Fireborn is a fantasy told through a few different viewpoints. The narrative shifts are done to show characters' growth and inner monologue and are well done, and feel especially necessary as the author is setting up a new series. Macalister uses fantasy elements but makes them her own; as a result they feel fresh rather than reworked. The book has believable characters (within the world Macalister creates) and satisfying storytelling.

Fireborn was a 3.5 star read from me.

I enjoyed the world building but had a difficult time developing a character connection. Overall, Fireborn has a quick evolving, easy reading plot with lots of steamy encounters. There is this plot potential that kept me reading on and ultimately why I found myself liking Fireborn.

It’s a light fantasy, with random bits of comedy, great world building and tons of potential.

I received this ARC copy of Fireborn from Kensington Books - Rebel Base Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. Fireborn is set for publication June 11, 2019.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Written by: Katie MacAlister
Series: A Born Prophesy Novel
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN-10: 1635730740
ISBN-13: 978-1635730746
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fireborn-Proph...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook...
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Firstborn, by author Katie MacAlister, is the first installment in the author's Born Prophecy series. As the synopsis indicates, this story alternatives narratives between three key players. Deo, a young lord who has a prophecy that will either save the world, or destroy it; Allegria, a young woman with the power of the sun who was taken in to become a Priestess but wants to prove herself instead as a fighter against the invaders known as Harborym; and Harrow, a boy with a curious past who lost his people to the Harborym.

This story is an entertaining one with plenty of twists, and humorous moments, and yes, even some romance. But, the failure for me was the author not indicating when the timeline for each character jumps. One moment we are witnessing the first contact between Deo and Allegria, then Deo and Hallow, then the story jumps to when they are older. I would have preferred to know at what point that changed instead of attempting to decide for myself. I know, picky stuff.

From Deo as a teenager whose mother lives in a conquered land, to Deo as an adult who was exiled to an island where he learned how to use the power of chaos to create an army to fight back against the invaders. Deo the son of a starborn Queen whose birth also heralded the arrival of the Harborym, and Lord Israel who could have done much more in his efforts to keep his son's mother safe, but is still playing catch up years later. Deo was supposed to bring about the Fourth Age of peace.

Allegria is a light weaver, an anointed priestess, and one who uses the sun to fight against the darkness. Allegria who risks everything to fight alongside Deo and become one of his Bane. Allegria who can fight as well as any man, and usually comes out on top. Allegra who falls for Harrow through a bit of give and take back and forth that is both humorous and leads to some sexy times. Allegra who shines the brightest among the three main characters.

Harrow is a boy who lost everything to the invaders. He later loses his master who was teaching him how to deal with his powers as an arcanist. Harrow spends a lot of time with Lord Israel after saving his life from his son, and later when he unites the Council of Four Armies to finally take a stand against the Harborym. In all fairness, the romance kind of comes out of nowhere. I was a bit surprised that the author didn't find a way for Deo and Allegria to find a way to be together but she choose differently.

This story is a wild adventure that leaves a crushing cliffhanger ending behind to be picked up by the next installment. There is so many questions as to what happens next, especially to Deo and Allegria.

DNF, I was really hoping i would have enjoyed this one. I got to about 20-30% and the plot took a turn I was not expecting, Could not connect with the characters also. That and I am too old for love triangles, thats so 2003.

Dnf 44%

I really wanted to like this book, but after the prologue (in which I thought it was a good intro) I became lost and confused in this story. After a few chapters, I didnt know who was "talking" and it turns out theres 3 povs. I wished authors would note that during each pov change. And it turns out that Deo and Hollow are written in 3rd person and Allegria is in 1st person. I then wonder with the prologue would mention Deo being born, have him as 3rd person and Allegria is 1st. I just don't understand why authors do this. This is the second time in about 1 month I have read a book that changes between 3rd & 1st person, it doesn't translate across the page while reading.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Twin goddesses Kiriah and Bellias created the Fireborn and Starborn, respectively, but the two have been at war with each other. A child has been fated to bring the Fireborn and Starborn together, but, before that can happen, the Harborym invade the home of the Starborn and the child, Deo, is sent to be raised by his Fireborn father. As the Fireborn fail to drive out the Harborym, Deo grows up and learns to wield the invaders' chaos magic against his father's wishes and sets out to free his Starborn mother. Allegria, a priestess Deo once met as an adolescent, carries a special magic that could be key to driving out the Harborym and believes in Deo's mission so much that she falls in with him and becomes one of his Banesmen. Hallow was the apprentice to an archanist, one who can wield the power of the stars, and finds himself in Deo's father's company, likewise seeking to drive out the Harborym at the same time Deo and his men are trying to. A chance encounter between Allegria and Hallow brings him into Deo's company. Together, the three are destined to fail or succeed.

