Starting (again) with a dark prophecy and that sense of foreboding, Grace and Sebastian along with Elyn, Danny and Misha are in exile, in an island kingdom. Because there is danger everywhere for Sebastian, and his ex-best friend is colluding with the dowager queen and his rather unhinged sister, returning to Rathlynn without a solid plan to ‘solve’ the problems isn’t really an option. And things are bad everywhere: Mageborn are losing control of their magic and are transforming to Nightborn – the most dangerous and deadly of the magic-wielders. All of that signals a great imbalance in powers, an imbalance that Sebastian believes only he can right by returning to the pool where he first made the deal with the Hollow King.



Of course, Grace isn’t about to shirk her duty or her love for him – even when their relationship has become a political disadvantage. Particularly when a Princess, Rynn, is put forth for Sebastian to wed, as her grandmother, queen and chief manipulator, is arranging things. From one battle to another, to learning of powers heretofore unseen, and the struggles that become the power play between Grace, the Deep Dark, Sebastian and the future of the world.

This is NOT a book that will make sense, not in a real way, if you haven’t read the first: Mageborn. And, while the story is listed as YA Fantasy, this is easily one of the more intriguing and clever series, without becoming a long-winded tale of 5 or 7 books, and perfect for a weekend’s read. In fact, this is one of my favorite series to work with medieval feel, magic, romance and plenty of political sub-plots. Thorne’s characters are easy to relate to with strong voices and clear affection and loyalties shown in friendships. Several twists, a few surprises and some unexpected alliances are formed and strengthened in this one, and leaves us all with a peek into the ‘what afters’ for characters we’ve come to know and appreciate.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aIa/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I absolutely adored Mageborn so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.

After reading the synopsis for Nightborn - I must admit I was terrified for Grace and Bastien's relationship!

From the very beginning whilst reading the prologue I was hooked yet again by Jessica's writing style.

It dives straight in from where Mageborn left off and it was easy to get sucked back into Grace and Bastien's world again.

If I thought the first was an emotional roller coaster - I was a fool. This book gave no reprieve. The rug was pulled from under my feet so many times, towards the end, each time there was a glimmer of hope for the gang - I just knew something wicked was waiting for them around the corner.

There were plenty of villains in this story, new and old - but more often than not the main characters were their own worst enemies! There was so much self doubt that it was heartbreaking and a torture to read from Grace and Bastien's POV.

Grace stole the show by far and at times that meant Bastien felt like a side character. But I still adore him.

This book was darker than the first too, the scene with Kurt and the first Nightborn he encounters was horrifying and I'm not sure I will get that image out of my head for a while.

If you loved the first instalment, be prepared to have your heart crushed and for your emotions to be all over the place right up until the very last page of this book. It has the perfect blend of despair and hope that made it a great page tuner for me.

The story ends with the potential promise for a future instalment. I recently asked the author if this series would be a trilogy but at the time only a duology was planned. I'm very happy with how this has ended and would love to read more down the line if she ever revisits this world.

I'm definitely adding more of Jessica's books to my TBR

I liked Mageborn, it was a good story. But my attention and enjoyment of it wavered throughout the novel. With Nightborn, however, I was gripped from start to finish. I was thriving along that high tension.

In Nightborn, we pick up months after the end of Mageborn alongside Bastien, Grace, and the gang as they move into the Valenti Islands in hopes of an alliance against Rathlynn. One of the things that made me anxious about the synopsis of Nightborn was the premise that a love triangle might be found in the midst of this second installment. As a personal preference, I am not a fan of love triangles. They are cliché, they've been done a million times, and if I do read one, I hope and pray that it will be done in a way that will allow me to still enjoy the story while I attempt to manage my anxiety levels. I commend Jessica Thorne. Not only did she deliver on this fervent hope of mine, but she didn't give us the typical love triangle that I would expect in this scenario. The fact that she still gave the allusion of it, and then threw in a twist, made me like this book even more because I admire and appreciate an author who thinks outside the box. With just a little tweak of the characters and their personalities, the cliché was averted.

The plot of Nightborn was fascinating. We are given a hint as to what a nightborn is from the first novel—they are the reason that mageborn paid homage to Bastien. But without Bastien around, and with the Deep Dark disturbed after Grace's death and return in Mageborn, the nightborn now run rampant. Their magic is twisted, broken, and they are out to maim and kill and destroy. In mind of this, if you expect chaos, death, bloodshed and fear, you are not going to be disappointed. Nightborn more than delivers on this while the main cast of the novel runs for their lives in an attempt to not just solve this problem, but to find a solution for the way that the Deep Dark is affecting Grace.

