Out of Darkness

The Starborn Saga #1

by Jason D. Morrow

It has been sixty years since society as we know it was destroyed. People are forced to band together in isolated villages to hide from the predatory greyskins—the once humans that will eat anything that moves. But sometimes, hiding isn’t enough.


Nineteen-year-old Mora leaves her grandmother, little brother, and the rest of her village to seek out the man who can offer protection-Jeremiah. Along the way, she meets two brothers, Connor and Aaron who help her discover that she has a new ability within herself-the power of the Starborn. And there are others like her.


But these super-humans are on a to kill Jeremiah. They claim that the man who offers protection for everyone is a murderer with dangerous secrets. Mora must now choose between the man who claims he can keep her village safe, and those who can show her who she really is.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Dystopia, Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2013

About the author

Jason D. Morrow is the author of the Prototype D series, The Starborn Ascension, The Starborn Uprising, and The Marenon Chronicles. He enjoys playing guitar, shooting videos, and spending time with his lovely wife, Emily.

Currently writing: The Starborn Redemption

Reviews

[angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

This is a great series so far. I just finished book 1, and starting book two now. I look forward to getting into it more. Judging by book one I would recommend this series of three books.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

First paragraph: My vehicle ran out of gas. That’s why I’m walking alone through this ghost town with a pump shotgun in my hands and a long knife strapped to my left thigh. Unless you’re stupid or suicidal, you don’t go anywhere without some kind of weapon.

"Out of Darkness" is a well-written young adult fantasy that should please most fans of zombie fiction and ya titles. Although the story seemed a little slow to begin, once it started the narrative quickly swept me up and I had a hard time putting the book down. I had to find out more about Mora and her starborn qualities, and I enjoyed her discovery of how her new-found powers could quickly take out a greyskin herd. The power-play of the Starborn versus the Scriven leader Jeremiah was a fun one, too.

I could have done without the pseudo-romantic triangle of Mora and the two brothers, Connor and Aaron. I like him, I don't, I want to kiss him, I don't, I wonder what the other brother is doing and want to go see him. I blush all the time. Little girly teenage games. Aack!

I wonder though, if a Pepsi product is so scarce 60-years after the outbreak, aren't these people worried they will run out of bullets? There seems to be a lot of shooting practice going on... Maybe the bullet factory is still operational. ;)

Despite these few flaws, "Out of Darkness" is a fun, entertaining read that is well written, with engaging characters and a well-paced narrative. A good read.

[Tammy K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well crafted blend of post apocalypse (zombies) and paranormal romance. There is something for everyone here, combat action, suspense, psychic powers, love triangles, and let’s not forget the zombies.
Jason D. Morrow has become a name that I look for when selecting action packed reads. I have read all his books that I can get my hands on.
I have encouraged all my friends in person and on my social media sites to pick up this novella.
The only thing that I warn them of, and you as well, is that Jason loves cliffhangers. I got to the final page and screamed aloud, Jason! You can’t end it here.. pouts.
I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.

[Randy Harmelink · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent combination of two genres -- zombies and paranormal. With a sprinkling of romance here and there. I did enjoy the first half of the book more, because of the action and self-discovery going on, and the introduction to the world itself. The last half of the book had a lot of double-dealing and politics, which I'm not quite so fond of. But, overall, a good mix all round.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love the books by this author in his world. He has several series where we get to see different angles of the world. The mix of superpowers and zombies is one that continues to fascinate me. In this story, we see that each town has a difficult dilemma they must face—either defend themselves or enlist the protection of the Screven army at the price of 80 percent of their belongings. Mora is on a mission to enlist his list, but along the way, she realizes that there are others like her. People with superpowers who understand her drive and are desperate to stop Jeremiah’s reign.

Like other books by this author, characterization is done very well. Each person has their own personality, and it’s easy to understand why they come to the decisions that they do. Each of them seems to face their own dilemma and seeing the ways that they approach them is fascinating.

There is a bit of romance in the story, but it’s not overwhelming. Just enough to add a bit of a reprieve from the action of the main storyline.
Narration is excellent.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

[Dodger · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when you cross a zombie apocalypse and mutant super powers...anyone, anyone? The results are equal to but no greater than The Starborn Saga.
Mora's village seems to be in real trouble against the gray skins (yet another word used instead of zombies). She leaves her village to ask for help from a warlord type of character--imagine the president in The Hunger Games.