Overall, this was an interesting fantasy book. It had all the standard characteristics including magic, a prophesied child, and a battle essentially between good and evil, or chaos magic and forms of light magic. I also loved the magic that was introduced, being able to shape animals from light and drawing power from the stars. But I also felt that this book added little to the genre as a whole. It was a fairly standard fantasy leaning towards epic fantasy, but, overall, doesn't stand out.

The setting was interesting, but I felt it wasn't fully developed. The book description mentioned the Fireborn and Starborn were at war with each other, so I pictured a world where half of it was bathed in sunlight and half bathed in moonlight. Of course, the rational part of me knows that's absurd, but I was disappointed that there didn't seem to be any difference between the two and their lands other than where they draw their magic from and what they look like. The worldbuilding was lacking and I have no clear idea of what much of it looks like and how it functions.

The story also felt a little disjointed. It flowed extremely well for the first two-thirds of the book. There was conflict and action and an exciting, if bloody, battle that really introduced the invading Harborym and put on display what Deo, Allegria, and Hallow were capable of. I fully enjoyed it, but, as the battle came to a close and I realized there was still a good third of the book left, I was a little dismayed. Turns out the last third felt more like a extended epilogue and simultaneous setup for a second book. It was far flatter than the first two-thirds and was not as interesting.

For the most part, I enjoyed the characters, especially Hallow. He was the most level-headed and offered some levity. In the last third, Deo also provided some amusing comic relief, but was otherwise more of an angry young man during the first two-thirds. That isn't to say he wasn't interesting, but I don't enjoy overly angry and arrogant characters. The most problematic character for me was Allegria. Even though Deo and Hallow also served as narrators, she was the main one. I liked how fiery and stubborn she was, but, when Deo or Hallow were narrating, she somehow felt meeker with less fire in her. It seemed like her inner life was much richer than her outer life.

What really bothered me, though, was the romance. I don't mind romance in fantasy as a rule. What I do often mind is the pacing. One of the primary reasons why I don't read YA is because of the insta-love everyone who does read it talks about. Sure, it makes the romance clear-cut, but this book took insta-love and took it above and beyond straight into insta-fall-into-bed. It was a very sudden, very intense romance that didn't seem to add much to the story. I could have done without, or to a much lesser degree.

What I did enjoy was that the story moved along at a good pace, even the last third of it. Something was almost always happening and the interactions between the characters kept the story moving. Nothing was superfluous and the writing was relatively tight. Conflicts peppered the book and forced the characters to evolve and learn new information.

While there were several things I didn't enjoy, I still appreciate that this is a well-written book with a good pace, an interesting premise, a clear idea of what the second book will bring, and some interesting characters. Honestly, the bird character is my favorite, but Hallow was definitely worth reading about. For a standard fantasy, this wasn't bad, but wasn't exactly spectacular, either.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am so sorry but I couln't finish this book.
I was really looking forward to it but 40% in I just couldn't be bothered.
It is such a cliche story and uses all known YA tropes.

I am just going to pass on this!

Fireborn, the latest fantasy by bestselling paranormal romance author Katie MacAlister, launches a new series with a theme that diverges a bit from MacAlister’s previous work. To be released on June 11, 2019, the Born Prophesy series is set in a magical realism Middle Ages type era during a time of war between the Fireborn, the children of light created by the goddess Kiriah, and the Starborn, the children of the heavens created by her twin Bellias. While the Fireborn wield magic drawn from sun’s energy and their connection with nature, the Starborn harness arcane magic derived from the night’s starlight which flows through all living things. The kingdoms are forced to face a new power who invade their realm, the Harborym, who draw their power from destructive chaos magic.

Three unlikely heroes form a tentative alliance to confront the Harborym. Allegria is a young priestess of the temple of Kiriah who prefers honing her skills as a warrior and practicing Kiriah’s blessing of light magic than kneeling in silent prayer behind temple walls. Hallow grew up as an orphan and an apprentice in need of a master to learn the skills of arcane magic. Deo was noble born as a child of both sun and stars, expected to be the key to bringing peace between the two warring factions.

I was eager to read this book because I enjoyed MacAlister’s previous work, particularly her dragon novels. Initially, I was drawn in by the premise of this book and the promise of a new world of magic. However, I found the execution a bit disjointed. It started strong with a scene between two characters who come together in the hopes of ushering in the Fourth Age and bringing peace to their two kingdoms through the birth of their son, Deo. However, their motives behind not staying together and why they chose to have the mother raise the son for a bit and then turn him over to his father as he got older, is never explained.