If she played a strong role before, Grace steals the show in this book, and I am delighted by that. This is a case of me liking a character at first, but then really appreciating them the more that I get to know them. Grace is headstrong without being overconfident, and she is not immune from feeling the obvious fear that someone might feel when there is an ancient and powerfully magical force taking over you. She's more than willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves, but it's not a blind sacrifice. She wants to find a way to end what is potentially going to ruin an entire group of people, rather than blindly throw herself to the mercy of whatever god might make this happen and hope for the best. She was very human in her weaknesses and strengths, and her love for Bastien—and their relationship, in general—is not just stronger, but more deeply felt, and I couldn't help but connect with it.

There are going to be some surprises, many coming from the antagonists of this cast. Asher Kane is a delight to hate, and he almost overwhelms Aurelie in “bad guy” persona. Where Aurelie is hatred borne of pride and an ego the size of the entire kingdom of Rathlynn, Asher is smart. He uses that intelligence to his advantage. He certainly uses it a time or two here.

If there was anything that made me draw back in doubt about Nightborn, it was likely Kane and company's easy capture of Bastien and coercion into him going along with their plans near the novel's start. On one hand, I am not surprised. Bastien has been used before. But the ease with which it was done, while he still retained his powers at full strength and could defend himself, was unbelievable to me, rubbed me the wrong way, and left me dissatisfied. I'm still not wholly convinced, and in part feel that it was done so that the marriage with Rynn could happen. Besides, you would think that Bastien, who has lived in a nest of vipers for years, would know better than to go into another one, on his own, to reason with them.

You're lovely, Bastien, and I adore you, but that was never going to work out and you must have known it.

Book three must be coming next if the second's end is anything to judge by, and I want my hands all over it already. The ending to Nightborn was slightly weakened for me by Grace's neat salvation—again. It happened far too easily, although I'm sure that the Hollow King had/has a plan, and that we may (I hope) later find out about it. But I am eager, now that I find myself well and truly hooked into this story, to continue following its path.

Nightborn is the sequel to Mageborn, part of a dark, magical fantasy series The Hollow King.

I loved the first book and this one did not disappoint at all. In fact I think it was better than the first book in the series and definitely a lot darker.

It follows once again the brave, smart and loyal Grace Marchant and her beloved Prince Bastien who have to defeat their enemies to try and bring peace to their land and stop the Nightborn creating death and destruction among their people.

There are so many characters in this book that I was completely invested in. The author just makes each character’s personality come to life so well. Grace especially is the perfect, heroic female character who everybody would route for.

I went through so many emotions reading this story. It literally at times makes your heart break. It is full of action, adventure, romance, magic and courtly intrigue. This story especially was all about sacrifice. Sacrificing yourself to bring harmony to your people and to your loved ones no matter what the cost is to yourself.

Fantasy fans, you really must read this series. I find it so underrated and it needs to be appreciated a lot more than it is!

Nightborn is the second installment in author Jessica Thorne's The Hollow King series. This story picks up 3 months after the ending of Mageborn. There are several key characters that readers must pay attention to: Captain Grace Merchant, Queen Aurelie, Asher Kane, Kurt Parry & Bastien Larelwynn. Once upon a time, a terrible plague known as the Nightborn descended on the world. Their magic was wild and dangerous and nothing could control them.

Lucien Larelwynn made a pact with the Hollow King to separate magic from the ruling monarchy and to keep it under strict control. The pact Lucien demanded of the Hollow King bound one member of his bloodline to control all the mageborn. As the story opens, Grace, Bastien, and Grace's remaining squad mates (Ellyn de Bruyn & Daniel Parry & Lyric Misha) are in a foreign court, where Bastien is playing -or rather trying not be played by - courtly games which might end with him being married to Princess Rynn.

Grace and Bastien need the Valenti's help in order to stop Aurelie from furthering her magic addiction that has seen mageborns rounded up and imprisoned or worse. But, the Valenti monarchy has other ideas. Tales have reached Grace of mageborn being rounded up and locked away. Aurelie and Asher as trying to use Mageborn to harness their powers and enslave them with a bit of help from Bastien's psychotic sister Celeste. Even in the Valenti Island's where Grace sent those Mageborn saved by Kurt Parry, they're not safe from machinations of powerful people.