Jerimiah is the leader of the Screven, and the Screven's home base is yet again familiar as the Capital in Panem (if Panem had been involved in a zombie war, and didn't have all their hip toys and weapons). He will send his soldiers to protect villages, but he expects large sums of payments in crops and other items (Hunger Games anyone).

Along the way, Mora just happens to find out that she can move a large crane to help her escape from a horde of zombies. Yep, she has superpowers and can move items with her thoughts, which would be cool for us mere mortals if the remote lay on top of the television.
She meets a young man who takes her to his village that is controlled protected by Screven. She meets others who have mutant abilities, and finds out their secret codeword name--Starborn.

Then a considerable amount of silliness ensues, she likes Connor, she likes Connor's brother, she decides not to ask for help for her village, she asks Jerimiah for help with her village, she decides to help Jerimiah to find hidden Starborn, she refuses to help Jerimiah find hidden Starborn. Make-up your mind!

I know that I've delivered some harsh words against this book, but on the bright side, I honestly liked it, and I have started the second book called If It Kills Me.

Mutants and zombies combine for an interesting mix, and what better way to protect loved ones than to send zombies flying away or throw rocks at their heads with superstar powers. l look forward to the entire series.
This review is from my blog: http://somanybooksssolittletime.blogs...

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a well-imagined dystopian future, a teenager sets out on a quest to save her village. People are starving. “[T]errible monsters that used to be people,” are killing them. And the only hope of protection comes from the mysterious Jeremiah of Screven. The price will be high, but anything’s preferable to watching her family die.

The author describes Mora’s world convincingly, keeping backstory revelations in their place, and maintaining a good mix of swift action and introspective storytelling pace. First-person writing with a youthful, journaling style lends a sense of immediacy. And the different locales combine to create a feeling of a much bigger world sharing this dark dystopian fate.

There’s a bigger world offering hope as well in this tale. Mora learns she has unexpected powers and wonders what to do with them. Then she finds others, the Starborn, with similar skills. But they won’t share their secrets, and Mora has yet to learn that all power comes with responsibility. Meanwhile she’s falling in love with two guys at once—definitely teen.

Determined to save her home at whatever cost, curious to learn the extent of her powers, worried and wearied by the attentions and distractions of others, Mora weaves a tortuous course between being too trusting and too suspicious, too powerful and too afraid to test herself. Success carries the seeds of failure. And the novel ends with nice enough twist to offer completeness while guaranteeing more. It’s an enjoyable teen read--think Hunger Games crossed with a touch of Superman and zombie fiction perhaps--not too sensual, appropriately violent, offering plenty to think about.

Disclosure: The author gave me a free ecopy and I promised an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story and for the most part Mora was badass. However, she was a bit of a post-apocalyptic slut and perhaps mentally slow. People had to direct her during fights on how to use her own powers, and all of their suggestions are stuff your saying to yourself, "why isn't she doing this?" Have no fear, even though Mora can't hear you, Connor or Aaron will be there to say exactly what you were thinking because they possess some common sense. On that note, she clearly has feelings for one guy, but kisses another.. THREE TIMES. No one is that emotionally inept at 19. Also, for someone who claims she is not interested in relationships, she falls for every guy she spends over a day with and she is pretty vain, CUT YOUR HAIR (or at least put it in a bun). Other than those complaints, the book was action-packed and fun to read. I look forward to reading the sequel and I hope she becomes a bit creative with her powers.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was up and down for me. I was really enjoying the zombie and paranormal aspects and figuring out what was going on, but then the main character just gets stupid for a while. Why do authors do that? Why must their main character girls be so annoyingly stupid? It is like Mora was just like lalala with fingers in her ears for a while. Not listening to anything or anyone and it was just annoying. Then she finally stops being so pig-headed and stupid and the rest of the book I enjoyed. Though at the end she was all super strong awesome girl!! which...well I don't see her changing that much. The only other issue with the book is it is obvious what is going to happen. Nothing was a surprise after her gift was discovered. I am looking forward to the next book just to see what happens.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I took Out of Darkness from the dark depths of my rather too-long TBR. It had been there since a time where I devoured (post)apocalyptic stories, although I have to admit that recently I've become a bit weary of them.

