A review by lawbooks600
Forestborn by Elayne Audrey Becker

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings