A seventh born is considered to be the lowest of the low. They have to fight for everything they want, and are discarded like trash. This book seems to follow along with the Harry Potter craze. They go to school to learn the ways of magic so they can make their way in the magical world. The story was hard to get into for me. It seemed slow and daunting. The story did pick up eventually and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. The ending was great, it was just getting there. If you liked Harry Potter, you will probably like this book. Three stars for Seventh Born.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I'll always give books about magical schools with witchcraft and wizardry a chance because I'm a huge Potterhead. Have I found a book or series that even comes close to the greatness of Harry Potter? No, not yet...and that includes this book here. Seventh Born had glimpses of greatness, and even some stark similarities to the plotline of Harry Potter, but there were some flaws and issues I found within its pages as well.

So right off the bat you're pretty much dropped into the story. There's not much background provided on the characters. There's absolutely no world-building. And problems just sort of arise out of nowhere. It was messy and hard to get into because while you're reading you're trying to form a picture in your head with very little information. It actually reads more like the second book in the series...you know, the one you read after the first book sets the stage for the overall plot to build upon. But I digress.

Have you ever read Harry Potter fanfic? No? Me neither, but I imagine this is what it could be like. Professor Barrington bares a striking resemblance to Professor Snape, just younger and more attractive. Sera is like Hermione, except with shittier circumstances and no Harry and Ron to pal around with. And I guess we could even venture to say that Timothy has some Cedric Digory tendencies with the situations he finds himself in. That doesn't mean I didn't like the characters, I just wish they had been a bit more unique, especially for this particular genre when there are already so many parallels to the world of Hogwarts. I mean, even the baddies were similar.

But despite all that, the story did eventually pull me in. Sure, I skipped through some parts that dragged, but the meat and bones of the story were interesting and grabbed my attention. You might have to wait until around 60% of the book for that to happen, but it does, so....that's not terribly disappointing.

I didn't want the book to end when it did. Everything was finally synching up and Sera and Professor B were kindling their fire, and then it ended. And surprisingly, I DO want to read the next book in the series. I think there's an 83% chance that it's one of those series that gets better as you go, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for that in the next year.

I was super excited to read Seventh Born, but it was unfortunately a miss for me. I ended up skimming large portions because it didn't hold my interest. The world building was practically nonexistent and what we did know was via large info dumps. Rules and history seemed to be added solely for plot movement or because the author needed an outcome. The secondary characters were flat and I found Sera annoying. Just didn't work for me.

I unfortunately did not like this. I mean it started off interesting and I got kind of Harry Potter vibes from it, but the world (and loads of other stuff) were kept so extremely vague to me that I could not keep my attention anymore. I had to kind of skim the last 50% of the book. I just could not get into it. I cared a little bit about the romance, but not the witchy/murdery stuff. It was just so vague.

Review

I really enjoyed this YA fantasy novel, the first in the Witching Academy series.  Basically Sera is an outcast, only accepted into the Academy because of an 'outreach' program of sorts, which is trying to reinforce that seventhborns aren't quite the cursed witches as they were perceived years ago.  Sera was found two years prior to the events in the book, having escaped from a year of abuse at the hands of an evil Warlock who held her captive - she knew nothing other than her name and age and doesn't know where she came from.  Her only friend, a friendly witch named Mary, brings joy into her otherwise lonely life, until a chance encounter with the mysterious Professor Barrington *swoon* brings some intrigue too. 

And so Sera and Barrington begin to work together to try to discover who is using seventhborns to raise the dead, and Sera may just discover a bit more about herself in the process...

Age Range

I’d say that this book is marketed at the YA category; so would suit ages 13+

Summary

This YA fantasy novel is well written, I found the characters very likeable and the story engaging.  Whilst I was reading it, the one thing I thought to compare it as would be Sherlock with witches - which is great because I love Sherlock, and witches.

