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. I think Kurt has to be my favourite character in the book. I love how sassy and arrogant he can be. Everyone in the gang is amazing and I was happy to follow their adventures again.

The city this story is set in was also built up very well by the author and it had all the things you would normally see in a typical fantasy - the palace itself, the highborn area, an armoury/soldiers' quarters and then the market place, plus taverns of varying repute and the slums. And also a lot of secret passageways. Highly recommend for those who liked the first book and if you haven’t read it yet read Mageborn it’s sooooooo goood ⭐️ Cado Ezechiar is a soulblight grave lord on a mission to eradicate the daemonic cult that destroyed his living kingdom in centuries past.

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. This was such an enjoyable read! The magic system was really interesting - I haven't read any other books with quite the same concept, where one incredibly strong magic-wielder is charged with protecting and strengthening the regular ones. If she played a strong role before, Grace steals the show in this book, and I am delighted by that. This is a case of me liking a character at first, but then really appreciating them the more that I get to know them. Grace is headstrong without being overconfident, and she is not immune from feeling the obvious fear that someone might feel when there is an ancient and powerfully magical force taking over you. She's more than willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves, but it's not a blind sacrifice. She wants to find a way to end what is potentially going to ruin an entire group of people, rather than blindly throw herself to the mercy of whatever god might make this happen and hope for the best. She was very human in her weaknesses and strengths, and her love for Bastien—and their relationship, in general—is not just stronger, but more deeply felt, and I couldn't help but connect with it.

Quite a fun read it with two main characters who were initially antagonists until they found a common foe who was taking advantage of the magical situation. For the most part, though, this is a compelling fantasy adventure and the ending felt satisfying, with the door ever so slightly ajar for a return if necessary, but most of the plot points resolved. I do hope that there is a Book 3, if only to catch up with some of my side-character favourites… the team dynamic had me hooked more than the two main players! The Hollow King isn't a bad book. In a lot of ways, it is a good book. A noble vampire on a quest of vengeance who uses the souls of his people as a weapon. It's a premise that comfortably carries the book on its shoulders, and is aided by John French's easy prose. There were quite a few moral (if you can call,it that when magic is involved!) struggles for the characters, and I really liked how the author could take the reader on the journey with the characters. It was good to see the motivations, both good and bad.Jessica Thorne’s book The Queen’s Wing blew me away last year; I fell in love with its characters, its science-fantasy feel, and the can’t-look-away plot. So when I saw that Thorne has a new series out, I immediately hit the request button on NetGalley. Mageborn was an all right read for me, but I don’t think that it measures up to Thorne’s other series, unfortunately. In all honesty, I do think that because I’ve read the other series and know Thorne’s potential, this knowledge kept me from fully falling in love with Mageborn. 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 Once again Grace shone, and her character development and inner struggles made you feel all the emotions. Grace has the weight of the world on her shoulders the protection of Bastien and her friends, the future of the kingdom that they have had to abandon, how they are going to stop the magic addicted Asher and Aurelie, and now following Bastien saving her from the brink of death the malevolent power he unwittingly released.