Born into mystery. Shackled to darkness…
Khara has spent centuries discovering everything about the Underworld―except her place in it. But when she’s ripped from her home, solving the riddle of her origins becomes more important than ever. With evil stalking her through the dark alleys of Detroit, she finds salvation from an unlikely source: a group of immortal warriors sworn to protect the city. Khara needs their help to unravel the tangled secrets of who and what she is—secrets many seem willing to kill for. But time is running out, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer necessity binds her to an arrogant fallen angel.
Can their shaky alliance withstand that which threatens her, or will her soul fall victim to the unholy forces that hunt her―those that seek the Unborn?
From the author of the bestselling Caged series comes a pulse-pounding new romantic urban fantasy series.
Unborn was new series to me and Amber Lynn Natusch a new author. The premise of Unborn and the world created is deep and interesting and is complete with a large cast of characters. While there were parts were a little slow and Khara's voice sometimes a little dry, the story as a whole was interesting and an enjoyable read.
There is certainly no lack of supernatural creatures and lore in this series - demons and Greek gods and angels and other original creatures all coincide (though not at all peacefully) with one another. I really enjoyed learning about the world and how all of the supernatural elements work with the modern Detroit setting. I thought the world was deep and that Khara's place in between all the forces at work was interesting.
I loved the tensions between Khara and the group of hunters and Oz, the not-quite-fallen angel. While the complexities of Khara's birth and the battle's between all these supernatural elements are at the heart of the conflict, I was really drawn to the development of Khara's relationship with all these characters (cough especially Oz cough).
Khara as a character is complex. Her voice is a little hard to like, sometimes, just because it sounds a little archaic and straight-forward. While it fits with her character, it gets a little taxing sometimes. However, as the novel moved forward and she learned more about the world in which she had been thrust, her voice grew on me. Likewise, there are a lot of characters introduced in the beginning of the book and while they all have unique voices and purposes within the group, it became difficult for me to keep them all apart. There are also times throughout the book that seem to lose the pace a little bit, with long explanations of lore or with just the constant barrage of angry critters trying to get at Khara.
Overall, Unborn is an interesting, if not a tad predictable, action-packed paranormal fantasy, with a strong female lead with a lot to learn and a large party of dudes willing to help teach her everything she needs to know. I'm excited to see where the rest of the series leads and how Khara (and her relationship with her newfound team) will develop.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You can find her and info on her books here: http://amberlynnnatusch.com/
If you’re dying to know more about me, allow me to put you at ease. I’m a sharp-tongued, sarcastic cancer, who loves vegetable smoothies, winter storms, and the word portfolio. I should NEVER be caffeinated, and require at least eight hours of sleep to even resemble a human being. At thirty-four, I just now feel like I can keep a straight face while saying the word “rectum” (which is actually a huge lie because I just laughed out loud while reading this to my husband). I live with my iPod firmly affixed to my body, drive too fast, and laugh/cry at inappropriate times.
Happy Reading!
Jasmine