Also can we just take a minute to talk about Barrington? Aside from the fact that he shares the name of a character in The Raven Boys which is only one of my favourite series ever (though TRC Barrington isn't...well...very nice); I just loved the character!

Finally – Would I Recommend It?

Yes definitely – my only issue is that it isn't even out yet so I have a while to wait for the sequel!

4/5 ✰

Seraphina Dovetail is a witch. But not just any witch. She is a seventh-born one and in order for her to live, her mother had to die. Thus, she’s subject to a lot of hostility. All kinds of horrible names are hurled at her on a daily basis at the academy she’s training at, but Seraphina willingly puts up with all that because she has one dream. She wants to become an inspector and find her real family. For that to happen though she needs a referral for the Aetherium’s Witchling Academy to start training there and getting a referral sounds easier than it is for someone like her. But one of her professors seems to have a solution. He needs her help with one of his projects and in return, he’ll give her the referral she needs. But will that really be as easy as it sounds?

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I originally requested it because I thought the premise of “Seventh Born” sounded very promising and like something I might really enjoy but there were just so many things that ultimately resulted in me losing interest in this novel quite quickly.

My main problem with the book was definitely that there was almost zero world-building and that a lot of information and context I would’ve needed to fully understand the story was just missing. Quite early in the book, I already started feeling pretty lost and the whole plot just began being very confusing because it often just wasn’t explained what they’re doing and how things work in the magical world Sanz created. It was a little like starting a good fantasy series but deciding to skip the first few books and just reading the third or fourth part right away. Due to this, the story also dove right into action and the first half of the book was just way too rushed and the pacing was really off.

But not only the world wasn’t properly introduced, I also felt like a proper introduction of most of the characters was missing completely and thus I just didn’t care about any of them. This also meant that the romance in this book wasn’t really that interesting to me. Also, quite early on it is said that Seraphina is actually scared of closeness to men due to something that happened in her past and so I found it extremely weird and random that suddenly from one chapter to the next one, she completely trusted her professor and even began fancying him. Furthermore, she also just let one of her classmates kiss her and didn’t seem to have any problem with that which I think just didn’t make sense when you keep in mind how scared she’d still been of men just a few pages earlier.

So due to all of this, I just didn’t enjoy reading the book and lost interest in it quite quickly. I actually just skimmed the last 40% of it and it’s definitely a series I unfortunately won’t be continuing. I have to say though that I actually liked the author’s writing style and that I wouldn’t be averse to reading some of her future work if she ends up publishing a new series at some point. However, “Seventh Born” ultimately just wasn’t for me and even though I always hate giving only one star to a book, I just can’t give this a higher rating.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for review.

Seraphina Dovetail is a Seventhborn, the seventh child born of a witch, will spend their lives connected with the power of death and the aether because of their entrance in the world, the ending of their mother's lives upon birth.
Believed to be cursed and treated as second class citizens, they face a high amount of prejudice and persecution for merely existing. But the history of the Seventhborn is even worse, shrouded in plague, and murders of the worst kind at the hands of Purists. A sect who abused and absorbed Seventhborn's powers until death, all in a quest to gain control over time.
Things may have changed, but history has a way of repeating its self...

And soon Seraphina, finds herself in the middle of a dark plot. As a student at the Aetherium's Witchling Academy all she wants to do is make it though her exams, and get a referral to move on to have a chance to become an Inspector. With her classmates and professors making her life harder than necessary and keep a lid on her powers from blowing the place up she's already well occupied.

I really enjoyed this one, It's a story of two people racing into the unknown to clear the mystery surrounding their pasts and family. Friends come in the most unlikely forms, betrayal, intrigue, and a generations long murder plot await you.
I look forward to seeing where her, and Barrington's story and partnership take them next.

And I'm finally, finally done with this title.
2.5/5

But where do I begin? Will it turn people off when I say that this was like a Snape x Hermione fanfiction? But don't worry, this time Snape is actually the youngest professor in this magical school and is actually good looking. Will it also piss people off if I mention that there is a scene in this novel that is reminiscent to a scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? There is literally a spare in this one and I hated it.

