I loved this!!
The world-building is really good and Bastien is such an intriguing character! Grace is a great main character, reliable and dependable. She's also stubborn but surprisingly open-minded considering the rules she must follow.
I'd say my main criticism about this book is that the plot moved very slowly and more action could have take place way earlier in the book.
The plot twist at the end was shocking! Didn't expect that ending and I definitely want to read the sequel when it comes out!
Solid YA fantasy with some romance thrown into the mix. Definitely recommend!

This book started off with a bang! There were a lot of interesting things going on and I was immediately intrigued. There was a bit of a lull point in the middle, I had to push myself through it. However, it definitely paid off and the book ended with a BANG! It left me wanting so much more. Lucky for us there is another book coming out and I for one can not wait!!

The female MC is mysterious with her past. She is loyal and believes in her duty, but of course things make her question a lot of situations. I love that she doesn’t necessarily leave her traits behind and become somebody different, she applies them to the person she becomes. It was nice to see somebody simply grow, instead of change instantly.

The male MC has the same concept as the female except it is sort of swapped. His past is not necessarily as mysterious as the female, yet things are revealed that push the reader to ask questions.

Don’t even get me started on the phenomenal plot twists that ensue. I mean OH MY WORD! It was like I knew something was going on but could not put my finger on it and then BOOM it slapped you in the face.

I definitely recommend this book to fantasy readers who enjoy the layout of fantasy worlds, but this gives us a little bit of a change up.

-Stone

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).

Things I Didn’t Enjoy: (possible trigger)

A potential rape scene – although it didn’t happen on this occasion the flippancy at how the aftermath was dealt with irritated me. It was quite literally brushed under the carpet – and implied that it wouldn’t be the first or even the last time it may have happened.

This story is portrayed as a dark fantasy, and with that it’s obvious there will be some elements of the story that not everyone will be comfortable with. For me, it wasn’t the actual scene itself, it was how it was handled afterwards.


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 – to grab this book on 18th February.

This was the first book by Jessica Thorne that I have read and won’t be the last!

Mageborn is set in an almost post apocalyptic world. The main character, Grace, works for the Academy hunting down unreported Mageborn. Mageborn are a race of beings with magical powers. Varying from the ability to conjure and control fire, to water abilities, etc. Everything changes when she meets the Bastien, the Lord of Thorns. He is tasked with dealing with the Mageborn, whether that be relinquishing them of their powers, killing them, or collaring them to work for the King. When Bastien received numerous threats to his life, the King tasks Grace with protecting him. With something strange brewing within her than she hasn’t felt since she was a child, Bastien is determined to help her. And she is determined to stop him.
Jessica Thorne writes in such a way that you quickly become attached to the characters and the narrative written from different points of view makes you really see things from the characters' side, even when you want to dislike everything about them. Not wanting to spoil anything, it’s important to note that some things in this book will leave you disappointed.
Some parts of the book were slow to get through, but if you pick this one up you won’t be disappointed.
After some deep thought, I’d give this book four stars. It doesn’t quite live up to other authors of the genre, but is a good read and I’m looking forward to the next one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lush and gorgeous! Mageborn by Jessica Thorne is a heart-stopping book that will stick with you long after it's finished. And the world-building! I swoon for good world-building and Jessica Thorne has done it again!

Three and a half
This was so close to being a four because I loved the overall ideas and the very different magic in play here. I even liked the characters with a heroine who doesn't know how to quit and a somber, brooding Prince. Add in supporting characters who helped switch up the dynamics plus a shock revelation and I should be jumping up and down. So why am I not? I think the romance felt forced and at times very unrealistic and as I'm probably primarily a romance reader sadly as much as I enjoyed it and indeed stayed up until nearly two in the morning I cannot rate it any higher. I would love to read more about this world though as it was thoroughly entertaining and perhaps next time the pacing might feel little more natural.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I mean, wow! Okay, this review might be a long one so i'll say my overall thoughts first! Also, thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC!

For me, this book was a wonder. The story was quite standout and the concepts were so well thought out. The magic is complex, fun, and interesting. The storyline is threaded with love, loss, betrayal (oh the betrayal!), as well as various types of relationships (lovers, siblings, comrades, superior/inferiors, friends, etc). It was all covered and splendidly stitched together.

The only major problem I could see was that Jessica Thorne's prose can get in the way of a cohesive, clear reading. Particularly passionate or thrilling scenes tend to be written with an abundance of short, sporadic, artsy, descriptive sentences that can muddle or clutter the actual telling of the story. That being said, it is still a delightful read!

