readingbelle's review
5.0
Amy A. Bartol builds sci-fi worlds for non sci-fi readers effortlessly. First her Kricket series and now Secondborn. I'm not sure if Amy would classify this as sci-fi. I suppose it's sci-fi lite and dystopian, but to me (a pretty solid romance reader) it's super sci-fi ;) However you label it, it's great reading.
Amy weaves science, romance, thrills, and chills into every word she writes in a way that engages readers. You're visualizing air-barracks, you're panting with Roselle as she races for her freedom, you're debating which man in Roselle's (very complicated) life is being truthful. And if you're a romance lover you're taking bets on who gets her heart in the end. Bravo, Amy on a very fine start to your new series. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
Amy weaves science, romance, thrills, and chills into every word she writes in a way that engages readers. You're visualizing air-barracks, you're panting with Roselle as she races for her freedom, you're debating which man in Roselle's (very complicated) life is being truthful. And if you're a romance lover you're taking bets on who gets her heart in the end. Bravo, Amy on a very fine start to your new series. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
whitmc's review
2.0
Finished just because I'm determined to read all the book club books this year. Extra star because there were parts that had me turning quickly. But the author was really just following on the dystopia series trend and not very well.
mandykins007's review against another edition
4.0
This one caught me by suprise
I downloaded this little gem on a whim after coming across it on kindle daily deals. So glad I did! While it’s not perfect by any means, it keeps you interested and curious! I had some issue with the character development and some of the world building, but the story itself was fantastic! And that’s what really matters :)
I downloaded this little gem on a whim after coming across it on kindle daily deals. So glad I did! While it’s not perfect by any means, it keeps you interested and curious! I had some issue with the character development and some of the world building, but the story itself was fantastic! And that’s what really matters :)
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
Secondborn is the first book in Amy Bartol’s new series and admittedly I was a bit nervous about diving into this series strictly because of what happened in the Kricket series. It is safe to say that I was not a fan and it actually made me pause before requesting this new one but I have to say, I was happy I took a chance on this. I will do my best to review without spoilers so apologies in advance if anything sounds vague.
Roselle St. Sismode is the secondborn child to one of the most powerful firstborns in the Republic. Living in a world where secondborns are transitioned into service to the government and answering to the Fates, Roselle is in a bad position and her mother isn’t doing her any favors. Right away, it was clear that her mother was washing her hands of Roselle. She clearly didn’t see her as anything other than a political pawn and a threat to her firstborn son, Gabrielle. It was painful to see what lengths her mother was willing to go to in order to distance Roselle from herself and Gabrielle. Assigned as the lowest level soldier in the fight against the rebellion, Roselle isn’t in a place where her chances for survival are really high.
Roselle was an interesting character. She clearly grew up in a world where she was treated differently due to who her mother was so when she transitioned to her new role, there was an adjustment for her. In addition to that, because of who she was, her whole life was recorded and watched by the Republic so when she does step into her new position, there are people around her who feel like they already know her. Roselle also draws the attention of someone pretty dangerous (dare I say…evil) which immediately creates some complications for her too so to say her transition to her new life was bumpy would probably be an understatement.
The world that Bartol created here was an interesting one. The idea of those considered “lower class” rebelling against the power and influence of those that are in charge isn’t a new one but the structure of the Fates and the Republic in conjunction with the rules and paths these characters are on adds something new to this type of story. The Gates of Dawn is the rebel group taking a stand against everything the Fates stand for and initially they show up here and there in the book but we really got to learn more about them and how actions Roselle takes early on, make an impact later on in the book.
I enjoy a great character driven story and outside of Roselle, the secondary characters were solid. I thought they helped move the story forward well. I want to know more about Dune and I was a little sad we didn’t get more with him. I am really hoping book 2 gives me more of his story. I also mentioned the bad guy earlier…he works for Census, which is a branch of the government tasked with hunting down unauthorized thirdborns. No one likes Census and the fact that she has drawn the attention of what appears to be one of the worst, Agent Kipson Crow, things don’t seem like they are going to go well for her.
Hawthorne Trugrave (I adore this name…seriously) is the man Roselle meets early on in the book. It is clear there was a connection between these two and while I wasn’t sure where Bartol was going with him as a character, I liked how she connected tied his story together and as it all came together, there were pieces that started to make sense. In addition to Hawthorne there is the rest of the “family” that embrace her and I loved how they all helped and protected each other. Especially as things change for Roselle and she is connected to a pretty powerful firstborn, Clifton Salloway, she does whatever she can to get her friends away from the danger of the battlefield. I liked Clifton but it was very obvious he had ulterior motives with everything he did. I will be interested to see what happens with him in the next book.
Overall I enjoyed the first book of this series and I will definitely be checking out book two when it comes out. This one has a solid story and interesting characters. If you like Bartol’s other books I would expect you will like this one too. If you’re like me and had some issues with some of her other books, consider checking this one out. It kept me engaged and wanting to know more around what was going to happen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Roselle St. Sismode is the secondborn child to one of the most powerful firstborns in the Republic. Living in a world where secondborns are transitioned into service to the government and answering to the Fates, Roselle is in a bad position and her mother isn’t doing her any favors. Right away, it was clear that her mother was washing her hands of Roselle. She clearly didn’t see her as anything other than a political pawn and a threat to her firstborn son, Gabrielle. It was painful to see what lengths her mother was willing to go to in order to distance Roselle from herself and Gabrielle. Assigned as the lowest level soldier in the fight against the rebellion, Roselle isn’t in a place where her chances for survival are really high.
