My rating:

add to my books

Storm Born (Dark Swan #1)

by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author)

3.97 · rating details · 8,121 ratings · 689 reviews

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants. . .

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired t

...more

Mass Market Paperback, 361 pages

Published August 1st 2008 by Zebra

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Paranormal Romance Series

40th out of 360 books — 3,565 voters

Best urban fantasy

87th out of 1,234 books — 4,792 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 16,325)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 31, 2010

Catherine rated it

Recommended to Catherine by: Shannon Doerfler

Shelves: pick-it-for-me-challenge, contemporary, fae, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, magic-mystical-ability, read-2010, series, were-shifter

This was a pretty average first book in a series. It wasn't bad and it wasn't really good, it was just...there. The world building wasn't particularly developed, which was rather disappointing. Because I found Eugenie irritating and her love triangle boring, I was hoping for an intricate world to capture my attention. No such luck.

The beginning of this book seemed to crawl by. Maybe it just felt tedious as the author set up the story and world? I don't know, all I know is that ...more

like 22 likes

· see review

Aug 18, 2010

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of female lead urban fantasy with a fair amount of sex

Shelves: urban-fantasy, uf-summer-challenge, owned-copy, part-of-a-series, asian-hero-or-heroine, latino-hero-or-love-interest, interracial-romance, faerie, djinn, shaman, the-lost-heir, love-triangle, kitsune, mythical-beasties, kickbutt-heroine, bdsm, ghost

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is one book that I have mixed feelings about. There were some aspects I really liked...and some, not so much.

I'll go into the negatives first:

Quite frankly, this book read like Eugenie's Adventures in Paranormal Dating to me. I am just not a fan of chick-lit, and that whole aspect was sort of a turn off to me. I felt that there was too much emphasis on Eugenie's sex/dating life, and her status as a highly sought-after sex partner, for whatever reason. That left me...more

like 31 likes

· see review

Oct 14, 2009

Mel rated it

Dare I say I loved this more than the Georgina Kincaid series?
Well at least, compared to Succubus Heat, Storm Born is better written, more exciting and most of all: funnier.

Meet Eugenie Markham aka Odile Dark Swan, a powerful shaman who protects the human world from Fay, spirits and other Otherworldly creatures. Due to a series of unfortunate incidents, attacks for her life, a conspiracy and indecent proposals from just about every male Fay creature, Eugenie finds out some pr...more

like 12 likes

· see review

Mar 11, 2010

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: fans of S&M/bondage kind of smut

Shelves: 2009, series-dropped-lost-steam, urban-fantasy

I love Mead's Vampire Academy series, like Succubus books as well; naturally I expected to enjoy Storm Born too. Unfortunately, I was wrong. In fact, I couldn't believe how bad it was. Did Richelle actually write this?

First of all, the plot itself was very weak. There was no point to the story, no climax, just a few things thrown together with no purpose. Events seemed to have been made up just to fill in the space between the sex scenes. Characters were unrelatable, unlikable, acted...more

like 20 likes

· see review

Mar 14, 2011

FlibBityFLooB rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2010, love-triangle, witty-i-am-not, zzauthor-mead, fae, shifters, magic, loved-the-audiobook, read-more-than-once, read-in-2011, ghosts, husband-disliked-book

I knew it was going to be a different sort of book when the first couple pages talked about a haunted shoe. I can’t say that I have ever read a book with haunted clothing before. One of the things I appreciate in the over-crowded world of urban fantasy is when an author makes an attempt to build a world with interesting and unique creatures. If the only thing you read about is vampires, that can be very boring. I liked Richelle Mead’s world building in this book with elementals, water spi...moreI knew it was going to be a different sort of book when the first couple pages talked about a haunted shoe. I can’t say that I have ever read a book with haunted clothing before. One of the things I appreciate in the over-crowded world of urban fantasy is when an author makes an attempt to build a world with interesting and unique creatures. If the only thing you read about is vampires, that can be very boring. I liked Richelle Mead’s world building in this book with elementals, water spirits, gentry, creatures that cause immense depression, “pet” foxes, etc. Good stuff.

