It was fine. It had all the elements I typically love in a book but unfortunately I found my mind wandering a lot while trying to get through it. I think part of the problem is that the book felt as if it lacked cohesive development of the characters and story. For example, despite the MC insistence that she disliked the MMC in the very beginning the relationship felt very insta-love rather than allowing the relationship to build or show the trust being built. Overall, not bad but it took me a while to get through.

Enjoyed this book but not sure it will stick with me as much as Graceling did. They are very similar.
Has:
Duel POV
Magical prejudice
Court Intrigue
Rebellion
Repressed memories

A little predictable but still entertaining.

I really enjoy a fantasy romance with a strong heroine and a dark brooding love interest...so I wasn't desapointed. I tought that the fact the mageborn are both powerful and feared add a lot of tension to the plot. The magic system is unique and interesting. If you enjoy court politics, forbidden magic and slow burned. It's a solid and entertaining read. I cannot wait to read The Nightborn. Thank you for this amazing reading and discovery

This story was a real page-turner! I was completely captivated by the author's unique magic system, which felt fresh and innovative. The plot was intricate and packed with action, ensuring there was never a dull moment. Every twist and turn presented a new challenge, keeping the suspense high and leaving me constantly on the edge of my seat. I particularly appreciated that, even with the looming threat of ongoing wars, the story delivered a satisfyingly happy-enough ending. I'm relieved the cliffhanger wasn't too brutal! What truly stood out for me was the strong female lead. She possessed admirable strengths of her own, independent of her relationship with the male lead, and I loved that she even got to rescue him at times. It's refreshing to see a female character who is competent and resilient in her own right. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling fantasy adventure with a well-developed magic system and a strong, independent FMC.

This was a really fun one. Desperate to save the mageborn, working with her enemy and fighting undeniable attraction, yet battling with lack of trust.

Jessica Thornes first novel of her The Hollow King series wants to shine bright but twinkles at best. Unfortunately, Mageborn couldn't keep me interested enough to want to root for the plot or the characters.

4 stars ⭐️ This is a very slow burn romance with very little spice. But there was adventure and the last half of the book picked up its pacing!

What to expect:
✨slow burn romance
✨enemies to lovers
✨magic
✨found family

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

This slow slow slow burn romance in a very dark world with magic was fun to read. Enemies to lovers trope with hidden power and closed off MMC.

Mageborn started out slow, and I almost did not finish the book. About 40% through, the pace picked up and I could not put the book down! Author Jessica Thorne did an amazing job with Mageborn.

The book focuses on Grace and Bastien. Two people raised very differently in a world where magic exists but is controlled by the kingdom. Tasked by the dying king to protect Prince Bastien, Grace does her best to keep him safe. From unearthing political schemes and secret identities, Grace and Bastien fight together to save their friends and all innocent lives.

I love how Grace was written. She is strong and loyal. She does not need anyone to save her because she will do it herself. Her sense of loyalty to her sworn duty is also admirable. Bastien as the MMC is intriguing. From the start, the reader is given a glimpse of how there is more to him. The plot twist in the end was really good.

World building was alright. The author did a good job at explaining the history of the world and the magic system.

I definitely will look forward to the next book. I hope it tackles the reason behind the king’s decision to choose Grace for Bastien. I have many unanswered questions that I really hope will get answered.

If you like magic, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, political schemes, and strong FMC, this book is for you!

This was a gripping tale that will take you into a dark world of cruelty where magic is taken. The story was very interesting and the characters were well written. It was a lot going on and many powers were in play.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I really enjoyed the interesting magic system in this novel as well as the characters

For readers who love:
🗡️ Soldier FMC with hidden powers
👑 Dark and brooding princes
🔥 Enemies-to-lovers tension
🏰 Court intrigue + rebellion
💫 Found family + high stakes magic
⚖️ Betrayal, redemption, and reluctant allies-to-lovers

Mageborn had everything I love in a fantasy: a tough-as-nails FMC with a secret, a cold prince with a haunted past, enemies-to-lovers angst, and political scheming. Grace is such a fierce, loyal character, and watching her struggle with trust, power, and identity made me ache for her. And Bastien? Dark, brooding, and unexpectedly tender—my favorite kind of reluctant ally.

The pacing kept me on edge, and the world felt rich and dangerous with every turn of the page. I loved the moral grayness woven through both the characters and the plot—nothing was black-and-white, and that made it all feel so real. That last 30%? I devoured it. My kindle colorsoft was practically smoking from how fast I was flipping pages.

If you love:
🏰 Court intrigue
🔥 Enemies to lovers
🗡️ Strong female leads with hidden powers
💫 Found family and secret magic
…this book needs to be on your radar.

This is a thrilling adventure filled with magic, betrayal and love. The world building is remarkable. I loved this book. It's full.of twisted people in search of power. Things are often not as they seem. I need the next book.

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. The book unfortunately didn’t pull me in, I had to DNF
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Soldier FMC
Hidden identity

This wasn't my normal book type but I love giving new authors a try and it did NOT disappoint! I'm ready to read all of her backlog. The dark and brooding prince made me stay and I have 0 regrets

3.5/5

In this fantasy, we get a sprinkling of medieval vibes, mythology and court politicking and corruption. All the good stuff!

I really liked the complexity of these characters and their motivations, that felt more real. They have internal conflicts as to what is right and what is wrong, they're not so black and white. Some fantasy book main characters can be so black and white that they feel two-dimensional and fake. Real people struggle over big decisions and have to think about why they're really doing something. I think this book executed that general element quite well. I wish it was a touch more fleshed out in that regard, but it was still there and I still really appreciated and enjoyed that.

I think my only real issue with this book was the writing. I just didn't really love it. It felt a little choppy and assuming. By assuming, I mean, it felt like I was supposed to know things that were never really explained or brought up before. And I wasn't provided the context clues to have figured it out on my own. That was just a little weird and made reading some moments a bit awkward. I would rather be given too much information than not enough. I think that if the worldbuilding and pacing were sped up, that problem could be less obvious. I think that since some moments also dragged (pacing-wise), it emphasized that I was just sitting there without a clue.

Overall, I had a good time with this book! I can see a lot of fantasy readers enjoying this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Grace is an orphan rasied on the streets. She is foreced to ask prince Bastien for help when her best friend is taken away to the dungeons. Grace also has a hidden mageborn power that the queen wants....

Love the story. A great magical plot. Enjoy the chemistry with the main characters. An interesting magical world.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Found family
Magic
Political intrigue
Strong FMC
Minimal 🌶️

Not going to lie- for the first half of the book I was confused, but I stuck it out and I’m glad! Second half of the book captured my attention and kept me flipping the pages. This can be read as a standalone novel, but the author also leaves it to where there could possibly be a sequel/ have it lead to a series.