Mora has left the relative safety of her colony to try and safe said colony by bargaining a deal with what clearly is an evil entity, exchanging goods for protection. One of the many things however that she has sadly overlooked, is that she is in no position to the bargaining on behalf of her colony. Also, cars run out of fuel, she didn't think of that. Obviously, she never makes it to her meeting, but is rather taken up by another colony. Here she can see what the 'protection' she is looking for, looks like.

I didn't like Mora. It was a miracle to me that she survived long enough to become the main character, because she does one stupid thing after the other. Besides, she has special abilities and the future of the world lies in her hands. There is - once more - two brothers fighting over Mora's favor.

The worst part however, was the lacking world-building. I realize it is difficult enough nowadays to have a slightly original zombie (eh, greyskin) story, but it was lacking here. The big reveal was hardly a reveal at all, and I was left with a lot of questions. But not in a good way.

No more Starborns for me.

[Elle Klass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't another zombie story. Mora's attempting to save her village from the relentless greyskins when she begins noticing strange things about herself but she's unsure at first until she meets others like her. She has to learn to use the powers to take down the greyskins all the while, greyskins aren't the only problem. Not all humans are simply trying to survive, some have evil intentions.
The author builds a believable world filled with monsters or zombies that he calls greyskins. I liked that from the start. Mora is also a likable character, simply a young woman trying to survive and hold onto what's left of her family. The greyskins are everywhere and don't travel singularly but in hordes. The characters are real. I could picture the whole story playing out in my head. Their actions and thoughts mimic what one may really be thinking and doing.
The plot and action heighten throughout the story as more elements and twists are brought in. This was a really cool story and it was original.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that I couldn't put this book down once I started. It was non stop from start to finish. There was just enough back story with out it feeling that the book was filled with a lot of filler. I seen the love triangle coming from the mention of the brother, but it is not so in your face. Meaning her thoughts are not all consuming who to choose, Conner or Aaron. For me personal I find that I am drawn to Aaron. Mora is a strong women who is not swayed by anyone else, I really hope that she doesn't lose that going forward. I know that we have not seen all of the powers that she possesses. I look forward for continuing on the journey with Mora, Aaron, and Conner to see how they take back what is theirs and how they defeat Jeremiah. I am even looking forward to the rest of the back-story filler that I normally cringe to read. Thank you for sharing your zombies with us.

[Night Goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions about this book. I enjoyed the story immensely but I did not like any of the characters. Usually when I read a book I grow to love the characters but unfortunately not in this case. Hopefully, there will be more character development to come. The story however was not bad. In fact it was quite interesting. What a great idea to have humans with super powers, that descended from aliens to take on the zombies!!!

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of Darkness was a great mix of zombies and paranormal. Which I really didn't expect, but it came as a very pleasant surprise. This is the first Jason Morrow book that I have read and I could hardly put it down. I look forward to reading more of the Starborn Saga as well as trying out some of his other books.

[Briony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got 36% through before I gave up. Mora's constant inconsistent thoughts and the strained writing was too much. Too bad since the premise seemed interesting.

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh oh. First person present tense. A protagonist commentating on her own actions in real time. Almost never works plausibly. The narration is full of exposition, which really doesn’t represent what would be in the protagonist’s head in the moment. And as always, it’s particularly annoying when the protagonist is knocked out.

That aside, the writing is simplistic and stilted. There’s a complete lack of logic or consequences. The dialogue is wooden. The stereotypical love triangle is as unnecessary as it is cringeworthy. It only makes the protagonist come across as even more indecisive and weak than her hesitation to chose a camp would imply.

That’s a shame, as there’s the seed of something good here, a zombie / superhero crossover with a struggle against dystopian rulers. That has real promise. The suggestion the superheroes are descendants of aliens is unnecessary as is the suggestion they have also been around for thousands of years. Superhero powers as a response to the zombie apocalypse would have been thrilling enough. But the execution of that worthy concept is just lacking.

