One thing about me is if there is a book that will involve some type of Nigerian folklore/ mythology and I'm there!

I loved this book so much, This is the type of book I needed as a child and I can't wait to buy this for and recommend this to the younger children in my family and friends families 🥰.

My first from this author (after they were on my radar for a very long time) but definitely not my last! I adored the inclusion of the mythology and was completely compelled by the story.

In the shadow of the fall is the first in a captivating novella duology by Tobi Ogundiran, following the harrowing journey of an aspiring acolyte who dares to meddle with forbidden forces. The story centers on this young protagonist’s bold attempt to summon and trap an Orisha, one of the ancient, powerful deities revered in their world. However, what begins as an ambitious ritual quickly spirals into a deadly mistake, as the protagonist inadvertently attracts the attention of a terrifying, malevolent enemy instead. This unforeseen consequence sets off a chain of events that forces the acolyte into a high-stakes battle for survival, testing their courage, faith, and cunning in ways they never anticipated.

One of the novella’s greatest strengths is its ability to balance a fast-paced, engaging plot with intricate world-building. Despite its conciseness, Ogundiran manages to craft a rich and immersive setting that draws heavily from West African mythologies, particularly the reverence and fear surrounding the Orishas. The world feels alive with history, culture, and magic, as we see temples, ancient rituals, and gods who wield immense power yet remain shrouded in mystery. The atmosphere is dense with tension, and readers are given just enough detail to imagine the expansive scope of this universe, while still being left with a desire to know more.

Though the novella is a quick read, it doesn’t sacrifice depth. The protagonist’s internal struggles are compelling, adding emotional weight to their external conflicts. The sense of danger is palpable from the very start, and each choice the protagonist makes has real consequences, pulling readers deeper into the narrative.

The novella’s compact form works in its favor, there’s little room for filler, which makes every scene feel purposeful and tightly woven into the story’s overall arc, and by the end, readers are left on the edge of their seats, eager to dive into the concluding installment of the duology.

After years of waiting for the orisha to speak to her and eventually become a priestess, Ashâke, an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, decides to try to summon a orisha to find some answers. But this act ends up attracting the attention of a powerful sect that, following the preaching of a person once called The Teacher, wants to wipe out all the orishas.

It took me a while to get into this story, as Ashâke got on my nerves on more than one occasion, although I have to say that I started to like her more as the story progressed. I really enjoyed the glimpses we get into this world and the twist the author threw in near the end. I especially loved the interactions with the griots, their scenes narrating events through song in which the viewer is transported to the time and place where they occurred.

Overall, a fast-paced and engaging novella inspired by Yoruba mythology. I look forward to reading the next and final instalment of this duology when it comes out.

disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

rep: west-african (yoruba) inspired fantasy & characters

In the Shadow of the Fall is a good novella, and a strong start to what could be an exceptional series but obviously I do think novellas sometimes struggle because of length. In the Shadow of the Fall is inspired by west african mythology, specifically yoruba & orisha deities. We follow our young protagonist Ashâke who is a acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning to be in communication with the orisha & made a priest. Throughout the novel we see her attempt a dangerous ritual, her faith & beliefs shaken & then come into her own power. For a novella, we get a decent amount of complexity with Ashâke & with the world around her, however, the secondary characters are so fleeting it drags you out of the story.

Overall though, a good novella ft rich worldbuilding, a celestial conflict, & an impulsive protagonist.

Despite her age and her best efforts Ashâke has yet to ascend to priesthood. Needless to say she's not happy that she's not having any success when her juniors are. Fed up with the Orisha's continued refusal to speak to her she runs off from the temple and into a journey of self discovery.