The charming character of Dorian was definitely an enigma. I loved how he both preyed on the heroine, Eugenie, and yet also tenderly cared for her. I appreciated that he had wisdom that some of the other characters, including Kiyo, didn’t seem to show. I think he was a very calculating character, thinking through things carefully with his brain instead of merely with his pants. I found it a little puzzling that Dorian was described to have both infinite patience and be subject to extreme bouts of boredom within a few pages of each other.

I suppose a lot of Dorian’s appeal to me also rested in the fish-out-of-water plotlines he provided. I loved him chewing on a milky way while drinking wine, poking at the plastic slinky because he didn’t know what it was, and being obsessed with credit cards. I loved him wanting Eugenie to take him to bars: “Take me to one of those places where human women wear revealing clothing and quickly lose their virtue through alcohol.”

Dorian really did have some of the best lines in the book. When asked about whether her magic had progressed enough, I loved his sarcastic reply to Eugenie: “You found the water. Now, you have to do something with it. Your enemies won’t be impressed when you inform them there’s a lake just over the hill.” While reading, I thought that Eugenie’s ability to sense water would certainly come in handy in the desert if she lost her camel, but I wasn’t sure what else it would be good for. Does Eugenie even have a camel? Hmmm… Another favorite line of mine, when Dorian was painting one of his armored warriors and was questioned why he painted a bow on the warrior: “It matches the chaise. I had to add it, otherwise you would have clashed.”

I became disenchanted with the character of Kiyo as the book progressed. Originally, when his character was introduced, I was very attracted to the idea of him. However, as the author revealed more about his character and his past, he lost a lot of his glamour. I don’t dislike Kiyo, though, and I do think that having him around will keep intrigue with the love triangle in future books.

******* slightly spoilerish below *******

I particularly enjoyed the submission banter and game between Dorian and Eugenie. Power was an underlying theme throughout their relationship and I thrived on it. Eugenie summed it up well by saying he was an enemy she had come to crave. Very interesting indeed. I loved how Dorian wouldn’t let Eugenie have her way in the end and made her tell him exactly what she wanted. The fact that Eugenie had to say PLEASE was very exhausting as a reader, yet very satisfying in the end. :) :) :) I am dying to know when Eugenie will bother to share her Dorian-sexcapades with Kiyo.

The most frustrating part of the entire novel for me was waiting for Eugenie to call the water to put out the fire surrounding Dorian. I wanted to grind my teeth waiting for her to actually use her noggin to realize she could use her magic to fix the situation. There was a lot of relief in her pulling the water out of her foe fairy king. *whew*

True, I will concede that the overall plot to this particular entry wasn’t *that* unique to other urban fantasy I’ve read (outcast female heir who doesn’t quite fit the fae world and everybody wants to bed or impregnate… Meredith Gentry… Mona Lisa… Fever series… etc.), but I really did like the book none-the-less because it was still able to remain its own entity apart from the others.(less)

like 15 likes

· see review

Aug 10, 2008

Julie (jjmachshev) rated it

Shelves: 2008-reads

Fascinating! I couldn't put "Storm Born" by Richelle Mead down! I read her 'succubus' series, but this is so much more. More fantasy, more characters, more worlds, and WAY hot fae, humans, and shifters (kitsune).

Eugenie, Odile, Dark Swan...she's all these, and now she's about to find out that she's also so much more she never knew. Eugenie is a powerful shaman who banishes spirits and fey out of the mortal world into either hell or back to their world, depending on thei...more

like 14 likes

· see review

Jun 04, 2011

Lucy rated it

Shelves: ghosts, fairy-tale, fantasy, how-did-this-get-published, paranormal, romance, wasn-t-for-me, vomit-in-a-hat

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thought about whether this was one or two stars while I was reading the last forty pages. I already knew we'd sailed right on by three stars. Even though I enjoyed Mead's YA series this book was ultimately not for me. First and foremost, I am not a big fan of fairies. Authors usually try to make these ancient myths their own and inevitably fuck it up. Mead's no exception here. It might have been passable, but the world building was half-assed. I don't think Mead really knew the rules she was t...moreI thought about whether this was one or two stars while I was reading the last forty pages. I already knew we'd sailed right on by three stars. Even though I enjoyed Mead's YA series this book was ultimately not for me. First and foremost, I am not a big fan of fairies. Authors usually try to make these ancient myths their own and inevitably fuck it up. Mead's no exception here. It might have been passable, but the world building was half-assed. I don't think Mead really knew the rules she was trying to set up. I still don't get why spirits and Greek gods were involved with the fairy stuff. It makes me think that the novel started off as either a ghost-hunter novel or a fairy-whatever novel and she merged one idea with another when the world building didn't leave enough conflict for a real story.

