The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
kerrisbooks13's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
Okay so this wasnât horrible but it also wasnât good?? Itâs hard for me to say whether the book just wasnât good or if it was just too YA for me. Thereâs some YA and even middle grade that anyone at any age can enjoy, but there is also some YA that is best left to the teens. Because I am no longer a teen I canât tell if this was just too young for me or badly written??
First off, as much as I LOVE a dark broody love interest, itâs a little icky that they guy Sera develops feeling for is her professor. They try to justify it by saying heâs young for a teacher (25) but thatâs still a big age difference, not to mention a power imbalance. Though nothing crazy happens between them in this first book, the feelings are definitely developing wayyyyyy past student/teacher feelings.
Secondly, Sera is annoying af. Sheâs over dramatic and falls too easily into the âhotheaded heroineâ trope. To a point where half of her actions donât make sense. I get it: sheâs young, learning to control her immense power, blah blah blah but at some point honey youâve gone too far. And when her and Barrington (previously mentioned love interest) have a slight fight or disagreement she throws herself into her tower room and HARDCORE SULKS. Iâm just not into her as a main character.
Third, there was an attempt at a love triangle? Square? Whatever it was, I was not here for it. Timothy falls in love with Sera without so much as two words to the girl, Mary is vapid and annoying. Honestly the only character I loved without issue was Rosie, Prof Barryâs housekeeper. Yikes. If I could transfer Barrington to a different story to one without a teenage girl at its center Iâd probs like him more but as it stands...
And all of that is to say nothing to the weird world. The whole seventh born thing, while intriguing was never really fleshed out. If mothers know theyâll die and their children persecuted why have a seventh child at all?? I get that this is set in a less modern time frame (although itâs never made clear, Iâm thinking pre-Victorian with all the dresses and cloaks but no photography) but does birth control not exist at all??? How are so many people having seven kids that this is a problem??
Wow apparently I had a lot of negative feelings towards this one. Oops. Not sure if Iâll pick up the sequel. I want to know what happens but do I really want to read another bad-ish book?
Okay so this wasnât horrible but it also wasnât good?? Itâs hard for me to say whether the book just wasnât good or if it was just too YA for me. Thereâs some YA and even middle grade that anyone at any age can enjoy, but there is also some YA that is best left to the teens. Because I am no longer a teen I canât tell if this was just too young for me or badly written??
First off, as much as I LOVE a dark broody love interest, itâs a little icky that they guy Sera develops feeling for is her professor. They try to justify it by saying heâs young for a teacher (25) but thatâs still a big age difference, not to mention a power imbalance. Though nothing crazy happens between them in this first book, the feelings are definitely developing wayyyyyy past student/teacher feelings.
Secondly, Sera is annoying af. Sheâs over dramatic and falls too easily into the âhotheaded heroineâ trope. To a point where half of her actions donât make sense. I get it: sheâs young, learning to control her immense power, blah blah blah but at some point honey youâve gone too far. And when her and Barrington (previously mentioned love interest) have a slight fight or disagreement she throws herself into her tower room and HARDCORE SULKS. Iâm just not into her as a main character.
Third, there was an attempt at a love triangle? Square? Whatever it was, I was not here for it. Timothy falls in love with Sera without so much as two words to the girl, Mary is vapid and annoying. Honestly the only character I loved without issue was Rosie, Prof Barryâs housekeeper. Yikes. If I could transfer Barrington to a different story to one without a teenage girl at its center Iâd probs like him more but as it stands...
And all of that is to say nothing to the weird world. The whole seventh born thing, while intriguing was never really fleshed out. If mothers know theyâll die and their children persecuted why have a seventh child at all?? I get that this is set in a less modern time frame (although itâs never made clear, Iâm thinking pre-Victorian with all the dresses and cloaks but no photography) but does birth control not exist at all??? How are so many people having seven kids that this is a problem??
