Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Forestborn by Elayne Audrey Becker

5 reviews

lawbooks600's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Representation: It's complicated.
Score: Six out of ten.

This one was alright. I had the sequel to Forestborn, Elayne Audrey Becker's debut, Wildbound, on my TBR, until I took it off after realising I would read out of order. I put this one off for months until I had to transfer it to my library, but after I got it from my library and when I closed the final page, it was okay.

It starts with Rora living her life in a magical land entirely different from ours, as she can shift from a human to up to three animals, and impersonate faces. How powerful is that? Unfortunately, the pacing is slow for a book lasting 350 pages, and it continues to be this way until the second half, where it picks up steam. I wouldn't say Forestborn is disappointing, though. Rora meets another character, Wesley, and starts to develop a relationship, but not before going to another part of the world. Let me explain. There are two parts to the realm seen in Forestborn: The Forestborn part, where people with magic live, and the human part, where the humans live. The only problem is this leaves behind some unanswered questions, like where did the magic people come from? Did they come first and humans evolved from them or the other way around, where humans came first and magic people came afterward? How can they shift? 

Anyway. There is a magical pandemic all over the land, and the only cure is stardust, which one can find in the Forestborn part, the last place Rora wants to be, but she has to go there to save her best friend and prince, Finley. I appreciated the writing style, which allowed me to immerse myself in the settings, both natural and human-made. I also like the concluding pages with some battle scenes resulting in a heartstopping finish and the murder of the king, but I only knew him for a few pages, so I didn't care much about that. I wonder what Wildbound is like, though, but I hope it's better than Forestborn.
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blewballoon's review

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a very well written book, with vivid world-building and interesting yet easy to grasp magic and fantasy. The characters are complex and intelligent. The tone is somber and heavy, with a sense of dread that builds from the first page and hardly relents. Arguably, the plot is a series of events going from bad to worse, a constant downward slope without many ups. For my personal preferences right now, I would have preferred there were more bright pockets to balance the reading experience. I ended up finding the plot somewhat predictable because I started just assuming the worst possible things could happen. If a slow, serious fantasy quest story is what you're in the mood for, this will work better for you.
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maregred's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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emmazan's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

read on st. thomas trip
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allisonwonderlandreads's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I LOVE those high-stakes, underdog quest vibes and this book DELIVERS on that front. It has all kinds of good magical adventure goodies: special seeds traded for stardust, an unpredictable, untamed magic forest, and the cure for a spreading, mysterious disease on the line. 
The world-building includes shifters, who get three animal forms and can mimic any human, whisperers who can compel animals, and forest walkers who have an affinity for plants. And then there are the giants and the myriad magical creatures that fill the Vale, beautiful and dangerous.

The story has a cast of complex, flawed, easy-to-love characters. At the forefront is shifter Rora. She's a survivor, a spy, and perhaps most of all, a sister. Rora must return to the magic forest that haunts her nightmares, confront her past, and make the trade that can save her best friend's life. She will gain a new understanding of magic and disturbing information about violent, political moves being carried out in secret. Rora will reevaluate her relationships with her brother and dead mother as well as form a new friendship based on mutual trust that might slow-burn its way into something more romancey.

I loved the message about the cost of keeping the peace instead of protecting everyone's rights. There is no neutrality, just willful ignoring of existing inequalities. These facts light a fire in Rora to seek change and take action. I can't wait to see where her story goes next.

Thanks to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's out now, so go get your hands on a copy! 
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