The characters aren't particularly well-developed, especially the love interests. Kiyo is incredibly generic. He's like every shape-shifting alpha-male character in every paranormal romance ever. The things that might have made him more unique or interesting were glossed over in favor of him fighting to the death to protect Eugenie. Blah blah crap cliches and cheap insta-love galore. He gets very few actual conversations between him and Eugenie -- mostly their interactions are just summaries. I would've liked to know more about his other relationship, why he ended it and how he felt about fathering a child by someone he wasn't with. Even his human existence as a vet was more interesting than the pile of crap cliches we got.

Dorian was more of the same. Wish fulfillment over substance. Powerful king interested in Eugenie despite her lack of social skills and missing personality. His motivations and desires are tossed aside for his love of this woman he barely knows. Blah, I hope he's lying or it's just so boring.

I didn't think the romance in Mead's YA series was well developed and this book is more of the same. She seems to think it suffices to say someone's in love rather than have an emotional connection develop. It doesn't work. There's obviously something missing.

The stuff that really made this not for me though was all the rape as plot. A huge portion of the plot is driven by every fairy with a dick's desire to knock Eugenie up, willingly or unwillingly. On top of that, Eugenie never really deals with the fact that she's pretty much decided children are totally off the table for her or examines her now split loyalty between the worlds with any depth. Everything that could've been substantial was tossed aside for some bondage. Eugenie spends half the book fighting off rapists and then in this weird and truly creepy sex scene she basically requests it. It wasn't a fun little foray into the world of bondage, at least not with how mixed her feelings were about sleeping with the man in question. Part of her mind kept rejecting the idea of him, but she was still interested in the sex so she suggested he tie her up so that pesky side of her brain and personality would have less of a say. Umm what? Ew.

Reading about multiple rape attempts and psychological confusion between rape and bondage was a stressful and annoying thing. Dominate-submissive sex can be fun, but Eugenie's conflict over it made it skeevy. Since I can't twist my brain to find Eugenie's tactics acceptable, I'll say it from the guy's point of view. I would never want to have sex with someone who needed to be tied up because they were otherwise too repulsed by me to have sex. She was perfectly capable of consensual sex with another man earlier in the book, but to overcome her discomfort with the second guy she needed part of her free will taken away. Sorry, not romantic, not sexy. Bondage is fine by me, hell, all sex games are fine by me as long as it takes places between two completely consenting adults. 75% consensual is 25% Lucy throws up in a hat. Domination is different from rape. Overall this book does people who are into bondage a disservice by lacing it up with a weird mental rape.

There were a lot of interesting things that could've been explored. The validity of the prophecy that led to all the drama, Eugenie sacrificing the possibility of children, her relationship with her parents or her exploration of her real heritage. Instead every inch of the plot went back to sex, nonconsensual, somewhat consensual, completely consensual. Listen, there's no such thing as somewhat consensual sex. You either want to or you don't. I felt skeeved that the characters thought there were shades of gray and horrified that another woman was suggesting the line was blurry. It. Is. Not. Blurry.

The rest of the plot was even more cliche. The I-have-a-secret-fairy-parent thing has been done to death. Shoot it and put it out of its misery. One star, no interest in continuing the series unless I've lost some kind of bet and it's between book two and shaving my hair.(less)

like 10 likes

· see review

Sep 22, 2011

Book Chick City rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: book-list-2009, 2009-august, fiction, books-i-own, reviews, urban-fantasy, books-for-review-full-list

This is the first in the new Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead, author of the incredibly successful Vampire Academy and Succubus novels.