Now, onto my slightly more detailed thoughts. WORLD BUILDING: This story has a great, steady world-building thay I can appreciate. There is a history we can begin to sink our teeth into and from what it seems like, the world will only continue to expand.
CHARACTERS: I truly enjoyed Thorne's characters and the care she put into writing each one. She seems to have a skill at creating beloved characters with tons of heart, personality, skill, nuances, etc and all in such a short amount of time. Even the supporting characters, like Craine for example, are given a history or characterization that is brief yet meaningful enough to provide you with their roots and tie you to them in some meaningful way. In this manner, they become more. They are not just filler characters, but ones that add their depth to the story and to the world she has built. This was a band of characters (big and small) I knew I would come to love.
WRITING: As I said before, Thorne's writing can, at times, become cluttered and overly descriptive. And her need to capture every feeling and image in a scene can become confusing. Towards the climax of the book, there is scene that is overly complex where Grace and Bastien's minds keep flip-flopping, the general scenario is being explained but then jumps from perspective to perspective while also being peppered with those sporadic, artsy, desriptive sentences that I'm sure are meant to immerse a reader but need to be done well or else just comes of very excessive. Also, right from the beginning, we are dropped into a scenario with the Hollow King and theres quite a bit happening but we have no prior information and can be confusing. This happens quite a bit throughout where names and events are being mentioned but glossed over and the reader becomes a bit lost with it all, but slowly everything gets explained. You just have to be willing to really wait for it. The tie-ins become satisfying once you get all the scattered bits of information together.
ROMANCE: Romance is great. I love me some romance, but even I had some issues with this one. Thorne tends to throw it in randomly and too often rather than strategically and with purpose. For example, if Bastien is in a predicament where he is meant to be in ridiclous pain and agony, let him live in that pain. Why is he suddenly thinking about Grace's lips and his want for her? It's not realistic and detaches or belittles what is actually happening in the scene. I understand that it builds the romance by weaving it thoroughout the story, but have some semblance of focus, please! Another thing, some people may have a problem with the almost insta-love in here, but I am not such a person. I'll just roll with it. Unless, it gets egregious or overdone...which it almost does at the end.
TWISTS: Be prepared for plot twists!!! Some you can feel are coming, some actually surprise you. And the book is all the better for them.

If you've made it this far in, props to you! In short, a splendid read with only nitpicky problems for me. I highly recommend giving this book a read! I cant wait for the next book in the series!!!!

Take some magic , a little bit of Cardan Greenbriar and
High Lord Rhysand and you get our dreamy Bastien ♥️ and a fiery red head that was raised as a protector of her kingdoms (in a way) and BAM ya got this whole book. And by golly did I end joy this ESPECIALLY once you get like 40% in I had my eyes glued to this.

After all my complaints about slow burns in romance I was like wow this is happening kinda fast but I'm here for it and I can not wait to see what Jessica does in the next book

I really enjoyed this book and the cover art is beautiful. This book was suspenseful and action packed and I feel the world building was very interesting. I loved seeing the different mageborn powers and hierarchy. My only complaint would be the beginning.

It very abruptly puts you in a short memory that is crucial to the overall storyline but does not give you any background information or history. And I feel the book would have greatly been enhanced by a little bit more of the memory or information on what the present day holds (because of that event) before moving into the rest of the storyline.

The overall plot is very good but I would have liked a bigger reveal of secrets and backstage machinations at the end. I also feeler and deeper character development could have happened which, hopefully will come as the series moves forward.

In which case I can say WOW because so many questions still remain in the cliffhanger ending. (Not necessarily a bad thing).

I loved the MC’s Bastien and Grace they form a unique bond and I look forward to learning more. Bastien remained mysterious because we never fully figure him out and I am very intrigued by his character. Grace as a character is very complicated and badass and I love her dogged determination. I feel out of all the characters I understand her the best and yet there is still more to learn. Overall I definitely feel this book captured my imagination and I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers. It even has a slightly dystopian edge that could definitely come to fruition as the series goes forward (or I certainly hope that angle is explored).

I received this book from NetGalley and Bookouture for an honest review. I must say I love the book and I highly recommend it this series has great potential.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Bookouture for providing me with a complimentary Copy
The Hollow king book 1

Mageborn by Jessica Thorne
February 18th, 2020

Mageborn is the first installment in a new series by the Jessica Throne, published by Bookourture

"You really believe that crap?" he spat. "The way they treat us?"
I believe it. I know what monsters like you can do. I've seen it. The evidence is downstairs. But the law does not bend, and cannot break. Truth and justice, that's what matters.