Jackal Jackal was one of my favourite books last year so I was incredibly excited to receive and ARC of this one! And it did not disappoint. I loved the world that was introduced to us and some of the descriptions. Ashâke is such an interesting character and I'm sure that she has an incredible adventure ahead of her! That being said, this is a novella and the start of a series. I wish that it had been a bit longer. While I get why it ended where it did I would have loved to have seen some of the events in this story expanded on. It wasn't exactly rushed, but I would have loved more details! I also felt like there were fewer descriptions after the start, which described a landscape of dead white trees. But overall I ended up really enjoying this book! I can recommend it if you are interested in a quick read set in an African mythology inspired world.

4.25**

this was such a fun novella and i wish it could’ve been longer🫠 the pacing was great and the world building was also really good which i think can be a hit or miss for a novella as sometimes it would either be too dense or too weak? but in the shadow of the fall has such the perfect amount of everything and i feel satisfied when i finished the book. will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next one!

thank you to titan books and netgalley for the e-arc!

In the Shadow of the Fall started off incredibly strong and fell apart a little at the end.

The setup was really enjoyable and full of tension. Our MC being an acolyte who can't hear the gods she so desperately wants to connect with was such an interesting premise and the exploration into her willingness to anything to achieve this was fascinating. However, once she ran away from the monastery it started to feel a little like a soap opera. It turned a little cheesy and I had trouble enjoying it.

I love the main character and the world is interesting enough to have me anticipating the sequel but I think this would've worked better as a longer novel. With more time to perfect the pacing and character development, this could've been incredibly strong. Regardless, I see so much potential in this series and I can't wait to read on.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan for this ARC.

4.5/5

I really loved this and honestly only had a few tiny comments that probably relate more to do with the short length of the book than anything else.

In particular, it was to do with Ashâke and her learning about herself. It just seemed resolved very quickly but, again, I recognise that this was 160 pages so it's not as if she could have a crisis for two chapters. And there the moment where one character reveals herself saying she'd stayed hidden so no one could see who she was to [REDACTED]. So anyone else could see the similarities except the person she was showing herself to???

Those were my only two teeny, tiny eyebrow raises in an otherwise excellent novella. I've read quite a few books inspired by West African mythology, with Orisha and griots and this has topped them all. Tobi has not only managed to create an immensely rich story in less than 200 pages but also make it wholly captivating. The griot storytelling scene alone was magic that came off the page.

I will be running for the next book and immediately picking up as many other works by Tobi Ogundiran that I can find.

This novella is an absolute dream. As someone who love folklore and mythology from around the world I was so happy to see a book inspired by Yoruba mythology. I do admit I don’t know as much as I would like about this particular mythology but it didn’t stop me enjoying the novella one little bit, if anything it made it more enjoyable.

The story is so well crafted and the writing is beautiful in that it is easy to follow and become immersed in. Our heroine was a dream, Ashâke was driven and dedicated and most of all strong. I adored following her journey. My only ‘problem’ is I want so much more in this world and of these characters. I really hope Ogundiran brings back Ashâke and we can learn more about her and her world.

If you are lover of fantasy you are sure to love this novella. I devoured it in one sitting but I know I will be re-reading very soon.

Thank you so much to Titan Books and Netgalley for my copy. My review is left voluntarily and is honest.

This was a very interesting read. I was intrigued after reading the blurb. I instantly wanted to know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the writing style of this book, in which the author had. The story developed nicely throughout the book. As I was reading it, I didn't want to put the book down. And I am definitely intrigued to see what the next book has install.

Die Setting des Buches hat mir gut gefallen. Der Schreibstil war angenehm und die Charaktere waren für die Länge der Geschichte angemessen vielfältig.
Jedoch konnte ich mich nicht vollständig in die Geschichte hineinversetzen oder mich darin engagieren. Ich habe sie geschätzt, aber nicht vollständig geliebt.

Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass die Geschichte länger gewesen wäre. Die Geschichte ist sehr aktionsreich mit politischen Intrigen, Göttern, Krieg und mehr, was schwer in so wenigen Seiten unterzubringen ist. Das Ende deutet auf eine Fortsetzung hin, und ich hoffe wirklich, dass es eine geben wird.