Wow apparently I had a lot of negative feelings towards this one. Oops. Not sure if Iâll pick up the sequel. I want to know what happens but do I really want to read another bad-ish book?
alyram4's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars!
I absolutely loved this book! I was pulled into the story within the first few chapters. I found it to be a great YA magical novel, with the perfect amount of mystery.
Characters:
I found the characters of Sera and Barrington to be the most complex, each holding their own secrets and burdens with the cards life has given them. Sera is a seventhborn, treated as less of a person due to her birth order. She faces prejudice and finds solace in the presence of her friend Mary, all while trying to find the secrets of her past. Barrington has been given a legacy he didn't ask for, one that was started by rumors of those who new his father. The supporting characters -Mary, Timothy, Gummy, and Rosie- were also great. While they aren't the focus in this first installment of the series, they definitely have a role to play when it comes to Sera and her circumstances given what she is. I found myself loving the ways these supporting characters built up the complexity of Sera and Barrington, adding more character.
Story:
I found the story to be, well, magical. I was pulled in from the very first chapter after getting to learn as to why Sera being a seventhborn was a big deal. Witnessing the bullying and prejudice against her made me feel for her, and seeing how she dealt with it made me want to keep reading. I wanted to see how she would get through it to achieve her dreams, to find any sort of family as she has no memories except for 2 years prior. When we meet Barrington for the first time early on, and see what comes of their encounter, I knew I was in for a ride. The author had a great way of adding tiny bits of humor to the complex and dark storyline. This also makes for Mary being important as she adds relief to Sera, making the tone more light. The author had a great way for describing the scene and thoughts of characters without getting too carried away. When things start to get more dangerous and dark, it became clear that there was more at play than what the first few chapters let on. I was in for a wild roller coaster of emotions. I was never bored when reading, and could not put it down.
Cons:
While I did give this 5 stars. I do wish that maybe the author would have done the resolution to this first installment a bit more different. I wish it had been held out a bit longer, but the impact of the events was still strong. This is more of a nitpick if anything, though.
Conclusion:
I thought this book was fantastic! I'll definitely be preordering this for myself right away. I can't wait to find out what happens next in the series. I definitely recommend this if you're into the YA magic/witchcraft genre and don't mind a bit of a mystery. Definitely worth a read!
I absolutely loved this book! I was pulled into the story within the first few chapters. I found it to be a great YA magical novel, with the perfect amount of mystery.
Characters:
I found the characters of Sera and Barrington to be the most complex, each holding their own secrets and burdens with the cards life has given them. Sera is a seventhborn, treated as less of a person due to her birth order. She faces prejudice and finds solace in the presence of her friend Mary, all while trying to find the secrets of her past. Barrington has been given a legacy he didn't ask for, one that was started by rumors of those who new his father. The supporting characters -Mary, Timothy, Gummy, and Rosie- were also great. While they aren't the focus in this first installment of the series, they definitely have a role to play when it comes to Sera and her circumstances given what she is. I found myself loving the ways these supporting characters built up the complexity of Sera and Barrington, adding more character.
Story:
I found the story to be, well, magical. I was pulled in from the very first chapter after getting to learn as to why Sera being a seventhborn was a big deal. Witnessing the bullying and prejudice against her made me feel for her, and seeing how she dealt with it made me want to keep reading. I wanted to see how she would get through it to achieve her dreams, to find any sort of family as she has no memories except for 2 years prior. When we meet Barrington for the first time early on, and see what comes of their encounter, I knew I was in for a ride. The author had a great way of adding tiny bits of humor to the complex and dark storyline. This also makes for Mary being important as she adds relief to Sera, making the tone more light. The author had a great way for describing the scene and thoughts of characters without getting too carried away. When things start to get more dangerous and dark, it became clear that there was more at play than what the first few chapters let on. I was in for a wild roller coaster of emotions. I was never bored when reading, and could not put it down.
Cons:
While I did give this 5 stars. I do wish that maybe the author would have done the resolution to this first installment a bit more different. I wish it had been held out a bit longer, but the impact of the events was still strong. This is more of a nitpick if anything, though.
