Starborn by Lucy Hounsom

[Michelle]

Kyndra’s fate holds betrayal and salvation, but the journey starts in her small village. On the day she comes of age, she accidentally disrupts an ancient ceremony, ending centuries of tradition. So when an unnatural storm targets her superstitious community, Kyndra is blamed. She fears for her life until two strangers save her, by wielding powers not seen for an age – powers fuelled by the sun and the moon.

 

This is always going to be a difficult review to write, because Fantasy is not something I read regularly, so I therefore find it hard to make comparisons with other authors, books etc. I’m not really sure what regular fantasy readers feel makes a good fantasy book, so I may be way off. All I can say is that personally, I thought it was excellent, and I loved it.

 

As I said, fantasy is not something I read regularly, but after chatting to the author about another book we both loved, I decided to take the publisher up on their kind offer of a review copy. I enjoyed the writing style from the beginning, and I knew I was hooked once Bregenne and Nediah turned up, and especially once I started to learn more about their powers – what can be better than a power fuelled by the sun or the moon?!

 

I really enjoyed the world building from Lucy – I only get to read my books in short bursts, so it doesn’t take much for me to get confused, but not once did I feel lost in this world. From the powers I’ve already spoken about, to airships, to a hidden city, I was able to lose myself in it every time I picked it up.

 

Kyndra is a great main character, who goes through a lot during the book, but my favourites were Bregenne and Nediah, who are excellent characters both on their own, and also as a pair. They are coupled by their opposing powers, but there’s also their own personal relationship to explore.

 

I don’t want to go into any more details, but anyone who follows me on twitter will know how much I’ve enjoyed this one. There’s a wrapped up story within this book, but it’s nicely all set up for the next book, which I can’t wait to get my hands on!

[chesilbeach]

Another book added to my wishilst!  Although I often tend to read in longer sessions, even then I sometimes struggle with world building in fantasies, so I'm pleased to see you found that was easy to follow.  The names do concern me a little, as made up names like these tend to make me stutter in my reading, if they're not easily pronounceable, but if the books that good, I'm willing to overlook it.