Hi everyone! I am so excited to be one of today’s tour stops for the blog tour of Nightborn by Jessica Thorne, which is hosted by the awesome team over at Bookouture!
Nightborn (The Hollow King Book Two)
Author: Jessica Thorne
Publication Date: 26 May 2020
Genre: YA – Fantasy
Pages: 382
Publisher: Bookouture
Like deep dark water, it pulls them down. The faint fire of magic within them flickers and dies. Their eyes turn black as night. They are nightborn now.
Grace Marchant has been many things: streetwise orphan, rebellious servant, and now beloved companion of Prince Bastien, heir to the throne of Larelwynn. But their sunlit happiness is not destined to last. The golden magic which brought them together in purest passion is threatened by strange and ancient forces. Innocent people are becoming nightborn – cruel, deadly, unrecognisable to their loved ones – and these two young lovers are the only ones with power enough to stop it.
In times of peace, striking a deal with their closest enemy would be unthinkable, but now their only hope is to ally with the neighbouring Valenti royal family: manipulative, cunning, and always with an eye on the Larelwynn throne. The partnership comes at a devastating price… if Grace wants to defeat the nightborn, she must watch Bastien marry a Valenti princess.
Grace knows she must make this heart-wrenching sacrifice for the good of the whole kingdom – but she also fears the magic in her veins, usually so warm and bright, is turning cold as deepest midnight. A beguiling darkness whispers to her from within. Is Grace herself becoming nightborn?
Time is running out. With Bastien promised to another, and a stony distance growing between them, will Grace find the source of the nightborn curse before every last soul is consumed by the darkness?
Combining sizzling romance, courtly intrigue, and heart-in-your-mouth action, this dark and addictive fantasy series is perfect for fans of Graceling and Emily R. King.
I had the pleasure of reading Mageborn earlier this year (here’s my review), and while I enjoyed it, Nightborn was the bloody, action-packed adventure that I was waiting for! One of my criticisms from book one was that instead of being a true dark fantasy, the plot heavily focused on the romance between Grace and Bastien…that is NOT the case here, and I loved it.
Both Grace Marchant and Bastien Larelwynn are back, but this time they are in a foreign court. While Bastien is trying not to get too wrapped up in the politics that come with court, something strange and dark is happening to the Mageborn. The Mageborn are becoming hollow, no worse than that, the deep dark is taking hold of the Mageborn and they are becoming so dark and powerful that they are now Nightborn. And unfortunately, our poor Grace isn’t immune.
This book didn’t hold back. There was blood, darkness, evil, and magic that comes at the most terrible price. While I felt like book one was time, Jessica Thorne spat in my face with book two. I was at the edge of my seat and holding my breath, not sure what was going to happen next.
We no longer view the story from Grace’s and Bastien’s POV, which allows for the story to really flourish. Even the side characters felt more developed and complex. The magic and world building was incredible.
Overall, if you’re a fantasy fan, definitely pick this duology up. The entire series culminates into an ending that will leave your jaw on the floor.
Thank you to Bookouture for the blog tour invite and for providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Get your copy of Nightborn here!
Jessica Thorne saw Star Wars at an impressionable age and life was never the same. She’s loved fantasy, romance and science fiction ever since and spends her time looking for adventure – in the pages of her books.
Sometimes she is Ruth Frances Long and won the European Science Fiction Society Spirit of Dedication Award for Best Author of Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2015.
Author Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessThorneBooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessThorneBooks
Website: http://www.rflong.com/jessicathorne/
The Reading Chemist 