#Review - Shadowborn by Katie MacAlister #Fantasy #Romance

Series: The Born Prophecy # 3
Format: Ebook, 200 pages
Release Date: June 9th 2020
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy

Liberated from exile, the brutal god Nezu is leveling his vengeful wrath against the blessed lands of Alba, and only three heroes stand a chance of stopping him. Fireborn Allegria, with her ability to harness the power of light; her Starborn lover, Hallow, who leads the society of mages; and Deo, a warrior born of both worlds . . .

But the circle of friendship is broken when Allegria is imprisoned in the spirit world of the Thane. Surrounded by long dead warriors bent on revenge, Allegria is losing her grasp on the mortal realm. Now she must fight to hold on to the memories she has left—and the hope that help is coming from a world away.

The ultimate battle between good and evil is breaking, and Hallow and Deo need Allegria to win it. But even then, how can they achieve the impossible? For it’s not just one destructive god they must face, but also his creator. Only an arcane prophecy and the untried power of their joined magics can save the Fourth Age.

Shadowborn is the third installment in author Katie MacAlister's The Born Prophecy series. It is highly recommended that you read these book in order to ensure that you don't miss anything important. This is a series that focuses on (3) main characters: Deosin Langston is the son of a Starborn Queen as well as Fireborn father who has a prophecy that he will either save the world, or destroy it; Allegria Hopebringer is a Sunborn Priestess who has the touch of the Goddess known as Kiriah Sunbringer; Hallow of Penhallow is Allegria's husband, & Master of Kelos, leader of the arcanists who has access to (3) types of magic.

There are several other key characters in this story that stand out more than others: Lady Idril Jalas who is supposed to be betrothed to Deo but has had more than one detour over the course of the first two books in this series; Lord Israel, Deo's father who lost an important battle and is trying to regain his footing as well as learning how to trust his son and his appetite for destruction; Quinn, the Captain who can't die; Dexia, a Vanith who can shape shift, and Ella, a Shadowborn who escaped with Deo, Allegria and Hallow from Eris.

As a summary, Deo leaves Allegria and Hallow behind to set things straight which he seems to always be breaking. In fairness, he wants to reunite with Idril. Deo's former Banes of Eris have been told he is dead, and they end up allying themselves against him leading to the death of someone thought indestructible. Deo's actions pit him against his own mother but surprisingly, his father takes his side in finding a way to reunite with Allegria and Hallow who he needs to defeat Nezu.

During a battle against Eidolon, spirits of former arcanists and magic users, Allegria ends up being captured by one of the Thanes who once ruled Eidolon and ends up with a woman, Mayam, she can't trust. The longer she remains in the spirit realm, the more of her memories she loses including why she's here in the first place. Allegria might now be the most aggravating character with her constant whining about how she's been abandoned by Kiriah. Everyone else around her calls her out but right until the final page when she learns of a stunning death, she refuses to listen.

Hallow, meanwhile, faces a devastating attack by Lyl of Starfall who has not only supplanted the former Queen from her throne, but now takes Hallows title of Master of Kelos. Hallow and Lyl continue to battle for a large chunk of this story until he, Allegria, Deo and their friends are finally reunited to battle Nezu. To be fair, this book has a whole lot of conversational situations that involved what sexual positions certain couples want to try out while they are also trying how to defeat Nezu. 

To also be fair, this book really doesn't resolve anything and leaves a cliffhanger ending, again. Idril & Israel still want to take out her father, the Queen seems to be under some spell, Starfall needs saving from those like Lyl, the Eidolon are still a threat, and we need to give Allegria a kick in the backside to understand that she may be the most powerful character in this story.

 

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#Review - Starborn by Katie MacAlister #Fantasy #Romance

Series: The Born Prophecy # 2
Format: E-Book, 239 pages
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Romance

A Fireborn woman and a Starborn man embark on a desperate sea voyage to save two kingdoms in a rousing fantasy from the New York Times–bestselling author.

The battle for sovereignty among the seven lands of Alba has ended. The prophecy of Peace appears to have come true. But appearances can be deceptive. A new battle is brewing. Its outcome is dependent on the retrieval of a sacred triad of artifacts . . .

The hunt for the three precious moonstones begins. For Allegria, Fireborn lightweaver, and her Starborn lover, Hallow, it means saving more than worlds. It means rescuing their friend Deo, prisoner in the shadowlands of Eris, where the secrets of the moonstones are buried. Steering Allegria and Hallow in their ocean quest is a mysterious lifebound captain. And he’s setting sail with a warning: No mere mortal has ever survived the journey to Eris, let alone come back alive . . .

As the bonds of friendship are threatened and the courage of three heroes challenged, the fate of two kingdoms will be at risk as bestselling author Katie MacAlister’s breathtaking Born Prophecy saga continues.

Starborn, by author Katie MacAlister, is the second installment in the authors Born Prophecy series. There are actually (3) main characters that are featured in this story. Allegria Hopebringer, Hallow, and Deosin Langton. Allegria and Hallow, who are now married, are searching for (3) moonstones that were hidden by Queen Dasa. These moonstones are the only thing able to allow Allegria to rescue Deo and Queen Dasa from Eris. I think that if you read the first installment, that you will better understand the struggles that this book focuses on. 

