What started off sort of confusing got much clearer towards the middle of the book. By that I mean, the introduction of characters, muddled by the POV of a narrator that needed more growth before understanding to connect with. It was sort of like The Princess Bride meets Frozen 2 ans well, any fairy tale about magical creatures. What is actually happening made me so sad, so kudos to the author for really creating a relationship there. The twist was well earned and alluded to. Looking forward to Book 2!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Teen for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At first, this book was a little difficult to get into (there's a hefty amount of info-dumping at the beginning) but after a few dozen pages, I lost myself in the lush, mysterious world that the characters inhabit. Sure, it was a little bit slow paced at times, but I think that was necessary to set up the story.

Forestborn is beautifully written; the prose style reminds me of the writing in Samantha Shannon's "The Priory of the Orange Tree". The novel's premise is intricate and unique, as is the setting. The plot unfolds in an an unpredictable, sentient forest. Becker's writing is so descriptive and detailed, which made my reading experience even more enjoyable. I think most readers will be able to effortlessly picture the events in their minds; I know I certainly did, and I often found myself imagining how cool it would be as a film.
I was not immensely attached to the characters, nor did I enjoy the romance aspect of the book. However, I thought Rora and Helos' sibling bond was so... real, which I appreciate. There was also a plot twist that I didn't see coming at all, which was definitely fun.

I am rating this novel 3/5 because it's a good book with a solid plot and amazing worldbuilding. The reason I won't rate it any higher is because I couldn't really form an attachment to the characters and the romance wasn't up my alley. Enemies to lovers just... doesn't work for me when it's between an opposite-gender pairing. That's just my personal preference, though. I recommend it to lovers of high fantasy who like reading more 'advanced' YA novels.

I was hoping to like this one more than I did. It has elements that would usually be up my alley but I was having a hard time grasping to the story. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the book but more of a, “It’s me not, you” moment.

The plot starts off in the midst of political issues between kingdoms and the mistreatment of magic users. One of the magic users that is introduced at the beginning is Rora, the main character and shifter. She also has a brother who is the same as her. I like reading about sibling bonds and this was no different.

There are a lot of characters introduced and some do have very small parts. For some reason I thought this was a standalone and that is why I didn’t care too much about the character development being quick but by the end I came to the realization it will be a series and then it just kind of left me with more questions than anything. Maybe I will be the only one who feels this way. I never fully connected with any of the characters either. They weren’t bad to read about but I couldn’t feel for the plot twists that involved them.

The pacing was fine but there were slow times as the plot deals with a lot of traveling. This could be one reason why I couldn’t stay interested. There is hints at romance but not a whole lot happens on page. I was okay with that as I was more interested in the world-building and magic system than anything.

Overall, this was fine and I did like certain aspects of the book. I can see a lot of readers enjoying this one even if I didn’t love it.

This is exactly what I needed to break up the monotony of the typical YA fantasy troupe. I really enjoyed this magical adventure! The characters were well developed and multi-faceted, the world-building compelling and evocative, and the magic system unique and well developed. Now here I am wondering how I will make it until the sequel is released. Can't wait to booktalk this one at the start of the next school year!

Forestborn is an extremely strong debut work. It's powerfully written, with a strong and deeply flawed protagonist, Rora, and some very unique fantasies. I liked the strange details of things like how the shapeshifters could only assume three forms, and that they didn't pick them -- they responded to the first three times that person needed another form to deal with a situation, and no more. It has periods of deep whimsy, but also periods of extreme darkness -- think issues of genocide -- and it doesn't pull the punches on the dark parts to try to stay 'in line' with the earlier cute or whimsical elements.

It's not flawless -- the story arc is somewhat predictable in places, there is a bit of overindulgence in infodumping (and not always in places where it seeds the twists that come later), and there is a tendency for the characters to be put in situations they can't deal with and have something convenient happen to move the story along (whether that convenient thing is good or bad), such as a mist that takes them to wherever they need to be next. But it's unique, and interesting, and feels like it's approaching some common fantasy tropes in a fresh way with a new perspective. Beyond that, the real strength of Forestborn is in the character relationships. Rora's fragile relationship with the two princes, and her damaged relationship with her brother, and her brother's relationship with the princes, and the princes' relationship with each other and with the shifters -- none of them are easy, or simple, and the way the romance develops for Rora is also quite nicely done and really sold me.

One note: I was very surprised to hit the 95% mark and realize that this was not a standalone. In retrospect, I see it says it on the Netgalley page ("the first in a new fantasy series') but that text doesn't appear in the book itself itself or on its goodread page. In addition, there's no series name, no 'book one', etc etc. This isn't an issue with the book but with the marketing, but one does read differently when expecting the challenges introduced at the start of the book to be resolved by the end, so go in knowing this yourself.