Aurelie and Asher haven't stopped their determination to control Bastien and will go to any lengths to get what they want including killing Grace and taking her warrant as well as using a memory remover to ensure that Bastien doesn't remember her. It also means using Princess Rynn to become the next Queen of Rathlynn. Previously, Grace was given the King's Warrant by former King Marius so that she can protect Bastien. But, protecting him might cost her everything including her friends who have stood with her through thick and thin. Meanwhile something odd is happening to the Mageborn.

They are being converted, filled with darkness and turned into vicious and powerful Nightborn. There's no way to save them, and the only way to destroy them is to kill them or let them kill themselves. Grace, who is a firestarter (Flint), powers are dangerously close to turning Nightborn. After losing them for so long, having her abilities again may be catastrophic. The only way to stop the Nightborn may be returning to the source of the Maegen, source of all magic, and trying to find a cure even it if means a sacrifice.

This story has plenty of action, suspense, betrayal, romance and new characters like Lara Kellen along with Jehane Alvaran who is a very dangerous character. We also learn way more about Ellyn and her roots which really make this story deeper in depth. Don't over look Princess Rynn. While she may be a pawn like Grace and Bastien, Rynn isn't a character that is powerless or worthless. However, in fairness, this series needs a sequel. Sequences at the end of this book leave way too many unsolved story lines that really need answers. Especially when it comes to Grace and Bastien's future.

Another great book, Thorne breaks my heart every damn time! But I can forgive her I suppose. Nightborn is a great story in The Hollow King series, very interesting and fast-moving.

The book had me in a rollercoaster of emotions but the ending ultimately left me satisfied.

Thorne is a great author, I can rely on her for a great book every time, something to curl up on the sofa with and fall into!

I enjoyed the first book, Mageborn, so when I saw this pop up on Netgalley, I grabbed it. Wow. I enjoyed it even more than the first.
The story opens with Grace Marchant and Bastien Larelwynn (the Lord of Thorns) in a foreign court, where Bastien is playing -or rather trying not be played by - courtly games. Meanwhile something odd is happening to the Mageborn. They are being converted, filled with darkness and turned into vicious and powerful Nightborn. There's no way to save them, and the only way to destroy them is to kill them or let them kill themselves.
Grace's powers are dangerously close to turning Nightborn. Quite early on, something terrible happens to Bastien (I can't tell you what it is, but it's pretty terrible) and everything goes wrong.

There's romance and magic (the costly kind, not the nice twinkly kind) and quite a lot of violence. The pace doesn't let up right until the end. It's a brilliant fantasy adventure that gallops along.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I can say this was a riveting character driven story. Mages coming unglued, an evil Queen consort, and an immortal king with his beloved. The second book screams through betrayal and escape, death and destruction as Grace and Bastian try to contain the dark. Very good series, uncompromisingly emotional. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

*THANK YOU to Bookouture and Netgalley for graciously providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely hate writing that kind of reviews...but i am left with so much mixed feelings about Nightborn.
Firstly i really loved all the plot twist and surprise moments ideas....and thats what makes me sad,because of all the potential that story has.
I felt like i was sprinting trough all the events one after another and that left me no room to grasp properly ,mentaly and emotionally what was going on and to have some kind of impact on me - at least emotionally (and believe me there are a lots of moments that makes you gasp - what did just happened?).Maybe if there were more chapters and more time to "breathe" between all the action it would give time to sync in.
Again i loved the character development direction that Grace Marchant was heading and i wanted more and i was curious! But again was cut short on several occasions and it felt like a hiccup and it was really frustrating because it was undermining all the buildup her character got so far.
Another love/hate moment is Bastien's character....i was kinda pleased to see him got the backseat for a while but after a while it became a little irritating and his character got pretty much like a damsel in distress all of the time.
I really hope there will be a third book in the series,because on one hand the final was good despite that it left me a little baffled and with a lot of questions and two - despite the hate/love relationship with the second book i want to see the characters again and sort some of the questions.
Hence why i gave 4 stars and not 3 despite my rant and in some weird way i did enjoyed it.

