Having really enjoyed C.L. Clark’s other work, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I jumped at it.
Thanks to the author as well as Tor via NetGalley for the review copy!
Warring clans. Burning hearts. Deadly fate.
The clans of the fens enjoy a tenuous peace, and it is all thanks to Agnir, ward and hostage. For as long as she can remember she has lived among the enemy, learning their ways, growing strong alongside their children. When a burgeoning love for the chieftain’s daughter lures them both to a hidden spring, a magic awakens in them that could bind the clans under one banner at last–or destroy any hope of peace. By working their intentions into leather, they can weave misfortune for their enemies… just like the Fate’s Bane that haunts the legends of the clans.
Ambitions grow in their fathers’ hearts, grudges threaten a return to violence, and greedy enemies wait outside the borders, seeking a foothold to claim the fens for themselves. And though their Makings may save their families, the legend that gave them this power always exacts its price.
Fate’s Bane is the story of Agnir Clan Fein, who is the ward of Clan Aradoc, taken when she was young to ensure the peace was kept between the clans. Hadhnri Clan Aradoc is the daughter of the leader of Clan Aradoc, and Agnir’s best friend. They’ve grown up together and have always loved each other. It is a forbidden love though, but in sneaking away to be together, they find a magic spring, which they drink from and it gives them the power to weave intention into their crafts. Then, unexpectedly, they are torn away from each other, and a clan war beings to brew.
I enjoyed this novella quite a lot! The prose was lovely, and it kept me reading well into the wee hours. I enjoyed the characters, and how Agnir and Hadhnri were always true to themselves and each other even when their love was forbidden by the clan chief.
This world was well thought out and well crafted. I could imagine this world of the fens and where Agnir’s clan and Hadhnri’s clan sat in it. Each clan sits on the other side of the Baneswood, an often dangerous forest. That Agnir and Hadhnri find a magic spring together in this wood made it seem like their place, or at least, a place that would never harm them specifically, and I liked that a lot.
All told, Fate’s Bane was a fantastic read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fantasy, with a sapphic relationship. The sapphic yearning was on point, for sure. 4/5 stars!~
superstardrifter 
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