Eugenie Markham (aka Odile) is a head-strong and independent character who is instantly likable. The opening few pages quickly sucked me into Eugenie's life as a Shaman with humour and combat as she fights to banish a spirit from a haunted running shoe! This book is full of action and for the most part the plot is fast-paced and when one fight ends ...more

like 6 likes

· see review

Jun 24, 2009

Heather rated it

Shelves: 2009, urban-fantasy, loathed

Good God this book was horrid!

Having read and liked Mead’s Vampire Academy and Succubus series, I find this one to be shockingly bad. I had to force myself to finish it.

The main character/narrator is personality-less. She could have died and I wouldn't have known the difference (which is saying something, as this is a first person narration) or cared for that matter. Furthermore, Eugine's world is severly underdeveloped and lacks intrigue. Wait, I take that back, if I was...more

like 8 likes

· see review

Apr 05, 2011

jD rated it

Shelves: 1_library-yes, series_paranormal, series_fae_mythology, fantasy_urban, 2011-read

This is my first Richelle Mead book. It had been on my TBR pile for some time. I flagged it because of the fae element and hoped the rest would pull me in. Well, the story was many things before all was said and done.

Eugenie Markham, our heroine, is a powerful shaman who provides ghost busting type servies to those suffering with a wide variety of supernatural infestations. She is the first shaman I have read and liked. Most were wreckless or stupid. While working on several c...moreThis is my first Richelle Mead book. It had been on my TBR pile for some time. I flagged it because of the fae element and hoped the rest would pull me in. Well, the story was many things before all was said and done.

Eugenie Markham, our heroine, is a powerful shaman who provides ghost busting type servies to those suffering with a wide variety of supernatural infestations. She is the first shaman I have read and liked. Most were wreckless or stupid. While working on several cases, she realizes that these supernatural beings know her true name. This is a new development, it's unacceptable and dangerous. As usual, Eugenie has secrets that redefine who she thinks she is plus a nasty prophecy thrown in for good measure. She is on the run from everything that can cross over into her world. Some want her dead while most want to father a child with her with the belief it will rule the world. Yeah, right.

What's a heroine without a hero or two? Let's go with two. There is fox shifter Kiyo whom she meets first and falls in love with. I don't get the love part of that relationship but I accept it because it's where the author wants to go. Then we have Dorian, a fae king, that comes into the story as an 'friend' she doesn't want or trust. This is where the story takes me in a direction I did not like at all. Although Eugenie is not a whore-ish type, she is attracted to two men and has sex with them, separately of course. Not knowing Ms. Mead's ultimate agenda for Eugenie, I could see how this could turn into an Anita Blake or Meredith Gentry (Laurell K. Hamilton's characters)type situation. That would be a waste of a great character but it would not be the first time. I can only hope that does not happen.

The biggest pluses for this book were the humor, interesting characters, and pacing. It's all well done and fits together. It entertains. I believe I will continue the series at some point in the future if the shifter dies or is taken out of the mix.(less)

like 5 likes

· see review

Dec 02, 2011

Stacia ~ platonic rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adult

***Series re-read with friends in preparation for final book release - December 2011***
Original review score : 3.5 stars. I think I'll be keeping this rating.

Notes upon second read :

After having my opinions muddled by reading all 3 books and finding myself with conflicting feelings regarding all of the characters in the series, it was nice to go back to the start and relive some of the original love that I felt for Kiyo before everything started to go downhill. I found m...more

like 5 likes

· see review

Jan 15, 2012

Angie (Mind Malfunction) rated it

Shelves: own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First Read: April 7-8, 2011 / Second Read: January 14, 2011
Storm Born is book one in the Dark Swan Series by Richelle Mead. The mortal and otherworld are excellently described. The characters have depth and are delicious. There are hilarious one liners and the character of Eugenie is a great combination of hilarity, passion, and strength. I loved, loved, loved, this book. The Dark Swan Series is about Eugenie Markham; her past, her present, and what could become her future.

...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 15, 2012

Grace rated it

Shelves: paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Characters: C-
Weren't all the original compared to other contemporary books out there. Same language, same sarcasm, same rebel, kick butt female lead who's vulnerable to that one guy and she needs support from. Little or no character development.

