Today I have the pleasure of sharing my review for Mageborn by Jessica Thorne as part of the blog tour. Huge thanks to Noelle and Bookouture for the invite and copy via NetGalley.
About the book
The room is small and dark. Row upon row of jars line the shelves, each one sealed with blood-red wax. The seal’s mark is a twisted circle of briar with gleaming, gold-tipped thorns. And in each jar a flicker of forbidden magic dances… beautiful, but deadly.
Sold to the Crown in the aftermath of the Last Great War, Grace Marchant has never known her parents. Now, she trains as an elite soldier tracking down mageborn – those born with an ancient and long-outlawed magic – and destroying them if they don’t surrender their power to the Crown.
The mageborn who submit are collared, then handed over to the King’s cousin and heir: the elusive Bastien Larelwynn, Lord of Thorns, locked away in his shadowy workshop deep inside the castle. What becomes of them is hard to say – the Lord of Thorns keeps his secrets close.
Grace has always fought the voice inside her that questions whether the law is truly just, but when her closest friend is next on Bastien’s list, Grace’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Confronting Bastien – searching his strangely compelling obsidian-black eyes for answers – Grace is shocked to feel herself begin to change, to show the first signs of the wild magic she so fears.
Only the Lord of Thorns has the power to save her and the rest of the mageborn – if he doesn’t destroy them all first…
A dark and addictive fantasy read, perfect for fans of Graceling and Sarah J. Maas.
Mageborn is available to purchase now – https://geni.us/B08334HN5JSocial
My thoughts
I was first drawn to this book by it’s beautiful cover and the intriguing description. I always love the start of a new series and being a newbie to the fantasy genre I am totally falling in love with it.
One thing about this genre is the world building, I know it can put some people off but I love it, obviously it has to be done right and also has to involve letting us get to know the characters too and Mageborn does both. The first quarter of the book really sets the scene then boom,we’re off running.
The characters are vivid and I really enjoyed getting to know Grace and Bastien. Grace, orphaned and sent to the academy has no memory of her childhood. She knows she had magic and it was taken from her, she has the scars to prove it but her magic is slowly coming back and she’s desperately trying to hide it, she’s a soldier tasked with hunting down rogue Mageborn after all. Bastien known as Lord of the Thorns is feared by many, the rogue Mageborn are taken to him but what does he do with them? Set to become King there are many who don’t want this and fear what will happen when he does.
Told from both characters point of view I really enjoyed hearing from both of them, it felt like it added a little extra to the story.
Mageborn really is an exciting start to a new series, it builds up the tension and with many twists and turns it keeps you on your toes. I found myself so invested in the story I devoured it in one sitting and was left feeling bereft when it ended. I really, really hope we don’t have too long to wait for book two, I don’t think I can cope. I NEED to know what happens next.
Mageborn is definitely a book you need to add to your tbr list if you’re a fantasy fan, I’ll definitely be recommending it.
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About the author
Jessica Thorne saw Star Wars at an impressionable age and life was never the same. She’s loved fantasy, romance and science fiction ever since and spends her time looking for adventure – in the pages of her books.
Sometimes she is Ruth Frances Long and won the European Science Fiction Society Spirit of Dedication Award for Best Author of Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2015.
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