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A review by littlebookishinkblot
Born of Legend by Sherrilyn Kenyon
4.0
Review posted on my blog https://littlebookishinkblots.blogspot.com/2017/03/born-of-legend.html
Let me tell you up front that this book was good, and I liked it, but it was looooooong. It took me a week to finish despite listening every day for about 6-7hours. Actually, I would have given it 5 stars if not for some things like Length and Storyline repetitiveness.
Anyone who has had a chance to talk to me knows that I love audiobooks. For this particular series, Fred Berman does the narration, and he is just awesome! Oh, he also plays TIMON on The Lion King on Broadway. I only noticed that because when we watched the play for our anniversary, I saw his name on the playbill it kind of 'sounded' familiar. When I read that his artist description included audiobooks, I hurriedly checked my current read, and ohmygosh, YES! That's HIM! Squeeee!!!
Now you'd think a good narrator plus a bangin' SciFi-Fantasy-Romance series would be a perfect match -- weeeellll.. it would. Except I had too many flashbacks to a novel done by the same author but just set in a different universe and time era.
But, like I said, I did enjoy the book, despite its length. I was excited to read Dagger's story since it provides a different point of view on the storyline at the end of Born of Betrayal which was quite well done. I loved Dagger's acerbic wit and his sarcastic retorts, Ushara's determination and Trajan and Nero's kindness despite their tough exteriors. It does my heart good to see brotherly love and understanding given to Dagger when at the start it was so cruelly denied him.
I found myself actually empathizing with the characters. I felt Dagger's frustration, laughed at his jokes and sarcastic barbs, growled with irritation at some of the other characters short-sightedness and close-mindedness. In a way, this book is timely since it speaks to the reader about being accepting of and open to differences. Despite being set in an imaginary futuristic world, with the characters being a hodgepodge of difference races, cultures, and genetic make-up, it resonates with me, especially because of the current happenings in the real world.
Born of Legend parallels to the stories of the first 3 books, the events in the books happen mostly at the same time as certain Important Events. Here we meet Fain & Venneck, Talyn Batur, and of course, Nyk and Kiara, Darling Cruel, Rin Dane, and other League favorite. I like how it filled in little-known gaps in the series leading me to go "Oh.. So that's what happened.." several times over.
For newcomers to the series, I suggest reading the League books in chronological order to help give you a better appreciation of this particular novel. Though all the books can be read as a stand-alone, it's better done in a manner allowing the story to grow and develop as it was meant to.
The love story element is present, and as all romance novels go, the relationship develops almost instantaneously. They go from being strangers to lovers in a chapter and a half. That being said, I'm almost thankful that this book isn't much of a bodice ripper since that would be a little awkward while on an audiobook. LOL
All in all, it was a fun read, the narrator had a good range of voices, the storyline felt cohesive with her other books in the series, and it did not feel like a filler book -- in fact, it felt like one of those "I need to explain what the heck is going on here on the other side" book. I would have given it 5 SQUEEES but again -- length and repetitiveness.
If I wasn’t reading DarkHunters and The League at the same time I would probably not mind at all.
I do hope Sherri continues on with stories for now and looking forward to hearing about the (mis)adventures of the second generation of League characters.
XOXO,
Angelica
Let me tell you up front that this book was good, and I liked it, but it was looooooong. It took me a week to finish despite listening every day for about 6-7hours. Actually, I would have given it 5 stars if not for some things like Length and Storyline repetitiveness.
Anyone who has had a chance to talk to me knows that I love audiobooks. For this particular series, Fred Berman does the narration, and he is just awesome! Oh, he also plays TIMON on The Lion King on Broadway. I only noticed that because when we watched the play for our anniversary, I saw his name on the playbill it kind of 'sounded' familiar. When I read that his artist description included audiobooks, I hurriedly checked my current read, and ohmygosh, YES! That's HIM! Squeeee!!!
Now you'd think a good narrator plus a bangin' SciFi-Fantasy-Romance series would be a perfect match -- weeeellll.. it would. Except I had too many flashbacks to a novel done by the same author but just set in a different universe and time era.
But, like I said, I did enjoy the book, despite its length. I was excited to read Dagger's story since it provides a different point of view on the storyline at the end of Born of Betrayal which was quite well done. I loved Dagger's acerbic wit and his sarcastic retorts, Ushara's determination and Trajan and Nero's kindness despite their tough exteriors. It does my heart good to see brotherly love and understanding given to Dagger when at the start it was so cruelly denied him.
I found myself actually empathizing with the characters. I felt Dagger's frustration, laughed at his jokes and sarcastic barbs, growled with irritation at some of the other characters short-sightedness and close-mindedness. In a way, this book is timely since it speaks to the reader about being accepting of and open to differences. Despite being set in an imaginary futuristic world, with the characters being a hodgepodge of difference races, cultures, and genetic make-up, it resonates with me, especially because of the current happenings in the real world.
Born of Legend parallels to the stories of the first 3 books, the events in the books happen mostly at the same time as certain Important Events. Here we meet Fain & Venneck, Talyn Batur, and of course, Nyk and Kiara, Darling Cruel, Rin Dane, and other League favorite. I like how it filled in little-known gaps in the series leading me to go "Oh.. So that's what happened.." several times over.
For newcomers to the series, I suggest reading the League books in chronological order to help give you a better appreciation of this particular novel. Though all the books can be read as a stand-alone, it's better done in a manner allowing the story to grow and develop as it was meant to.
The love story element is present, and as all romance novels go, the relationship develops almost instantaneously. They go from being strangers to lovers in a chapter and a half. That being said, I'm almost thankful that this book isn't much of a bodice ripper since that would be a little awkward while on an audiobook. LOL
All in all, it was a fun read, the narrator had a good range of voices, the storyline felt cohesive with her other books in the series, and it did not feel like a filler book -- in fact, it felt like one of those "I need to explain what the heck is going on here on the other side" book. I would have given it 5 SQUEEES but again -- length and repetitiveness.
If I wasn’t reading DarkHunters and The League at the same time I would probably not mind at all.
I do hope Sherri continues on with stories for now and looking forward to hearing about the (mis)adventures of the second generation of League characters.
XOXO,
Angelica