Darkborn

This was extremely well-written and a real page-turner. I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy. The concept of a whole people who live in the dark and never see color, only use sonar to sense what is around them is just mind-boggling. I loved it!

Excellent! Excellent! A thoroughly engaging story, set in an alternate Victorian like time. Centuries after a cataclysmic magical event in which the population was separated into "Darkborn" those that cannot tolerate the light as they burn up and turn to ash, and the "Lightborn" those who come undone by darkness and live in perpetual light. There is cooperation between the two groups, but also distrust as each society has developed different values and abilities. The Lightborn "see". The Darkborn "Sonn" Bells announce the sunrise and sunset so that people may seek shelter for the day (or night). The characters, as mentioned in other reviews, are strong, likable and believable. I very much look forward to the continuation of this trilogy.

Light is lethal to those born in darkness, and DARKBORN introduces the first in a romantic mystery/fantasy trilogy blending elements of espionage in an exciting story of Darkborn and Lightborn, who co-exist without ever interacting in the same world. Political intrigue and magical attacks blend in a powerful new story hard to put down.

Far too many fantasy novels are set in one of a few standard fantasy universes. You have your Tolkien clones set in D & D influenced, Medieval Europe worlds, and you have urban fantasy. This novel is set in a unique and original world. The world is based on 17th/18th century Europe, but is split into two groups, the "Darkborn" who have sonar instead of eyes, and burst into flame when exposed to direct sunlight. The book has some nice details about how the sonar works, and it's limitations. There are also the Lightborn, who dissolve if not continuously illuminated. (I'm not quite sure how this would work...but hopefully it will be explained in the sequels) These two groups live in the same land, but can never meet face to face. Having recently read a lot of "vampire romances" with their protagonists who are always described as "strong women", but strike me as looser drama queens, the female protagonist was somewhat refreshing. She was a genuinely strong women operating within the limited context of a sexist society and managing to get around it's limitations without drama. I'm not a romance fan, but the romance aspect actually worked in this novel, even for me. It is rare to read a novel that has a convincing depiction of a genuinely happy marriage. (A lot of novels feature two characters dramatically circling each other and NOT getting together, but a happy couple is apparently more difficult to imagine than orcs or the undead). If you like sci fi built on world building, 18th century dynastic politics, or if you like Jane Austen novels, you'll like this.