After the weird pacing of The Stormbringer, I was wondering what I'd get with The Nightborn. The queer-normative fantasy world is interesting enough that I was willing to give it a second shot and I'm glad I did.

The Nightborn follows another Sentinel, Branwyn, as she pretends to be a diplomat and travels to Heliodar to secure aid in the fight against The Big Bad. There she meets Zelen, a young member of the High Council. The plot is a mix of political maneuvering, family evils and battle. I found that melange compelling, but the romance was also much more present and evenly distributed than in the first book. This is exactly what I want from fantasy romance.

Audio notes: This dual-POV series is narrated by Australian Katherine Littrell and though she's doing all the voices and points-of-view, she's successful at pulling out the full range of emotions and the battle scenes are pretty great.

I received an audiobook copy from the publisher for review.

Content Warnings: lots of violence, emotionally abusive/manipulative family, magic violence/demon stuff

Won't be posting a public review for this book. I felt it was needed to read book 1 to fully enjoy this. I also found a lot of this book a bit slow and boring and I wonder if having the context of the first book I would've been more invested.

I'm usually a fan of fantasy books but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this one. The narrator was good, but I couldn't get into the world the author created.

The Nightborn is the second book in Isabel Cooper's fantasy romance series Stormbringer. I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Katherine Littrell. I didn't read or listen to the first book yet. Was I confused? Yes, a little, but I just didn't care because I had a blast listening to this book! There was action, romance and steam...throw in a marvelous narrator, and this was an absolute treat.

In this fantasy world, Sentinels are warriors who are raised from childhood to be weapons. They protect humanity from the evil monsters of the supernatural army that has been amassed by the Traitor God. Sentinel Branwyn Alanive has been sent to Heliodar on a diplomatic mission to ask the High Council for their assistance in the looming war. The members of the High Council are skeptical about a possible war, but she finds a sympathetic ear in the youngest member of the Council and a healer, Zelen Varengir. There's not much he can do to help, especially since his aristocratic family wants him to spy on Branwyn for them. He's extremely drawn to her, so it's not exactly a hardship spending time with her. When the High Lord and his wife, with whom Branwyn is staying, are murdered and Branwyn is framed for it, Zelen joins forces with her to not only discover who actually committed the murders, but to also fight against the darkness that has already gotten a foothold in Heliodar.

What an exciting book this was! Fantasy is not my favored choice of romance genre, but books like this may change my mind. In this world females are in no way wilting violets, but rather fearsome warriors on par with their male counterparts. In this story Zelen is fairly proficient with a sword, but Branwyn is the seasoned warrior while Zelen is a healer. They were both fantastic characters and made a strong romantic pair. Branwyn, as I stated, is a Sentinel who has spent most of her life on the battlefield; her role as an envoy is a bit of a departure for her. Zelen wanted to be a priest, but that pathway was nixed by his snooty parents and they wanted him to represent their family in the High Council; he served as a healer to do what he could for his fellow citizens. When Zelen discovered that Branwyn was a Sentinel he was shocked but accepting... it also explained her mad fighting skills. Together they made a formidable team, and their intimate time was scorching! Supporting characters were great, my favorite being Branwyn's Soulstone Sword, Yathana. Yes, a sword is an actual character! I also enjoyed young Tanya (a child Zelen treated), and Zelen's partner in his clinic. Narrator Katherine Littrell did an amazing job! She had a great accent (Aussie?) and had an excellent range for male and female characters. Audio was the perfect vehicle for this book; it made the story even more compelling. I will definitely be reading (or listening to!) book one and future installments of this series!

I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book worked pretty well for me. It took me a bit to get into the writing of the story, but once I did I was invested. An intricate world, loveable characters, and a romance you are rooting for.
I love politics in books, and this one had quite a bit. It worked well for me.

Branwyn is sent to seek help from the High Council because war is impending. The High Council is untrusting of her and requests a two week deliberation. Not wanting to wait that long but needing the help desperately, Bronwyn agrees. During this time, she meets and grows closer to Zelen. However, Zelen has some trouble he needs to deal with and Bronwyn is drawn into helping him.
Opinion
This is the second book in the series. I was a bit confused but was able to make my way through the book. I would suggest you read the first book, unlike me, so you know what’s going on.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was captivating as the story was told with a soothing, yet intriguing voice.
The story itself was superb. I loved all of the side stories that wove together to pull this book off.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for a free review.


The book is fantastic but the audiobook wasn't for me. This is shameful because there were amazing topics, interesting characters, and scenes but I couldn't grasp the worldbuilding or even understand how everything worked.

I believe it was because of the audiobook and that's alright! Still, enjoyed it. Even if it took me too long to listen which doesn't happen often.

The excerpt I got to listen of this book was fantastic and left me craving more! I will highly recommend this to anyone.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscapes for an advanced readers copy of The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper via audiobook. This is a fantasy romance that action packed with a romance. Very well done.

Did not notice when I requested it that it would have graphic sex scenes, but that's cool, lol. I got confused sometimes with the complicated names and the narrator's accent working against me at times (got the audiobook) lol, but I still enjoyed the story very much.

Very fascinating world with great character development. Intriguing story that has fast paced action thwarting our star-crossed lovers.
Two POVs
A few hot steamy scenes
Second in series but Standalone
HEA
Looking forward to future books in this series.
#TheNightborn #NetGalley

The second volume in the Stormbringer series continues the story by following a character we met before but didn't really get to know. Sentinel Branwyn is sent to a neighboring country as a diplomatic messenger, sent to tell them that the man who once almost destroyed the world is back and ready for war. There she meets Zelen, a member of the High Council who is considered a black sheep by his noble family for wishing to help those less fortunate.
It's a lot less action-packed than the first volume, but it more than makes for it in intrigue and some very, very good romance. The story takes many twists and turns, slowly driving the story towards an explosive end and some exciting revelations. It was really interesting to see how the pieces that Cooper laid out over the course of the story come together to make the full picture at the end.
The Nightborn definitely cements this series as one to follow and I can't wait to read what comes next.

Narrator Katherine Littrell does an excellent job of giving life to this story. Her reading of each character feels distinct and she perfectly gives each scene the lightness or depth it requires. Especially in the climactic ending, she definitely had my pulse racing.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early listen!