Mageborn by Jessica Thorne My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Grace is a soldier and her job is to round up the ‘Mageborn’ who have magic. What she can’t tell anyone is that she suspects she might have some magic too. And it might be getting stronger.
Bastien Larelwynn, the Lord of Thorns, is the king’s brother. Kinda shadowy. Grace comes into contact with him when he drains the magic out of her friend … and her friend dies.
I liked the complexity of the world – especially the criminal world that isn’t completely disconnected from the city guards. The fact that magic can be stolen and redeployed was interesting. Grace is strong and well trained, but has insecurities and fears, just like anyone else. Bastien is all dark and broody, but becomes more and more likable as the story unfolds.
There’s a complex fantasy world, a thread of romance and lots of fighting and stabby, stabby action. I galloped through this book at a pace and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
Rhoda Baxter 