Plot: C-
Seriously? Storm King's daughter? That could be pulled off, but this one made it cliche. I knew she was the Storm King's daughter as soon as I heard about it. Especially with the title of this book being what it is. The o...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 31, 2011

Fani rated it

Shelves: used-borrowed, urban-fantasy, love-triangle, heroine-i-disliked, hero-i-disliked, heroine-i-wanna-shake-or-slap

2.5 stars

I can't write a review about this but here are my thoughts:

Pros:
1. I liked the worlds Mead built in this one. Complex and simple at the same time and very intriguing.
2. It was fast paced, full of action and easy to read.
3. There was a love triangle, something I like lately.
4. There was a lot of chemistry and passion between the heroine and one of her potential love interests and I really liked them together although most readers disagree w...more2.5 stars

I can't write a review about this but here are my thoughts:

Pros:
1. I liked the worlds Mead built in this one. Complex and simple at the same time and very intriguing.
2. It was fast paced, full of action and easy to read.
3. There was a love triangle, something I like lately.
4. There was a lot of chemistry and passion between the heroine and one of her potential love interests and I really liked them together although most readers disagree with me.
5. The second hero although bland at the beginning, seemed to become more and more interesting as the story progressed. By the end of the book, he definitely -and irrevocably I'm afraid- became my favorite.
6. The twists in the end of the book me completely by surprise and made me wonder if reading the second book is not such a bad idea after all.

Cons:
1. I didn't like the heroine. In fact, I hated her for half of the book. She was impetuous, ornery, prejudiced and believed that fighting is the solution to all and any problems. She calls that bravery; I call that stupidity. On the up side, she got rid of some of those characteristics in the second half.
2. Though there was chemistry between her and one of her suitors, the author decided to throw him a curveball from which I doubt he (or I) can recover. Unfortunately, the heroine seems to be set on this guy besides the huge problem still hanging between them.
3. On the other hand, the alternative does not seem good either; IMHO, there was very little chemistry between her and the second guy. This is a 'between the hammer and the anvil' situation and I can only hope Mead tackles it differently in the second book.
4. The fighting system is very complicated. Wands, hand-combat technics, guns, swords, athame, magic incantations and elemental magic, all are used simultaneously by the heroine during battles and make it hard for the reader to follow.
5. The first 200 pages are one prolonged prologue. There were tons of fights as the heroine battles with someone daily, but the story just doesn't move forward at all. It was only after the heroine learned of the prophecy and her role in it that the pace and plot picked up.

Had not all readers tried to convince me that the second book is much much better than this one, the series would have ended here for me. As things stand, I still might give the second book a chance in the future but not with any enthusiasm.
(less)

like 9 likes

· see review

Jan 01, 2011

Kelly rated it

Shelves: richelle-mead, 2011-reads

Concept: “Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl’s got to eat. Her most recent case however, is enough o ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie come face to face with a startling prophecy – one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie’s first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

N...moreConcept: “Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl’s got to eat. Her most recent case however, is enough o ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie come face to face with a startling prophecy – one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie’s first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldly ne’er do well, and the ones who don’t want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her…”

Review: Richelle Mead is the author of one of my favorite series, The Vampire Academy. The main problem (and maybe the ONLY problem) I had with that series was just not enough romance for me. Well she certainly fixed that here. I’m starting out this review by saying, hold on to your hats girls! because there is some hot luvin’ ahead. Okay, perhaps not BDB hot, or Demonica hot, but I really thought this book smoked. Another correlation to VA was the main character Eugenie to VA’s Rose: they are both strong, thinking women as well as having a striking resemblance to me. ::winking::

