This is a book and a series that has great potential. This book felt very much like a first draft. It would have been much more magical and enchanting if they weren’t just acting out Disney movies….instead, it would be much more enjoyable if it was old fashioned fairy tales or the originals which are much spookier. Also the characters didn’t develop much. It was perfectly entertaining but it didn’t hit the mark which was frustrating because it clearly could have.

I enjoyed the idea of this more than the outcome. Felt like it was longer than it needed to be & therefore had some plot holes.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are content warnings at the beginning, which is really nice to see.

Spell Borne has an incredible premise. Loren's family, and all other descendants of some guy named Louis in the small town of Lointaine (lointain is "far" or "distant" in French, so Far Far Away) are cursed to live a fairy tale. Loren comes from a family of Sleeping Beauties, but she is trying to get her master's degree in technical illustration, so she doesn't have time for that.

Enter Connor, our resident Fairy Tale Expert and Loren's guide in navigating her fairy tale possibilities. He has done the math and figured out which possible paths she could go down if she wants to avoid becoming Sleeping Beauty, but ultimately it's up to "the Magic" to decide. But she can't show any resistance, because something bad might happen.

Connor takes Loren to dinner to meet his cousins. Henri is handsome, but Loren isn't attracted to him. Liam, however, is "yummy," despite Loren being asexual (all her words). Connor thinks, though he doesn't share it with Loren, that one of his cousins might be a good match for the prince in her fairy tale. He was hoping for Henri, but Liam takes the lead.

One thing that was done very well was the way everyone acted around the abuser. After Loren starts sharing her story, everyone else has a similar one or a word of warning they could've shared but didn't. It was painfully realistic.

This book feels like one of those werewolf stories on fanfic sites (you know the ones) but with a little more nuance and some editing for grammar. It was an easy read, but I felt annoyed throughout because something was missing. even with so much going on. After a messy journey, I did like where it ended up, especially the way Loren spoke about her experiences. If you can read and enjoy stories with heart, even if they're a little disjointed, you might like Spell Borne.

This was such a fun read. This is definitely not your normal fairy tale retelling, and it was all the better for it. I love the contemporary setting and that the main character is aware that she is being forced into her version of a fairy tale story by the magic surrounding the town of Lontaine and its founders. This story references so many fairy tales in all their forms from Grimm to Disney and I love that it acknowledges the fact that fairy tales can be really dark and traumatic. I also love that this book brings an inclusivity to fairy tales, and also sheds light on dealing with trauma (heed the trigger warnings) and is sensitive to that. Overall, I really liked this book and would highly recommend it!

This was a wery good story, and it really shows that the author researched fairy tales well!👌 I liked the characters and how the story unfolded, and would recommend this as a light read.

Wowza! This is SUCH a u inquest fairytale. It’s a fairytale that breaks the stereotypes of fairytales but it’s still a fairytale vibe. It slightly reminded me of the show Once Upon A Time I think it was. The start was just a little slow though. You

I had to stop at 11%. The premise of this book is really clever — it reminded me of the show Once Upon a Time. It just really needed to *slow down* and give me so much more background and context. I spent the first several chapters flipping back a page thinking, “Wait, I must have missed something,” because of how poorly content was introduced. And I don’t know if it was an attempt to capture the main character’s head injury, but her internal monologue was absolutely dreadful. I think it’s a shame this book hasn’t received heavier edits…. It has great potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The idea behind this book - that fairy tales manifest themselves in one small town and everyone has to find their role - sounds like someone who wants to re-write the first season of Once Upon A Time. I’m not mad at it (although I would argue it is the only good season of that show so maybe this is an alt version?). Either way, it did not succeed.

I repeatedly had to keep checking if this was the second book in the series and maybe I missed the first one with all the worldbuilding - but no. The main character was learning everything but it felt like we were ten steps behind the whole time: the juxtaposition between plot and exposition was off.

Overall I was very disappointed by this book - even with the heavy trigger warnings (which were not presented on NetGalley), the book still felt very juvenile. I feel this is a sturdy first draft - more revision is needed.

Spell Borne is MAGNIFICENT! 4 STARS for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I will say this book is very well written and immediately had me captivated. In the beginning we start with a point of view I wasn't so sure of, but I'm glad I hung on because this booked WOWED me in so many ways. It's a great fantasy, good story build, and interesting characters. Did give me a little bit of Twilight vibes RIGHT AT FIRST, BUT quickly my mind was changed and I realized how great of a fantasy this book is on it's own. Can't wait to read more from Auden Llyr.

I'm very grateful to have been gifted this copy by NetGalley. All opinions are my own!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Spell Borne by Auden Lyr starts really strongly. With an intriguing concept and engaging FMC, you get pulled into the story quickly. The author has clearly done a huge amount of research and that really reflects in the book. The trigger warnings were also appreciated.

It did feel like the beginning and epilogue of the book could have been a different story altogether from what was actually told. The concept and storyline were original and fresh, however could have been executed better. The dialogue felt very wooden at times, some of the plot points felt unnecessary and confusing, and after the intro was quite slow moving.
It was good to read a new take on fairytales, but would benefit from some different editing it.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book! (*Vague spoilers ahead)
I thought this was an entertaining read. The world that the author creates is definitely a unique concept. I feel like around the middle to early end of the book there were way too many storyline elements going on. It made it hard for me to go back and pick it up again at some points. And while I enjoyed the ending I feel like there could have been more interactions between the love interests throughout the rest of the book. There’s a large portion in the middle and end where you don’t even see or hear the final love interest. But I’m excited to see this author tell more tales from this world! This concept has so many places it can go!