Conclusion:
I thought this book was fantastic! I'll definitely be preordering this for myself right away. I can't wait to find out what happens next in the series. I definitely recommend this if you're into the YA magic/witchcraft genre and don't mind a bit of a mystery. Definitely worth a read!
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed learning about the world and the characters in SEVENTH BORN.
Seventh born's are treated like the scum of the earth. As a seventh born, Sera is used to being bullied and treated like a nuisance by both the students and staff of the Aetherium Witchling Academy. It was easy to like Sera and feel for her circumstances. We learn that her current troubles aren't even the worse things she has gone through in her life and we still have a lot to learn about her that wasn't revealed in SEVENTH BORN.
I wasn't sure how I felt about Professor Barrington when he was first introduced. I didn't immediately like him, but he grew on me as the story unfolded. There is still a ton of mystery to his character, but his bond with Sera grew a lot in SEVENTH BORN and I have some hopes for them in future books.
I had no trouble getting into the story. I felt that the characters were well rounded and I enjoyed watching their personalities and growth unfold. The world was interesting and well built. The mysteries involved in SEVENTH BORN were gripping. I'm not sure where the author plans to take everything, but I'm adding this series to my watch list.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Seventh born's are treated like the scum of the earth. As a seventh born, Sera is used to being bullied and treated like a nuisance by both the students and staff of the Aetherium Witchling Academy. It was easy to like Sera and feel for her circumstances. We learn that her current troubles aren't even the worse things she has gone through in her life and we still have a lot to learn about her that wasn't revealed in SEVENTH BORN.
I wasn't sure how I felt about Professor Barrington when he was first introduced. I didn't immediately like him, but he grew on me as the story unfolded. There is still a ton of mystery to his character, but his bond with Sera grew a lot in SEVENTH BORN and I have some hopes for them in future books.
I had no trouble getting into the story. I felt that the characters were well rounded and I enjoyed watching their personalities and growth unfold. The world was interesting and well built. The mysteries involved in SEVENTH BORN were gripping. I'm not sure where the author plans to take everything, but I'm adding this series to my watch list.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
4.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the YA Bound Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Seventh Born by Monica Sanz is an exciting book that takes us on a ride following a seventh born witch. In a time where they aren't prosecuted but aren't wanted. During our time with these characters, we discover a mystery and the consequences of knowing the said mystery.
Seraphina Dovetail is said seventh born witch, but the problem is that she doesn't know much about her life before a specific period. She isn't like most seventh borns though. Sera has led quite a strange life, especially in the academy where she is learning how to control her magic. Well, up to a point where the professor's care about her well being. She is a pretty interesting character since she isn't much like the other seventh borns or into caring what is politically correct for her to do as a female. Sera wants to be an inspector so that she can find her family and be able to help a lot of other people.
Nikolai Barrington is both a professor at the Academy and an inspector. He wants Seraphina as his assistant so that it would to help with his workload and help her control her magic in a way that the academy can't help her. Nik is a great guy who only wants what is best for Seraphina, which is the first in a very long time. Nik needs her help with a current case that isn't an easy one. Â
The mystery is the case that both Nikolai and Seraphina have been working on throughout the whole book. They are trying to determine why som many witches are using necromancy just to be burned beyond recognition. That though is a crucial plot point so; I won't get into it. You will have to read the book. Let's say that poor Seraphina has lost a lot.
Seventh Born by Monica Sanz is an excellent book that kept me entertained. I am giving Seventh Born by Monica Sanz, a four-star rating and recommending it to every single Young Adult Fantasy reader out there.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Seventh Born by Monica Sanz.Â
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
Can Seraphina protect the ones that need to be protected?
Seraphina Dovetail
Seraphina Dovetail is said seventh born witch, but the problem is that she doesn't know much about her life before a specific period. She isn't like most seventh borns though. Sera has led quite a strange life, especially in the academy where she is learning how to control her magic. Well, up to a point where the professor's care about her well being. She is a pretty interesting character since she isn't much like the other seventh borns or into caring what is politically correct for her to do as a female. Sera wants to be an inspector so that she can find her family and be able to help a lot of other people.
