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66th out of 134 books
—
50 voters
Shadowborn (Darkborn #3)
by
Alison Sinclair (Goodreads Author)
From the author of Lightborn, the third book in a Regency- flavored fantasy series of magic and manners.
Magic dies with the mage, or so the Darkborn believe. That's why Lady Telmaine Hearne has been condemned to death for sorcery. She's escaped but is now bound with her mageborn allies for the Borders and war. Meanwhile, her husband, Balthasar, has learned of his family...more
Magic dies with the mage, or so the Darkborn believe. That's why Lady Telmaine Hearne has been condemned to death for sorcery. She's escaped but is now bound with her mageborn allies for the Borders and war. Meanwhile, her husband, Balthasar, has learned of his family...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
June 7th 2011
by Roc Trade
(first published May 14th 2011)
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I liked the domestic fantasy of the first two volumes occurring in the interstices of epic fantasy, so it was really disappointing to me when this volume became all epic, all the time. I also had a hard time following some of the Shadowborn machinations, until they broke down into something ironically too simplistic. Tip: "Because s/he's crazy!" is not actually a good motivation for villains.
It's good the villains were mostly off-screen, given how poorly thought-out they were, but it's not good...more
It's good the villains were mostly off-screen, given how poorly thought-out they were, but it's not good...more
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Darkborn. The next one – Lightborn – expanded on the characters and the plot, bringing in politics and tension. So I had high hopes for the conclusion, Shadowborn…
This one’s lighter on the characters I enjoyed in the previous two books – namely Lady Telmaine Hearne, her husband Dr. Balthasar Hearne, and Baron Ishmael di Studier. They’re here, don’t get me wrong – and with important roles to play. But with everything else going on the Lightborn nobl...more
This one’s lighter on the characters I enjoyed in the previous two books – namely Lady Telmaine Hearne, her husband Dr. Balthasar Hearne, and Baron Ishmael di Studier. They’re here, don’t get me wrong – and with important roles to play. But with everything else going on the Lightborn nobl...more
Having read all three Darkborn books, now I can say that while the series is intriguing, it is too convoluted. The world is not clearly developed and there are too many characters without a lot of substance. In each book we are introduced to new characters, while focusing less on subsequent characters. Eventually all the characters suffer and become diluted. Also the POV changes from chapter to chapter, as well as the setting. In on chapter it may be daylight in the Lightborn Court and the next...more
A very convoluted (by necessity)ending to a good fantasy story arc. The first book was the best(Darkborn) and this third one was the weakest.
The action overlaps that of Lightborn for the first hundred pages or so, that we might come up to speed on the action in the South involving Ishmael and Balthasar Hearne. And it is pretty much all action, as they fight the Shadowborn and their creatures. And that sets the tone for the rest of the book--lots and lots of action, a lot of it very confusing.
We...more
The action overlaps that of Lightborn for the first hundred pages or so, that we might come up to speed on the action in the South involving Ishmael and Balthasar Hearne. And it is pretty much all action, as they fight the Shadowborn and their creatures. And that sets the tone for the rest of the book--lots and lots of action, a lot of it very confusing.
We...more
After two books of setting up factions and mysteries, Shadowborn had a lot of loose ends to tie off. Unfortunately, I found its knot-work less than satisfying.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
I've always loved stories about divided groups of people, in this case the division between light and dark, and I think Sinclair makes it work well considering the somewhat Victorian fantasy setting she presents. Actually the Darkborn seem more Victorian and the Lightborn more medieval Italian, come to think of it. In any case, I love the meshing of the two groups and I loved how everything lead up to the war between these divided groups and the mysterious "Shadowborn," a group in between light...more
Thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. AS wrote three books about 2 separate races the Lightnorn and The Darkborn. 800 years ago, a mage placed a huge cure on the world that separated the two people. The lightborn die if in the dark and the darkborn die if in the light. Centuries have passed and both races have adapted. The book is almost set in a turn of the century industrial age. Darkborn civilization is almost Victorian and lightborn civilization is similar to Medieval Italian society with intrigue,...more
Conclusion of divided-species trilogy. This worked very well for me in some ways, and fell down significantly in others. Biggest fall: the storyline overlaps the previous book in the series. But I read _Lightborn_ a year ago and I just don't have the details to hand. The viewpoint characters here are explicitly far away from the previous batch, so they don't know what's going on, and this is part of the story. Nonetheless, the plot threads *do* pass occasionally, like trains in the night. (Liter...more
Entertaining at first, but really lost it in the end.