Roselle was an interesting character. She clearly grew up in a world where she was treated differently due to who her mother was so when she transitioned to her new role, there was an adjustment for her. In addition to that, because of who she was, her whole life was recorded and watched by the Republic so when she does step into her new position, there are people around her who feel like they already know her. Roselle also draws the attention of someone pretty dangerous (dare I say…evil) which immediately creates some complications for her too so to say her transition to her new life was bumpy would probably be an understatement.
The world that Bartol created here was an interesting one. The idea of those considered “lower class” rebelling against the power and influence of those that are in charge isn’t a new one but the structure of the Fates and the Republic in conjunction with the rules and paths these characters are on adds something new to this type of story. The Gates of Dawn is the rebel group taking a stand against everything the Fates stand for and initially they show up here and there in the book but we really got to learn more about them and how actions Roselle takes early on, make an impact later on in the book.
I enjoy a great character driven story and outside of Roselle, the secondary characters were solid. I thought they helped move the story forward well. I want to know more about Dune and I was a little sad we didn’t get more with him. I am really hoping book 2 gives me more of his story. I also mentioned the bad guy earlier…he works for Census, which is a branch of the government tasked with hunting down unauthorized thirdborns. No one likes Census and the fact that she has drawn the attention of what appears to be one of the worst, Agent Kipson Crow, things don’t seem like they are going to go well for her.
Hawthorne Trugrave (I adore this name…seriously) is the man Roselle meets early on in the book. It is clear there was a connection between these two and while I wasn’t sure where Bartol was going with him as a character, I liked how she connected tied his story together and as it all came together, there were pieces that started to make sense. In addition to Hawthorne there is the rest of the “family” that embrace her and I loved how they all helped and protected each other. Especially as things change for Roselle and she is connected to a pretty powerful firstborn, Clifton Salloway, she does whatever she can to get her friends away from the danger of the battlefield. I liked Clifton but it was very obvious he had ulterior motives with everything he did. I will be interested to see what happens with him in the next book.
Overall I enjoyed the first book of this series and I will definitely be checking out book two when it comes out. This one has a solid story and interesting characters. If you like Bartol’s other books I would expect you will like this one too. If you’re like me and had some issues with some of her other books, consider checking this one out. It kept me engaged and wanting to know more around what was going to happen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
sweets_reads's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
renkadri's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I downloaded it on kindle and could not put it down! I blew right threw the second one as well. Such a fun, destructive, and powerful series. Experiencing the growth of roselle from a little vulnerable to someone strong who can take care of herself was amazing!!
jenmat1197's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Roselle. She grew up the second child in a very powerful family. In her world, all secondborn children on their "Transition Day" are taken by the government to be servants on several levels for the Fatedom. At the age of 18, Roselle is slated to beomce a soldier for the Fate of Swords. She has been training her whole life to be an elite soldier, and her mother is finally glad to see her go.
While in the military, Roselle gets several allies. People have watched her grow up in the public eye her whole life, and there are many who believe she should be the next leader - not her first born brother. There are many that would do anything to protect her to see her mother and brother fall out of power. But is that Roselle wants?
This was a pretty good book. It is the first book of a trilogy, so I am going to have to make it a priority to read the next two whenever I need a break from my current challenge. It did have a lot of "Hunger Games" type aspects with the female protagonist, and how she is viewed. It was pretty well written, so I think it will be worth reading the next two books. It is a quick read, and many of the characters are likable, so I want to see this play out.
While in the military, Roselle gets several allies. People have watched her grow up in the public eye her whole life, and there are many who believe she should be the next leader - not her first born brother. There are many that would do anything to protect her to see her mother and brother fall out of power. But is that Roselle wants?
This was a pretty good book. It is the first book of a trilogy, so I am going to have to make it a priority to read the next two whenever I need a break from my current challenge. It did have a lot of "Hunger Games" type aspects with the female protagonist, and how she is viewed. It was pretty well written, so I think it will be worth reading the next two books. It is a quick read, and many of the characters are likable, so I want to see this play out.
bookwife's review against another edition
4.0
Slow start but it ended up being a lot better than I thought.
alyram4's review
4.0
First time reading this because I got an ARC for the final book. Honestly, I really liked this one! It's a solid 4/5 for me!
I wasn't entirely won over by the synopsis, but I went into it with an open mind. I actually really enjoyed that we started the book in a point of Roselle's life where her normal way of life drastically changes. I genuinely really liked her character, and she's a strong willed, free-thinking character who isnt like many of the other soldiers she's surrounded by. Hawthorne is another I adored almost instantly! I loved every moment with him, and I love how their relationship develops. Also, Roselle's mom and Agent Crow are the most despicable people on the planet. 😤
I did find this quite slow though after the 25% point. I found that it didn't pick up again until around 65%. Even though I still liked the development happening, I found that there wasnt much truly moving the plot forward. Basically, this is the major issue I had, hence the removal of a star. Despite that, when it picked up again it was with a decent pace. I'm sure in the next book the pace will be steady, as it feels we're at a bit of a standstill in terms of development. Still interested nonetheless!
I wasn't entirely won over by the synopsis, but I went into it with an open mind. I actually really enjoyed that we started the book in a point of Roselle's life where her normal way of life drastically changes. I genuinely really liked her character, and she's a strong willed, free-thinking character who isnt like many of the other soldiers she's surrounded by. Hawthorne is another I adored almost instantly! I loved every moment with him, and I love how their relationship develops. Also, Roselle's mom and Agent Crow are the most despicable people on the planet. 😤
I did find this quite slow though after the 25% point. I found that it didn't pick up again until around 65%. Even though I still liked the development happening, I found that there wasnt much truly moving the plot forward. Basically, this is the major issue I had, hence the removal of a star. Despite that, when it picked up again it was with a decent pace. I'm sure in the next book the pace will be steady, as it feels we're at a bit of a standstill in terms of development. Still interested nonetheless!