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Harbinger

(Fate's Forsaken #1)

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really liked it 4.00  ·  Rating details ·  2,397 ratings  ·  93 reviews
Seventeen years ago, a long and bloody rebellion wracked the six united regions of the Kingdom. Now the new King wields the vast and unvanquished army of Midlan with his right hand, and with his left has granted a small group of thugs — the nobles he calls his Sovereign Five — unbridled rule over the other regions. As if this weren’t bad enough, the King has also outlawed ...more
Kindle Edition, 458 pages
Published July 30th 2012
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really liked it Average rating 4.00  · 
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 ·  2,397 ratings  ·  93 reviews


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Kathleen
3.5 bumped up to 4 for an excellent audiobook narration by Derek Perkins. I enjoyed this book and loved the two main characters (but some of the secondary characters are silly). Some scenes are grim, horrible, and sad, but this is ultimately a heartwarming fantasy series with romantic elements. This fantasy is set in an imaginary earth with kings, nobles, and serving classes. There are mages, whisperers, giants, human-animal shape shifters (wolf, dragon, hawk, etc.).

Much of this first book
...more
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

Meh. Harbinger was better than I expected, but I'm also not all that impressed. I'm also really sick of the words "rump" and "gut."

Pluses:
Dragon
Pirates
Two badass heroines
Decent narration

Minuses:
Incredibly boring hero
Only two female characters, one of which (view spoiler)
Hero magically good at everything, except realizing a girl is into him
Jane Stewart
3 stars. I enjoyed this. No major problems.

It’s a fantasy/adventure story. Creatures include mages, shape shifters (dragons and wolves), and whisperers. Whisperers do things with their minds like telekinesis. Kael is in his late teens (I think). When the story starts he doesn’t know that he is a whisperer, but he soon learns he is. When he shoots an arrow it goes where he wants it to go. When he sets an animal trap the animal he wants comes to the trap. He can heal by picturing body parts
...more
Mark Halse
Jul 23, 2016 rated it liked it
A decent read. Perhaps if I were ten years younger I would think of it as a good or even a great read but Harbinger is definitely a screamingly YA fantasy. It was slightly better then I expected but I've never held my breath for a YA book to knock me of my feet.

In this book we follow the orphan-ish boy, Kale as he discovers just how awesome he is as he is forced from his small, mountain village with a badass half dragon whom he's too scared to tongue punch.

There were many interesting elements
...more
Elizabeth Fantham
Mar 12, 2016 rated it did not like it
No. Just absolutely NO. This book started okay, not great. Then it just got worse.

I feel like every fantasy, mythical creature/human were forced into a book. We have dragons, whisperers, mages, witches, "beast" wolves, wrights, pirates, mystery swords and it just goes on and on. Not very good "magic" system. Just a lot of nonsense forced into a story.

There is also plenty of similarities to other books. Not much originality.
Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson
May 07, 2015 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: Sci-fi fans, Classic fans, History Buffs
Recommended to Samantha wickedshizuku by: Goodreads
This was an awesome epic adventure, and I loved it! People that like R.A. Salvatore or Christopher Paolini should give this a try. This type of writing is what is lacking in the YA genre. Please we need more of it. I am looking forward to the next book.
I like the main characters and their interaction with the common folk around them. I will admit that the story starts off a little rocky, but soon turns into a strong plot.
Joecrash411
Well, obviously, I thought it was terrific! My only disappointment is that the author hasn't written more in this series (there is a book 2, I'll get to that later) and I've been really pressed to find another book that grabbed my imagination the way this one did.

The characters are well developed; however, it's obvious she left some stuff alone that would mke another book by itself. The book started VERY slowly - for me anyway,and, I have to admit, I put it down the 1st time I started reading;
...more
Hollie
A little too YA for me, but creative concept

I'd rate this a 2.5 star book. This was one of those reads that I almost discontinued on numerous occasions. I just felt myself growing bored throughout. I think this would probably be a good fit for a younger reader. I just found myself wanting a bit more. I never really felt a connection to the characters. While the heroine was strong and brave, I found myself thinking of the hero as weak and needy. It was still ok, just not a series I will
...more
Leonard
Oct 01, 2013 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
I am very surprised at this books rating, being quite a tolerant reader I tend to blast through any book, even if they are less than average. But I did struggle to finnish reading this.

All in all this read was exceedingly cringeworthy, frustratingly facepalm to say the least.
Férial
Jul 24, 2016 rated it it was ok
I think I'll lend this book to my 10 y/o niece. She might like it (provided she doesn't look too closely at the numerous absurd situations occuring during the hero's journey).
Tim
Mar 26, 2017 rated it it was amazing
kael and kyleigh are my heroes.
Yasaa  Moin
Apr 04, 2019 rated it it was amazing
It was absolutely brilliant! I don't think I have come across ,a female protagonist like Kylie( I think I misspelled her again) , in the novels I have read so far. Since I tried the audio book, I suggest everyone do the same as well, the voiceover artist did an incredible job of giving every character their own distinct voices and manner of speaking. The action is pretty good as well. One of my favs. Loved it!
Matt
Oct 29, 2015 rated it liked it
This was a fun read with some interesting ideas and good characters. Kael is a bit whiny though with some reason he's very downtrodden. His abilities seem almost too powerful but there do seem to be some limits to balance that if they are not really gone into.

It has some fairly kick arse heroines Kyleigh is just generally awesome and even the merchant girl (Ayrlin?) who starts as a sort of template girly girl turns out to have some depth. I also liked Jake the battle mage who keeps screwing up
...more
Metatrone
I'm a bit surprised by the high rating of this book. It's pretty average all in all. Readable but not really anything to rave about.

