Cover Image: True Born

True Born

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Member Reviews

Margot and Lucy and twin, but their personalities could not be more differnt. Margot is the charming, fun sought after twin, where as Lucy is the rule follower who always tries to take care of her twin and live up to her parents's high expectations. As their 18th birthday comes closer, the girls go into their testing to determine what group they fit into: Splicers, Lasters...or True Borns. When a new security team is hired by her father, Lucy knows something is wrong. And through her bond with her sister, she knows her sister is in danger, and Lucy will do almost anything to save her sister.

I went into this book with no expectations and I can honestly say that I had no real idea what I was getting into. I had owed a copy of the book for about 6 months but it was on my back-list of things to read, but when I saw the second book was coming out I was interested in reading both books together (I don't have patience and hate waiting for books in a series because I always seem to forget important details...don't get me started on the fact I have to wait for a 3rd book here!) I absolutely loved this book! I have read TONS of dystopian novels and honestly they have just started to blend together over time, the same ideas and plot reused until I just don't care anymore. Well, this was unlike anything I have ever read before. There was mystery, action, danger, supernatural, romance, lies and truths all mixed together. The world building the author did is some of the best, most complicated and detailed that I have experienced in a long time. I blew through his book in one sitting, not able to get enough to get enough of the plot as well as the characters and the strange details and mysteries that kept popping up.

Jared. Sigh Jared. So no, this was not a romance in the traditional sense, but there were some intense stolen pages between Lucy and a certain stubborn, attractive and protective True Born that made me want to swoon. There were so many moments where I just wanted to yell at both characters to just shut up and kiss! Argh, I hope I can see their relationship progress in the next book because hands down they were my favorite part of this amazing book.

Lucy was an interesting character, appearing meek, haughty and bland when the book progressed but by the end she had morphed into a better version (in my opinion-I founf Margot to be underrated even though she seemed to be everyone's favorite) of what her sister had appeared to be at the start. Where as Margot seemed to wither and give up, Lucy grew into herself and had a backbone made of steel. I rooted for her to be her own person, be honest to herself, and to figure out the mystery surrounding her origins. I really enjoyed her as a character and I hope to see even more personal growth to come because her battle is just starting.

I am a total fan-girl now over this book. I was completely caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this book and desperately need to know more. I loved how the cover image makes sense as the details of the story were revealed and it makes me curious as to how the second book ties in and what message the third will have (once revealed!). I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian, mystery and supernatural/sci-fi, or really anyone looking for something new and great.

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My first thought about True Born was that it's hard to classify. Is it a fantasy? It is a dystopian? Is it science fiction? In truth, it's all of these things.

I was pleasantly surprised to find most of my favorite elements rolled up together in the book. Like a beautifully baked cake with buttercream frosting. It was a delicious treat.

True Born is written mostly from Lucy's perspective. Lucy and her twin, Margot, have that special connection you hear twins talk about sometimes. But theirs is ramped up on steroids. Lucy can physically feel what is happening to Margot. So, when Margot disappears it doesn't take long for Lucy to feel it, and she takes off trying to find her.

That's where Jared and Storm enter into Lucy's life and things start to change. Lucy has more questions than answers throughout the entire book, and we learn some things right along with her but there's still a lot left in the dark to keep me coming back for more. What exactly are Lucy and Margot? That's the question of the hour.

Overall, this book was a very nice read. I enjoyed Lucy's character a lot and Storm and his crew are pretty bad ass. I found Lucy to be very relatable. She's been kept in the dark and she's finally seeking some answers. But the entire time she's scared of letting down her family and what this whole things means for her and Margot.

I would have like to have seen a clearer explanation of True Borns in the books though. After I finished reading, I found myself still confused about what exactly True Borns are and how they come to be about. There's some explanation but I still wasn't clear on the historical origins of True Borns.

True Born was nicely written and I didn't find myself stumbling over any grammatical errors. It get 4 stars and a thumbs up from me, so make sure you check it out.

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It's been a while since I've visited some dystopian fiction, but I was very excited to dive into this book and see where its pages took me. I've had this book on my iPad for ages now but unfortunately had never gotten around to reading it. But then I saw that book two in the trilogy (True North) was coming out so I finally picked this up, and I am glad I did.