Needless to say, this is another "like Harry Potter" book, except the chosen one is a muggle born. I mean, a seventh born. Sorry, I got confused for a second (not really). Then Snape, I mean, Barrington (LOL THAT NAME), employs the help of a seventh born to assist him in his investigation regarding some magic stuff I'm not exactly clear about. You see, there is a magic system in this book. It was just unmemorable so I could say there are plot holes, when in reality I could have just forgotten some details. This could either mean that (A.) I'm inattentive with what I'm reading, or (B.) The magic system needs to be clearer than what was presented.

In exchange for Sera's help, Barrington was willing to write her a recommendation (you know, for her future career!) or referral? However, the reader (such as myself) can't help but wonder if a recommendation will even make a difference. Most magical people were against Seventh borns and it's unclear why. The only explanation I remembered was because some people believed that Seventh borns caused a plague. I might be wrong though (which is why I don't mind mentioning it) because this had been an unnecessarily long and "too-wordy" young adult novel with A LOT of information dump. I'm not exaggerating.

While this novel appealed to me at first, I didn't think the magical system or even the world building was explained very well. The reader was just supposed to assume details and rely on info dumping. The characters were seemingly ordinary and one-dimensional. They weren't complex, like this is a book that defines good vs. bad characters. The bad characters become bad because they target seventh borns for their own reasons, which again, I am not sure about. I don't even remember how and why they were targeted by the antagonist.

As for the romance, again, Snape and Hermione shippers... there is a chance for you yet. I just won't be reading the sequel to see it happening.


**Huge thanks to Entangled Teen for approving my request to read this book in exchanging for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great twist on the 7th child theme. The 7th son of a 7th son is always very positive for male wizards – but here the 7th daughter is marked (literally) as socially undesirable, cursed, and is to have her magic constrained. The same does not applied to seventh sons, so definitely some misogyny here. Reportedly, the mother dies giving birth to the seventh daughter – thus accenting the daughter’s maliciousness. Personally, I am always amazed that women chose to give birth even once, being such a painful and fraught affair – so dying after the seventh birth seems pretty logical to me (This world definitely needs some birth control and celibacy!). In former days, the seventh born daughters were persecuted, hunted and killed, so there has been some little progress on the moral front.
The book’s heroine, Sera Dovetail, is seventh born, a trainee witch enrolled in the Aetherium’s Witchling Academy. She is limited in which courses she may take, and which books she may read. Any trouble, and – guilty or no – she gets the blame. It does not help that picking on the seventh-born is an accepted Academy pastime, and that she is very quick to react and retaliate.
Because of her painful past experiences (not all of which she can remember), Sera has serious trust issues, and repulses most attempts to connect with her. Only her one true friend, Mary, is allowed to get close – and certainly not the highly desirable Timothy Delcourt.
When the tall, dark, handsome and brooding Professor Barrington (a romantic hero in waiting if ever there was one – Mr D’arcy eat your heart out!) offers Sera private lessons and the much needed referral for future studies, in exchange for her working as his assistant, she reservedly agrees. Their relationship has to remain secret, as it is completely inappropriate for a professor to be alone with a pupil – especially a derided seventh born.
Family plays a huge part for all the main characters. Sera needs to become an inspector, to find her family and uncover her history. Barrington is an unofficial inspector, and is determined to absolve his dead father and brother of the crimes of which they are accused. Both are driven by a desire to bring to justice the necromancers and murderers who are leaving a trail of exhumed and burned corpses behind them.
Timothy and Mary are driven by the demands of their respective families, pushing them against their true desires, and leaving them feeling inadequate and hopeless.
The world and its characters are beautifully drawn, and you quickly become involved. Even the minor characters – such as Mrs York, Lucas Davenport (cf John Sandford?) and the Barghest – really grab your attention. There is romance (just the right amount for me), mystery, friendship and betrayal. While you may guess the eventual outcome, you would be hard-pressed to work out how the ending is reached. Although much is resolved, there is still enough left for many more books in this series. I can hardly wait.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A fantastic ride of a fantasy!! I loved the romance and magic. If you need something fun I recommend reaching for this book!

