Starborn by Lucy Hounsom (The Worldmaker Trilogy #1)

A highly imaginative, complex and original opening book of The Worldmaker Trilogy.

Initially I was overawed by the sheer concentration required to follow the cryptic and slightly disjointed writing style. There appeared to be crucial information missing, and I was put off by the relatively slow pace and somewhat gloomy outlook. I persevered, and was really glad I had. The charm of this book lies in the mystery and lack of clarity, less is definitely more.

I really enjoyed taking the journey with the intriguing lead character through the mysterious and secretive world described. The environment and peripheral characters were, however, quite difficult to engage with. Perhaps this was due to a slight over emphasis on the lead character's emotions, and the less is more approach to descriptions.

Due to the latter, I didn't ever feel fully transported into the story, which was a shame. I did, however, enjoy the intrigue of the book, and felt quite sad to reach the end.

Overall, a highly original, distinctive and mysterious storyline, but with a complex and demanding writing style. It may be most suited to readers happy to deduce lots of information, and those more experienced in fantasy writing.

8/10 A demanding, imaginative and rewarding read