I think that it was very interesting to see a dystopian/plague-type novel from the perspective of an upper-class person, as I feel like most of the time with these novels we are only privy to the perspectives of the lower classes who are struggling the most. The rich perspective was done in such a way that didn't feel like it was trying too hard to be what it was. Oftentimes, a perspective like this sounds unbelievable and overdone, but L.E. Sterling really managed to capture the tone and mood of the upper class as they perceive themselves, as opposed to an outsider-looking-in perspective,

Lucy and Margot are twins who were conjoined at birth, by a small area on their toes. And all those rumors you hear about twins being able to feel each other's pain and whatnot are actually true with Lucy and Margot. They use this special connection to communicate with one another, and can also tell when the other is in danger, which comes in handy quite a few times throughout the novel. I thought that the connection between the sisters added something to the novel that helped to make the reader feel things for the sisters more deeply.

As with any YA book, there's usually a love interest, and for our dear Lucy, this comes in the form of True Born Jared Price. From the moment Lucy lays eyes on him, she is intrigued by him (hello, insta-love!) yet once she gets to know him she finds herself rather annoyed by some of his behaviors. While I overall liked his character, I hated how he and Lucy were constantly hot and cold with one another. It seemed as though neither could make up their mind about how they felt about the other, and were constantly flip-flopping between liking one another and hating the other's guts.

There were a few times throughout the novel where I got a bit confused as to what was going on with the story. This could be because some things just needed to be fleshed out a little more, or perhaps there are a few sentences that just needed some reworking. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed True Born and I am very excited to see what the sequel has in store about tying up the many questions I am now left with. I give True Born a solid 4/5 stars.

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I really don't know what to say about this book.

The idea was interesting but the writing was so confused and the characters were just so flat I couldn't make myself read for a long time. I never got lost in the book because anytime there was a flow to get lost in some weird poorly described action would happen that would confuse me so much I had to re-read everything.

Also god these relationships were just too much. Like I get the whole "fantasy" is a thing and not every relationship has to be all accurate all the time (like this was very bdsm for a YA book) but god almighty there was literally nothing between them except "primal connection" or whatever. And god Lucy had NO PERSONALITY and never made any decisions that made sense and when she changed her mind all the time that didn't make sense either.

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This book was such an amazing and fun little gem, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!

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The Answers Are In The Blood

After reading the blurb I knew I was in for a treat. There were so many elements to this book I can’t just place it in one genre. There are dystopian, post apocalyptic, paranormal, and fantasy elements to this tale. A disease has nearly wiped the planet the 2% is at the top while the rest figure it out or die. When I say figure it out I mean starve or die from the plague. So yea, situation looks dire. There are divisions and plain ol’ hysteria Dominion is where the story plays out everyone’s existence is bleak. Even the wealthy upper circle people are on borrowed or should I say bought time. This book is constantly going, going somewhere, dropping morsels and revealing questions. Man oh man after that delicious appetizer I’m ready for a meal! I want and need answers. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for the next installment. Coming out soon! Yay!

The Story, as I mentioned before its not looking good for the people of Dominion or the world. People are dying everywhere there are bodies on the floor. There are protocols that everyone follows. True Born follows Lucy and Margot they are conjoined(by the toe) twin sisters there is something very special about them but no one knows exactly what. A long time ago pollution decimated and practically ruined the planet due to these harsh conditions people started sprouting fins or flat out dying. Lucy and Margot are part of the Upper Circle translation Grade A ARSEHoles with stupid amounts of money and power. They are about to turn 18 and thus put through several blood tests to see if they are either Splicers, Lasters, or True Born. Something is wrong and Lucy feels some impending catastrophe. There are riots and attacks and all the while Lucy is trying to save her sister, figure out what they are, and fighting the feelings that are blossoming between her and Jared.

The Characters, I was thoroughly delighted by this cast of characters. Lucy and Margot are surrounded by so many wonderful characters I could not get enough. There were times in the story I felt like storms clan was similar to the x men. Though Margot and Lucy are twins they are very different. Both of them are categorized as good girls who do what they must to uphold the family image. Margot is a charming diplomat that can woe the crowd while Lucy is calculating and protective. Storm is a True Born with way more power than he lets on, he has been hired to protect Lucy and Margot just when you think you’ve figured him out bombs start dropping and so will your jaw. The bad guys are pretty obvious but their moves and motives are not. I loved each character even the bad ones…I just want to know more I need the whos whats and wheres.

The End, remember those bombs I told you about? Yep…That happens but seriously Storm reveals some of his cards and Lucy and Margot? Well there is not much that can be done but they sure try. The ending was a little sad but the promise for more is there. I was happy to see certain people get their just desserts. I have my theories as to what secrets lie within Lucy and Margot but I will keep them to my self. I was pretty disappointed in Lucy’s parents though I do love them or should I say love to hate them I really need the why. There are several open ended story lines that I’m very excited about!

4.5 Holy SMOKES! This was a great read! I seriously can’t wait for the next. I have the fever and the only cure is more Lucy, Margot, Jared and Storm!

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