“There was only one thing I asked for. The only thing I cared about protecting. And I could only hope that her faith in the gods was enough for both of us.”
Set in a Greco-Roman-inspired walled city on the brink of war, Fallen City tells the story of a rebellious legionnaire and a Magistrate’s daughter whose forbidden love could tear both the mortal and divine world asunder. I mean, that’s an absolute killer premise for a political romantasy if you ask me, yet Adrienne Young’s execution unfortunately just falls a bit flat for me.
See, Fallen City is told in a dual timeline narrative from both Luca and Maris’s perspectives , which slowly unravels the tragic story of how these two heirs to rival families united in their ambitions to shape a better world, only to end up on opposite sides of a rebellion that has divided the city in two. On the one hand, I loved how Young built up the emotional tension and sense of anticipatory dread with this non-linear storytelling, yet on the other hand I also found the constant shifting in perspectives and timelines to be quite disorienting, to the point that I honestly never really found my footing or comfortably settled into the story. I’ll admit that it probably also didn’t help that I listened to the audiobook, even if I found the dual narration performance to be very captivating because of how well the narrators captured the characters’ voices and emotions.
Moreover, I don’t know how I feel exactly about Fallen City being marketed as a romantasy, because while the forbidden romance between Luca and Maris is absolutely the heart of this story, I also have to admit that I never really got a good grasp on how or why they fell so deeply in love with each other. I feel like I should have felt a lot more emotional turmoil (especially considering that their romance plays such a key part in the political conflict), yet the non-linear storytelling once again hindered my investment here as I felt like we only got to see a few scenes of them actually together and were then just expected to believe them when they kept telling themselves/the reader how deep their love ran. Yes, the yearning was delicious, but I needed more.
All that said, I found Luca and Maris to be quite strong and emotionally complex characters on their own, and I really liked seeing this rebellion and holy war unfold through their eyes. There are also some compelling side characters who have intricate relationships with the main characters, which led to both very heartwarming and heartwrenching scenes as those bonds were tested, broken or sacrificed under the pressure of this conflict.
The Greco-Roman-inspired world building in Fallen City also really pulled me in despite my lack of immersion on an emotional level, and I really liked how the city of Isara has a history that is just as complicated as the people living within it. Though as vibrant as the setting is with all its lush architecture and cultural richness, I did find myself wanting to get a better understanding of the role/influence of the gods in this world, especially with the concepts of godsblood and godly powers coming to play a big role in the lives of these characters.
Even if I had some quibbles with the structure and execution of this story, I still think it is a promising start to the Fallen City Duology, and the ending definitely made me curious to come back for the conclusion to these characters’ tale. If you like your romantic fantasy in the vein of Rebecca Ross or Rachel Gillig and with a good dash of political intrigue and divine conflict, then I think Fallen City is well worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Fallen City is scheduled for release on November 4, 2025.
