Format:Kindle Edition, 303 pages
Release Date: February 18th 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
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…
Mageborn is the first installment in author Jessica Thorne's The Hollow King series. This story actually has two main characters which the author alternates her story with: Lieutenant Grace Marchant and Bastien Larelwynn. Grace was apparently dumped off at the Academy when she was a child after having her magic, called Flint (Firestarter), ripped out of her. Grace and her squad (Daniel, Ellyn, Kai) are trained to track down wild Mageborn, those who
possess dangerous magic, who refuse to submit to the Crown.
After four bodies are found in four weeks with hands that looked like they were burnt, and her own mageborn teammate (Kai) goes hollow, Grace's only hope might lie with Bastien, the so called Lord of Thorns, to understand what is happening and why. Coincidentally, Grace also has burns on her hands. Grace, who is a rising star among the Academy elite, hasn't told anyone that she was born a mageborn since she no longer has access to her powers, nor does she care to be collared like other mageborn are required to be.
Grace wants to hate the man who finished off her ailing friend, but Grace & her supposed non-existent magic, finds herself drawn to Bastien and how he is
able to unfurl her magic that she thought was long gone. In a world
where Mageborn are forced to obey the Crown, collared and used by It,
Grace struggles to keep her secret magic hidden. Grace has tried hard not to have her loyalty questioned by the Crown, but with Bastien watching her like a hawk, she finds herself conflicted.
As
the two work together seeking answers to multilevel mysteries, Grace
starts to see Bastien in a new light. He's not the boogeyman that
everyone claims he is. Yes, he is dangerous, but he also genuinely cares
for the mageborn as proven in one particular scene at the Academy. Grace swore to uphold the law and protect those who cannot help themselves. But, what if the law is actually hurting people? Curiously, both Grace and Bastien struggle with memories of their past. Grace doesn't remember her parents, or who took away her powers, or how she ended up at the Academy. Sure, there are those who probably do know the truth, but Grace hasn't solved that mystery yet.
This world is built on a legacy where the Hollow King was supposedly defeated by a man known as Lucien Larelwynn. The pact Lucien demanded of the Hollow King bound one member of his bloodline to control all the mageborn. Fast forward, Bastien Larelwynn is the cousin to the King known as Marius the Good. Marius is slowly dying and without a heir with Queen Aurelie, the crown will likely end up Bastien's. However, as a mageborn himself, Bastien isn't supposed to sit on the throne.
Herein lies the crux of the story. Bastien is powerful but he also struggles with memories that seem to have been erased. He can take magic away from any mageborn and he knows that there is something about Grace that she isn't saying. He's under constant attack by those who don't want to see Bastien as King. Grace is given the King's Warrant by Marius so that she can protect Bastien. But, protecting him might cost her everything that she's done since becoming a squad leader, and given a raise to the rank of Captain.
There are political games and betrayal deeply ingrained into this story from the Queen herself, to various other secondary characters, to Bastien's sister Celeste who might be the creepiest character in this story. Everywhere Grace and Bastien go, they are hunted by forces that want to control Bastien and thus the mageborn. As the story unravels, the more readers will learn about Grace, her past, and her powers that seem to somehow grow stronger, and Bastien's past which will make sense once you realize there is so much more to him than meets the eye test.
Personally, I think the overall story could have benefited from going even more in debt on the whole mage born history and current affairs. Another wish of mine; more character development especially for Ellyn and Daniel who have been with Grace since they were kids. The ending builds up the suspense for what is supposed to come in the next installment.
pretty good. thanks for sharing your great review. i hate having to wait for the ending
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental