Loading ...Lightborn by Alison Sinclair
The excellent Lightborn, the second book in the fascinating Darkborn trilogy, begins right where its predecessor left off. In a world magically divided eight hundred years earlier into those who must live in darkness or burn alive (Darkborn) and those who must always have light to survive or they melt away (Lightborn), machinations to cause trouble between the two groups progresses and draws even more individuals into the tension.
With both her husband and a new friend on an errand for the Darkborn court, Lady Telmaine, a secret mage, gets assigned the job of protecting the Archduke’s half-brother, much to her own dismay. Since one of her daughters had been kidnapped (though since recovered) in retaliation for her husband having aided a pregnant Darkborn woman who gave birth to sighted children, Telmaine agrees to help get to the bottom of a larger conspiracy.
Meanwhile, the death of the Lightborn prince, apparently by magic, places his heir, the nineteen-year-old Fejelis, in charge. Since even within his own family the young prince does not know whom to trust, he relies upon a friend, a mage operating outside of the Temple, and together they uncover conspiracies and the existence of the Shadowborn—a race not universally accepted as real and whose magic goes undetected by many Drakborn and Lightborn mages alike. Telmaine, however, understands the danger, ever since her run-in with a Shadowborn mage who tried to kill her friend in book one. Though not working together, Telmaine and Fejelis both strive to discover who is behind the plots and what these mean to the safety of their respective societies.
Sinclair masterfully depicts a chilling world that exists as two sides of the same coin—one plunged forever into darkness and the other bombarded by relentless light. Readers will find themselves often contemplating the daunting task of negotiating everyday life without any true vision, only the sonn (a type of sonar developed over the years in place of sight) used by the Darkborn in a world truly devoid of light, or never being a granted a respite from the light constantly required by the Lightborn. The court intrigues of the story read like good historical fiction with a fantastical twist, given the magical influences and basic premise of the tale. The two main characters, Telmaine and Fejelis, do not always make wise decisions but inspire loyalty and admiration in the reader.
The author earns extra points for a truly heart-stopping moment near the end involving Telmaine, which caused this reviewer to put the book down briefly in order to catch her breath. Given the track record of the first two installments, the final book in the trilogy, Shadowborn, promises to provide a worthy conclusion to a captivating story.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Roc Trade (June 1, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0451463293
- ASIN: B005B1HNG2
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Books in the Darkborn Trilogy in the order they should be read:
Darkborn
Lightborn
Shadowborn
Awesome review. Off to add this series to my wishlist.
This series looks like a winner, and it must be on my TBR list. Thank you! LOL