Fatemarked

By: David Estes

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

Winner 2018 SOVAS Award for Audiobook Narration - Teens, Best Voiceover

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. 

©2017 David Estes (P)2018 Podium Publishing

boring

The narration for this story is great with no question, but the story lacks creativity or originality. The sporadic nature of the book combined with the lack of originality left me extremely bored and wanting for substance. The characters are unimaginative and the magic is outright pathetic in comparison to books like the wheel of time or spellmonger. I do not recommend this book.

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

Starts off strong but goes downhill

I like this type of story, young characters that grow and become great warriors. However, this story starts out in this direction, and goes downhill and then picks up speed to level out to a repetitive storyline. The use of the phrases, his heart skips a beat, blood ran cold, truth died on his lips..... I get it. I listened for 10 hours of this book, and then switched to music. This book could have been cut in half by just stop repeating the same old self loathing quotes. Very disappointed.

28 of 30 people found this review helpful

Just couldn’t get into it

I thought this book was very confusing. Way too many characters with names that sound alike made it hard to keep them apart and next to impossible for me to get “into” this book.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

The reviews made me hopeful- the story fell flat

Not until the postludes did I feel anything for these characters. The story was not gripping and if not for the excellent performance of the reader I wouldn’t of made it through. You fooled me again Audible.

29 of 33 people found this review helpful

meh

Listened for over half the book and was never taken in. Couldn't really connect to the characters.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I gave it 9 chapters

and I just can't subject myself to this anymore. the story is so incredibly boring. After 9 chapters i couldn't care less about anything in this book at all. prepare for a boring book.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Not much happens...

I did enjoy the book, but the story would have benefited from fewer characters and a stream lined plot.

The author did not seem to know if he wanted to focus upon the characters or the world changing events happening around the characters.

This resulted in what, I believe, to be a detraction from the story.

18 of 21 people found this review helpful

Written to fit an ideology, not the story it tells

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book has the makings of a great book. A potential of a heart wrenching romance, sullied by a half-hearted and forced attempt at a bromance the characters don't seem to be suited for. It's got a self-loathing"ugly duck princes" and a promiscious spoiled princess that both would be queens. Both story lines are poorly developed, with the first hinting at being big and obese when the book clearly implies giant halfbreeds exist in that world. Instead of touching up on this millenial issue the character could have been a giant halfbreed and we could all suspend the disbelief and it'd make her struggle that feel much more real. The other, promiscuous girl on the other hand is ignorant and evil to a fault.

There are some glimpses of a great book and a great cast of characters, an amazing story to be told, only to be sullied by the underlying ideology they were shoehorned in. The story could have been written for this set of characters but these sets of characters don't fit into this story.

Has Fatemarked turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. The genre is healthy and going strong. It has only diminished my view of the author. The book seems to hit all the buzzwords and in doing so smothers what would be an amazing story. I can listen to it but am i left with a feeling of regret and sadness. How an author led a wonderful story and some great characters astray by trying to tick all the checkboxes. There was time to introduce a gay character in books following or change the promiscous princes into a promiscious gay prince hidding his identity before the court. There were loads of way to do it and in the end decided to damage the story for the sake of signaling his virtue and political opinions.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scenes of the book are Roan's and the female scout's interactions. Their interaction are written far more deeply than any of the japes that are supposedly romantic between him and Gareth and a reason why i feel the characters are out of place. The whole book permeates with flashes or brilliance interrupted by a Frankenstein like hodgepodge of writing designed to appease an audience and not to further a story.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The book, and the series in turn could have been great, still featured a large giant-halfbreed princes (which would explain her strength and allow her to be a strong female character) with problems trying to fit into a human court, a gay promiscious prince hiding his sexuality before the kingdom and a fear stricken main character that falls in love with a tsundere elf like creature and their problems in the world without a hodgepodge of cliches. And sometimes the author's true ability does shine forth, but it rarely comes from the interactions of the main characters who are shallow and dull and shoehorned into a purpose they shouldn't have. The Arm, The Elf, The Thief, all amazing characters and sadly, subservient to an ideological goal.

Any additional comments?

The book had amazing potential, sullied only by the author's desire to inundate it with modern cliches and morality, putting story second to the message about his own politics and views he wanted to telegraph with his selection of cast and supporting characters.

It makes me sad, because i can see, i can feel the gem the series could have been, but it is not. It's a hapless attempt at screaming "look i'm liberal too" by butchering a story with poorly developed characters and a myriad of bad decisions and cliches when it could have been so much much better. The moment the story strays away from the politicized main characters the writing becomes smooth and characters spring alive in the contrast to the bleak and desolate buzzword anthem of a political persuasion.

34 of 42 people found this review helpful

too many voices

it was hard to follow along because there are so many characters I didn't know who the protagonist was. it made everything confusing.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Poor character and world building

Would you try another book from David Estes and/or Derek Perkins?

No

What could David Estes have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Everything felt rushed/forced

What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Solid narration. Easy to listen to.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

I almost never quit a book but this book I could only make it to the 50% point before I gave up. I wish I could have a refund.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Superb Series!

I don’t usually write reviews but this is an amazing listen!

The characters, the story, the writing, the narration. It’s just all so good! And I really love the postludes that give so much depth and back story. You really get to know the characters and they almost become like family.

If you like a good fantasy and being drawn into a story then this is perfect.

10/10

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

unfortunately pretty boring

Finished the book but never was truly captivated. found myself having to rewind after missing sections with simply loosing interest. Had hoped for more so sadly cannot recommend.
Though I do appreciate the effort by both author and narrator

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Dire. Do not bother!

The writing is wooden, the characters are cliches, and the ‘story’ is both ridiculous and mind numbingly tedious.
Do not waste a moment of your life on this rubbish.

Clumsy, awkward dialogue

The unfummy, unbelievable, two dimensional dialogue stops me from being able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story the way everyone hopes they can with a good fantasy novel. I've pursued it for a few hours, but can't hold on any longer.