Many intriguing characters were introduced, but their back stories were just slightly lacking, so it was difficult to become strongly emotionally invested in them or to understand where their loyalties fully stood. Though the story was told from the viewpoint of Allegria, I felt more connected to Hallow because his character seemed more substantial. The world built for this story was interesting, with its own set of myths, and each of the characters held a lot of promise.

“If only I’d managed to convince Lord Israel all those years ago to take me into his company. If only Sandor understood that I was better able to serve the temple by use of my bow and swords than the endless prayers to Kiriah. If only I was allowed to use the power that had been given to me at birth…”

MacAlister is able to weave a world with its own legends and rules of magic, deftly and believably, straight from the beginning of the book. True to her signature style, MacAlister included several steamy sex scenes. While incorporating some lighthearted humor, I was hoping for more of the irreverent whimsy she interlaced in her other series that had me unexpectedly laughing out loud on occasion. (Specifically, Jim, the demon Newfoundland dog, in her Guardian series comes to mind as an example.)

Overall, I look forward to seeing where this series will lead us. I hope that in the next book, she delves more deeply into a single character’s perspective and background story. I’d like to learn more about Deo’s motivations and why his parents made the decisions they did. Is he truly the promised one to usher in the Fourth Age, or did he simply spark the catalyst to help bring about the one who would?

I was provided an advance review copy compliments of Kensington Publishing Corporation through NetGalley for the purpose of this impartial review.

This review was first published on the Damian Daily blog.

Three and a half
I really wanted to like this book and had high hopes but somehow it just didn't quite wow me. It started with Israel wanting so much for his son and yet because of a ridiculous prophecy he walks away and leaves baby Deo with his mother. We then fast forward and Deo is a teenager who frankly wasn't particularly likeable. I could understand his frustration as he didn't understand why his mother had sent him away but if I'm honest it just felt extremely odd. He encounters Hallow a young man down on his luck and also meets the young Priestess Allegria who certainly makes an impression ! We then fast forward even more and Allegria comes crashing back into Deos life but he's definitely not the same boy she remembers !
It's understood from the beginning that Deos birth is due to a prophecy that will rid the world of a great evil but honestly it felt confused when that all instantly changes. Israel felt warm and caring at that moment but his character later in the story seemed to have taken a completely different turn ! Deo was a struggle for me as I appreciate his dedication and fervour but he just lacked any personality.
Allegria is without doubt the character who shines brightest and the author made her feel human and at times funny. I'd expected any romance to be with Deo but no this goes in a completely different direction which brings me to Hallow. He's an affable character, with wit and charm but once again the author changed her characters personality ! No real spoiler but a violent event occurs which separates Allegria and Hallow and when they are reunited he felt extremely different. Plus the big bad Harboryn just didn't jump off the page for this reader. I don't know truly how to rate this as I enjoyed reading about Allegria but I think it might have been more enjoyable as a YA story without the sex scenes which didn't really add anything to the overall plot. There is a kind of cliff hanger ending which could well lead to Deo being fleshed out in the next book but at this moment I'm undecided whether to read that or not.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I read to 66% and can’t make myself keep reading. Not for me. I don’t find the characters or storyline engaging.

With a host of thoroughly unlikeable characters, this book was difficult to read, at best. All of the characters are selfish, impulsive, and not empathetic in the least. They are difficult to relate to, and, due to this, I found it hard to like any of them.

The shifts in time, characters, points of view, and grammatical person (Deo and Hollow are written in third person while Allegria is written in first person), made this book hard to get through. I swear nearly half of this book was dedicated to talking about the female protagonist’s body.

It seems like this book was trying to cram as much action in as little space as possible. Everything moved far too fast without any backstory or details to back it up.

This could have been an interesting book. The idea is not bad. But the writing and pace of the story ruined it for me.

What if he isn't the saviour? Deo has everything that he wants & needs but his father Lord Israel always wants to keep him away from harm. He wants to be a great warrior like both of his parents but he fears that he will never get the chance to prove that he can be. Deo chooses the wrong side and he becomes everything that his father has ever feared so he had no choice but to banish him to the Isle of Enoch. But Deo won't be bound by his father he will take on the enemy and kill them all.
Allegria doesn't believe all the stories about Deo she met him as a boy and she believed that he was meant for greatness and now he is back and gathering an army to find his mother. She will do anything to be part of it but is she willing to give up everything for him? But when she sees him again she sees how much he has changed and what the chaos magic has done, she still agrees to be by his side. Deo knows that he can't keep the chaos magic under control forever but hopefully he can use it to make his army stronger so that he can save his people and find his mother.
Hallow has been sent on a quest but Lord Israel and things haven't gone to plan but he hs found what he needed. Now he just needs to get back but Allegria has made things difficult and now they are both seeing Lord Israel and now they have both been set free to travel back to Deo. But can Hallow trust this woman?
Where will this journey take them and will Deo survive the chaos magic or is he doomed forever? Will they be able to kill the armies that threaten to destroy their world? A good read. loved the characters. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise sounded promising but I just could not get into the story. The characters where forgettable and I could not make myself care about what happened.