I'm kind of conflicted on how to feel about this one. It's not a bad book, by any means. There were actually quite a few aspects I really enjoyed, such as the magical forest and the discussion of selfish vs selfless not always being a black and white thing.

However, I really didn't enjoy it? I'm not sure if the fault lies with me or the book itself, but reading this felt like trudging through quicksand. And try as I might, I can't entirely figure out why. From a completely logical perspective, this book was well-written with pretty good pacing and an easy to follow plot, and yet I felt completely and totally disconnected the entire time I read.

So. Yeah. Not much of a coherent review this time, more of me questioning why I didn't enjoy this more than I did. I will say, it reminded me a bit of "Defiance" by C.J. Redwine and "Onyx and Ivory" by Mindee Arnett so if you enjoyed either of those, definitely give it a try!!

Forestborn is a work of art. I am absolutely enamoured with this book. The characters are so painfully human, it is easy to root for, cry and fall in love with them. The settings are lush, the prose stunning, and let's not forget just how completely amazing this cover is. I will never stop singing praises. This book should be on everyone's lists.

I loved both the world-building and the characters in Forestborn. Rora is a strong, resilient leading woman and the author's writing style really has you feeling all of Rora's emotions and struggles.

The story itself was a bit slow going in the beginning, but about halfway through I was hooked. It was also nice to get answers to some bigger questions (rather than being left hanging until book 2). I'm looking forward to more.

As other reviewers have noticed, this book definitely felt more YA than other YA books may feel, and I think this makes it more suitable for younger readers or readers who aren't as familiar with the fantasy genre. There are a lot of information dumps that slow the pacing down significantly, but the overall story is enjoyable.

This would be perfect for the target demographic, which is YA. I didn't personally connect with the story line much and as other have noted the love parts felt a tad cheesy, but then again probably perfect for the intended audience. Thank you for the chance to read this ARC.

★★☆☆☆ 2/5

I don’t know if i would call this book BAD, but it has little personality and a lot of infodumping, and those are two big book turnoffs for me.

(arc provided by netgallery and Tor Teen. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*"Fear is just a story waiting to be told. Learn the story and remember every part of it so you can tell me."*

Rora has many things to fear: her past, her former home—and that the general populace of the kingdom will discover that she's a shifter, a person with magic who can take on any human form and three different animal forms by using the matter around her. For the past few years, each of the three kingdoms on the continent has produced the same prophecy on the day of the Prediction: *Two shifters death*, which has generated distrust toward all the forestborn. Unfortunately, that pronouncement coincided with the arrival of Rora and her brother, Helos, in the kingdom.

Despite this, Rora and Helos managed to make friends with the youngest member of the royal family, Prince Finley—the one person Rora can truly say is a friend. And then he falls ill with the same magical disease that she has been tracking for the king. The only solution is for Rora to travel back to the home she fled, to search for stardust. As she fears, she gets more than she bargains for.

Our protagonist, Rora, is wonderful. She is deeply loyal once she trusts a person, a survivor, and emotionally complex in a huge way. Since the book is told from her point of view, we are privy to all her conflicted feelings about her relationship with her brother, with Finley, with Wes, and with her own past and nature. I appreciated the fact that she struggled with what she deemed her own selfishness— but in reality were difficult choices in even more difficult circumstances—and I thought that the author dealt with her guilt and trauma very well.

The next best character, however is the Vale itself. The depiction of this wild, magic-imbued land is incredible. The terrain shifts and rearranges itself, creates deceptions, and is truly treacherous. The atmosphere that the author creates is simultaneously beautiful and alarming: a meadow is the setting for some perilous moments, and the destination that contains the stardust the characters seek is home to one of the best segments of the story.

I didn't expect the political element to come in so strongly towards the back half of the novel, but it utterly delighted me. The foreshadowing was really well done, and now that I know there will be a sequel, I'm excited to see where it leads. I also loved the way magic works in this world and how it ties everything together. As for the relationships—what can I say? I loved them. The slow burn was so slow it even snuck up on me, and I keep an eye out for that kind of them! Rora's bond to Helos can't be overlooked; their trust of each other is so strong that I can feel it myself. And let's not forget the one relationship that I hope is on the mend.

There is one sole element that bugs me, and it is literally just a matter of personal preference: occasionally the male characters are described as wearing suits or button-down shirts, and that yanked me out of the fantasy. Obviously there are fantasies where clothing we'd wear in the real world is common, but to me it felt surprisingly out of place every time. Luckily, it wasn't that many times! And like I said, it's a trifling issue, and one that won't stop me from buying a copy and rereading when the book releases.

