Fallen City: Characters, spice, triggers, synopsis & review
Fallen City by Adrienne Young is a Greco-Roman fantasy romance with political intrigue and scheming, meddling gods, a non-linear timeline and chitons.
If that sounds like something you might be interested in, I wrote a wee little blog post and book review covering Fallen City characters, spice levels, where to find the spicy chapters and answered some FAQs.
I’ve also covered the synopsis, a book review, trigger warnings, which you can find below.
As always, happy reading friends!
Fallen City synopsis.
Enter a lush Greco-Roman inspired fantasy where a glittering world, a lottery built on lies, and a forbidden romance come together as 18-year-old Maris attempts to escape a city under siege, from the author of New York Times bestseller, Fable.
In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate's daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods.
Luca Matius has one purpose―to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city's Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.
Maris Casperia was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel's inner workings, and she knows what her future holds―a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives.
As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power. But when an execution forces Luca to become the symbol of rebellion, he and Maris are thrown onto opposite sides of a holy war. As their fates diverge, they learn they are at the center of a story the gods are writing. And even if they can find their way back to each other, there may be nothing left.
Get Fallen City here.
Fallen City characters.
Character art shared by author @adrienneyoungbooks via Instagram.
Main characters.
Fallen City is told in third-person narrative from:
the female main character, Maris Casperia; and
male main character, Luca Matius’
Maris Casperia.
Maris was raised as pretty much a politician’s daughter, getting used to the strategy of politics in the citadel and anticipates her future holds a lifetime of service to a corrupt city.
Luca Matius.
Luca is from the other side of the river, brought into the politics of the citadel as the last blood-related heir to carry on the name of Matius, once his cruel, powerful uncle Kastor Matius dies. But a series of events causes a catastrophe that will alter fates and destinies, including his tangled one with Maris Casperia.
Other supporting characters.
Vale Saturian
Théo (Luca’s tribune)
Magistrate Kastor Matius (Luca’s uncle)
Magistrate Seren Casperia (Maris’ mother)
Nej (Maris’ uncle)
Philosopher Rhea Vitrasian
Priestess Ophelius
Centurion Roskia
Lechronis
Neatus
Consul Saturian
Theo
Asinia
Viria
Yuretes
Zuri
Iola
Drakon
Demas
Review: Fallen City by Adrienne Young.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
POV: When you’re just trying to fall in love but the Greco-Roman empire is collapsing and you've just accidentally become a divinely-touched symbol of rebellion.
Fallen City humbled me. The evocative writing, the politics, the commentary on nepotism and nepo babies, war, power, class, corruption and control was exquisite. As too was the story, the characters, the Romeo & Juliet vibes, the Greco-Roman aesthetics, the chitons. If I were judging each element on its own, this has five-star potential for sure.
What held me back though was the non-linear execution. I was confused in the earlier chapters and the flow of the story lost momentum in other parts [a subjective experience, obviously]. I believe this is one of those polarising books readers will either fall deeply in love with or lose patience with, and where you land will depend on what you want reading to feel like.
In that opening stretch, I would compare it to something like watching Monet paint in real time, thinking, bro, what on earth are these textures and why should I care? You’re meant to wander, to relinquish your need for immediate clarity and understand that meaning will crystallise later. And it does.
But not everyone wants to watch Monet paint. Like me, for instance. For a good while, Fallen City gave me admiration and frustration sometimes simultaneously. I’m an impatient reader with ADHD, so trusting the process isn’t my strong suit. If you want the perspective of someone with way more chill and astuteness, check out Ivana’s review, she adored it from chapter one.
For me, it was somewhere after the 30% mark that I felt myself mentally stepping back from the Monet painting and seeing the whole composition rather than isolated strokes and started caring more about Maris, Luca, Vale and Theo. Once that happened, I could finally appreciate the full extent of the political complexity, the intricately layered plot threads and the satisfying reveals and twists.
By the end, I was glad I stayed the course. I think this book is challenging but I did end up appreciating it. I recommend it to readers who are comfy with non linear narratives that you have to piece together like a puzzle. The risk of this approach is that it could be alienating readers who want to feel invested immediately. Also, be aware that the politics are high key in this one. But if that excites you, you should definitely read this.
I was lucky enough to do an immersion read with both e-arc and audio, and a shout out to the dual narrators, Leela Bassuk and Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick whose expressive tonal range for different characters were fabulous and elevated the experience.
3.5 stars, rounding up. I strongly suspect that if I ever re-read this knowing what it’s doing from the outset, it could very easily become a five-star experience, so I’ll be sure to re-read this before its sequel comes out and report back (if anyone actually cares, lol).
A big thanks to Titan for the ARC and Bolinda Audio for providing the ALC of Fallen City via NetGalley.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.
Fallen City FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
⚠️ Some answers may spoil Fallen City if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution. ⚠️
Here are the answers to all your common FAQs.
Is Fallen City a series?
Yes, Fallen City is part one in a duology.
Is there spice in Fallen City?
Yes there are very mild open door spicy scenes in Fallen City! They’re not explicit in description and they take a back seat to worldbuilding and plot.
What is Fallen City spice level?
Spice level: 0.5/5
🌶
There is very light, non explicitly described spice in Fallen City.
What are the spicy chapters in Fallen City by Adrienne Young?
Chapter 28: Not spicy, but semi-steamy, perhaps.
Chapter 45: Very mild, open door spice, not explicitly described. More to evoke emotion and showcase Maris and Luca’s connection in context to recent events.
What are the tropes?
The tropes in Fallen City are:
Forbidden love
Star crossed love
Political intrigue and scheming
Gods and goddesses
Everyone is morally ambiguous
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Violence
Murder
Death of parent
Religious bigotry
Death
Toxic family relationships
Injury details
Blood
Classism
Nepotism
Grief
Gore
Enjoyed reading Fallen City by Adrienne Young? You may also enjoy reading:
Circe by Madeline Miller
Hera by Jennifer Saint
In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
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