If you liked the True Calling series by Siobhan Davis, I recommend trying this book!
First Born by Janelle Gabay is the first book in her young adult dystopian series.
Synopsis:
“At nineteen-years-old, Tarian Prescott is under attack for the immortal DNA he didn’t know he possessed. Audrey, his Cadet Sergeant, rescues him from an air strike on the Entente Military Academy. She takes him to the magical Guardians of Dare village, where he discovers his true identity. It is here that he learns about the secret society of immortals that run the government and keep the Entente of Nations safe. But the immortals are mysteriously dying, and Tarian’s miraculous birth nineteen years ago may be the link to their survival. Being the first immortal to be born in over five hundred years, his DNA holds the answer to the reproduction of his kind. But in the wrong hands, his existence may lead to something far more destructive.
While his superiors debate over his role as the First Born, he seeks only revenge. His father was the first immortal killed by Death Serum. Now that Tarian knows the truth about himself and his dad, he will find the murderous traitor and bring him to justice. But Tarian is young, and his immortal gifts have not matured. With the help and guidance of Audrey, he may have a chance.
Tarian’s journey is both a physical challenge as well as an emotional coming of age enlightenment. His path of self-identity braids through the mortal and immortal world. With breath catching character revelations turning enemies into friends and friends into enemies, he must fight to save his loved ones and secure the two worlds he has come to love.
First Born mixes fantasy with action adventure set in a near-future North America on the brink of a Border War offering a unique twist on an immortal tale. Interesting historical facts weave cleverly throughout the narrative providing extensive character background and playful speculation. Combining romantic fantasy with aggressive action think the All Souls trilogy meets the Divergent Trilogy. “
My Review:
After reading the author’s bio, you can quickly realize why she chose a military-based writing style. After growing up on multiple army bases, the influenced seeped into her writing.
The plot and dialogue contain a structured and stiff influence that made me immediately feel like I was in a soldier’s life (which is exactly where we are at in this book). The author was very successful in setting the tone we needed to start this series. Almost the entire plot surrounds military bases and missions that need this mind set.
With that being said, there is a lot of action and attacks, but this was also a place where mortals secretly shares their world with immortal and witches. There is magic in this world. Those born immortal have a variety of special powers that we get to see put into action in combat. It reminded me of some sort of special ops unit.
But the girlfriend..
I could not stand Tarian’s girlfriend in the least. She just got on my nerves a lot in this book between her actions and mouth, but I will say that we start to like her just a teeny bit more later in the book.
Overall, this is a great start to the series. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The story was an interesting concept, but I wasn’t captivated. The ending contained some “that’s messed up” moments which would be interesting to see how they would play out in Book 2. I also felt a little bored in a few slow spots. But ultimately, it was fun to explore this world of immortals and magic set in a dystopian world.
More Book Information:
Published: 3 December 2016
Publisher: Janelle Gabay
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian / Fantasy
Pages: 352
How I Read It: BEA copy from Author
**Disclaimer: I received this copy from the author while at BEA 2016. All of my reviews contain my opinion only, and I was not asked or told to say any of the above content in my review.**
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Happy Reading,
Treestand Book Reviews 