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A review by thebookishdesigner
Illborn by Daniel T. Jackson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
“How does the opportunity ever arise for one person to alter the destiny of a world”
What can I say about Illborn that has not already been said? An absolutely fantastic indie debut that thoroughly deserves all the hype it gets.
For a 702 page book it’s crazy how quickly you can get though this. I was reading 100+ pages a day with little to no issues. When I pick up a big ol’ fantasy tome like Wheel of Time of LOTR I seem to read 70 pages and I’m exhausted but that was not the case here, it flew by.
I need to give a special mention to the prologue. Never has a prologue left me speechless. It is the definition of perfection and does set the scene for what you can expect from the rest of the book.
Illborn is multiple POV and follows four main character, each of them are so well developed and thought out with clear personalities and motivations, it’s easy to stay engaged with each individual plot. When the four begin to intertwine it’s hard to put the book down. The last third, ish, of Illborn is an absolute wild ride.
For a book that relies on religion and smut so much as central plot devices I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this. They are probably the two most common themes that will put me off a book but they were really well done. The religion aspect takes a lot of influence from Christianity so it’s easy to follow. The smut is used when it needed to move the plot along and not just for the sake of it. I also really appreciated that Jackson kept the smut short, didn’t go into too much detail and quickly moves on, that’s a huge plus for me.
Illborn does have some tough content so I would urge anyone who is easily trigged to look out the warning’s. The second instalment is due around November time I believe and I will absolutely be picking that one up ASAP.
What can I say about Illborn that has not already been said? An absolutely fantastic indie debut that thoroughly deserves all the hype it gets.
For a 702 page book it’s crazy how quickly you can get though this. I was reading 100+ pages a day with little to no issues. When I pick up a big ol’ fantasy tome like Wheel of Time of LOTR I seem to read 70 pages and I’m exhausted but that was not the case here, it flew by.
I need to give a special mention to the prologue. Never has a prologue left me speechless. It is the definition of perfection and does set the scene for what you can expect from the rest of the book.
Illborn is multiple POV and follows four main character, each of them are so well developed and thought out with clear personalities and motivations, it’s easy to stay engaged with each individual plot. When the four begin to intertwine it’s hard to put the book down. The last third, ish, of Illborn is an absolute wild ride.
For a book that relies on religion and smut so much as central plot devices I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this. They are probably the two most common themes that will put me off a book but they were really well done. The religion aspect takes a lot of influence from Christianity so it’s easy to follow. The smut is used when it needed to move the plot along and not just for the sake of it. I also really appreciated that Jackson kept the smut short, didn’t go into too much detail and quickly moves on, that’s a huge plus for me.
Illborn does have some tough content so I would urge anyone who is easily trigged to look out the warning’s. The second instalment is due around November time I believe and I will absolutely be picking that one up ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Torture, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Slavery, Classism