Shadowborn

De: Maren Alder

Narrado por: Barrie Kealoha

Despite a lifetime of bad luck, Teylin Walker remains determined to forge a new path for herself after leaving her abusive mother behind to chase her dream of becoming an actress in Los Angeles. But after a chance encounter with a boy possessing the extraordinary ability to turn invisible, she is thrown into a world beyond her wildest imaginings. Now danger follows her every step as the criminal syndicate known as the Coterie will stop at nothing to capture the boy and keep their secrets under lock and key–even if it means silencing Tey forever.

Tey miraculously survives, but at a cost. Enslaved and transported to a mystical chain of islands halfway across the Pacific, she discovers more children with dangerous and mysterious powers who are either killed for their abilities or used as pawns by the Coterie. Dubbed Shadowborn, they possess no memory of their origins, a lethal secret that Tey is determined to uncover.

Desperate to break free, Tey aligns herself with the dashing bounty hunter, Rob Stryker, who offers a glimmer of hope for escape. But as she grapples with her growing feelings for Rob and her burning desire to help the Shadowborn, the islands' hold on her grows stronger. When she rescues an injured Shadowborn from the clutches of a cruel master, Tey must make a fateful choice between her own freedom and the lives of those she has come to love.

©2021 Paradigm Publishing, LLC (P)2021 Paradigm Publishing, LLC

Everything you want from a YA novel

Such a fun, fast paced, action-packed ride with great characters, great story, and lots of twists and turns along the way. Easy 10/10 for me!

Tey is a normal teenage girl who has had some rotten luck, and things only get worse when she runs into some shady people on the street. She’s ultimately kidnapped and brought to a mysterious island where, without spoiling anything, some pretty crazy stuff goes down.

There’s never a dull moment in this book. There is wonderfully written action and romance, sure, but the heart of this book is the mystery surrounding the Shadowborn, children on the island with silver hair that have imaginative and dangerous powers. Why are these children here? What are the secrets of the islands? What is the monarchy hiding and why do they want the Shadowborn executed? So many great questions that really push you to keep reading.

Overall, this is an excellent book worth every penny, and a promising debut for author Maren Alder.

6 Star ☆☆☆☆☆☆

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a story this much. Multifaceted, richly layered & rampantly enjoyable!!

Want book 2 now, please.

Looking forward to book 2. I want to know more about the adventure. Totally had a feeling about Rob.

Captivating from beginning to end

This book jumps straight into its story and takes the audience on a suspenseful and wonderful visual journey that doesn’t get bogged down in too many details. A page turner - if an audiobook can be one. There were only a few microphone bumps in the recording, but the performance of the reading was solid and I was able to immerse myself in the colorful world Maren Alder created.

Fun adventure with quick pace action!

I couldn't recommend this book enough. You find yourself forgetting the time and just enjoying a fresh new story full of mystery, love, and suspense. Cannot wait for following books. I'm a fan for life!

Refreshingly Original

I read books all of the time, and it's rare to find something that is both original and entertaining- this book is both!

The main character is incredibly relatable, and man does she have a backbone! I love strong female protagonists, and absolutely love Tey. I want to be her, but I also want to be her friend.

The magic system is something I've never seen before, and the world the author builds is completely unique. I'm interested to see what the author does with this world in future books- there's a lot of potential here.

And the ending! Oh the ending... I totally didn't see that coming. More please!!!

Excellent read !

This book was superb! I got lost in a world that was both real and mystical, anxiously waiting for the next chapter. This is an amazing story full of imagery and suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and surprising twists and a creative unfolding of mystery. Can’t wait to read more from Maren !

A fresh new experience!

This was a fresh new experience for me from a new author. Sometimes you go out on a limb to try something you've never heard of and this didn't disappoint. From the first chapter it sucks you in to this wild mystery that had many twists throughout. The way it's written it has you trying to guess what's going to happen next. This definitely had Sanderson world building elements to me and yet had a distinct feel, almost reminded me of the clockwork prince book series but without all love triangle drama. There is some romance but it was a minor touch to a story that is mostly mystery, action, and deception. It was a little darker than I originally thought it was going to be but in all the best ways. I was definitely left wanting more by the end, and you can tell Maren is setting us up for quite the ride moving forward, if this wasn't already a thrill! Great job Maren, absolutely loved this and can't wait for the next book to drop!