Nikolai Barrington
Nikolai Barrington is both a professor at the Academy and an inspector. He wants Seraphina as his assistant so that it would to help with his workload and help her control her magic in a way that the academy can't help her. Nik is a great guy who only wants what is best for Seraphina, which is the first in a very long time. Nik needs her help with a current case that isn't an easy one. Â
Mystery
The mystery is the case that both Nikolai and Seraphina have been working on throughout the whole book. They are trying to determine why som many witches are using necromancy just to be burned beyond recognition. That though is a crucial plot point so; I won't get into it. You will have to read the book. Let's say that poor Seraphina has lost a lot.
Four Stars
Seventh Born by Monica Sanz is an excellent book that kept me entertained. I am giving Seventh Born by Monica Sanz, a four-star rating and recommending it to every single Young Adult Fantasy reader out there.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Seventh Born by Monica Sanz.Â
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
auburnedge's review
4.0
Let me start out with saying that this was not what I was expecting in the least. It felt like a mash up of Harry Potter and The Black Mage series. Wands, magic, a school for such things and a hierarchy just waiting for someone to come and break it.
While I enjoyed the main character and her traits. She knew what she was as a seventhborn but rebelled against just blending in. Wanting to find her family and learn magic. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the romance. A teacher/student romance just puts me off and while it is well done I didnt particularly like the way it all panned out.
While I enjoyed the main character and her traits. She knew what she was as a seventhborn but rebelled against just blending in. Wanting to find her family and learn magic. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the romance. A teacher/student romance just puts me off and while it is well done I didnt particularly like the way it all panned out.
jordanrhovey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
taylorfennerwrites's review
2.0
Seventh Born kind of reminded me of a watered down mash-up of Harry Potter and K E O'Connor's School of Exorcists series. The book overall could use some extra detail, the world is underdeveloped, the magic system isn't really explained, and the characters are one dimensional. I felt sorry for Sera who is treated awfully for being the dreaded "seventh born" child in her family and the cause of her mother's death but at the same time she constantly complains about the things she's not allowed to do as a seventh born which gets annoying fast.
I did like that Sera tried to rebel against her status as a seventh born but I disliked her relationship with her teacher. This is a YA novel and it's a little inappropriate.
Overall, this book holds some appeal but I found myself wanting more from the worldbuilding and plot.
I did like that Sera tried to rebel against her status as a seventh born but I disliked her relationship with her teacher. This is a YA novel and it's a little inappropriate.
Overall, this book holds some appeal but I found myself wanting more from the worldbuilding and plot.
ninalem's review
1.0
*Thanks again to Entangled Teen for sending me an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Seraphina Dovetail is a witch. But not just any witch. She is a seventh-born one and in order for her to live, her mother had to die. Thus, sheâs subject to a lot of hostility. All kinds of horrible names are hurled at her on a daily basis at the academy sheâs training at, but Seraphina willingly puts up with all that because she has one dream. She wants to become an inspector and find her real family. For that to happen though she needs a referral for the Aetheriumâs Witchling Academy to start training there and getting a referral sounds easier than it is for someone like her. But one of her professors seems to have a solution. He needs her help with one of his projects and in return, heâll give her the referral she needs. But will that really be as easy as it sounds?
Unfortunately, this book just wasnât for me. I originally requested it because I thought the premise of âSeventh Bornâ sounded very promising and like something I might really enjoy but there were just so many things that ultimately resulted in me losing interest in this novel quite quickly.
My main problem with the book was definitely that there was almost zero world-building and that a lot of information and context I wouldâve needed to fully understand the story was just missing. Quite early in the book, I already started feeling pretty lost and the whole plot just began being very confusing because it often just wasnât explained what theyâre doing and how things work in the magical world Sanz created. It was a little like starting a good fantasy series but deciding to skip the first few books and just reading the third or fourth part right away. Due to this, the story also dove right into action and the first half of the book was just way too rushed and the pacing was really off.
