the villain (not mentioning their name to avoid spoilers) too. I mean I obviously just have a type, but whenever they talk I just immediately get goosebumps.
Also, I LOVE the LGBT and POC representation!! I would absolutely recommend this book to other people who are looking for something less mainstream with a smaller community. Plus, the sequel is coming out soon, too! This is as good of a time as any to get into this series!

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on Amazon and saw that it was “Religious Romance.” Needless to say, if I see this genre, I most likely wouldn’t pick it up. I read the synopsis and the book sounded good and sounded like something I’d really enjoy. From there, I went to Tiktok (because booktok of course) I looked up the book for reviews and found the author!!

I found out that this was self published.
Fantasy.
Diversity.
LGBTQ+.
Different POV - that are very easy to follow and not confusing at all.
Different body types!!!

There’s even a betrayal and cliffhanger all set in place for the sequel.

This book is worth the read and the author is self published, so stop wasting time and go buy it!!!

[Ashley Dluge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book is in between a 4 and a 4.5, the only reason is because I wish it talked more about Gales job at fixing the Ozone layer I thought that was really cool in the beginning. There were a few confusing parts I reread a couple times to understand.. BUT the relationships between all the characters made me have an internal fight with myself about who each character would fall for.. like Leah and Theseus.. they’re adorable but i’m excited to see what happens with Leah in the second book with Ruth. ALSO that cliffhanger?? oh. my. gosh. i’m excited for the next book!!!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after following the author on Tiktok, and just finished reading it, here are my thoughts:

I did enjoy it for the most part, but there were a couple of spelling errors I found distracting. It was also much more genuinely religious than I was expecting, which may be a plus for some, but as someone who is not Christian, it was a bit much.

It was engaging though, and if you're looking for a religious fiction book with hot angels and beautiful descriptions of enviroments, this ones for you!

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. This book and world building is amazing. The fact this is self published is a testament to the authors determination to get this story out there! It has short chapters that help keep the pace from lagging and the tropes it goes against are fantastic. Definitely give this book a try.

[Sentuis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring another 'girl special save the world'

The writing is good the fantasy part is good the human parts is boring & I am tired of the special human girl that doesn't know she is special trope.

[Aisha Bland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed reading this!!! I finished it in three days and I’m praying there’s a second book!!

[Genoveva · Rating 5 out of 5]

a different take

High fantasy book, that takes on an interpretation of angels and demons. I highly enjoyed this take and how it’s unpredictable.

[Keaira Vest · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy shit

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need 14 business to comprehend the roller coaster of emotions I went on during the book, specifically the last 10 or so chapters. Miss. Victoria you sneaky sneaky girl. I cannot wait for book two😌

[Janice Slavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book this year! Beautiful and engaging from page 1!