51. Darkborn by Alison Sinclair...

Title: Darkborn (Darkborn Trilogy #1)
Author: Alison Sinclair
ISBN-13: 9780451462701
Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Darkborn visited from my local library for the pleasure of my fingers turning its pages. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
I picked up Darkborn on a whim--the cover was cool, and the blurb on the back piqued my interest. In fact, it called so much that I started reading it right away, and finished it in a day. Which is no mean feat, considering how busy my weekend was! Anyway. Alison Sinclair's world is shared by the Darkborn and the Lightborn, made so by a great mages' war. The Darkborn are born sightless, and they burn in the sun. They "see" by blasting bursts of sonar, called sonn, much like a bat does. The Lightborn are averse to night (but it didn't really describe what happens when they're exposed). The former gravitate towards technology, the latter, magic.

When Balthasar Hearne saves a woman from death-by-sunlight, then delivers her twin sons, he sets himself and his family down a path of danger and revelations. Somebody comes by to look for her and the babies, and when they can't get answers from Balthasar, they kidnap his older daughter. With Bal badly wounded, his wife undertakes the task of recovering her child, with grim determination. Telmaine is a strong, strong, woman. Y'know, the kind I like. Even with a potential rival for her affections appears, she remains steadfast in her mission to reunite her family, even if that means that her secrets are exposed.

The action moves at a fast clip. The characters are interesting and sympathetic. And the world is interesting enough for me to want to pick up Lightborn when it's out this summer. Give this one a try!


drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

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