This is one of those guilty pleasure reads - there were a few glaring flaws that detracted from the quality of the story, and yet I was having such a good time reading this that I wilfully overlooked them!

The writing flowed smoothly, the main characters were engaging, and the plot took a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. I was legitimately shocked by some of the developments, which is novel for me in YA where I've come to find a lot of storylines predictable. I like that the author took some chances and made a few creative choices!

Let's get this out of the way: a few reviews have questioned the professor/student romance angle, but if you're squeamish about abuse of authority, that never comes into play here as the chemistry between Barrington and Sera isn't consummated. Instead, there is this perfectly delightful rapport that builds between them outside of the classroom as they work together to solve the serial murder of seventhborns. They grow to respect each other's talent and abilities and forge a strong bond while protecting each other in the face of danger.

I love this kind of blurring of boundaries when it's done right, ie. the student is of age (Sera is over eighteen), the teacher isn't grading her work so there's no conflict of interest (she isn't in Barrington's class) and he isn't acting in a morally dubious or predatory manner. Nothing that Barrington does is in the least bit skeevy, he is the perfect gentleman and behaves with honor and the best of intentions; he wants to apprehend the killers at large to keep seventhborns safe, and he wants to protect Sera in particular and help her overcome the burdens she faces at school with practically everyone working against her. Honestly, the man is swoonworthy! And his patience in the face of Sera's constant aggression and hostility is remarkable.

Which isn't to say that Sera is out of line for being under the misapprehension that he was trying to proposition her - for someone with a heart of gold, he really did work hard to portray himself in the worst light by offering her the much coveted referral that would allow her to become an inspector...in exchange for having her 'services' whenever he required. Come on! Sera hasn't had an easy life, what with being seriously abused by someone she thought she loved and was loved by, prior to coming to the academy where she continued to be abused, if to a lesser degree, by students and teachers alike who all thought of her as sub-human. So as much as I felt frustrated with her constantly misjudging Barrington and flying into a fit of rage with him, I could see how it made sense with her jaded worldview of expecting the worst of people, due to her history. And it made her growing trust and faith in him all the more touching because she had so much to overcome to get to the point where her feelings would lead her to risk her life for him!

Basically, the romantic tension was one of the best things about this book for me, because it wasn't insta-love and it's so slow-burn that there hasn't been so much as a kiss yet! Instead there was a solid foundation laid with the  partnership between Sera and Barrington leading to tender feelings between the two of them, which could easily lead to more in the sequel. I really appreciate when an author doesn't feel the need to pull the trigger when it isn't right for the characters yet, it was enough to see them move from strangers to allies to friends. 

Speaking of friends, Sera's only peer who went against the grain and supported her was Mary, a bright and bubbly girl who was a constant at Sera's side throughout the story. I did appreciate that she added a bit of lightness to the otherwise neverending cycle of disdain and outright vicious bullying that Sera had to endure. Another student who defied the common attitude towards seventhborns was Timothy, who fancied himself in love with Sera despite barely even knowing her - I had a hard time with his character because I rolled my eyes at how desperately he pursued her and wished he'd just leave her alone. I do wonder if this was the author poking fun at traditional love interests in the YA genre...they're only seen as romantic because the female protagonist returns their feelings and encourages their interest, but when you have Sera steadfastly denying him any hope of a relationship and brutally rejecting him over and over, it highlights how romantic in one context turns to creepy and problematic when a guy just can't take no for an answer. 

