ljstrain28's review against another edition
3.0
This one took me longer to read than I thought! It was a really neat concept and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
lisaps's review against another edition
5.0
My review can be found here: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/02/review-darkborn-by-alison-sinclair/
catwithakeyboard's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
travelgirlut's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book and the new, interesting world it is set in, but there were a couple things that didn't push it over the edge to a four-star rating. I felt like the story just skimmed the surface. It was ending right when I was finally starting to get into the world and the characters. Events in the story happened far too quickly and easily. Action scenes come and go in a flash. And the backstory, it needed some. The story would have been so much stronger with a more detailed backstory, more history to the curse and how the Darkborn and Lightborn became as they are. I'm still trying to figure out who or what exactly the Shadowborn are. The whole book actually felt more like a second book in a series where you already know what's going on and they just start right into the story.
I say all these negative things, but I did enjoy the story and it was a good break from reality. I'll probably read the sequel some day, but it won't be a mad rush to the library in the morning.
I say all these negative things, but I did enjoy the story and it was a good break from reality. I'll probably read the sequel some day, but it won't be a mad rush to the library in the morning.
androidethics's review against another edition
2.0
This book was slow going but was still incredibly good. I didn't really get into it until the second half, but I loved Ishmael and Telmaine's relationship, Telmaine's growth from being a subservient shy society woman to being brave and taking her life and her daughter's life into her own hands. I probably won't be picking up the second book because of how long it took me to finish this one though.
drey72's review against another edition
4.0
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!
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!
bookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
Cool cover, clever premise. Quasi-victorian fantasy setting.
kittarlin's review against another edition
4.0
Better, much actually, then expected. Complex world, complex, believable characters that I really cared about. Will be looking for the sequel.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
Great new fantasy series -- the darkborn cannot bear light of any kind, the lightborn cannot bear the dark and this and this adventure takes place in a city where they live side by side. Court intrigue, magic and a fast-paced plot. Very satisfying.
If you liked Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series, pick up this book. Other readalikes: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, Raven's Shadow by Patricia Briggs.
If you liked Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series, pick up this book. Other readalikes: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, Raven's Shadow by Patricia Briggs.