Because this book absolutely belongs on my shelf, and yours. If you love a classic quest narrative, political intrigue, an interesting magic system that gets its tendrils into every aspect of the story, or characters who struggle but are good-hearted and above all are willing to do anything for the ones they love, you're in for the book of your dreams.

I really enjoyed this debut book! I’m actually sad to have to wait a year for the second.

Honestly I didn’t have high expectations going in but the synopsis sounded very intriguing. Wow was I pleasantly surprised!

We have Helos and Rora, shifters who live with humans. Rora is a spy for King Gerar and Helos a healer. There is an illness, The Fallow Throes, effecting all the kingdoms of the land killing humans and plant life alike. It now threatens the life of one of the royals. They set off with Wes, the Prince, to The Forest to find a cure. The plot twist with who Rora and Helos’s mother is I didn’t see coming! You knew there was something interesting about her but not what it ended up being!

I loved the magical beings especially the shifters and how we get glimpses into what will be important in the next book. I really liked Rora because she was real and flawed just like us. It said teen romance but it is definitely a slow burn type. With that said, it was lovely getting to see Rora and Wes build a friendship before relationship. Through their journey in the forest they grow closer, share confidences and eventually develop surprising feelings.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader copy!

— Staci McIntyre

I had a really hard time with this one, and I think it's because it felt very YA. Sometimes you pick up a YA book and you can hardly tell, but that was not the case with Forestborn.

I did like Rora, and the shifting. I liked the magic of this book - the disease, the world, etc. But the romance bits (Finley, and later Weslyn) felt a bit cheesy. So while I hate to do it, I'm giving this only three stars, and being more cautious when I go into YA books to review.

On the other hand, I would absolutely read more from this author. Like I said, there was a good amount to love about it.

This was an incredible story about a dangerous journey, love and friendship.

Rora is a shifter; her power is rare and there is some discrimination towards people like her. Works in King Gerar's court and is close friends with Finley, the youngest prince, one of the few people who consider her a person and not a creature. When Finley catches a deadly plague, Rora has one mission, enter to her old home, a forest full of magic and danger, in hopes of returning with a cure. She will not go alone, she is accompanied by her brother Helos and Weslyn, Finley's older brother.

The world building was so good, love the descriptions of the forest and the dangerous creatures that inhabit it. Its a story about a journey and quest. I love creepy forests, and this is definitely one of them, it is full of traps and strange creatures.
Also, in the forest they discover more danger; royal complots and humans capturing magical creatures or shifters like Rora. She and her companions have to be smart and trust each other if they want a successful mission and report the new threat to their king.

I love the bond between the characters, since kids Rora and Helos only have each other, their relationship is sweet and strong. On the other hand, Rora does not trust Weslyn, there are misunderstandings on both sides, he is human and Rora does not believe he is strong enough to survive in the forest, he will prove her otherwise. Their relationship is slow build and real.

It was a great story; the magic is good, quite original, lot of action and likeable characters. I really want the second book ASAP.

What an incredible ride this had been. It evokes all the feels of fantastic films like The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story (I'm specifically naming the films because the book versions are something else entirely). Our heroine Rora is a shifter who lives among humans who distrust magic and fear it. Still she and her brother Helios make a life for themselves in King Gerar's court. She is particularly close to the King's younger son, Finley. When Finley contracts a deathly plague that is sweeping the land she and her brother volunteer to track through a magical wilderness in search stardust – a rare, magical substance, that might serve as a cure. They are accompanied by Weslyn, Finley's enigmatic older brother. As they traverse through the dangers of the wilderness Rora and Weslyn slowly bond and develop feelings for each other.

I loved everything about this book from the magic system and worldbuilding to the careful character development the relationships' portrayal as well as the pacing and the plot twists. It was all executed superbly.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. #Forestborn #NetGalley

Ideal for fantasy lovers, looking for an adventure. This book felt whimsical and enchanting as we follow our characters in a world that is rich with lore, this had great world building as I could picture the world in my minds eye.

I haven't read a shapeshifter novel or series since the old Animorphs series in middle school, so this was such a fresh and invigorating re-entrance into the world of shape shifting.

Full of magic, wonder, and gripping world building, Forestborn will have you questioning everything. I fell in love with main character Rora as she spies for the kingdom and makes her way through an illness that eats away at her city and country.

If you like quest fantasies and amazingly-described magic and detailed worlds, pick this up.

Thank you to TOR Teen and NetGalley for the e-arc.