**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from the author.**
Title Storm Born (Mortal Enchantment #1)
Author Stacey O’Neale
Description from Amazon
Kalin Matthew’s never had a choice. An unbreakable contract decided her destiny at birth. Live in the mortal world with her mother until the stroke of midnight on her sixteenth birthday, then leave the only life she’s ever known and move to Avalon, the land of Arthurian myth and legend, to rule at her father’s side, the king of the air court.
But before she enters his powerful and dangerous world, she’s attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring.
Not long after, she learns her father is missing. Now she must take over his duties, which include shifting control of the elements — a power she has yet to harness. As Rowan attempts to train her, war looms between the four courts. If she fails, her father will die, and the courts will fall, but the betrayal she’s about to uncover may cost her even more.
Initial Thoughts
I read The Shadow Prince last week and I really enjoyed it. The rest of the series was definitely on my TBR but since I didn’t own a copy of the next book, it wasn’t that high up. However, as luck would have it, I was contacted by Stacey O’Neale with an opportunity to read the next book and I couldn’t pass that up!
Some Things I Liked
- World building. I loved the magic system and world building in this book. I feel like I got a tiny taste in The Shadow Prince but, the world of Avalon became that much more rich and complex in Storm Born.
- Morally grey characters. I love good moral ambiguity in a story. Humans, by nature, are not 100% good or evil and I really like to see that in the characters I read about. Everyone makes bad choices and everyone makes mistakes. Kalin’s father was an interesting example of this. She wanted so desperately to believe that he was different from the rest of the Air Court. While he loves his daughter and honestly believed he was doing the best thing for her, his actions before his kidnapping showed that his attitude toward halflings and straying from procedure were no different than Jarrod or any other members of his court.
- Dialed back colloquial language. I was not a fan of the use of “contemporary” language in a fantasy setting in the first book (please note, that’s totally a personal preference). But, I was super pleased that this was dialed down in Storm Born. I think it allowed me to dive deeper into the fantasy element of the world.
- Alternating POV writing style. You may or may not know this, but alternating POV is literally my favorite type of narration. Especially when our narrating characters are keeping secrets from each other. I think it makes the story so exciting. I loved that we got to see scenes from both Kalin and Rowan’s POV.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
- There was only one thing about this book that I wasn’t crazy about and it was the fact that I found the story a smidge predictable. I’m a hard gal to surprise and I’m the self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes of YA plots. While some elements of the story were predictable, I must say that I wouldn’t change the way the plot was laid out. Everything fit together in a way that made perfect sense. I was just a teeny bit disappointed in the fact that I solved the puzzle earlier on than I was supposed to.
Series Value
I am excited to read the next installment in this series. After just reading The Shadow Prince, this series was on my TBR (with a target reading goal of around January / February of 2020). After reading Storm Born, I am moving the next two books up to November 2019. I have 17 days (including weekends) off from work so I have lots of reading time. I thought I had my books planned out, but after reading Storm Born, I am making time for Fragile Reign and Eternal Sacrifice during that time off. This series has tons of potential and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Final Thoughts
I am really glad I read this book. Thank you to Stacey O’Neale for providing me with a copy. This is a series that I might not have found on my own and I am so glad I found it on NetGalley. I loved the world building and alternating POV writing style and I think there is so much potential in the story line.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Roar by Cora Carmack – if you liked the elemental magic aspects of this story, give this series by Cora Carmack a try.
- Fragile Reign by Stacey O’Neale – it seems like a pretty natural progression, if you liked this story, check out the next book in the series. I haven’t read it yet, but I definitely want to.
- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – I think the contemporary setting with supernatural elements idea gave me Mortal Instrument vibes. If you’re a fan of this series, try Cassandra Clare’s books.
Books Over Everything 