Now to the real problem of this story...the whole seventhborn stigma. It is just so ridiculous and defies rational belief, and unfortunately it's the underpinning of the plot - it's even the TITLE, for goodness sake! I can accept that there is a world where a woman bearing a seventh child will die in childbirth, that's fine, and even the concept that those seventhborns will have special powers makes sense as there is historically symbolic significance to this status. But the widespread contempt and abuse of seventhborns in society to the point where it's considered odd NOT to belittle and despise them is crazy.

A father grieving his wife's loss and blaming the child makes sense on an emotional level; all of society condemning every single seventhborn for merely being alive when they had no choice in the matter is completely absurd. People blame all seventhborns for hypothetical scenarios like a father becoming alcoholic and non-functioning, leading to him neglecting his children...instead of holding the father himself accountable! Why do so many families even HAVE seven children to begin with? And what couple would knowingly carry a child to term knowing the inevitable outcome would be the woman dying and their child living a life of misery and suffering? 

So that was a pretty massive obstacle for me to get past when reading this, but I just turned my brain off and kept reading because it was so addictive and fun. :)

This was a great start to a new series. Am really looking forward to the next from Maria. Well done.

I received this on NetGalley for an honest review. Sera was abandoned at birth and dreams of becoming an inspector but she has the disadvantage of being born a seventh born. Seventh born are a curse and said to have caused the deaths of their mothers. Sera is approached by a professor at her school to help him on a case in return for his recommendation as an inspector and to help her find her family. I really enjoyed this book, I loved the characters and cared about Sera and felt sorry for her for the way she was treated. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Seventh Born kind of reminded me of a watered down mash-up of Harry Potter and K E O'Connor's School of Exorcists series. The book overall could use some extra detail, the world is underdeveloped, the magic system isn't really explained, and the characters are one dimensional. I felt sorry for Sera who is treated awfully for being the dreaded "seventh born" child in her family and the cause of her mother's death but at the same time she constantly complains about the things she's not allowed to do as a seventh born which gets annoying fast.

I did like that Sera tried to rebel against her status as a seventh born but I disliked her relationship with her teacher. This is a YA novel and it's a little inappropriate.

Overall, this book holds some appeal but I found myself wanting more from the worldbuilding and plot.

The seventh-born daughter is brought into the world with distaste, her mother is gone and the world is unwelcoming. The seventh-born has to fight for what she wants and will find many doors closed. She is said to be cursed and many will not give her a chance, but the seventh-born daughter is truly special.

Seraphina Dovetail wants to become an inspector. She works hard at her magic, but her temper sometimes gets the best of her. Her past is painful and she doesn't remember her family. Her hopes lie with the witchling school, where she is a scholarship student. She is a seventh-born and people tend to avoid her or make fun of her. Her teachers are cruel and she has to be on her best behaviour at all times. Unfortunately, it isn't easy for Sera to stay out of trouble. The word seems to follow her around. She has a secret best friend who she loves dearly and she tries to keep her head down. Unfortunately, she isn't very successful and becomes a target. She attracts the attention of the cruel boy, Whittaker but also the most desirable boy, Timothy and her Professor.

Professor Barrington is in need of an assistant and after seeing Sera display of anger he approaches her. He offers to help her with her studies and recommendations, in exchange for her help with some murders. This unlikely friendship becomes a bond Sera never imaged she would have.

Timothy Delacort is from a respectable, powerful family. He is destined for great things. Unfortunately, they are not what he wants. Sera catches his eye and he hopes for a chance with her. He doesn't care his family will not approve. Sera doesn't really know what to do with Timothy affections, especially since her best friend Mary has a crush on him. Her friend means the world to her and she doesn't want to do anything that may upset her.

The murders are brutal rituals and the victims suffered a painful death. The authorities are clueless. They cannot link the victims together. It's up to Sera and Professor Barrington to solve the case.