What follows is some rambling thoughts, contains some minor spoilers, which I've hidden.
(view spoiler)
I...more
What follows is some rambling thoughts, contains some minor spoilers, which I've hidden.
(view spoiler)
I...more
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I didn't know this series before starting this one and I was very intrigued by the gorgeous cover. I must say that the three covers of this series have something magical. I was however a little afraid to start a fantasy book by the third volume. I had never tried to do something like that and I know that the fantasy stories are always something more complex than the other genres when you want to read in disorder. My verdict is that it’s really not a good idea...more
My English review
I didn't know this series before starting this one and I was very intrigued by the gorgeous cover. I must say that the three covers of this series have something magical. I was however a little afraid to start a fantasy book by the third volume. I had never tried to do something like that and I know that the fantasy stories are always something more complex than the other genres when you want to read in disorder. My verdict is that it’s really not a good idea...more
I decided to read this series because my cousin had it and lent it to me. I had read fantasy before, and I enjoyed it. Darkborn and Lightborn were not bad books, but this one was hard for me to process.
Part of the problem was simply the concept that the Darkborn must be in total darkness or they die and the opposite for the lightborn. While I can understand the hypothetical concept, in reality this just seems to be an impossible feat. Even if the lightborn can be in shadow and be fine, the conc...more
Part of the problem was simply the concept that the Darkborn must be in total darkness or they die and the opposite for the lightborn. While I can understand the hypothetical concept, in reality this just seems to be an impossible feat. Even if the lightborn can be in shadow and be fine, the conc...more
3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 on GR system
Reading Book 2 of the trilogy, I often caught myself wishing for a little more action to balance out the politics/intrigue portions. Well, Book 3 makes up for that and then some. It is almost all-action, all the time, on no less than three fronts. Ishmael and Balthasar were wonderful foils to one another, different from one another in many ways but each no less essential than the other to the survival of the dual society caught in crisis. It was easy to unde...more
Reading Book 2 of the trilogy, I often caught myself wishing for a little more action to balance out the politics/intrigue portions. Well, Book 3 makes up for that and then some. It is almost all-action, all the time, on no less than three fronts. Ishmael and Balthasar were wonderful foils to one another, different from one another in many ways but each no less essential than the other to the survival of the dual society caught in crisis. It was easy to unde...more
*Rating* 3.0
*Genre* Fantasy/Science Fiction
*Review*
Shadowborn, by Alison Sinclair, is the final book in the Darkborn Trilogy. Unfortunately, I am one of those who really didn't enjoy this story as much as the first two. It was a convoluted story that took the identity of something that appeared to have been thrown together in order to finish the series.
In summary, Ishmael and Balthasar Hearne are in the border lands trying to find out more about the sudden influx of Shadowborn incursions and dis...more
*Genre* Fantasy/Science Fiction
*Review*
Shadowborn, by Alison Sinclair, is the final book in the Darkborn Trilogy. Unfortunately, I am one of those who really didn't enjoy this story as much as the first two. It was a convoluted story that took the identity of something that appeared to have been thrown together in order to finish the series.
In summary, Ishmael and Balthasar Hearne are in the border lands trying to find out more about the sudden influx of Shadowborn incursions and dis...more
I had been looking forward to finishing this trilogy, as the first two books were great. So, when I saw the third has arrived, I was pretty excited and took the thing out in 2 days. Unfortunately, all that build up was kind of for nothing... the ending felt rushed, and it was kind of strange all around. The wrap up didn't really give closure. The first 70% was pretty great though. Still a worthwhile light read of a series if you're looking for something mindless.