For example, the spectacular opening action piece sets the tone for the rest: there isn’t an ounce of plausibility here. The plucky teen protagonist made cranes on an abandoned building site move with her mind, bringing several crashing down to the ground, to evade a “herd” of “grayskins” ... and the bloke who turned up out of the blue to rescue her didn’t notice the cranes moving or falling? And she doesn’t notice how crazy it is he hasn’t noticed something that could be seen and heard for miles? No. Just no. I can accept powers and zombies as long as the rest of the world, the real world context that serves as a contrast, remains believable. Without that, there’s no suspension of belief.

I won’t follow the series. A real shame.

[Jessica Jewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love zombie media, and so I was hoping to love Out of Darkness.

I do not.

The book had the unfortunate downside of having Mora as its main protagonist and point of view character. Mora is 19, and very much behaves it. Which would, normally, be a great plus. The issue is that she acts 19 in the way girls of our modern normal world do, and not the kind of 19 I expect from a person growing up in a world where zombies (sorry, greyskins) attack your home almost regularly and you have to grow up fast to help look out for your younger brother and elderly grandmother.

Mora is competent unless the plot requires she not be. Mora is smart unless the plot requires she not be. Mora is stubborn unless the plot requires she not be. Mora is badass unless the plot requires she not be.

This means that Mora has all the backbone of a jellyfish and the morals of whichever cute boy is within her eyesight.

It falls for all the terrible tropes we are used to seeing in YA books. She cannot have friends her age the same gender as her (Heather dislikes her for... existing I guess?), she cannot choose between two boys (they're brothers, how scandalous), she is the Chosen One (learns a new power and has immediate control over it; learns a new power for no reason other than to prove she is The Most Special), etc.

I enjoyed the setting, the world building (the little we got), and the plot was... there. I just cannot get past my annoyance at Mora to truly enjoy it.

[Janel Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

****WARNING!!! THERE ARE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST 3 BOOKS*****

Out of Darkness begins 57 years after the Starborn Ascension series. We begin with Mora who is seeking help for her small town of Springhill that is under constant threat of attack from grayskins. She has a grandmother who is unnamed but I get two guesses who she likely is. We also have her brother Jake who is unseen.

She has grown tired of the constant threat and thinks it's time to travel to Screven for assistance. The costs are high, all colonies must give the town of Screven 80% of all they grow or make. In exchange for this high fee is complete guard assistance to fight the grayskins (who were created by Jeremiah to begin with.) Of course she doesn't know this so she goes out by herself.

The story begins just as Mora runs out of fuel. She is in a ghost town looking for anything to help when she is attacked by the vile creatures. She runs the only direction that is available, up. While on top of this building and out of ammunition she finds a power she never knew she had and didn't even think was possible. While I think I know who her grandmother is I find it odd that she is never told about Starborns and the powers that some have in their blood.

She is eventually helped by a guy named Connor. He is from a town called Salem. Salem is under Screven protection and is therefore run by Jeremiah. There are a lot of rules to keep everyone powerless and under his thumb. There are the wrist bracelets that keep track of everyone. Each person is given a shack to live in with just enough food to survive, They have curfews and can't leave the town without permission. If they are given a pass to leave, they have 7 days from the time they are due back before they are declared dead and are banished forever. Unplanned pregnancies are not allowed, though it is stated that it has happened but not the punishment. This is part of the severe population control. The town population is at 20,000 and no new people are allowed unless someone dies. The reason given is it costs a lot for Jeremiah to keep these people fed and protected and he would rather have the money for his capital city of Screven.

When Mora is snuck through the gates in the back of Conner's truck and into his shack she's given a couch to sleep on. The next morning he has to go to a meeting and leaves a note not to leave the house, but she's hungry, so what's a girl who's starved her whole live to do? She sees an elderly lady down the street behind a fruit stand. She thinks, I'll be ok, I'll just ask the lady for a handout. In a way it made me mad but in another way it was awesome to see Evie aka Evelyn again. Although she's no longer 3, she's now 60!

She offers Mora some food and instantly "knows" that Mora is the one she's been waiting for. The new leader of the Starborn Uprising. She is discovered later by the guards and is lead out on a hunt for missing townsfolk one of whom turns out to be Connor's own brother Aaron.