This book is excellent and I was hooked on every word. Luckily there is more to be added to this series. Seventh born is a full-length novel which you can really sink your teeth into. It is dark and Sera becomes the light. She isn't perfect but her actions are understandable. She has had a tough life and she still fights for what she wants. She's a powerful witch in training but not everyone sees the good in her.

There are also some great supporting characters in this book and the plot came together nicely. It can be read as a standalone but the door is left open a slither for more. Seventh born is a fantastic gripping story. It's imaginative and creates a believable world with magic. I could easily read this book again which is unusual for me. A modern-day fantasy Sherlock Holmes. 5 + stars out of 5. Very highly recommended.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Blog tour date 6th September 2018.

Very intense fantasy full of mystery and intrigue! It was my first read from this author, and it won’t be my last.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

This book was a nice surprise. I came across it on Netgalley and decided to give it a go. I was first drawn by its beautiful cover, but I admit I read the blurb before, but in this case it didn’t spoil anything for me, just the opposite. It made me want to read it.

The story is very different. It has a historical background, but it isn’t specified the time, but that is okay because it doesn’t take anything from the story.

If I had to describe Seventh Born, I’d say it’s a mystery-hisyorical-romance combo. But so far it set the base for the upcoming (hopefully) romance brewing between the main characters.

I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down. The story was interesting and different, the characters were not one-dimensional and the plotline was built very well. I definitely recommend the read!

I really enjoyed the magic in this story.



Sera is the seventh-born daughter to her witch mother.  The seventhborns take their mother's magic which in turn kills them.  Seventhborns were looked upon as bad for a long time, beaten, and even killed.  While this changed a bit, they are still looked at as less than human.  Most people won't even talk to them.   Sera was taken in to a school with a program for seventhborns.  Most of the kids are horrible to her.  Even the teachers are.  She does have one best friend, Mary.



Sera has no real memory of her life except the past two years.  She wants to become an inspector and find her family.  She does remember Noah.  Noah took her in and was nice to her at first.  But then he began taking her power and abusing her.  Sera set fire to his house with him inside, but she still fears him.



Professor Barrington is an inspector that asks Sera for her help.  It has to be kept secret, but he promises to give her a referral which she knows she won't get from anyone else.  Barrington is looking into murders of other witches.  He sees the potential in Sera, even when she struggles to control her emotions and powers.  Seventhborns get the second site when they come into their powers and Sera is able to see the ghosts of the dead witches.  The investigation is dangerous and Sera has to confront ghosts of her past, too.



The pacing of the book was a bit slow for me, but I did enjoy how descriptive the writing was.  The ending felt a bit rushed compared to the lead up, so I do wish that would have been a bit more detailed.  But I enjoyed the story, characters, and writing.  I really hope we get a book two because there were definitely things left open and unfinished.



There is a bit of a love triangle in a way.  Also, the teacher/student relationship was definitely heading towards romantic, but it never quite got there.  This didn't bother me because Sera is eighteen, and this obviously took place in a different time.  But just a little warning in case these things bother you.



I gave this book 4 stars.  Thank you to netgalley and Entangled Teen for the chance to read this one early.

I liked this book, but had a couple of issues with it. The first is with the world building aspect of being seventhborn. A seventhborn kills their mother while being born and is generally considered condemned and cursed by the magical society (although they're trying to be more enlightened about it). They're magic users. Why on earth is anyone having a seventh child? Wouldn't you, I don't know, avoid it knowing that you would die and your child would be condemned to a life of misery and hatred and prejudice?

The thing about this book that felt trippy to me--it's very much like reading Harry Potter. And while reading I couldn't figure out if that was a good thing that it reminded me of one of my favorite series, or a bad thing. It's kind of like if a female Harry Potter hooked up with a much younger Professor Snape, and Cedric DIggory had a crush on girl Harry (I'm sure this fanfic exists somewhere out there in the world). I've read plenty of YA fantasy that didn't remind me of HP, but there was just something in the way this world was constructed (like the bad guys are the Death Eaters, er, the Brotherhood) that felt all too familiar. And I couldn't decide if it reminded me in a good way, or in a rip-offy way.