A fantasy, that relies on more of the romantic elements and drama, along with some enjoyable twist.
An enjoyable, intriguing fantasy, Campbell’s gives an suspenseful creative storyline, cleverly written in dual POV’s, that of the two protagonist, Bastien and Grace.
Magic and intrigue, hidden identities makes this fast paced read one devoured in a day. The romance was a bit rushed, but I expected it to be. Also the book has some repetitive elements that I noticed. A lighter fantasy world building, that is easy to follow.

Grace Marchant is an orphan, who owes her allegiance to the crown. A trained as an elite soldier who sole purpose is seek out and apprehended unregistered Mageborns. {Humans with Magic}

The Mageborns, that are collected are then collared, handed over to the King’s cousin and heir: dangerous Bastien Larelwynn, Lord of Thorns.

"Bastien: 'Apotheosis isn’t worth it if you lose what matters.’




#BookReview: #Mageborn by #JessicaThorne

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the Arc of this book.

I was really excited to read this book and overall I was not disappointed.

The plot is pretty typical: Someone has to save the token important person from a dastardly plot. In this case Grace, a well respected solider, and Bastian, Mageborn and heir to the throne, are thrown together to find out who is killing Mageborns in the city. Soon they realize their problems go much deeper than a few dead mages.

Thoughts:

Overall the plot is great, although there are several weak points where it feels forced or points are glossed over.

Same goes for characters. Overall they are great but I don’t feel like they are well developed. Grace is very tough and duty driven, but lacks definition. Bastian is guilt and duty driven, but lacks much personality beyond that. Even with that, they are both likable.

The romance between Grace and Bastian is a little weak. They are drawn to each other immediately, but there isn’t much slow burn going on. It’s like an inferno: a little heat then an explosion of fire.

A solid 3 stars and I look forward to reading a sequel.

The first thing that drew me in with Mageborn was the cover. It has such a beautiful cover that actually gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes. (and before anybody gets really disappointed, the book has nothing in common with the well-known fairy-tale.) But I was really hooked when I saw the book being compared with Sarah J. Maas her series. A dangerous game to play for a publisher, because let’s be honest Miss Maas is a legend in her segment of the market. You set the bar really high when you compare a story to her books. You might even call it dooming a book from the start, because there will always be disappointed readers who post negative reviews and scream bloody murder about the comparison.
I myself decided to be drawn by the comparison, but not set my bar to high. I was hoping on a fun, action packed, romantic fantasy story and that is what I got. It has all the elements that I tend to enjoy in fantasy: a medieval world, a girl who slowly realises she is special, a brooding dark male character, politics and a very interesting magical system.
The magical system really blew me away. I was so intrigued about all the different mage born lines and their speciality. I loved the background history, but I think the overall story could have benefited from going even more in debt on the whole mage born history and current affairs. You clearly saw that Jessica Thorne really knew where she wanted to take her story, but forgot that the readers don’t know her world and the magic system as well as she does. I don’t mind a fantasy that throws you in as a reader, but there needs to be some ground setting. And that was lacking in this story.
And that is actually the overall trend of the story. It has a brilliant idea but it is not executed to the fullest. For example I loved the cast of characters, good and evil. Especially the once that hang between the two. The evil queen, the brooding hero, the trustworthy sidekicks… They were all there and made the story enjoyable. But they weren’t fleshed out. Who are they really? They should have had some depth, some background story. Now they were just pawns on a chessboard to get the story from a to be. Even the main characters Bastian and Grace needed some more debt. You get more of an attachment to them, because the story is told from their POV’s, but still their debt was a bit lacking.
I really enjoyed mageborn. Good story, wonderfull angsty love, action packed and cliff-hanger. All done well. And I actually see why it is compared with Sarah J Maas. Because I had Sarah J Maas feels with this story. Was it as brilliant as her books? Of course not! And it doesn’t need to be. But I think what we have here is a rough diamond. With some good editing and some more in debt writing, this could be one of the better New adult fantasy books I have read in quite some time.


Amazon review will follow on date of publication!

I really enjoyed this book, but I think selling it as something that Sarah J Maas fans will love is a little much. I went into it trying to avoid comparing the two because there wasn’t much similarity. I loved the romance at first, but there came a time where it was overwhelming and felt like the storyline took a backseat. Overall, I would read this again, but probably not for a while. I hope if there is a sequel the story is more focused on than the romance between Grace and Bastien.