I don't know what to say. I still haven't recovered yet. The last chapters kept me in complete suspense, they led me to despair and back to earth again. At some point I was completely devastated and I couldn't believe what I was reading. I went through all the possible feelings through this story.
This book was about power, unlimited power and what would you do to have access to it.
This book was also about love. And what would you do for love and for the one you love.
It was about sacrifice. Over and over again without a second thought. Sacrifice for your loved one and for your people also.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book ❤️

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmmmm so I really enjoy this series but I’m finding myself not liking this second book quite as much as the first. I’m not entirely sure why. It might have something to do with the relationships between the characters. Some of them felt a bit forced, and I found myself getting so annoyed with Bastian even though I normally love him. For such a strong character, he came off surprisingly weak in this book. The flushing out of the backgrounds of all the characters was very interesting and I had many of my suspicions confirmed. Overall, it was good. The ending tied everything together but I still found myself wanting more. Hopefully I’ll be satisfied with the next book because I’ll definitely be reading it.

I enjoyed this sequel much more than the first book.

Now don’t get me wrong, Mageborn was great! I just think this one was not so much world building, but more plot building. Now that readers have been introduced to the magic and darkness of the world, we really get a chance to get to know the characters.

This story is a bit darker and overall more developed, in my opinion. I enjoyed watching Bastien and Grace have to struggle with decisions. It was refreshing to see characters stick to who they are instead of drastically changing overnight for no apparent reason. There is also more to learn about the side characters.

I stayed up wayyyy too late reading this story, but it was definitely worth the lack of sleep. The chapters before the ending actually had me tearing up. Thorne gave us a semi closed ending, so there is a possibility for another book (which I really hope we get!)

Recommended!

-Stone

Title: Nightborn
Author: Jessica Thorne
Pub. Date: May 26, 2020
Rating: 4.5

This will be a spoiler free review and thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea if there is a book 3. I really hope there is a book 3. I don’t know what would happen in a book 3, but I want it.

I legit just finished reading this book, and I’m speechless. So Much happens in it, and I went through the range of emotions. Rage – I wanted to throw my phone across the room because of a certain thing that happens to Bastien early on. Then my heart was breaking for both Bastien and Grace. Then I was raging again, then nearly sobbing, and then the whole ending was just me switching between the sobbing, mind blow, shocked, angry emojis.

I went through a freaking gauntlet of emotions with this book and it was so damn good.

There really isn’t a calm moment in this book, and it keeps you turning the page…though the thing that happens to Bastien early on had me so angry on his behalf, I had to take a thirty-minute break and watch funny animal videos on Facebook.

Y’all, I’d die to protect Bastien. He deserves to be protected. That poor boy needs a freaking hug. If you’ve read Mageborn you know why, since you’ll know a bit of his backstory. If you haven’t read Mageborn – go do it, stop reading this post, and got read it – then I don’t know how to explain it without spoilers.

I guess you could say, that his agency is taken from him by people who want nothing more than to control him.

Gah, that sounds like a spoiler, but it’s also very super vague. Forgive me.

I legit cannot think of another way to describe what happens to him, that’s not dangling a carrot in front of you, taunting you with knowledge you don’t have.

So, go read Mageborn. You have enough time to do so before Nightborn comes out in May.

I loved this book – I hope that’s clear, but I was a little bored in the very beginning? Maybe it’s just because I struggled to remember what happened in Mageborn (despite having read it in January…I’ve read a lot since then). I'm chalking it up to that, since it does pick up pretty quickly. I think it was only the first 15% that I struggled through a bit, and then things started coming back to me. This book is nothing, but a bunch of tension filled, longing glances, I’m not good enough for her/him, and I ate that shit up. Like, hell yes. I want the pining, the self-doubt, the, I’m so madly in love with that person that the best thing I can do is to force myself not to be with them, because I’m not worthy. Sound logic, right?

Give me more. 

Watching how Grace and Bastien navigate all these obstacles that are thrown their way was so fun and honestly, rage inducing and heartbreaking. They both go through so much, as Grace fights with a seductive dark voice in her ear, and Bastien remembers more and more, and constantly has to be reminded that he’s worth saving – that whatever he’s done when his agency is forcibly taken from him by others, he’s not to blame. They fight for so much, for each other, for it all to be repeatedly ripped from their hands. As the reader it hurts to watch them suffer so much, but it’s also entertaining as hell.

While this book is nothing but non-stop action, I do think that it’s primarily a character driven novel, and we get to see how these characters (mainly Grace and Bastien) grow, change and evolve, what sacrifices are they willing and not willing to make.

