Spin of Fate

By: A. A. Vora

Narrated by: Simon Vance

In a world inspired by karma, three teens encounter magnificent beasts, unforgiving magic, and epic battles in this propulsive and wholly original young adult fantasy.

“Evocative of Sanderson, Pullman, and Fullmetal Alchemist, yet at the same time shockingly original.” —Rosaria Munda, author of Fireborne

Aina’s world is governed by Toranic Law, a force that segregates people into upper and lower realms. It’s said that if the sinful lowers commit themselves to kindness and charity, their souls will lighten, allowing them into the peaceful upper realms.

But Aina, one of the few lowers to ever ascend, just wants to go back home.

Aina is desperate to reunite with her mother, hoping she’s survived the beasts and wars of her homeland alone. After failing to weigh down her soul with petty crimes, Aina joins a rebel group defying the authorities and bringing aid to those condemned to a life of suffering in the lower realms. Alongside Aina are two new recruits: Meizan, a ruthless fighter trying to save his clan from extinction, and Aranel, a spoiled noble spying for the powers that be.

Before long, the rebels find themselves in the middle of a brewing war. On one side, a violent king of a lower realm is bent on destroying Toranic Law; on the other, the authorities of the upper realms will do anything to stay on top. Now the young rebels must face both sides head-on if they want to stop a conflict that could break not only Toranic Law—but the universe itself.

Fans of epic, propulsive fantasies like Six of Crows and innovative world-building like Avatar: The Last Airbender will delight in A. A. Vora's ambitious, unmissable debut.

Critic reviews

Praise for SPIN OF FATE

A B&N Reads Most Anticipated YA Book for May 2024
A Paste Magazine Best New Fantasy Book of May 2024
One of Elle Magazine's Best Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books of 2024, So Far

★"Epic battles, a distinctive magic system, and moral ambiguity will engage fantasy readers seeking a new high-stakes adventure. . . . An exhilarating series opener." —Kirkus, starred review

"Vora’s trilogy opener is sprawling, energetic, and complex, featuring memorable characters, dynamic magical feats, and bizarre monsters. . . . A wholly original and engaging adventure." —Publishers Weekly

"This action-packed epic fantasy immerses readers from prologue to finish. . . . Readers will love being immersed in the beautiful worldbuilding Vora has successfully created, but will also begin to question the characters, their actions, and a society adhering to laws that may not be best for all. Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and Alison Goodman’s Eon and Eona will be captivated by this new world. VERDICT: A must-have." —School Library Journal

Beautifully unique story and magic

Fresh cultural and magic systems and amazing creatures and characters. Looking forward to the next entry!

Terrific world building and good main characters. Well paced plot

Really promising well written book that disappoints at the end with its machinations to set up the sequel. Still worth the read. Just fell short of its early promise.

Love it but note for Audible

I love this book. I’ve read it two and a half times already. The writing, the world, the concept, the characters, the narrator: this author did an amazing job!

Note/plea for Audible in general: could you please link an accessible pdf of the map/other drawings that may appear in ebook/paper editions? And maybe have the authors write a blurb describing it. This author did great in her books describing locations, but having access to a map/glossary is important for audio readers as well.

For readers: if you like a detailed glossary the author made plus a map (though on ebook the maps aren’t easy to see and you can’t really enlarge them) then get a paper/ebook version rather than audio.

Audible: I know you can do this as I’ve read some books here with written transcripts. Just do that but with all the extra fun fantasy maps and glossaries. This also gives people the option to skip that portion of the book if they don’t want an extra hour or two runtime.

Simon Vance is expectedly epic

I am the author so take this with a grain of salt. I would rather not leave a rating but it forces me to. I just want to say that Simon Vance’s voice really brings this story to life! He is versatile and such a talent. I’m truly honored to have him as a narrator.