#Review - Mageborn by Jessica Thorne #Fantasy #Romance

Series: The Hollow King #1
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.

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#Review - Assassin's Maze by Everly Frost #Urban #Fantasy

Series: Assassin's Magic #3
Format: Kindle, 306 pages
Release Date: May 31, 2019
Publisher: Ever Realm Books
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Can love survive?

When Hunter Cassidy exposed the true identity of the underground's brutal leader, she also uncovered the devastating truth about her own life.

With her time running out, Hunter must ally herself with her mortal enemy—the only woman with the power to destroy Hunter and everything she loves, including Slade Baines.

Determined not to lose Hunter, Slade will do anything to find the final Realm that holds the secret to saving Hunter and destroying their enemies once and for all.

But within the Realm is a maze of dangers, magical creatures of myth and legend, and a labyrinth of traps that will force Hunter and Slade to make deadly sacrifices, threatening their alliances, their lives... and their love.

 

"Only the reckless or the desperate will enter the maze. The path to the feathers is paved with death"

Assassin's Maze is the third and final installment in author Everly Frost's Assassin Magic trilogy. This story picks up immediately where Assassin's Mask finished. Valkyrie Hunter Cassidy, the assassin known as the Glass Arrow, is up against time. She has to find a way to fight and defeat the Valkyrie Queen Amalia. She has to discover the identity and location of the supposed last Keres in existence who can kill both herself and Slade Baines. The same Keres that her own mother sacrificed her life to save. 

Hunter has to also discover the so called Maze which is supposedly the place where the original Valkyrie and Keres feathers are kept. Feathers that can restore Hunter, as well as Amalia back to full strength. In this book, we meet Archer Ryan, the woman her mother died to protect. The woman who has caught the attention of Cain, as well as the only one who is able to open the gates to the Maze itself. Hunter, Slade, Tansy, Vlad, Archer and Cain join forces to find the Maze. But, nothing is ever easy for Hunter or her allies.

I think the most impressive part of this book was Tansy. She battles against witches who stand in their way. She battles against a broken heart knowing Vlad isn't capable of feeling love. And, she may be the most powerful character in this book bar none. Tansy has also made her peace with Hunter and we do learn some interesting tidbits about Hunter's mother and Tansy's past. The part where Hunter, Archer, Cain and Slade enter the Maze was really good. They have different paths, different gates, and different challenges to face. 

They also have to face the worst moments of their lives and find a way to forgive themselves for their past. If you really want to be entertained, there is even an all out battle between Valkyrie and Keres in the land of the dead. The of this story is filled with some surprises. While this is the final story in this series, I would be interested if there was a spin off featuring Tansy and Vlad, or even Lutz Logan and a surprising romance that developed in this book. 

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#Friday Review - Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier (Celtic Mythology, Magic, Historical-Ireland)

Series: Blackthorn & Grim # 1
Format: Hardcover, 434 pages
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: Roc
Source: Library
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland...

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.

Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

Dreamer's Pool is the first installment in the Blackthorn and Grim series by new to me author Juliet Marillier. This is a series that is steeped in Celtic mythology, magic and set to the backdrop of medieval Ireland. Marillier weaves her story via the narratives of Blackthorn (not her real name), Grim (a rather large man who she met in prison and becomes her constant companion and protector), and Prince Oran of Dalraida who is eager to meet his new betrothed. 

Marillier puts the question to readers, what would you do if you were locked up for a year, faced numerous instances of brutality by guards, and then faced your own execution after speaking out against acts of abuse against women by the Chieftain of your country? What if that same Chieftain was responsible for murdering your family? Would you give up your right to vengeance? Or, would you agree to 7 years of service in which you can only use your skills for good, and you may not refuse anyone who asks for your help, and lastly, you must put away your urge to seek vengeance for the length of this contract? 

This is the situation that Blackthorn is now facing. She is required to take a new name, and travel a long way to the kingdom of Dalraida where she will become the healer/wise woman that they have been without for ages. While living in Winterfalls, she has to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, and ensure that she sticks to the agreement she made with a fae named Conmael. By her side is the prickly giant named Grim who traveled from Dalraida with her, and will become her bodyguard and one she can truly trust and rely on.

I dare say that Blackthorn took a while for me to warm up to her. I feared that it would take a long while before the author would reveal the truth behind Blackthorn's background and devastating losses that made her desire vengeance. She is quick to anger, she loathes being in the situation she finds herself in, she really doesn't understand what Grim sees in her, and the whole 7 years of putting away her vengeance is just itching at her scalp for her to run away even at the risk of adding additional years to her agreement. 

Meanwhile, Prince Oran of Dalraida is eagerly anticipating the arrival of his new bride Lady Flidais. Oran has fallen in love with her portrait, her letters, and the fact that they have nearly everything in common. But, when a strange accident happens, and Oran meets a totally different Flidais from the one he expected, Oran finds himself in a difficult situation. How can he turn her away knowing that her home is under constant attack from a neighboring country? Who can he reach out to in order to find out what is wrong with Flidais before they are married and successors to the King and Queen of Dalraida?

Grim is probably the most underrated character in the book. Called bonehead by his prison mates and guards, Grim has had more than his fair share of chances to make his own way in the world. The lady, as he calls her, is facing a 7 years agreement and Grim will follow to ensure that she survives. Grim is adorable. There I said it. I loved how the villagers took to him, and gave him odd jobs to do. I loved how he stood by Blackthorn no matter what the situation they found themselves dealing with. 

I have to say that I enjoyed this world immensely, and will be continuing on with the series. I love the setting, the characters, the magical environment, the realistic treatment of certain characters that isn't brushed over by the author, and the fact that these characters, for the most part, remain interesting right to the bitter end. I am happy that there wasn't any romantic situations for Blackthorn at this point. I dare say it is way too soon to even be considering that angle.

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