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wordsofclover 's review for:
Mageborn
by Jessica Thorne
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Full video review (spoiler free): https://bit.ly/2LFU5OS
Grace Marchant is a soldier whose job it is to find and arrest corrupt Mageborn (people born with magical powers) and deliver them to the crown for justice. When Grace's job ends up in her losing a valued member of the team, it puts her in contact with Bastien, the Lord of Thorns - a member of the Royal Family with his own powers, and also the heir to the throne. As a murder investigation spirals out of control, Grace ends up having to team up with Bastien, and also protect him from danger all around while they both figure out how to try and save their city from terrible forces of evil.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the age of the characters - who all seem to be in the early to mid-twenties. It was really refreshing to read a book with relatable characters who weren't also dealing with teen acne and hormones but also strong in their own right, with relative life experience already behind them and no hovering parental figures in the way (not to mention healthy sexual appetites and relations).
The city this story is set in was also built up very well by the author and it had all the things you would normally see in a typical fantasy - the palace itself, the highborn area, an armoury/soldiers' quarters and then the market place, plus taverns of varying repute and the slums. And also a lot of secret passageways.
There was a decent amount of chemistry between Bastien and Grace which I enjoyed, though personally I would have preferred more of a slow burn as when the story really began to get going with the mageborn murder investigation, the romance seemed to very suddenly take control. While I liked the interactions between Grace and Bastien, I also wanted a juicy murder mystery and I feel like this element of the story was lost completely which was disappointing.
Bastien, as a character - while a delicious mix between The Darkling and Prince Cardan of Elfhame, seemed to be a confusing juxtaposition of many different things. While he was thought to be strong and dangerous, and extremely powerful, we kept seeing him in moments where he seemed very weak and Grace is charged with protecting him - yet at times, it's proven he has crazy magic powers and really adept fighting ability. I couldn't figure it out, and I disliked feeling like he was a bit pathetic at times because what I was seeing was different than what we had been told. But also on the flip side of that, I liked the gender swap that was the female character being the main protector.
The magic system is quite intricate in this book, and when it's combined with the history of the gods, it can get a little bit confusing and I'm hoping the second book will make me feel more comfortable with the lore and provide me a true understanding of the gods and all their relations with each other, and how some of the reveals in Mageborn actually work.
This book is a really good stepping stone for people who may read mostly romance or contemporary, and who want to start reading more fantasy without diving head deep into a super long tome.
Full video review (spoiler free): https://bit.ly/2LFU5OS
Grace Marchant is a soldier whose job it is to find and arrest corrupt Mageborn (people born with magical powers) and deliver them to the crown for justice. When Grace's job ends up in her losing a valued member of the team, it puts her in contact with Bastien, the Lord of Thorns - a member of the Royal Family with his own powers, and also the heir to the throne. As a murder investigation spirals out of control, Grace ends up having to team up with Bastien, and also protect him from danger all around while they both figure out how to try and save their city from terrible forces of evil.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the age of the characters - who all seem to be in the early to mid-twenties. It was really refreshing to read a book with relatable characters who weren't also dealing with teen acne and hormones but also strong in their own right, with relative life experience already behind them and no hovering parental figures in the way (not to mention healthy sexual appetites and relations).
The city this story is set in was also built up very well by the author and it had all the things you would normally see in a typical fantasy - the palace itself, the highborn area, an armoury/soldiers' quarters and then the market place, plus taverns of varying repute and the slums. And also a lot of secret passageways.
There was a decent amount of chemistry between Bastien and Grace which I enjoyed, though personally I would have preferred more of a slow burn as when the story really began to get going with the mageborn murder investigation, the romance seemed to very suddenly take control. While I liked the interactions between Grace and Bastien, I also wanted a juicy murder mystery and I feel like this element of the story was lost completely which was disappointing.
Bastien, as a character - while a delicious mix between The Darkling and Prince Cardan of Elfhame, seemed to be a confusing juxtaposition of many different things. While he was thought to be strong and dangerous, and extremely powerful, we kept seeing him in moments where he seemed very weak and Grace is charged with protecting him - yet at times, it's proven he has crazy magic powers and really adept fighting ability. I couldn't figure it out, and I disliked feeling like he was a bit pathetic at times because what I was seeing was different than what we had been told. But also on the flip side of that, I liked the gender swap that was the female character being the main protector.
The magic system is quite intricate in this book, and when it's combined with the history of the gods, it can get a little bit confusing and I'm hoping the second book will make me feel more comfortable with the lore and provide me a true understanding of the gods and all their relations with each other, and how some of the reveals in Mageborn actually work.
This book is a really good stepping stone for people who may read mostly romance or contemporary, and who want to start reading more fantasy without diving head deep into a super long tome.