Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

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The Review

I don't think this is a bad story, it just didn't live up to my expectations. Odessa "Sparrow" is a character that could have been amazing but I don't feel was developed enough to be all that she could have been, and that's the case with most of the characters in the book.

This isn't a story about necromancy, it's about a grieving necromancer and please note the distinction. I did think it had quite an interesting premise and I loved the Dead. It was so fascinating to me and I loved the reasons and the cultural significance behind it. Had this been developed more my mind could have been absolutely blown. I'm not a fan of sticky sweet romance and this is chock full of it, so be aware. That isn't to say it's bad writing, but it is heavy and I got annoyed so much with Sparrow's "woe is me" attitude.

Reign of the Fallen gets a 2 star rating for me because I feel it just wasn't worked enough, in every aspect. I did enjoy it for the majority though, I just wanted more strength.