We’ve already established that I just want to give Bastien a hug and protect him. But I think this book has solidified Grace Marchant as one of my favorite female heroines. She’s a bad ass, skilled guard, who dishes sass and snark and will die for those she claims as family. She’s fiercely loyal and even when all hope seems lost, she does not give up. But we kind of see this other side to her in this book. She isn’t just this assured fighter, who puts her life on the line constantly. We get to see the softer side, the jealous side, the terrified side, and those sides aren’t locked behind a wall of propriety. Grace is very much (at times) a very vulnerable girl, who just wants to belong. I think so often, when bad ass female characters are written, they aren’t always super vulnerable, or they’re only vulnerable after suffering some kind of massive trauma. While Grace doesn’t have it easy by any means in this book, and goes through some pretty traumatizing things, we get to see glimpses of a girl who gets jealous, or hurt, or just doesn’t know what to do when things aren’t okay.

I don’t know, maybe I’m rambling, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her break a little bit, seeing that tough outer shell crack and break as the world around her threw more and more at her. I felt her heartbreak, her will to save those she cares about. I think Jessica did so well with her character…with all her characters. She makes you feel for all of them.

There are also some very satisfying moments for other characters, that just make you want to scream, yes! but in the way, where karma bites them in the ass for the shit that they’ve done. It’s super satisfying.

The ending of this book is perfect. I wasn’t sure how this story was going to come to a close, but I’m so not mad. I am curious though to see if there is going to be more. With the way it ended, it was a bit open. I hope there is more because I’m not ready to be done with Grace, Bastien, Ellyn, Daniel, Misha, Rynn, Kurt and the rest.

If you haven’t already, go read Mageborn – you can check out my spoiler free review here. If you’re a fan of Sarah J. Maas and/or Elise Kova, you’re going to fall in love with this series and these characters. So, do yourself the favor and start this series. Both of these books kept me up until the light started shining in through my window. Perfect binge-able books.

Have I convinced you yet?

I had been looking forward to reading Nightborn ever since I finished the first book so I was glad to see this on here recently. We pick up where we left off with the first book, with Grace and Bastien trying to deal with those with magical abilities. The story quickly takes a dark turn as the struggle for power, both internal and external, begins. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one if I’m honest. I found this one dragged a bit, but maybe that’s just me. It’s still a decent story, and it answers a lot of questions left over from Mageborn. Interested to see if there will be a third book on the way!

This novel was an enjoyable read to Mageborn. Betrayals are still coming and nothing is as it seems. Sacrifices will have to be made, to protect those they love or to get what they desire. Many have then own agendas and plans. It continues a couple of months after the first novel ended, where Bastien, Grace, and the others are near the Valenti family, who want Bastien to marry into their family. they are manipulative and cruel and will sink low to get it done. Grace and Bastien have their own battles to fight, both internally and externally. They will have to fight for their love in so many ways and face great uncertainty. Grace, Bastien, and the others will have to return to where it all began and discover the secrets and hidden memories of the past. They will have their greatest battle to fight to save the kingdom from those who desire power. But Grace, will have to fight not only to save the kingdom, but the battle within herself, for the Deep Dark wants to be free, and giving into temptation means unleashing it.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I devoured this book and stayed up into the early hours of the morning just to finish it. This is the second book in the series and it completely blew me away. The story is darker but the characters are superb. Grace and Bastien are fully fleshed out, both amazing and yet also flawed, stubborn, and willing to do what is necessary to save each other, even if that means causing pain. My heart broke for both characters at certain stages of this book. Grace really shone throughout the story and her actions and emotions were felt on all levels. Celeste is another character that really came to life on the page. She's creepy and extremely dangerous and was so well written. Aurelie, the wicked queen, lives up to her name too.

Throughout this story, I was pulled into a new world, dark, filled with magic, action, and perilous adventures as Bastien and Grace struggled to defeat the deep dark. Misha, Danny, and Ellyn all played a big part and I loved the loyalty these characters had. New characters were introduced too and Rynn was a big surprise and I found myself shouting nooooo more times than a little.

I don't want to give away any spoilers as to what happens in this story, but I will say, be prepared for a heart wrenching emotional journey at times and lots of harrowing battles. It's a page-turner and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this book by Jessica Thorne is the best yet and sure to be a bestseller.

The ending left the way open for another book in the series and I really hope we get one. A big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read an advanced copy of this brilliant book.

I devoured this in one sitting! As always, Jessica Thorne delivers delicious romance, intrigue, and all of the drama that one can handle, I was enthralled and couldn't stop turning pages until the story was done. Five stars!