I did not love the characters in this book. They were all over the place and there was also a lot of jumping around. The world building was interesting, as well as the use of magic but I really had a hard time getting into the book. Not sure if I will continue the series.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

This is probably the best book of hers lately, I'm not a fan of her humor books. This is an actual prophecy fantasy book. She usually has a ton of romance in hers but this one is all about prophecy and very little romance. So the prophecy is about a son born to rid them of Harborym, an evil presence that has taken over his mother's land.

What did I like? First...this is not like her other recent novels, with the wit and sarcasm. I really enjoyed a fantastical journey ....that from the ending, will have several more parts. This is an actual novel with a great story. The characters are great, and while there is a blooming relationship, it is but a teensy part of the story. I loved Allegria, who was such a fun and charming character.

Would I buy this book? Yes, given its part of a series, and since I've started I would really like the next part. I think people who love fantasy will love this epic tale of prophecy.

Thoughts for the author? Keep writing books like these. I kind of hesitated asking for this one because since the light dragon books I haven't really dug into your books even though I have them all. This book however was written differently, and I really enjoyed it. Four fantastic stars for fantasy!

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love reading Katie MacAlister. This one was hard to get into. The world it happens in is quite interesting, and that is probably the best part about the book. There are a lot of things going on, maybe too much, and it became confusing at times.

It is impossible to tell who are the good guys among the main characters. Nobody really stands out on their own. Deo is about the most interesting character of them all, and looks like he will get more time in a second installment. I did not understand Lord Israel and his motivations at all. He was very vague about everything, especially with his son. His attitude screamed “This is my decision and you don’t need to understand it, just abide by it.”, which works for small children, but not adult ones. I couldn’t get behind the relationship between Allegria and Hallow either, I just didn’t really care that much about them. Like my teenager would say, I wouldn’t have shipped them together.

The dialogue seemed immature at times. There would be a serious situation, and then these random thoughts from the characters would pop out their mouths. Maybe it was supposed to provide a bit of comic relief, but it didn’t quite read that way.

It ended with the promise of more to come, and I’m leaning towards wanting to continue the series.

I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would give literally anything if this website would please say when a book is self-published. I pick a book based on the description or the cover and then I try to read it and it is an absolute mess.

The plot is muddled, confusing, and because there is a lack of editing and a LOT of exposition, I got bored and put it down. It's a nope from me.

I found the book somewhat interesting and somewhat boring? 10%in the book and some bits and pieces were interesting. But the rest i didn't like that much.. I didn't get as much invested in the characters as i had hoped. But i think, maybe that is just because of me? I don't know. But some of the characters and the happenings had me bored and/or confused. Plus when they cursed and/or got suprised they used "Kiraiah's nipples" or "Kiraiah's feet" or something and that just threw me off, i just felt awkwarded as heck about it. some parts of the book itself was alright, but it's not something i'd care to read the second installment in the series. It was sad, because i had high hopes for this one, plus the somewhat love triangle kind of 'threw me off' and made my eyes roll, it felt like the main girl went from a guy to another... But, you win some and you loose some, i guess.

The story was at times really good with touches of humor. There was lots of action but still the story was easy to read. But the beginnig was really slow and the story was also sometimes really difficult to follow because the story felt a little bit disjointed.

Thank you to Rebel Base Books (Kensington Books) and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy to read and review.

I had high hopes for this book because it sounded really interesting, but ended up with mixed emotions.

It was hard to get into the story. No character was likable, not even the three main characters who are destined to save the world. It was a dislike in a way that it was hard to distinguish who was good and who was bad (and not in a plot twist kind of way). I was essentially lost and wanted to stop reading but kept going because a part of me felt there was something I may have been missing or hadn't gotten to yet that would place the story back on track. It was hard trudging.

The world the author has built is great and unique. But the characters we are meant to follow paled in comparison. My opinion of them went back and forth a lot. I did laugh here and there. And there were moments (the few and far in between) that really captured my attention. I loved how the author crafted magic and how it's used.

Nevertheless, I kept reading because I needed to know how this whole business would conclude. By the end I was satisfied to give this book a higher rating than I first expected. Will I read the next book? Likely not. The reading experience of book one has left me very hesitant.