The beginning was one that dropped you in and I actually felt like I must have missed a chapter. It did catch you up in a few chapters. I didn't love it. The ending felt rushed a little. It wasn't what I expected and I think it just wasn't for me.

Didn't like it. For me, the utilisation of fairy tales was good, but some of the chapters/scenes were not connected; like the situations were written one after the other without transition or link. I think the temper of the heroin was a little inconstant. I wish the dynamic beetween Henry and Paulo were better.

I would not recommand it to a fantasy public, maybe a romance public.
Unfortunately it dind't catch on me.

3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)
Notes:
● chapter 18 may be triggering (SA)
● I'm obsessed
● took me a little longer than I would like to get the hang of the lore but all things considered that isn't a big problem

Positives:
● The prologue, 100% had me hooked on the first page.
● The main character (so far in chapter 2) is so intriguing and likeable so far
● The author is actually making their characters make decisions
● Absolutely LOVE how the author is explaining the lore & history of the world in a way that does feel authentic and not info dumped
● very detailed
● I really like Kella as a character but I also really like the friendship that has formed between her and Loren

Negatives:
● I didn't realise the time setting until partway through chapter 11 (2009)

Overall, I did enjoy this story. It was very different from what I was anticipating, though.
I expected there to be more clarity about the fairytale Loren was a part of, but the whole magical process was very interesting.

I was not expecting some of the plot twists and things that occurred (make sure to check TW).

I guess I was expecting more of a love story, and I was a bit disappointed.

If you are looking for a unique fairytale retelling, and are okay without a huge amount of romance, you should check out Spell Borne!

not entirely sure where to start on this review. My first point is that i appreciate that the author included a list of trigger warning for this book at it is very much needed. I can handle a lot in a novel but one of the main reasons i read fantasy as opposed to thrillers, true crime, or lit fic, is that i don't have to deal with on page scene like the SA scene in this book, I don't feel that it was necessary to the story at all and it was extremely jarring in the middle of the book. it really set a weird tone for the rest of the novel. That being said the premise of this book is brilliant and i think that it lost a lot with the execution. The book is way too long. There is a serious bog down in that really contributed nothing to the story line, and had me setting it down several times. i Think that there would have been some benefit to having multipole POV in this story. all in all i think that is book really could have used some additional beta a editing before it was launched as it just did not work for me the way i was really hoping that it would.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 25%. I liked the idea, bur I couldn't get into the story or enjoy the characters

Spell Borne - Lointaine Fairy Tales #1 - Review

Couple: Loren & Connor

Author: Auden Llyr

Tropes: fairytale retelling, mystical, friends to lovers, small town

Review: This is the first. Book by Auden Llyr and it is something to read! It is a huge twist on a classic fairy tale retellings and the spins it takes is new and exciting.

The books centers around the town of Lointaine and is written from Loren’s POV. As the plot thickens, we learn that a select few of the town are classified as Princes or Princesses and they each have to complete a “story quest” of face the ramifications.

I enjoyed Loren in this book because while rebellious she also learns a lot about herself in this book. I felt like the twist with the classic fairy tales and the inclusion of other tellings of them made the book deeper and more intriguing.

The book focuses on Loren and her quest she must complete. I enjoyed Connor’s character and the intense help he tried to give her, he honestly was my favorite MC in the story and I hope book 2 has more of him. I also enjoyed how Loren’s story did not manifest in typical ways. The way Auden developed the plot and included that certain family lines had certain likelihoods of having a set fairytale made the book fun to read.

While I enjoyed Loren and Connor, I wanted more explanation of the secondary characters. I hope to see more from them in the following books and a resolution to Liam and his provocations.

This book has a tiny amount of spice at the end but sets up the story for a huge twist coming.

Rating: 8/10, the CLIFFHANGER!!

Here's the thing - if you cut off the prologue, last chapter, and epilogue, this is a really entertaining story that takes fairy tale tropes and stereotypes and gives them a run for their money in a way that is quite engaging. I really liked the idea of a town cursed to play out fairy tales, and the idea of attempting to exert one's own agency over that curse and it's attendant expectations. The characters were, on the whole, an interesting blend of the personae you would expect to see in a book about fairy tales coming to life, but with enough interesting rough edges to keep things interesting. There were a few points in the middle where it felt like the plot was not advancing as quickly as I wanted it to, but on the whole the vast majority of the book was quite entertaining and a roller coaster of light and dark that made for a very edgy read.

But....

No matter how I try, I cannot make sense of those named bits though, or how they fit into the story, and that's where the book as a whole lost me. The prologue as a setup doesn't really make sense for a very long time because it's difficult to figure out whose perspective it represents. The last chapter felt like a completely out of left field curveball, if you'll pardon my slightly mixed metaphor, that didn't seem true to either character involved. And the epilogue, a perspective shift once again, felt like the first chapter of a new book rather than the last chapter of this one.

I get the impression Llyr is trying to set up a series here. I liked the book well enough to give a second installment a try.

*3.5 stars. The premise for this book was really interesting and I enjoyed the writing. The pacing felt off to me, especially at the end. Some elements seemed incomplete (Connor's background, Liam's ending?, magical tattoo??) but it also seems like there will be another book so hopefully things will be resolved then. I loved Loren's character and her struggle to choose her own fate in a situation where her story is literally plotted out for her.