Scan barcode
A review by michalice
Starborn by Lucy Hounsom
3.0
I hadn't really heard about Starborn until I received an email from publisher with some upcoming releases, and not only did the synopsis draw me in, but it was also promoted as 'fans of David Eddings will like it'. I am a huge fan of David Eddings so this only made it more definite that I read this book
Starborn follows our protagonist, Kyndra, who is forced to flee her town after several unrelated incidents, she accidentally breaks a Relic in the Inheritance Ceremony, and when the Breaking hits her small town of Brenwym, all fingers point to Kyndra. However, in all the turmoil a loved one is hurt, so Kyndra makes a deal, in return for saving his life, Kyndra will travel with Nediah and Brégenne to Naris
What she isn't initially told about this strange duo, is that they are a Solar–Lunar pairing, one has powers that are stronger in day, whilst other works better in the night. Brégenne has a small inkling as to what Kyndra is capable of, so getting her to go with them to Naris means she can be tested to see if she has an ability too.
Starborn was a difficult read for me. I went into this story with the idea that I would fall into this new world as fast as I did with David Eddings, but for me it just took a bit too long to actually get anywhere. Also knowing that this was a big book, 400 pages long, it was daunting for me to read and still feel like I wasn't getting anywhere.
About a quarter of the way into Starborn things did pick up for me, and that was when I did start to become really interested in what was going on. The world that Lucy has created was unique and mysterious, and there was a lot of world and character building in the first half of the book. I will admit that I do think I skimmed over some of these points, I wanted action and adventure, and less 'this is this person, this is this place', but once that was all in place I was able to enjoy what I was reading.
I really liked how the opposing abilities paired up, there to help each other when their partner was weaker, to be a friend, an allie. I think the testing they do to enable....kick start..?? these powers was quite cruel, activate your power or die, but seeing what happens to Kyndra leading up to this point and even beyond, it does make sense to do this, a fight or die circumstance.
The build up towards the end of Starborn was tense, dangerous, and full or action, and I devoured these final chapters. The ending leaves a lot to be answered, but has also either answered or confirmed what we knew, so I am hoping the next installment in this series will focus more on what happens next, especially as most of the world building has been done within the pages of Starborn.
Final Verdict
Starborn was an interesting read, and hold some promise that the next book will be filled with more action and more answers.
Starborn follows our protagonist, Kyndra, who is forced to flee her town after several unrelated incidents, she accidentally breaks a Relic in the Inheritance Ceremony, and when the Breaking hits her small town of Brenwym, all fingers point to Kyndra. However, in all the turmoil a loved one is hurt, so Kyndra makes a deal, in return for saving his life, Kyndra will travel with Nediah and Brégenne to Naris
What she isn't initially told about this strange duo, is that they are a Solar–Lunar pairing, one has powers that are stronger in day, whilst other works better in the night. Brégenne has a small inkling as to what Kyndra is capable of, so getting her to go with them to Naris means she can be tested to see if she has an ability too.
Starborn was a difficult read for me. I went into this story with the idea that I would fall into this new world as fast as I did with David Eddings, but for me it just took a bit too long to actually get anywhere. Also knowing that this was a big book, 400 pages long, it was daunting for me to read and still feel like I wasn't getting anywhere.
About a quarter of the way into Starborn things did pick up for me, and that was when I did start to become really interested in what was going on. The world that Lucy has created was unique and mysterious, and there was a lot of world and character building in the first half of the book. I will admit that I do think I skimmed over some of these points, I wanted action and adventure, and less 'this is this person, this is this place', but once that was all in place I was able to enjoy what I was reading.
I really liked how the opposing abilities paired up, there to help each other when their partner was weaker, to be a friend, an allie. I think the testing they do to enable....kick start..?? these powers was quite cruel, activate your power or die, but seeing what happens to Kyndra leading up to this point and even beyond, it does make sense to do this, a fight or die circumstance.
The build up towards the end of Starborn was tense, dangerous, and full or action, and I devoured these final chapters. The ending leaves a lot to be answered, but has also either answered or confirmed what we knew, so I am hoping the next installment in this series will focus more on what happens next, especially as most of the world building has been done within the pages of Starborn.
Final Verdict
Starborn was an interesting read, and hold some promise that the next book will be filled with more action and more answers.