Ahhh a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling with a magical twist? YES PLEASE 🙌

This book was so damn captivating 💫 I simultaneously wanted to power through it but didn't want it to end 🙈

I am utterly enamoured with Bastien 😍 he is dark and dangerous and mysterious and compassionate and sensitive and strong and definitely not real but DAMN HE'S WONDERFUL 😂

Our other protagonist Grace is fucking brilliant 🔥 I wanted to screech THIS GIRL IS ON FIRRRREEEE several times in the book for her theme song 🤣 she's seriously such a boss and I love her and love her interactions with Bastien and particularly Her team ❤

The plot moves smoothly and there's a great balance of intricate scenes building tension and character and overall plot progression 👌 really it's fantastic. It's brilliant. I love it. I fucking 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?! " and my personal favorite emotional response... "SHITSHITSHIT" 😂😂😂

needless to say I was very invested in this story and it's characters and think it's a beautiful piece of fantasy fiction that should be on everyone's tbr list.

Review will be live by Feb 18th

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a complimentary E-copy of Mageborn- The Hollow king book 1 in exchange of a honest review. All opinions expressed in the review are solely mine, Mageborn by Jessica Thorne is releasing on February 18th

SYNOPSIS- Grace Marchant is a soldier orphaned at a young age with botched up memories and remnants of magic from her distant past. She is duty-bound to the King to bring rogue Mageborn( people with magic that aren't sworn to the King ) to justice, Bastien- Lord of Thorns with a dark reputation is bound to Throne by magic to control all the Mageborn in the kingdom. A power struggle arises when the King is known to be on his deathbed without any direct heir in line, Bastien and Grace paths intertwine in the process and have to make alleys to determine the future of their land.

I was drawn to the beautiful cover of the book when I first saw it on Goodreads however I was very skeptical because of all the lukewarm reviews. To be honest, the book starts on an extremely slow pace which doesn't pick up until 60% of the book, but once it picks up the big chapters doesn't seem to be intimidating. The magic system is good like any other medieval fantasy world, while it isn't new and sometimes draws comparison with shadow and bone series by Leah Bardugo it certainly is entertaining and believable, the plot line is amazing as well. My problem is with the descriptiveness and redundancy, there was a little over dose of simile's and descriptions that often doesn't make sense, however I noticed it only in the first half of the book. I am not sure if the original book will be edited further but if this is turned down a notch I think we will be able to get to the plot quickly and the chapters might be more fluid!As per redundancy, I think again this is something to do with the edits, For example-we will be reminded of the back story quite a few times which you'd be familiar with after first few chapters, the repetitive reminders are not necessary in my opinion and it gets confusing at times where I had to go back and re-read the last few pages. 

Grace is yet another badass woman and Bastien is the classic broody hero with a dark past but a good heart,I am not a huge fan of romance intercepting the plots in fantasy books, while at times it does feel forced in this book ,it is not a huge distraction, the characters themselves are decent though I would have appreciated a more fleshed up Bastien. The antagonist Celeste is your crazy, creepy villain that you don't want to go anywhere near, she doesn't get much time in this book but I am pretty sure she will be crucial in the series.

The ending will certainly take you by surprise(at least did that to me) because you will be more invested in both the main leads at this point than the plot itself, it is unexpected and very satisfying for me. I have not read SJ Mass books so I can't comment on how Mageborn compares to her books as publicized yet I can say it can be a very entertaining high fantasy once the pace picks up.I would give it a 3.5 stars and I think I will pick up the next book in the series for sure!

Wow this book was a quiet the adventure! I really enjoyed the pace of the story and the fantasy elements. However I felt that there was lacking character development that took away from the story and my enjoyment as a whole. Not a bad read but not comparable to the top YA fantasy stories on the market like it claimed to be compared to. Thanks for the arc netgalley!

4/5 stars. WOWIE! This book took me on a wild ride. Thank you to the author and publishing company for giving me the opportunity to review this book as an ARC!

I'll be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I would say this gave me definite Serpent & Dove vibes; if you enjoyed that, read this! I managed this in 2 days.

Mageborn is a fantasy surrounding magic and mystery, like all the best ones are! It has the perfect smattering of enemies to romance, smut and powerful protagonist portrayal you could hope for! The book follows a simialr thread to a lot of others within this genre, mystical kingdom is under threat by [X], powerful heroine needs to help save the kingdom from [X], along the way she either meets a dashing hero or has to SAVE said hero from [X]. This is the writing cocktail I adore, and so it was completely for me. Think Sarah J. Maas-esque creation. Superb.

I would say there are two main protagonists within this read, and their perspectives are split chapter-to-chapter. This, for me, enabled the build-up of the relationship that forms between the two to become all the more hard-hitting, as you get the chance to really see how one is feeling about the other. Likewise, the writing style really helped the world to come alive for me, and I was truly engrossed from start to finish. The overall storyline delivered enough adventure and action to keep me on my toes but allowed a real exploration into the developing burdens and implications faced by the characters.

