ILLBORN

Took a while to get into - a lot of the religious focus was a bit of a turn off, but the book picked up well and leaves the promise of a good series. Some of the writing was a bit simplistic at times but overall promising

The opening chapter (prologue) of the novel is one of the strongest I have ever read. The suspense the opening character’s actions provide the story, keep it going for several pages into the novel proper, setting a real sense of the thrills to come.The world building is exceptional, despite a heavy reliance on real world politics and religion. I think the author’s clever comparisons to historical Catholicism and the brutality of the crusades is inspiring. Illborn deserves the title of epic fantasy.Of course, it is never all plain sailing for new authors. There are some minor issues commonly found in debut prose, such as repetition, redundancy, and an overuse of adverbs and adjectives. The dialogue is a little one dimensional as are the characters. The problems with the prose, however, do not take away from the strength of the story. Illborn is truly an epic saga.RecommendationI award Illborn 4 stars and look forward to the next instalment in the Illborn Saga. If you like epic fantasy, you will enjoy this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this over the last two days. The characters are interesting and likeable with just the right bit of darkness. I enjoyed reading about the different parts of the puzzle but am more intrigued about how they fit together- some definite surprises. Ordered the next one as soon as I finished.

This was a fantastic read, by an Indie author who has written a solid medieval type fantasy that definitely doesn't feel lile a debut novel. With alternating chapters following four pov's there was a chance that the pacing and flow could be all over the place, but not so... with a strong opening chapter the story moved along nicely... action scences of which there were plenty were handled convincingly and the end of each chapter left you wanting more. Maybe the female characters could've been a little less stereotypical and had a little more depth, but that's a small criticism. All in all a fantastic read, well worth a place at the top tier fantasy table.

I try not to give 5/5 because in my eyes it should be reserved for the very best..and this is definitely one of them.A medieval setting, following four 18 year olds from very different backgrounds, who start to develop powers. Powers that are forbidden and hunted. Only a dream that they all share connects the four. They must unite or else succumb to the will of whoever is hunting them.All four characters have a distinct voice, each having their own thoughts and moral compass that is completely different from the rest. My favourite has the be Corin, they all go through a lot in this book, however I do feel the best connection between him and I love his companion..I can’t say anymore!They all, or most of them, have moments where you may disagree with them, which I love because we are all humans, we all make decisions differently.The story telling is great, this is one of those books where you can’t put it down, and you will be thinking about the characters while doing you whatever chores you have. The world is very believable, you certainly feel as though you can see the world through each character’s eyes.The brutal world that Jackson has crafted is beautiful and scary. The characters are some of the best I’ve read over the last few years. I cannot wait for the sequel to find out what happens next. Congratulations to the author for this brilliant piece of work!5/5 stars, of course. - you can find me at Twitter @readsgavin

4 out of 5-stars reflects my enjoyment of this book. If I was giving a rating on quality of writing and editing I would give this 5-stars.It's a good book but I would caution you if you are easily upset by dark themes. I believe this was advertised as 'High Fantasy' but there are definite tones of 'Grim Dark' here too, which isn't my taste anymore.Well imagined and well written. I think that if you are a fan of the more macabre side of fantasy; with religious and sexual undertones then you will love this book.I think the author has a bright future, though I am likely to go for books with gentler themes from now on.