Book Review

The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper

The Nightborn is just a whole heap of fun, and was precisely what I was in the mood for this week. It straddles the genres of high fantasy and romance, and balances these elements beautifully, providing both a satisfying romance and a nicely twisty high fantasy plot.

Branwyn is a Sentinel, a magically-enhanced warrior bound to a spirit sword and tasked with fighting demons and other monsters. She is sent on an errand of diplomacy to Heliodar, to warn them that an ancient evil has risen again, and to petition them to form an alliance against him. Her mission is met with a distinct lack of enthusiasm by the High Lord and his council (even the one with the nice biceps and intelligent eyes), but she is invited to stay while they make their decision.

Our hero, Zelen, is a member of the High Council, and the youngest member of a noble family, but his vocation is healing. Forbidden by his family to become one of Letar’s healing priests, he has instead joined forces with Altien, one of the tentacled waterfolk, to open a charity medical clinic in the poorer part of town. But he is concerned about Branwyn’s news, and also wants to know what she is up to (plus, she is very pretty), so he befriends her.

And then a very large number of things start happening, because, well, Branwyn wasn’t wrong about the ancient evil, and neither it nor its allies want her mission to succeed. There are swords, spellcasters, Gods, monsters, magical artefacts, murders, and betrayals. I won’t spoil the plot, because it’s too much fun for that, but it’s a nicely adventurous high fantasy.

In contrast to the extremely dramatic plot, the romance between Branwyn and Zelen is enjoyable and very low in angst (no time for angst when you are fighting demons!). Branwyn and Zelen are both quite straightforward people. They are intelligent and honorable, kind and practical, and so it makes sense that their romance is also quite straightforward. They are attracted to each other at first sight, and regard and respect rapidly follow. By the time they have fought a few monsters and rescued a few people together, they are a solid team, and nothing keeps them apart for more than a handful of pages. And honestly, I appreciated that enormously. There was enough mayhem and murder and malevolent magic going on in the book that it didn’t need any other sources of tension. I was worried at times about whether Branwyn and Zelen would survive the narrative, but I was never worried about their relationship. Branwyn and Zelen together were my safe place in this book.

Fantasy romance is tricky, because you have to balance the two genres carefully or it just doesn’t work. If the romance dominates, the fantasy setting can become nothing more than a backdrop for the plot; if the fantasy dominates, the romance can easily be reduced to instalust. The Nightborn did a really good job of balancing these elements, but in doing so, it did rely a little more heavily than I’d prefer on existing narrative tropes or worldbuilding ideas. I do think it used them well, and I really liked the world and the people (and creatures) that was created, but I wanted just a little bit more.

(Writing this review did make me think about the different standards I have in my head for romance and for fantasy. I like my romance predictable, to a point – if I am given two protagonists at the start of the story, I want them to be together and happy by the end of it. The interesting part is how they get to that happy ever after, but the destination itself is no mystery. But if I’m reading straight-up fantasy, I want to be surprised by both the journey and the destination. It’s definitely a conundrum.)

Having said that, girl meets boy, girl and boy join forces to overcome the forces of world-destroying evil (while also finding time to have fantastic sex), girl and boy live happily ever after, is an awesome plot when it’s done right, and it is definitely done right here. I thoroughly enjoyed The Nightborn, and there’s a good chance it’s going to become one of my comfort reads in the future.

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The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper

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  1. This sounds like so much fun! Would it work as a standalone for anyone who hasn’t read Book 1 in the series yet?

  2. Qualisign says:

    I swear that I end up reading every single book with a positive review from Catherine Heloise. Your reviews are fabulous! Your summary that this book “straddles the genres of high fantasy and romance, and balances these elements beautifully…” along with your description of why you have different standards for both added such amazing insights into my own reading preferences. Thank you for your insights.

  3. Lace says:

    Definitely start with the first book – the setting in this book is a privileged corner of Cooper’s world, and you benefit from the context.

    Also read Cooper’s No Proper Lady, “Terminator Meets My Fair Lady.”

  4. Jessi says:

    Lace, I LOVED No Proper Lady, and the sequel. If I remember correctly, there were hints of a 3rd book in that series but I could never track it down.

  5. @Qualisign – I am deeply flattered, thank you!

    @Stephanie – I haven’t read the first book in the series (though it is now on my Kobo), and this one worked just fine as a standalone. I’m sure it’s better with the extra context, but the worldbuilding was solid enough that it wasn’t required.

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