Not to be missed - well worth the read!

I found this book to be enthralling, for me it was similar to Throne of glass, this world being more magical. I have not read the whole series so am comparing book 1 only. This book gripped me and got me addicted, had to binge read it and couldn't put it down.

The plot of the story went something like there is this kingdom which was ruled by Hollow king who was mad with magic and his sister who actually was crazy and had immense magic but not more than the king. This king was a god of mageborn (peope with magic) and so was his sister. One day, this human comes and says that people are going to rebel and mageborn will be harmed. He promised that if he was cowned the king he will protect all mageborn. From then this human founded the Larelwynn dynasty and only blood successors of his dynasty could succeed him(not a mageborn, he has to be human). Presently, Marius was the king and his brother, Bastien was the lord of Thorns, while Marius ruled the whole kingdom, Bastien controlled the mageborn for Marius. Bastien had this immense magical power which no other had. He was the ruler of mageborn but he was loyal to Marius. 

now Marius falls ill and has no heir and declares his brother Bastien as heir. The complication is though Bastien is a blood royal he isn't a human, he is a mageborn, the most superior one at that so chaos take place and riots incept. meanwhile, Grace, an orphan grows up to be an officer and suspects Bastien of misusing his power, she suspects him but while doing it Marius asks Grace to owe for the protection of Bastien (bodyguard kinda) because of the ongoing riot and threat to Bastien's life. 

I was devoured by this world and would love to read the sequel. I got a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are honest and mine.

I received this book from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. 

Fantasy books are incredible because you can create so many new worlds. Unfortunately since there's so many and I don't have the time to indulge myself I can't read them most of the time. Thankfully when I saw this title on a request on Net Galley I told myself "It sounds intriguing, I love intriguing magic and sizzling romance so why not?" and next thing I know I got approved, how fun! :D

"You really believe that crap?" he spat. "The way they treat us?"
I believe it. I know what monsters like you can do. I've seen it. The evidence is downstairs. But the law does not bend, and cannot break. Truth and justice, that's what matters.

Grace Marchant owes everything to the crown. She was raised to apprehend unregistered mageborns (those who were blessed with the power of magic) and stop them from doing any harm. She's the poster child of the academy, beloved by her officers and sworn to upheld the law and protect those who cannot help themselves. Right away I was smitten by her a true soldier putting herself on the front line, ensuring that the kingdom is safe, treating her teammates with their respect and love while others would be afraid or sneer at them just because of their powers. Grace tries her best but alas everything isn't as easy when troubles starts to brew when the Lord of Thrones, Bastien Larelwynn the cousin to the king, is in serious problem when his work gets stolen and only Grace anointed by the king can keep him safe.

"No buts, captain. I'll protect you."
She couldn't help the smile, a broken wavering expression. "That's my job, Bastien. I'm meant to protect you."
"Then we protect each other. It seems only fair. Deal?"

Bastien and Grace relationship started on a very rocky start. Bastien is a complex character, hated for what he is to the crown and the people and yet a cog to the machine that ensures the safety of the mageborn. He know he can't change things due to the politics and his reputation but he is trying. Grace didn't trust him and frankly who would when all evidence of him of his experiments points to him in series of unspecified crimes. There's a battle of wits between the two, undeniable attraction and yet they both horde secrets unwilling to relay on one another. I liked how slowly the plot headed to where their connection began to bloom into this romance but it also felt kinda not right there yet. It's like a cake in a oven. You want the cake to be baked, to taste good but you can't be hasty and thus despite all that it does taste incredible but not sufficiently like you presume it'd.

Mageborn is the first of a planned new series made by the lovely Jessica Throne published by Bookourture. I never read anything from her nor heard about her and I am quite baffled why not. Sadly not many indie creators get to be noticed in the industry especially if it's a sci-fi or fantasy story. Jessica plotted a colorful mythology in a fascinating magic system that at first seems simple and yet expended the further you read in. You think you understand how the world works but then its flip everything upside down. I really can't wait for the sequel and if you are interested please try to give it a read.

I absolutely love the cover of this book. Grabbed my attention first.
"Mageborn" is the first book in a series and I found it very interesting. I haven't read a book quite like this.
Grace Merchant was sold to the Crown after the Last Great War and has no knowledge of who her parents were. Trained as an elite soldier, tracking down rogue mageborn (humans with magic), and turns them over to Bastien, Lord of Thorns. Bastien's is heir to the throne even though laws forbid a Mageborn to be crowned.
This novel is full of magic, mystery, secrets and revenge. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC