ARC Review: Fateless by Julie Kagawa

Fateless
Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Fateless (Book 1)
Publication: HarperCollins (July 15, 2025)

Description: Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

My Thoughts: FATELESS is the first book in a new epic fantasy series. It introduces Sparrow who is a seventeen-year-old member of the Thieves Guild. She was found as an infant by the guildmaster and raised in the guild. She is a very talented thief. 

She is given a mission by the Circle to travel to a buried city and retrieve an artifact. She'll either die on the quest or retrieve the artifact if she wants her mentor to survive. But what she doesn't know is that the artifact can be used to resurrect the Deathless King who wants to take over all life.

With the help of a fatechaser named Halek and despite the interference of the iylvaahn assassin Raithe, Sparrow does find the artifact and make it back to the surface. A former friend and fellow member of the guild steals the artifact from her and when she goes to the Circle to retrieve it, she is just in time to see him sacrificed and see the resurrection of the Deathless King. 

She manages to flee the city as it is being destroyed along with Halek and Raithe but the Deathless King isn't willing to let her go. Apparently, she is fateless, her life's threads aren't tangled in the web that hold all other lives. That makes her the only one who can possibly defeat the Deathless King. 

But what can one young woman who has known no future but that of the thieves guild manage to defeat a Deathless King? As Sparrow travels with Halek and Raithe to find answers, they are being pursued by agents of the Deathless King, chief among them being her mentor from the Thieves Guild so has been secretly engineering the return of the Deathless King. Sparrow needs to gather colleagues and allies if she will ever be able to triumph.

This story was packed with adventure. The world building was intriguing and the characters engaging. The only fault I can find with the book is the first in a trilogy. There is still so much adventure and growth that the reader will have to wait for in the rest of the trilogy. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.