So we start out the story learning about Eugenie’s determination to do her job and send all those wayward spirits onto their appropriate worlds. Sort of like a softer Anita Blake. One night at a bar, she hooks up with a delicious and of course, mysterious man (the pick-up conversation dialogue was mucho calliente as well as intelligent). She is hired to locate a wayward teenager who is supposedly being held against her will by a fairy king and is probably being raped and abused (as was Eugenie’s mother and in fact, Eugenie herself was a result of the rape her mother endured). With mysterious man’s help, and the help a few spirit guide/friends, she is introduced into um, shall we call it “fairy world?” One of the characters she meets, another fairy king (a good king, not the bad-raping king), helps her learn magic that Eugenie discovers she has and helps her come to terms with a parenting revelation that Eugenie learns as well. Mysterious man turns out to be part of the fairy world in the role of a shape-shifter. He helps Eugenie along the way as well. Part of the parenting revelation that Eugenie discovers has a prophecy built into it and has every male fairy in fairy world wanting to boff Eugenie into pregnancy because having a child with Eugenie would mean major job perks for the poppa to be. So there’s a few aspects to the story going down. Oh wait, I have to mention that inbetween all this, various supernatural creatures are attempting to either rape (for reasons I explained above) or even kill poor Eugenie. She definitely has her hands full.

What I liked: I loved the sense of humor. I found myself chuckling several times throughout the book. I loved the characters (Tim, Eugenie’s roommate and her spirit guides especially), I loved the sexy, sexy banter between Eugenie and Dorian and Eugenie and Kiyo, oh such hot stuff! I loved the setting (Arizona). I loved the story line-mystery involved.

What I disliked: At the end, there was a scene where Eugenie travels over to the “death” world to try and save Kiyo. She has a scene with her father and some other characters (I don’t want to give anything away here) that I found kind of weird. Like I needed to be smoking peyote or something to get it. It was a little strange for me. But, it was only a few pages of the story and I loved so much of everything else, that I’m forgiving it.

If you are a paranormal romance lover, you will love this, the first book in the Dark Swan series. If you really love Vampire Academy, you will love this book. If you love Anita Blake but wished she were a little softer, you will love this book. If you are a stickler for realism, run far away. If romance and escapism are what you are looking for, well then, stop here and crack open a spine.
(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Feb 03, 2011

Suz rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I thought this was kind of slow starting. It was obvious that she was setting up the lore for a series, although the book is self contained. It didn't truly begin to get interesting to me until the last third or so of the book. Predictably, it made me want to pick up the next book right away.

The world building is quite good, as is typical of Richelle Mead. The lore and background stories of the characters is engaging.

However, also typical of Richelle Mead, I find th...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 24, 2011

MISS VAIN rated it

Recommended to MISS VAIN by: Cat Russell ~Addicted2Heroines~

Shelves: richelle-mead, series-that-i-m-obsessed-with

This series is very different from Richelle Mead's usually series but very good! The heroine is Eugenie Markham a powerful shaman who banishes spirits, who cross into the mortal world. She's extrememly prejudiced in this books in favor of her own race but along the way she learns more about herself and her character grows in this first book of the series.
Ok so there is a love triangle in this book. who doesn't love those? Its between a hot shapeshifter and super hot fey king. The shapeshi...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 16, 2011

Judithe rated it

Shelves: read-2011, uf, pn-various-supes, pn-ghosts, pn-fae, pn-shifter, first-in-series, wrote-review, e-book, e-book-kindle

Eugenie Markham is a shaman and a mercenary, but that's not all she is. In the first of the Dark Swan series, she finds out more about her origins and begins a journey to fulfill, or not, her destiny. Kiyo Marquez, a kitsune (fox) shifter, and Dorian, a fae king, play pivotal rolls in her adventures.

I enjoyed her sass and the fast paced story. However, (view spoiler)...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 17, 2011

Deborah rated it

First I want to voice that I do not like the progression of the rating system. 4 stars "really liked", 5 stars should be "Loved it" "It was amazing" is reserved for very few books - in my opinion. I am not saying that there are not amazing books out there but the sentiment is too gushy for me.

OK that said - I loved this book. I had not read this series because I had issues with the Succubus series. This book has enough humor to work through the darker ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Apr 06, 2011

Kimberly rated it

Shelves: paranormal, 2011, bingo-2011

I really liked this and I'm not sure I can say precisely why I did.
It could be that I read this immediately after Vampire Academy and I had a hard time getting through that book? Possibly.
A lot happened to keep me going to the end where I didn't feel like I was bored with the storyline. I never catch on to the aspect of love triangles. I liked both Kiyo and Dorian and could have cared less who she chose. I just knew there would be ramifications of choosing one over the other and she...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 12, 2011

Jenn rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

It took me awhile to get into the story but once I was in, I couldn't put it down for long.

