Fire and Bone (Otherborn #1) By Rachel A. Marks [ARC Review]

RELEASE DATE: February 20th, 2018
AUTHOR: Rachel A. Marks
GENRE: Young-Adult, Urban-Fantasy, Mythology, Magic.
PUBLISHER: Skyscape
SUMMARY:
In Hollywood’s underworld of demigods, druids, and ancient bonds, one girl has a dangerous future.

Sage is eighteen, down on her luck, and struggling to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. Everything changes the night she’s invited to a party—one that turns out to be a trap.

Thrust into a magical world hidden within the City of Angels, Sage discovers that she’s the daughter of a Celtic goddess, with powers that are only in their infancy. Now that she is of age, she’s asked to pledge her service to one of the five deities, all keen on winning her favor by any means possible. She has to admit that she’s tempted—especially when this new life comes with spells, Hollywood glam, and a bodyguard with secrets of his own. Not to mention a prince whose proposal could boost her rank in the Otherworld.

As loyalties shift, and as the two men vie for her attention, Sage tries to figure out who to trust in a realm she doesn’t understand. One thing’s for sure: the trap she’s in has bigger claws than she thought. And it’s going to take a lot more than magic for this Celtic demigoddess to make it out alive.

 

*ARC e-copy received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*

OMG, This book was sooooo good. It was my first book by Rachel A. Marks and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This book was a perfect YA urban fantasy read that left me wanting for more. I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed ACOTAR. It was a very entertaining UF read that has so many magical beings like  demigods, shades, wraiths, druids, vampires, selkies, Pixies, fae etc. I really loved all the aspects of this book. The characters were very intriguing, the magic was interesting, and the plot was engaging through out. This is really a great start for a new series and I want more of it.

Sage is an eighteen year old orphan who lives on the streets of L.A and struggles to survive everyday. Her whole world changes when she and her friend gets invited to a Halloween party but she wasn’t aware that it was a trap set for her. She was suddenly thrusted into otherworld that she never knew existed. What makes it even worse is that she was one of them, a celtic demi god that has a power of fire. She was captured and taken to one of the lavish mansions at the uptown L.A. Sage wants to escape from her captors but she has no choice because she has this new power that could turn deadly and dangerous to others if it wasn’t controlled properly. She was asked to pledge her service to one of the five deities, the house of Brighid. She was assigned to a new broody bodyguard who harbors so many secrets. She was pursued by a dark handsome prince who thinks that she belongs to him. With so many trying to win her favor, Sage doesn’t know whom to trust but in the end, she has to make a decision that’ll change her whole fate. 

Sage is a strong protagonist and I really loved her character in this book. She’s rebellious, sassy, and fun. I enjoyed her character growth throughout the novel. At the beginning she was very confused and also a bit naive about the other world and the Celtic mythology, but as the story progresses, she slowly becomes confident and strong as she gets familiar with everything and slowly gets control of her powers. Faelan, Sage’s broody and grumpy bodyguard was a swoon worthy character. This guy has an interesting back story. He is a bounty hunter and reluctantly becomes Sage’s mentor. I quite enjoyed the relationship between Sage and Faelan. It was a slow burn romance and I pretty much enjoyed the chemistry between them. I’m totally shipping them! On the other hand, we have dark raven prince, Kieran. I liked his fun and dark personality. I actually hated him at the beginning because of what he does at his first appearance, but slowly he grew on me. Now I’m pretty much confused to whom to root for. As for the secondary characters, I liked Sage’s friend Ziggy. I’m pretty mad for what she has done but still I hope to see more of her. I also liked Lailoken, wizard of the wood. He’s an old wise monk that turned a bit crazy with time. I didn’t liked Marius’s daughter Aelia, she’s such a spoiled brat and very cunning.

The plot was interesting, mysterious, and engaging through out. I loved the unique elements in the book which makes it different from the other typical YA Urban fantasy reads. From the beginning to the end, I was hooked to the plot. The mystery of the Raven King and Queen Lily in the plot made the story even more interesting. It took some time for me to understand all the Celtic mythology and how everyone is connected to the story. The pacing was good and there were some interesting twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming. The writing was addictive and I enjoyed the dual POV(first person). The whole setting was pretty good. I liked how the author mixed the modern world of LA with the magical otherworld and the Celtic mythology. There are actually five powerful  houses that controls the otherworld and all of them are based off by their elemental powers.  Lyr (water), Arwen(darkness), Cerunnunos (earth), Brighid (fire), Morrigan (Spirit). They’re all the descendants of Danu, ancient celtic goddess.

Overall, I loved this book!  It was a very entertaining read filled with magic, mythology, political intrigue, action, mystery, and a dash of romance. It’s not a total perfection but I absolutely enjoyed it and that’s what matters to me most. The book concludes with a surprising twist which left me wanting for more and I really can’t wait to read the next book.

Recommend it?

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves YA urban fantasy reads. It was a very refreshing read and totally worth a read. 

MY RATING: [4/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this book? Have you read this yet? Do you want to read this book?
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