Ever since reading Ogundiran's short story that was included in Book of Witches, I have been eagerly anticipating this novella... and I was not disappointed. I firstly want to say that this is a strong 4 star, and only dipping away from 5 simply because of its length! I could have read another couple of hundred pages telling this exact story but really soaking in the setting, characters, and mythology of this world. Nevertheless, this follows acolyte, Ashâke who longs to become a priest and commune with the orisha. Instead, truths about her faith (or are they truths?) set her on a different course.

My main strength for this novella is that the writing is effortlessly beautiful. Ogundiran has the magic of being ever so easy to pick up and read. The plot itself plays a delicate line of predictability and subversion; revelations on both sides of the conflict left me unsure still at the end of which side I am meant to believe, if any.

While reading this I picked up flavours of Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, P. Djeli Clark, Octavia E. Butler, all for very different reasons from writing, worldbuilding, or magic systems. Either way, read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5

This novella is a promising start to an innovative and intriguing series. I loved the world so incredibly much, I loved every morsel of discovery. I absolutely adored the influences of Yoruba mythology, it has sparked in me a hunger to consume more West African-inspired fantasy.

Because of it's length, I did struggle to connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. However the length wasn't the only factor, the large amount of death in the story also affected this. As soon as I felt myself beginning to connect with a character they were gone. I just would've loved if this were longer so that we could spend more time in each moment.

I'm super excited to continue and to read the sequel once it's out. I hope the author decides to write novels as well, I think I'd absolutely love a longer, slower-paced story by Ogundiran. But this was a great first taste of his writing and storytelling!

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great novella that did a fabulous job at introducing us to the world and the characters and also having a satisfying narrative arc while also being the first in a series. It did take me a while to fully get invested in the story, mainly because I was a little confused by some of the interludes and where they fit, but once everything clicked into place for me, I really enjoyed myself. Definitely a book that I will be picking up the sequel for and I will look out for future books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A brilliant start to an epic series filled of brilliant twists, great landscapes and fantastic characters. Felt slow at the start but when it picked up it really ramped up.

This book is remarkable. A compact novella, it left me wanting more in every sense - with regard to the writing style, the story itself and the wider mythology and world-building.

Ashâke is a wonderful narrator. A young adult brought up in a temple that’s practically its own world, she’s desperate to be chosen by an Orisha deity, as is her duty as priestess. But while her friends are chosen around her, she hears… nothing.

Taking her destiny into her own hands, and with the help of a marvellously crotchety old shaman, she sets out to carve her own path and find the gods. And so she will - just not in the way she expected.

I think the best word I can choose for this book is ‘delighted’: in its pace, characters, tone and twisting nature. I was wrong-footed several times, leading to genuine shock and a sense of loss as the action ramped up.

This is by no means a typical ‘chosen one’ story. If anything, I was reminded most closely of Lyra in Philip Pullman’s books, as she takes the expected and makes it her own.

Also I have some familiarity with the Orisha, and these gorgeous songs drew me in like a warm African sunset (including shadowy dangers for the unwary).

I’m so glad to be reading tales based on heritage and lore that’s far from my own. I’ll be looking out for the next part of this tale, and the author’s other work - they are a true storyteller whose words deserve to be shared far and wide.

3.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for a free eARC of "In the Shadow of the Fall" by Tobi Ogundrian.
This debut novella was a pleasant surprise as it had a self contained story and it left some threads for the next installment fir what is a planed duology.
Tobi Ogundian manages to create a belivable Fantasy world with a few different forces that clash, all built around a nicely established lore. The glimpses of community and the internal struggles faced by the main heroine were well portrayed as well.
Considering this was just a novella, this is an impressive achievement.

This fast-paced fantasy novella was fantastic! It is such an impressive feat when an author can pull you into their world in such a short timeframe and not have it feel rushed. I would say it leans more YA, but that may change as the series progresses and I don’t think that it reduced my enjoyment of the story. I am really interested to see where The Guardian Of The Gods series is going and can’t wait to read more about Ashâke!