The Hollow King (Warhammer Age of Sigmar)

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Conflict/tension/obstacles- many were thrown at them, but they reacted more than had agency. I also didn’t really care much that all the city was infested with Nightborn because I wasn’t given a direct reason to care since it didn’t threaten the main characters much Though Bastien is beautiful and lovely.. he's also (to borrow a phrase from a comedian) a bit of a Princess Peach. I'm not sure I've ever read a powerful male character who gets captured quite so much. He's always being abused by some horrible person or another, manipulated and controlled.. because he does have vulnerabilities. Don't get me wrong, it makes for a great story. It just also makes me want to sweep him away and keep him safe.. which enables me to relate to Grace really easily. At least until she does the same stupid things, albeit for better.. if not good reasons.

The pacing is good, and John French does a good job of keeping the story moving without long periods of overly verbose detail. Grace is just awesome because she’s a somewhat taciturn control-freak who is actually a softie deep down - I can totally identify with that! Bastien gives me slight Rhysand vibes, and we all love Rhys, don’t we? There is plenty of action and intrigue in the plot here, with the return of the nightborn – kind of like magical zombies, consumed by dark power – and the Deep Dark attempting to claim Grace for its own, and Bastien being pressured to wed a fellow noble to retain (and save) his kingdom. Other familiar characters like Danny, Ellyn, Misha and Kurt return, and some familiar villains too, which is great because they add real depth to the main storyline. Having read a few books by author Jessica Thorne, I was quite excited by the beginning of this story. Rules of magic were clear. The attraction between the main characters was kept subtle. I loved how the two joined forces and worked not only against the power hungry people of the Kingdom but also the deep coil of dark power inside Bastien that was destroying him one cell at a time. Firstly i really loved all the plot twist and surprise moments ideas....and thats what makes me sad,because of all the potential that story has.

There are distinctive class differences at play, between the royals and other well-bred citizens, and the gritty underbelly deeper inside the city, where the soldiers come from. The sense of entitlement and disdain.. regarding those outside the poorer parts of town is palpable. There is a bit of pantheon building here as well, just a glimpse of their gods, which I'm hoping we'll see developed more widely in future releases for the series.

If you know me, you know I was a SUPERFAN of Mageborn. I loved Bastien and Grace so much. So I had to read Nightborn! Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for granting me this ARC 🥰 There were plenty of villains in this story, new and old - but more often than not the main characters were their own worst enemies! There was so much self doubt that it was heartbreaking and a torture to read from Grace and Bastien's POV. I mean, wow!... Be prepared for plot twists!!!... I highly recommend giving this book a read! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!!!’ Goodreads Reviewer While I do miss the constantly annoyed, brooding Bastien from the first book, it's also really good to see him content and it's frustrating how short-lived his happiness always seems to be. Watching as those around his clamor for his power or his name for their own agendas is infuriating. He deserves so much more.I will be providing a *SPOILER FREE* review for now.... The moment February 18 hits. I am editing this review and you can bet I will unleash my true ranty feelings about all the characters♥♥♥ Her investigation leads her to the famous King’s cousin Bastien Larelwynn...or also known as Lord of Thorns in the whole kingdom of Rathlynn. In short, I think the characters were quite flat and bland with not much personality. They didn't seem well developed or realistic. Danny had always said Kurt would end up in more hot water than he could handle. Kurt had always told his little brother that he liked his water as hot as possible." Grace's powers are dangerously close to turning Nightborn. Quite early on, something terrible happens to Bastien (I can't tell you what it is, but it's pretty terrible) and everything goes wrong.

Time is running out. With Bastien promised to another, and a stony distance growing between them, will Grace find the source of the nightborn curse before every last soul is consumed by the darkness? I felt like i was sprinting trough all the events one after another and that left me no room to grasp properly ,mentaly and emotionally what was going on and to have some kind of impact on me - at least emotionally (and believe me there are a lots of moments that makes you gasp - what did just happened?).Maybe if there were more chapters and more time to "breathe" between all the action it would give time to sync in. Bastien, like Grace, is burdened by his own missing memories and powers, fighting to right the wrongs in his city and kingdom, fighting to protect the mageborn by others' clutches. He's witty, powerful and tormented. Unlike Grace, who found her family in the Academy with her team, Bastien's loneliness and being out of place is acutely written and clear. This book is told in third person, through Grace and Bastien. I think this didn't work out that well, as they don't have much of a distinct character voice. I didn't have the same excitement over Grace/Bastien. I didn't find the bumps in the road of their relationship believable. I wish that some of the other characters had been fleshed out better, and I wish that it didn't end the way it did. It looks like another book is coming, but it wasn't really a cliffhanger so much as like hey look there's a cliff in the dista...Wow, wow, wow!... A showstopping book that was hard to put down… An addicting adventure you will not want to miss out on.’ NetGalley Reviewer Also, Cado is an idiot. Much like John French's Ahriman, for some reason, everyone (including a five-year-old girl) somehow gets the better of him. Even when he is confronting bad guys to throw off the mask of their deceit, he still manages to get it wrong and winds up almost dead. There are some new characters and as with the regular ones you’ll love the goodies and you’ll love hating the baddies. This story obviously caught my eye – but I enjoyed it so much more than I could have envisioned. There is a slow but rewarding build up to the dramatic conclusion, and reading through the last few chapters I was going through a rollercoaster of emotions – my heart felt like it had been ripped out, trampled on, and then trampled on some more for good measure. I was horrified at the grief and betrayal these characters were going through. My heart ached at one scene in particular – my frustration at the ‘what ifs’ had me taking a coffee break before continuing.