I'm usually a sucker for the hero and if there are two, I'm always picking a favourite. This time I'm not too sure either one are up to any good. Although Dorian the ~~bondage~~ Oak King is quite sexy and that one scene melted my pedicure. Let's face it, I think any book with a hot sexy bondage scene is going to rock.

Eugenie Markham is my kind of heroine. She really is. She has no idea what she's doing but she...more

· see review

Feb 04, 2012

Erika Gill rated it

I picked this paperback up in a thrift store for 35 cents, after reading the blurb. I almost never do this, because the blurbs can be well written, and the books hilariously, well, not.

This one was! Well-written, I mean. Granted, I don't like Tucson, AZ very much (I'm from a desert and they are awful places to be) and it is a paranormal romance (I think?) which is not my thing, usually, but I like it. It was fresh, and the shaman bit was pretty cool.

The whole thing smacked ...more

· see review

Jan 31, 2012

Lisa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

‘Dark Swan’ is the new graphic novel serial from Sea Lion Books, based on the series by urban fantasy author Richelle Mead.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to review Richelle Mead's DARK SWAN only days after reading the print book. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I’ve always considered graphic novels to be only a step above a comic book ( sorry, hanging my head shamefully). I never realized that they could add so much to a story.

Really,tho...more‘Dark Swan’ is the new graphic novel serial from Sea Lion Books, based on the series by urban fantasy author Richelle Mead.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to review Richelle Mead's DARK SWAN only days after reading the print book. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I’ve always considered graphic novels to be only a step above a comic book ( sorry, hanging my head shamefully). I never realized that they could add so much to a story.

Really,though, I want the whole story, every single paragraph, word, letter and punctuation mark. What reader doesn’t? Seriously, I never would have picked this up on my own. Well, slap me stupid! Boy was I in for a surprise. While I already had a mental picture of most of the characters (what reader doesn’t) in my head. I didn’t find a character at all in the GN that felt out of sync. The colors are bright and distinct while the characters were amazingly active for pictures. I’ve always enjoyed Mead’s vivid action scenes and thought this series would make an excellent movie. Artist Dave Hamann brought these scenes alive with brilliant colors.

I’ve got to admit that I’m not real sure how much I would have enjoyed the GN if I hadn’t just read the book but the storyline was pretty much intact or will be with the addition of the next volume. While I think these graphic novels are a wonderful addition to the series, I just can’t imagine them replacing the books. It would be a bit like seeing all the Harry Potter movies without cracking a book, and yeah, I know that are some people that do just that (shaking my head in disbelief).

While I’m more of a paranormal romance reader than an urban fantasy reader, this series manages to combine the romance with the kick-ass, take no prisoners makeup of the main character. I love the snarky mouth on Eugenie and the way she interacts with Kiyo, a very sexy shapeshifter, and Dorian, the Fairy King. Her three sidekicks also added greatly to the snarky humor in the book. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that I did not pick up on who the bad guy was till it was right in front of me. That alone adds an extra star to my review.

Luckily, I have the rest of the series in my TBR pile so bring it on guys!
(less)

· see review

Dec 29, 2011

Kayla Guyette rated it

As a fan of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Georgina Kincaid series, I figured it was about time to check out the Dark Swan series. At first I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea, but after a couple of chapters I was completely drawn in. I actually ended up kicking myself for not buying the 3 pack deal Sony Reader Library was offering for my book reader.

Storm Born follows the adventures of shaman, Eugenie Markham. She was trained by her stepfather to take over the ‘family busi...more

· see review

Dec 29, 2011

Alice rated it

Recommends it for: paranormal romance fans, Vampire Academy alums

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal

I just devoured all four books in this series and ended up really invested in it, so I'm glad I made it through the first in this series. This reminded me a great deal of the Grave Dance series, but that's not Mead's fault since those were written after this (hello, Kalayna Price, I'm watching you!). There's a similar conceit: main character is a freelance spirit-banisher with connections to the faery/fairy/gentry world, caught between two hot guys. But where I found Alex Craft weak and annoying...more

· see review

Nov 14, 2011

Kat Kennedy rated it

Shelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, just-plain-bad, kat-s-book-reviews, kat-s-rants

Did you hear that sound? That sound, right there? Okay, well, it's either the sound of my heart forsaking Mead for all eternity, or there's a murderer whose broken into your house and is SNEAKING UP BEHIND YOU!!!!!

axe murderer

Look over your shoulder just to check that I'm wrong. You know you want to do it!

