ARC Review - Publish Date April 17, 2023
Author: Auden Llyr
Series: Stand Alone
Category: Fantasy Romance
Spice: 🌶️
"'Have you heard the saying: Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. What your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny?'"
Loren's world is turned upside down when she learns magic is real, her family is cursed, and she is accused of murdering a man who practically crushes her to death.
"This revelation of my grandmothers had similarly set my mental balance off-kilter. The unquestioned rules that anchored my worldviews had been cut." - Loren
Before long she is forced to concede control of her life in a bid to direct the curse into the least horrible fairy tale, all while dealing with concussion symptoms and a continuing escalation of problems.
The premise of Spell Borne was intriguing but the book could have used a second round of editing for a more cohesive plot. Time jumps haphazardly between the chapters, which I found hard to follow, and characters are not as much introduced to readers but pop up to drive the storyline forward when it is most convenient.
There is significant and detailed sexual assault inflicted on Loren, and I was a bit surprised it was spelled out as much as it was. The book reminded me of a clean romance, light on the romance, but there was nothing light about reading about rape for tens of pages. It felt out of place considering the subject matter of fairy tales and genre.
The main characters were an eclectic bunch, if not over the top in their own ways.
Loren was a hot mess from the get-go. Somehow, with the reveal of magic in the world, her father shunning her for a younger woman, and a curse that is wreaking so much havoc in her life that she might need to get married, all she cares about is completing her thesis.
"Maybe I needed two lists. Things I could do something about, and things I couldn't yet do anything about." - Loren
I had a lot of sympathy for everything Lorem went through but it was hard being stuck in her head as she flits between moaning about inconsequential things or being hazy from a never-ending list of injuries. I liked her character more towards the end of the book as she finally starts standing up for herself and getting her life back together.
"Huh, being considered mentally unbalanced had its upsides too...My smile became a fraction more genuine." - Loren
Loren's grandmother, who experienced the curse herself as a sleeping beauty, is taciturn at first but it slowly becomes clear that she only wants the best for her granddaughter. Secrets are revealed that don't show her in the best light, but overall I thought she was the only one truly on Loren's side.
Connor, the resident brainiac who is studying the curse, acts like he is an awkward teenager in most of his interactions. He constantly lectures Loren while situating himself as the master manipulator for her new life living out a fairy tale.
"'Wow Connor,' Paulo snapped. 'You sound more upset that you don't understand what is happening than you did about what happened to Loren and Henri.'" - Paulo
Liam, Henri, and Paulo all play a part in either threatening Loren, trying to convince her to do something she doesn't want to do, and/or hiding behind the curse and not dealing with their own drama. Out of all of them, Paulo was the sweetest, but there wasn't much to his character outside of playing a part to appease the curse.
"'So, our current plan is basically to hand out and hope we start to love each other because it will fix things?'" - Loren
There was no love story, despite the fact that our main character does end up with someone in the end. With a host of male characters, the author kept readers guessing who would fulfill the requirements of the curse but the story ended with no tension or romantic build-up. There is a love scene but we are only privy to a kiss before it fades to black.
"In the seconds our lips touched, we wrote volumes containing both tragedies and joyful endings." - Loren
Fairy tale lore and the many different renditions of the story ended up being the most interesting part of the book for me. Connor's dialogue when he gets into explanations was very long-winded but the author certainly did a lot of research to write such detailed prose.
With too many fantastical storyline subplots added, Spell Borne's main plot about a fairy tale curse got lost, which was a shame. It felt a bit like playing trope bingo, blackout mode. The ending left a lot of questions still on the table. Though I have mixed feelings about this book, I'd be tempted to read and review another ones set in Lointaine, if only to meet another one of the princesses and see the author grow into her writing style.
*Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
Tropes and Themes: Fairy Tale, Magic, Small Town.
Blurb
Some curses start with “Once upon a time...”
I thought this semester would be easy - just my thesis and attending some seminars in Lointaine. And who doesn’t love spending time in an enchanting, small town?
But it turns out Lointaine is straight out of a fairy tale, quite literally, and the spell affecting the town is determined to turn me into a princess. You know, the kind that gets chased by murderous huntsmen, assaulted in their sleep, or cleans up after stepsisters… Not my idea of a great time.
However, according to the resident expert, it’s dangerous to try to avoid my fairy tale. I can’t take that risk since I’m already in a bit of trouble with the police.
I’m not sure I have it in me to fight my professors, the police, and magic spells, but if I don’t I’ll be letting go of my own dreams for my future. Is there any path through this grim tale that leads to a happily ever after?
Comments