Characters are not very complicated, and not very developed, somewhat stereotypical for the most part. There is a certain lack of depth, that's disappointing.

Plot is OK, despite some sparsely motivated events it's was not ridiculous, just a bit bland, not much edginess there.

Writing style is...well average, while entertaining and engaging for the most part, it was
...more
James Steele
Aug 03, 2018 rated it it was amazing
Great read!!!

Harbinger brought together excellent character development and a unique story that keeps you engaged. This is a great read.
Thanks
Shellbelle19
Sep 16, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Listened to this. Loved this new series. It is so different and keeps you entertained. Love the characters. Also is clean.
Jordan
Sep 14, 2015 rated it it was amazing
Really enjoyed this book, it has an interesting magic system and even better characters with fantastic dialogue and interactions.
Cyber Trout
Oct 29, 2018 rated it it was amazing
I listened to the audio book for this and it was spectacular. The narration by Derek Perkins is what makes this story come to life. It is a fantastic story with a unique imagination and twist.
Arun Andhavarapu
Sep 23, 2014 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Great starting I.e. Opening was great but the story quickly denigrated into a formulaic story
Janella
Feb 07, 2017 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
I listen to the audiobook of this one and it’s my first time to listen to one. I expected to be dreadfully bored with the audiobook but I didn’t. Derek Perkins was so good and I can easily picture out the places and characters.

The books is a fantasy adventure story. It has mages, shape shifters (specifically dragons and wolves), and whisperers. Whisperers has power with their minds like telekinesis. Kael is in his 17th year, if I am right with the dates in the book and meet this girl named
...more
Enzo
Dec 24, 2016 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
So after reading the short Prequel to "Fate's Forsaken" series now I really get into the meat by reading "Harbinger". This book has a lot of cool things in it. Hmm ok a lot of stuff fantasy readers might look for in a book. Among them are Dragons, Wizard, Witches, Shape-Shifters and Pirates. Yes, a little here and there sprinkled for all. But what really surprises is how fast you get to feel comfortable with this universe.
The two main characters are Kael a teenage man just coming to age raised
...more
Karla Schneider
Jun 04, 2019 rated it liked it
There's a fine line between innocence and stupidity, and it is usually there where great authors fall. From the cover I was under the impression that the dragon girl was the protagonist, but 2 sentences in I find out that it's actually the impoverished kid. When the 2 of them finally set the stage I find that the majority of the elements are there, setting;plot;action;romance and even a few others. But the most important part was left out as the plot rolls on, the characters. The backstories are ...more
Tomas K.
Oct 13, 2019 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: fantasy, dragons
Eventually decided to give it 90%
An enjoyable story with a good mix of action, funny parts, and somber introspective from Kael.
There are some parts of the magic system that are not completely explained but I hope more will be shown in the sequels as Kael learns his abilities.
If you like shifters, realm-in-trouble scenarios, and an MC that starts from nowhere to the point he looks like the child of misfortune, this might be a book you'd like.
Heather
Dec 28, 2018 rated it it was amazing
I love this series and have read and listened to the audio-books several times. Enjoy Shae Ford's writing style. There are multiple well developed characters. The series is fun, moves fast enough to keep the easily distracted captivated. If you enjoy Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Chronicles then this series may be a good fit for you too.
Marianne Boutet
Mar 15, 2019 rated it really liked it
Shelves: series, fantasy, ya-na
Very entertaining! Our hero starts off as a bumbling, awkward child who can't even hunt properly, and gets led into a rebellion and a journey from one trouble to the next. There is a good bit of gentle humor, too. By the end of the book, Kael is a capable young man with many willing followers. A bad decision (in my opinion) and a cliff hanger ending.... Glad I have the next book to dive into.
Charlotta
Nov 23, 2017 rated it liked it
I had really high hopes for this book, and I love the idea of it! Unfortunately, the language and I do not agree. Had the writing been better, this might have been my favourite book of the year. As it is... well, I mourn what could have been
Kevin Hanks
Jun 15, 2017 rated it liked it
Meh... an okay fantasy book. Hard for me to get engaged though
Austin Turner
Sep 03, 2018 rated it really liked it
Good book.
MKenfield21
Mar 19, 2018 rated it did not like it
The point of the kickass dragon chick is to show the super boy how to believe in himself and then fall in love with him?

Whatever.
Tony Hinde
Nov 04, 2018 rated it liked it
A serviceable fantasy that was painless to read, but largely forgettable.
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Shae Ford is a USA Today bestselling author from a not-so-small town outside of Ft. Worth, Texas.

Her debut series, "Fate's Forsaken," follows the story of a young man who is gifted with extraordinary powers, but plagued by rotten bad luck. Having the chance to share his many (mis)adventures with readers all over the world has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and a journey she'll never forget.

...more

Other books in the series

Fate's Forsaken (6 books)
  • Poison (Fate's Forsaken #0.5)
  • Slight and Shadow (Fate's Forsaken #2)
  • Dragonsbane (Fate's Forsaken, #3)
  • Daybreak (Fate's Forsaken, #4)
  • The Fate's Forsaken Omnibus: Books 1-2 and Prequel Novella
“No worse bargain was ever made than the fool who traded friends for gold.” 2 likes
“There are times when death seems certain, and hope is dim. But in those times, I forget my fears. I do not see the storm that rages, or the battle that looms ahead. I close my eyes to the dangers - and in the quiet of the darkness, I see only what must be done.” 0 likes
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