Later on bad things happen and Mora knows the only way to stop it, her new power. She isn't told that Jeremiah once hunted and studied Starborns. So when the grayskins attack she uses her power and word gets back to Jeremiah, who grants her a meeting.

But we also discover more Starborns. Will Aaron, Danny, Heather, Christopher and Evelyn be strong enough to overthrow Jeremiah and his armies? Will Mora lead them to victory? Not if she has anything to do with it. She wants nothing to do with this. She doesn't know how bad Screven and their leader is. All she knows is she wants her brother and grandmother safe and she thinks the strict rules are a small price to pay for sleeping soundly.

Connor may agree with her but Aaron thinks she needs to speak to Evelyn more before making up her mind. Of course before she can talk to Evelyn she is taken to Screven to meet with Jeremiah. The town has a population of over 100,000 and doesn't seem to have the hardships of Springhill or even Salem. The people are described as fat and happy. I can't help but make the 'westerners are lazy' leap that most authors want to beat into our heads.

She agrees to Jeremiah's plans and he agrees to send guards to Springhill. But is the cost too high. Once you agree to ally with Screven can you ever say no? If he's so powerful, why are there still grayskins 50 years after the original outbreak? Once she gets back she learns with her special new gifts the kind of man Jeremaih truly is. She learns that freedom may not be free and some things are too good to be true.

I know it's a Segway into the next two books and while I enjoyed seeing Evie all grown up, there is so much left out that I long for more details. The other thing that I didn't so much like is the love triangle. While there is no sex in these books I hate that he had to go there. Now instead off a fight between good, evil and undead, we have to deal with jealous bickering. I get it, the girls a teenager and she's away from home alone for the first time ever but does she have to fall in love with brothers? Oh well, I still liked it way more the the other series I finished recently. I have no idea what kind/color of shoes this girl is wearing and I don't care. (People who have read my other reviews will know exactly what I'm talking about.)

This book is an excellent and quick read, although I would recommend reading the first series before this one. They can be read Independantly but you won't know as much and the post apocalyptic world the author created is worth the short amount off time it takes to read the first 3 books. I'm off to read the next one!

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read in this Starborn saga, this time, sixty years after the virus began.

I like this series because it's different from other zombie /apocalyptic stories and encompasses the sci-fi element. It does seem aimed at a YA readership, however, the possibility of such an outcome for the world is a serious one - science and governments make for frightening bedfellows, after all. And, who knows for sure what's beyond the realms of Earth and how humans began?

Well-written and enjoyable.

Recommended.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted more zombies

I hesitate to rate this 2 stars so I'll add in the caveat that I would have given it 3 if I read the book when I bought it. That being said, I really suffered getting through the last 40%. I was expecting more zombie/superpower action and instead got a girl trying to decide between 2 jerk brothers while also trying and consistently failing to outsmart a businessman/warlord with a suspiciously religious name at a game he's been playing for decades.

On a positive note, there is one nifty superpower that shows up that I don't see much~

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A paranormal romance with grey skin (zombie) slaying. If you start the first book, you'll have to read all three. Mora heads out of her village to seek help and security from zombie herds. She needs to travel to Screven and ask Jeremiah for his help and protection.
On her journey to finding Jeremiah she discovers the truth about herself, her parents and who Jeremiah really is.

[Laurie Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Mora, is definitely of that age where she thinks she knows everything, but really has no understanding. I wanted to slap her upside the head and tell her to listen. At least she shows the ability to grow and learn, because now she started something that needs to be finished.

[April Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 15 maybe? I’m now 21. But it is one of the best books I’ve read. I remember when I got the books they where free, I wish there where had copies because I would love to have them on my shelf and re read them. I have read all of the star born series the start of the series way before Moras time was probably my favourite 3 books but 100% worth the read.

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down when I read it. I like these kinds of books though. I'm currently reading the 2nd book in this series.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

[Debbie Lawrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing read. Characterisation is excellent

[S D Lawrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good characters and a good storyline kept m reading.

[Jackie Bauerelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Jason Morrow is a master writer. A must read!

[TARA BALTIMORE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

Really interesting story line and well thought out. I keep reading one after the other! The entire series has kept me interested and entertained.