This final book was interesting. The suspense was building up as the layers of mystery unfolded, but the climax was confusing for me unfortunately. (Translation to screen may be tough imo) It was an okay ending for me, but it did not answer the questions I had = the love square between the main characters. Since it's a trilogy, I wonder if Imogene's Curse will ever be ended. That would have been interesting. Overall, ok.
Excellent series. Loved the lightborn/darkborn world, loved the characters, especially the complex relationships between Balthasar, Telmaine, Ishmael and Floria. Great action in the first third of the book during the Shadowborn attack. Loved the scenes with Bal and his Shadowborn nephew. Satisfying solution to the mystery. Only quibble: the timelines got a bit hard to follow in spots.
I enjoyed the previous two installments more, probably just because I spent the latter half of the book getting whiplash between character changes and reconstructing the storyline in my head. My goodness... I couldn't put it down, but I wasn't always exactly sure what was going on, either. As the end of a trilogy, it did a decent job wrapping things up, although some tie-ups felt a little abrupt.
I can't put the blame solely on the author, though, since my reading style is very "light" - think s...more
I can't put the blame solely on the author, though, since my reading style is very "light" - think s...more
This was a satisfactory ending to the trilogy. If I sound a little ambivalent, it is because I am. I'm not sure what I expected. Was the ending predicatable? I didn't predict it. I could see one possible outcome that I knew would annoy me. The book didn't go there. I think my biggest problem is dealing with/accepting beings who border on the omnipotent. I quess that it my only complaint with this novel. And it can't be a big complaint, because Ms. Sinclair handled it well. She did not opt for th...more
Oct 04, 2011
Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides
marked it as maybe-read-sometime
So I got this from the library and ... I don't know, somehow the thrill is gone. I was feeling this a little after the second book, but really feeling it with this one. I skipped and skimmed to see some of what happens but ... meh.
I absolutely loved the direction this series took me. It is a slow read but if you can get through it you will be satisfied. I recommend this series for readers that enjoy topics such as politics, social ranking,and magic. I especially recommend the series if you would like to mix all of that with murder, betrayal, and love.
No idea why it took me six months to finish this book; every time I picked it up I was totally swept up by it, but when I put it down I was fine with stopping. Still very impressed by the world-building. After the first two books, I thought "how on earth is she going to wrap this up in one more book?" and the answer was (view spoiler)...more
I like the idea of the society split by light and dark, but it seems to be taking a while for the author to find a resolution to this series.
disappointing ... mostly one POV to another and one (to me) uninteresting action to another ... didn't hold my interest so I ended up skimming
I still love the IDEA of these books. And they're mostlly well-written. But I just didn't find this ending novel satisfying.
Loved this book, loved the series. The concept of the two types of people- those who can only survive with light, and those who can only survive without- living so closely together was greatly done.
I must say it didn't end how I expected, but I liked the ending nonetheless. It concluded the story while hinting at the future of the characters and as a reader, that's all I ask for. However, I was more interested in the newborn twins than was ever written about them, and about Bal and Floria than...more
I must say it didn't end how I expected, but I liked the ending nonetheless. It concluded the story while hinting at the future of the characters and as a reader, that's all I ask for. However, I was more interested in the newborn twins than was ever written about them, and about Bal and Floria than...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Loved all three books. Left some unanswered questions with one of main character
Not perfect, but I enjoyed this third book in a trilogy.
I loved how they ended this series but kept it open in case she wants to continue. I would love to see how Ishmael carries on wih so much power. Does the Curse ever get broken? I love the concept of the world even if sometimes I don't find all the details totally believable - its fantasy so I'm ok with it. The characters are fun even when they are in danger and the world is at stake and I could relate to many of them.
A bit anti-climactic after the first two, but a good ending. I wonder if there may even be more to come from this series.
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“I'm not courting death; I've far too many books left to read.”
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10 people liked it
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Jun 20, 2011 09:37pm