The book does have an ending of sorts (although I suspect the villain is still very much alive, like Voldemort and there will be a final battle between Harry and Voldemort at the end of this series, since it is set up to continue as a series). I also had a bit of an issue with the heroine and her love interest, especially given the age difference and his position of power. Not so good in this #MeToo age.

"Seventh Born" is a YA fantasy that follows the (literally) fiery Seraphina (Sera) Dovetail. Sera is a seventhborn, which is the seventh child born to a witch which saps her magic and kills her. Seventhborns are generally despised and strongly prejudiced against. In the past, they were blamed for plagues and other societal problems and killed. Now, society is trying to move past this and has allowed Sera to enroll in the Aetherium's Witchling Academy in the seventhborn program. The Aetherium rules the witch/wizard world.

Sera has no memory of her life before she was taken and tortured by a warlock, Noah. However, bearing the mark of a seventhborn, she knows that she must have a father and 6 siblings somewhere. She is trying to study hard at the Academy to become an Inspector and thus be able to right wrongs plus find her family. However, with the prejudiced and cruel remarks of her teachers and classmates, Sera's temper often flares and her magic starts fires.

Everything changes when the attractive, young Professor Barrington offers to train Sera as his assistant and in turn, provide the recommendation she needs to enter into the school to become an Inspector. Barrington involves Sera in an investigation he is conducting into the brutal murder of seventhborns at grave sites seemingly unconnected to the seventhborns. Through the investigation, they uncover more than expected with a larger conspiracy that may threaten Sera directly.

While the writing was pretty good and I definitely read the whole thing, I felt like we were missing a lot of background and world-building. This almost felt like the second book in a series or like a couple chapters at the beginning were missing. It's unclear why seventhborns are so hated. Presumably, in a world of magic, people can choose about having kids- if they don't want or hate seventhborns so much, why have them (and why do so many people have seven kids- that's expensive! Not to mention hard on the body...)? Also, if their parents choose to have a seventh, they know what the consequences are. I feel like we needed more reasons/background on this. I would actually expect they would be honored for their mothers' sacrifices plus their immense power. It didn't quite make sense to me, and I feel like I was missing some additional context. Also, about the world, it was not clear if it takes place alongside our own- there are some nonmagical areas revealed later- are those the ones that we know about? Or is this a completely different world?

Beyond that, most of the relationships are preexisting and not explained. For example, the friendship between Sera and Mary- how did they become friends? Why are they so close? It is just preexisting in the book, but it would have been nice to have a flashback to how they met and why they are so devoted to each other. Also, the boy who is "in love" with Sera- they have barely ever spoken and yet he would die for her. We get some explanation at 90% of the way through, but even that did not explain everything. Considering it was also accompanied by some sexual harassment/assault (she said who knows how many times she wasn't interested and he forces her into kisses she doesn't want a few times plus has some unexplained obsession with her that is never prevented or dealt with), I was not sure how I felt about it. I believe this was unnecessary in a YA book and did not feel that I understood what the message was here (stalkers are OK? Allow people to do things to you that you don't want if they seem nice to others?). She forces herself to relax and accepts the kisses she doesn't want, which to me, sends the very wrong message to younger readers.

Finally, the other issue I have is the feelings between Sera and Barrington, which also made me a bit squeamish. Their relationship is teacher/student (formally) and boss/assistant informally. Considering this, the hints of romance throughout did not seem appropriate- there's a big difference in power. However, not much actually happens, so I am not sure if this will be developed in future books.

Regarding Sera, she seems very young with feelings that get out of control and slowly learns to contain them. I think she is appropriate for a YA heroine, and the mysteries of the murders really keeps the plot moving well. I wish the book had more background and explanations for things, plus different romantic relationships.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.