But not only the world wasnât properly introduced, I also felt like a proper introduction of most of the characters was missing completely and thus I just didnât care about any of them. This also meant that the romance in this book wasnât really that interesting to me. Also, quite early on it is said that Seraphina is actually scared of closeness to men due to something that happened in her past and so I found it extremely weird and random that suddenly from one chapter to the next one, she completely trusted her professor and even began fancying him. Furthermore, she also just let one of her classmates kiss her and didnât seem to have any problem with that which I think just didnât make sense when you keep in mind how scared sheâd still been of men just a few pages earlier.
So due to all of this, I just didnât enjoy reading the book and lost interest in it quite quickly. I actually only skimmed the last 40% of it and itâs definitely a series I unfortunately wonât be continuing. I have to say though that I actually liked the authorâs writing style and that I wouldnât be averse to reading some of her future work if she ends up publishing a new series at some point. However, âSeventh Bornâ ultimately just wasnât for me and even though I always hate giving only one star to a book, I just canât give this a higher rating.
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Seraphina Dovetail is a witch. But not just any witch. She is a seventh-born one and in order for her to live, her mother had to die. Thus, sheâs subject to a lot of hostility. All kinds of horrible names are hurled at her on a daily basis at the academy sheâs training at, but Seraphina willingly puts up with all that because she has one dream. She wants to become an inspector and find her real family. For that to happen though she needs a referral for the Aetheriumâs Witchling Academy to start training there and getting a referral sounds easier than it is for someone like her. But one of her professors seems to have a solution. He needs her help with one of his projects and in return, heâll give her the referral she needs. But will that really be as easy as it sounds?
Unfortunately, this book just wasnât for me. I originally requested it because I thought the premise of âSeventh Bornâ sounded very promising and like something I might really enjoy but there were just so many things that ultimately resulted in me losing interest in this novel quite quickly.
My main problem with the book was definitely that there was almost zero world-building and that a lot of information and context I wouldâve needed to fully understand the story was just missing. Quite early in the book, I already started feeling pretty lost and the whole plot just began being very confusing because it often just wasnât explained what theyâre doing and how things work in the magical world Sanz created. It was a little like starting a good fantasy series but deciding to skip the first few books and just reading the third or fourth part right away. Due to this, the story also dove right into action and the first half of the book was just way too rushed and the pacing was really off.
But not only the world wasnât properly introduced, I also felt like a proper introduction of most of the characters was missing completely and thus I just didnât care about any of them. This also meant that the romance in this book wasnât really that interesting to me. Also, quite early on it is said that Seraphina is actually scared of closeness to men due to something that happened in her past and so I found it extremely weird and random that suddenly from one chapter to the next one, she completely trusted her professor and even began fancying him. Furthermore, she also just let one of her classmates kiss her and didnât seem to have any problem with that which I think just didnât make sense when you keep in mind how scared sheâd still been of men just a few pages earlier.
So due to all of this, I just didnât enjoy reading the book and lost interest in it quite quickly. I actually only skimmed the last 40% of it and itâs definitely a series I unfortunately wonât be continuing. I have to say though that I actually liked the authorâs writing style and that I wouldnât be averse to reading some of her future work if she ends up publishing a new series at some point. However, âSeventh Bornâ ultimately just wasnât for me and even though I always hate giving only one star to a book, I just canât give this a higher rating.
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emitareads's review
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this one. It had been a while since Iâd read fantasy and this was a solid one. I write this a little while after reading and I donât have much to say. It was good and enjoyable, but not outstanding. Iâll probably read the sequel at some point because I really want to know what happens between Seraphina Dovetail and professor Nikolai Barrington. I liked their dynamic. Oh, and the twist at the end I kind of saw coming, though it still shocked me, but it was well done.