Storm Born, the tragic tale of a woman forced by cruel fate to be hit on by ALL the men. Yes. That's what this story is about. Okay, there are fairies and sh...more

like 45 likes

· see review

Sep 17, 2011

Novels On The Run rated it

Shelves: fave-books

MICHELLE'S REVIEW:

RATING: 4.5 UBER SMEXI KIYO STARS WITH A SIDE ORDER OF DORIAN!

When a book starts off with a possessed Nike shoe, you just want to keep turning those pages. I loved ‘Storm Born’. The title is perfect for the story.

Eugenie Markham is a Tuscan 26yr old Shaman, who loves Milky Way chocolate bars. She wears the tattoos of violets and leaves spread across her lower back. Her eyes are violet. On her right upper arm she has the tattoo of a snake, H...more

· see review

Jun 01, 2011

Alexandra rated it

· review of another edition

I have decided that urban fantasy isn't for me after all. (Not that I can't tell that just by looking at the cover/format of the book. I guess I have this sense of judging a book by its cover?) I'd been reluctant to read this and only did because I mistakenly bought the third book in the series thinking it was the beginning of a new series by Richelle Mead (that one's cover was slyly more YA-looking), but eventually I powered through it especially since I'd already bought it.

Anyway,...more

· see review

May 26, 2011

L rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I like Urban Fantasy in theory. You can do some fascinating things with it. The problem I have with Urban Fantasy is almost all series sound like the exact damn thing. Wayyy too many of them fall into the Mary-Sue trap, and as befitting a Sue, have about thirty boyfriends and an ever-growing power stash because they are just so special.

Also, in my reading experience, Urban Fantasy has more rape on female characters than regular fantasy. I know rape happens, obviously, but if our Mary-S...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Apr 11, 2011

Ken Badertscher rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Light, fun & hotter than summer in Tucson.

Looking for a change of pace, I recently picked up Storm Born by Richelle Mead. This 2008 novel is "Urban Fantasy" which is a new genre to me, and a lot of fun. The storytelling is sort of Whedonesque--smartassed, snappy dialogue, careening from one impossible situation to the next. Mead has also written YA fiction (a series called "Vampire Academy"), and the writing here has some of that flavor. This particular novel is rea...more

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 544 545 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Paranormal Romanc...: Storm Born	82	67	Nov 30, 2011 05:51pm
What is this book about	7	52	Oct 06, 2011 08:53pm
Five Star Series: Dark Swan by Richelle Mead	8	14	Sep 02, 2011 05:54pm

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

430 users

Fantasy

221 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

207 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

135 users

Romance

120 users

Adult

75 users

Fantasy > Magic

61 users

Paranormal > Fairies

37 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

26 users

Paranormal > Ghosts

21 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Richelle Mead

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear h...more

More about Richelle Mead...

Books by Richelle Mead

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Storm Born

5 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Storm Born

“Yeah? What'd you name all those cats?"

Death, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Mr. Whiskers."

You named your cats after the riders of the apocal--wait. Mr. Whiskers?"

Well, there are only four horsemen.” — 535 people liked it

“I tentatively attempted to make contact with the muscles in my body. They told me to leave them the fuck alone.” — 83 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved Storm Born

Romance Readers Reading C...

4399 members

last activity 7 minutes ago

shelf: read

Paranormal Addicts & Newb...

4322 members

last activity 6 minutes ago

shelf: read

Paranormal Romance & Urba...

3487 members

last activity 17 minutes ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: Storm Born
avg rating	preview: Storm Born Goodreads rating: 3.97 (8121 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2754510-storm-born?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327900947m/2754510.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2754510-storm-born?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Storm Born by Richelle Mead[/url]

Storm Born (Dark Swan #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website