Allegria seems to have lost her connection to Kiriah which means that she needs to rely more on her sword play ability than anything else. She last used her light powers to send Racin back to Eris. When Allegria was one of Deo's Bane of Eris, she was pretty impressive. One can only hope that the author finds a way to give Allegria her powers back as her struggles are not even close to being over yet. Allegria can be annoying at times. Especially when she is with Hallow. I won't speak much on Hallow. He's pretty powerful in his own right, and there is some issues that needs to be addressed as the new master of the arcanists.

Deo is a prisoner of Racin's in Eris after choosing to go after his mother. He has access to chaos magic which is one reason why Racin wants to find out how to access his power so that he can build an army to take over the world that is currently at peace. Deo is supposed to be the savior of the fourth age, but so far his actions have lead to more war and less peace. His mother, meanwhile, was the greatest warrior of the third age and is supposed to be the Queen of Eris alongside Racin. Without a willing Deo, Racin starts to experiment on people seeking to duplicate Deo's Bane of Eris. (Shadowborn)

Israel Langton, Deo's father, is also back in this installment. He is trying to save the people of Aryria from Racin and get his son and wife back. His most formidable foe, however, may very well be the Tribe of Jalas which holds one of the moonstones. They are joined on the journey by Lady Idril Jalas who broke Deo's heart in the previous installment. But Idril isn't a character you can refuse to pay attention to. There is much more to her than meets the eye. There is a bit of catty cat behavior between Idril and Allegria which can be annoying at times.

We were also introduced to some new characters, like Quinn and Dexia, who were quite interesting and diverting. Dexia especially may be the most dangerous character in this book, and one who you don't want to turn your back to for fear she will curse you. The craziness continues when Allegria's story is told in the first person, while the rest are told in the third person narrative. One of the negatives is that there are only 22 chapters and 6 narratives. 

I would have preferred sticking to Allegria and Deo's since he is the reason for this story. Also, there are a lot of time skips in the narrative that seem to avoid major plot points. I'm glad that Allegria settled down, sort of, with Hallow and didn't end up with Deo. This story once again ends on a brutal cliffhanger ending. While this story takes place a good while after the ending of the first book, I dare hope the sequel will pick up right where this leaves off.

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#Review - Fireborn (Born Prophecy #1) by Katie MacAlister #Fantasy

Series: Born Prophecy # 1
Format: E-Galley, 298 pages
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Source: Publisher

Genre: Epic Fantasy

What if a war was taking place under your nose? Two ancient races locked in a battle for survival. Which side would you take?

Allegria appears to all to be nothing more than a simple priestess devoted to worship of the sun goddess. Hallow is a masterless apprentice. Deo was meant to save the world and bring the Fireborn and Starborn together peace.

But then invaders beseiged the land of the Starborn, breaking the prophecy. Now Allegria has fled the priesthood, and wields the power of the sun. Hallow accepts the mantle of leadership he so long avoided. And Deo is tormented and tortured by the power of the invaders, using chaos itself to create an army that will drive the interlopers from the land, and bring about the peace of the Fourth Age.

The three unlikely heroes must learn to trust where there is suspicion, to believe where there is only doubt, and to fight when all hope is lost. 

 

Firstborn, by author Katie MacAlister, is the first installment in the author's Born Prophecy series. As the synopsis indicates, this story alternatives narratives between three key players. Deo, a young lord who has a prophecy that will either save the world, or destroy it; Allegria, a young woman with the power of the sun who was taken in to become a Priestess but wants to prove herself instead as a fighter against the invaders known as Harborym; and Harrow, a boy with a curious past who lost his people to the Harborym.

This story is an entertaining one with plenty of twists, and humorous moments, and yes, even some romance. But, the failure for me was the author not indicating when the timeline for each character jumps. One moment we are witnessing the first contact between Deo and Allegria, then Deo and Hallow, then the story jumps to when they are older. I would have preferred to know at what point that changed instead of attempting to decide for myself. I know, picky stuff.

From Deo as a teenager whose mother lives in a conquered land, to Deo as an adult who was exiled to an island where he learned how to use the power of chaos to create an army to fight back against the invaders. Deo the son of a starborn Queen whose birth also heralded the arrival of the Harborym, and Lord Israel who could have done much more in his efforts to keep his son's mother safe, but is still playing catch up years later. Deo was supposed to bring about the Fourth Age of peace. 

Allegria is a light weaver, an anointed priestess, and one who uses the sun to fight against the darkness. Allegria who risks everything to fight alongside Deo and become one of his Bane. Allegria who can fight as well as any man, and usually comes out on top. Allegra who falls for Harrow through a bit of give and take back and forth that is both humorous and leads to some sexy times. Allegra who shines the brightest among the three main characters.

Harrow is a boy who lost everything to the invaders. He later loses his master who was teaching him how to deal with his powers as an arcanist. Harrow spends a lot of time with Lord Israel after saving his life from his son, and later when he unites the Council of Four Armies to finally take a stand against the Harborym. In all fairness, the romance kind of comes out of nowhere. I was a bit surprised that the author didn't find a way for Deo and Allegria to find a way to be together but she choose differently.

This story is a wild adventure that leaves a crushing cliffhanger ending behind to be picked up by the next installment. There is so many questions as to what happens next, especially to Deo and Allegria.

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