‘50 bajillion stars… I loved this book so much… It broke my heart into a million pieces and put it all back together again.’ Faemance Book Blog, 5 starsIn the name of the crown I arrest you and charge you with the crime of being an unregistered and unsworn mageborn. You will yield up your magic for the greater good, or face certain death… death…
Raised on the streets, orphan Grace Marchant has always questioned the harsh laws of the Kingdom of Rathlynn. Confronting Prince Bastien Larelwynn – keeper of a dark, golden and deadly magic – was never her plan, but when her closest friend is the next mageborn taken away to the shadowy dungeons, she has no choice but to act.
Deep in the castle, Grace discovers that the Queen of Rathlynn has a devastating plan to use the mageborn’s stolen powers to cement her rule forever. Begging the coldly handsome Prince Bastien to spare her friend’s life, Grace is surprised to see a flicker of compassion in his obsidian black eyes, and the fire in her blood calls out to him… but if he senses the luminous mageborn power secretly unfurling within her like liquid sunlight, it’s only a matter of time before she too will be imprisoned.
But Grace is shocked when Bastien, with a mysterious smile, keeps any knowledge of her powers to himself. Despite his duties to the realm, Bastien pities the mageborn, and the two hatch a plan that could change everything.
As raging fire melts blackest ice, passion and desire quickly quiet her fear and suspicion. But with her golden mageborn light growing stronger every day, Grace must ask herself if she can really trust her former enemy… and with betrayal at every turn, will they save the mageborn and get out alive?
A dark and addictive fantasy read, perfect for fans of Graceling and Sarah J. Maas.
Read what everyone’s saying about Mageborn:
‘Wow, wow, wow!… A showstopping book that was hard to put down… An addicting adventure you will not want to miss out on.’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘I mean, wow!… Be prepared for plot twists!!!… I highly recommend giving this book a read! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!!!’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘Captivating… I simultaneously wanted to power through it but didn’t want it to end… it’s fantastic. It’s brilliant. I love it… I have several notes in my Kindle app from emotional scenes where it’s purely emotive responses of “”AWEEE”“, “”OMGGGG””, “”WTF IS THIS?!”… a beautiful piece of fantasy fiction that should be on everyone’s tbr list.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I was hooked… there is heartbreak from the very beginning… I was going through a rollercoaster of emotions – my heart felt like it had been ripped out, trampled on, and then trampled on some more for good measure… This book is certainly a page-turner, I read it over two afternoons.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘I loved it… A brilliant start to this series which already has me asking and wondering…WHAT HAPPENS NOW? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?… left me speechless… Brilliantly written and gripping. Highly recommend.’ Gemma’s Book Reviews
‘WOWIE! This book took me on a wild ride… Superb… I was truly engrossed from start to finish… Not to be missed.’ Belle in Pages
‘Really does pack a punch… I loved every minute of it… filled with action, adventure, and romance and it will have you at the edge of your seat so many times… This book has everything a fantasy reader will love… If I could give more than five stars I would. I absolutely loved it.’ Goodreads Reviewermore
Grace is a soldier and her job is to round up the ‘Mageborn’ who have magic. What she can’t tell anyone is that she suspects she might have some magic too. And it might be getting stronger.
Bastien Larelwynn, the Lord of Thorns, is the king’s brother. Kinda shadowy. Grace comes into contact with him when he drains the magic out of her friend … and her friend dies.
I liked the complexity of the world – especially the criminal world that isn’t completely disconnected from the city guards. The fact that magic can be stolen and redeployed was interesting. Grace is strong and well trained, but has insecurities and fears, just like anyone else. Bastien is all dark and broody, but becomes more and more likable as the story unfolds.
There’s a complex fantasy world, a thread of romance and lots of fighting and stabby, stabby action. I galloped through this book at a pace and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
With names like Merlyn and The Hollow King, I expected a King Arthur retelling. I was wrong. Or right. There is a special sword…but the story is a richly detailed fantasy that
The magic system is a-maze-ing. There are elementals like Grace, who was born with fire, but there are also leaches who can steal magic. Early in her life, Grace was orphaned and her magic mostly stolen. She leads a team of orphans-turned-police, and most of them have no magic. The mages with magic are controlled by an agreement made long ago by the Hollow King and the person who later founded the Kingdom.
But then there is Bastian, a mageborn who is also in line for the Kingship. The king is dying; long live anyone but Bastian. The dying King, upon meeting Grace, assigns her as Bastian’s guardian, which on the face, would seem odd. But the king cannot trust his own royal guards.
The story is told from both points of view, but it was seemless. There were no abrupt changes of viewpoint just to show both’s feelings; rather, the different viewpoints showed important plot elements! Thank you.
Romance is a bodyguard-charge theme, but there is a twist here. Bastian is the more powerful figure, yet Grace is guarding him. The romance is clean, but definitely emotionally powerful.
I cannot believe how much I enjoyed reading this. The story arc can be read as a standalone, but there is an epilogue adding elements to extend the story.
Still reading this book . Starts off slowly but pace is increasing to the point I can’t put it down
I want to read more of this.
A 2 book fantasy that I really enjoyed
After reading the synopsis and falling in love with the cover I requested a copy to read for myself.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me a copy for an honest review.
This story follows an orphaned soldier named Grace who tracks down rogue ‘Mageborns’. Grace has doubts about the law that tracks down Mageborns, that sees them collared to harness their powers and some are even handed over to the king’s cousin the Lord of Thorns. Being a soldier of the Academy comes first and she abides by the law regardless of her reservations. Grace has her own secrets and when her world collides with The Lord of Thorns himself, she finds he has secrets of his own too.
This story is told from two POVs – Grace and Bastien the Lord of Thorns and this gives a deeper insight into their true reactions to each other.
From the prologue I was hooked, the blend of despair and hope in those first few pages had me intrigued to find out how the story would unfold.
Typical for enemies to lovers, there is heartbreak from the very beginning, and this was something that continued throughout the story. Secrets are revealed, friends turn out to be enemies, and help came from an unexpected source in the end.
This story obviously caught my eye – but I enjoyed it so much more than I could have envisioned. There is a slow but rewarding build up to the dramatic conclusion, and reading through the last few chapters I was going through a rollercoaster of emotions – my heart felt like it had been ripped out, trampled on, and then trampled on some more for good measure. I was horrified at the grief and betrayal these characters were going through. My heart ached at one scene in particular – my frustration at the ‘what ifs’ had me taking a coffee break before continuing.
It was quite refreshing to see the vulnerabilities of not only Grace but Bastien too. Grace was in fact his saviour and there wasn’t any of the usual masculine bravado that you tend to see in these kinds of stories. Grace and Bastien complimented each other well and supported each other as equals (even after certain revelations).
This book is certainly a page turner, I read it over two afternoons. I am very much looking forward to the sequel.
I thoroughly recommend, if like me you’re a sucker for enemies to lovers, with just the right amount of sexual tension, magic and intrigue.
** 3.5 stars **
What happens when everything you remember are broken memories and all those around you whisper honeyed lies? Betrayal hides in every darken corner, every smile, every wineglass. Your magic is used against you, turned against you, and taken from you. Who do you trust?
Two different paths and two very different people. One a simple guard and the other a caged prince; both brought together by magic and murder. Their lives may be different but their pasts have broken them both in ways that will allow fate to bond their jagged pieces together. A centurys’ old mystery is finally solved; but once the pieces come together can all the wrongs of the past be made right or will it be too late before power corrupts totally sand the Deep Dark awakens.
It’s a darkly, beautiful, and engaging story. In all honesty, I really wasnt expecting the story I got. Don’t let the blurb or the prologue fool you. Reading each, I felt I would get a book about two separate stories than what it was. It was quite misleading. While the prologue is important, think of it as a history lesson or a “mystery lesson” to think on what became of the Hollow King. I implore you not to let that confusion be what has you put the book down. It’s worth finishing. I feel is an intriguingly gripping story. There is a mystery in these pages that is worth exploring. It was slow going because I was confused where the story was going. Go for mystery ride of what happened to the Hollow King. It’s like Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series and Jeff Wheeler’s Kingfountain series had a dark, but adventurous child. This story is the beginnings of an epic fantasy. There’s madness and betrayal, love beyond the veil, loyalty and honor. I cried with the beauty of it at times and the heartbreak at others. I really can’t wait for the next one.
** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **