Fourborn by Megan Futcher [Joint Book Review: Cassandra and Jesse]

Overview

In a world where the four elements rule as gods, the Gaias of Wind, Fire, Water and Earth determine the existence and fate of every man and woman. Threatening this seemingly perfect world this the Fourborn – a yet to be identified being born of all four races and the only one who has the power to set mankind free from it's elemental shackles. 

Divinely chosen in the pending chaos is a guardian from each race. With the words of an ancient prophesy as their only guide, they must find and protect the Fourborn at all costs or risk losing everything they hold dear. 

The worlds of Wind and Fire collide when Kofi and Lela find themselves caught up in an adventure of enormous proportions. Setting out on a mission that spans three lands, they must defy not only their Gaias and the prophesy but themselves in order to find the Fourborn while the dangers of an all consuming darkness takes shape around them.

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About Fourborn

Available as: E-book $3.99 on Fourborn.com

Recommended Ages: 15 and Up

Kindle Edition: 230 pgs.

Published: October 6th 2015 by Megan Futcher

 For This Review:  *E-book copy provided by the Author for Review*

Cassandra's Thoughts on Fourborn by Megan Futcher

First off I want to make it clear that as soon as I began reading Fourborn I was completely taken in by the characters. The world-building was also pretty good. Enough for me to envision it. The only thing is the character development lagged halfway through Fourborn. This lagging came in the form of me seriously wondering if Lela and Kofi were the same characters I had been first introduced to because there really was just enough of a disconnect that I was left wondering. 

That aside, there were moments of me having enjoyed reading Fourborn. The journey for Lela and Kofi to get outside of their lands and learning to trust each other were perhaps the most fascinating moments of Fourborn. Yet, their personality changes coupled with noticeable grammar errors and too much detail in the writing, often times detracted from the reading experience. I would love to say Fourborn is a good book but I have to be honest and as a reader it truly felt very amateur. 

Overall: Not good, not bad read 
Genre: Fantasy

Contains: Themes of multiculturalism 

Jesse's Thoughts on Fourborn by Megan Futcher

Right from the start Fourborn introduced an interesting world, with characters who I liked and often related to. I enjoyed reading from the POV of characters of colour, as, unfortunately, such diversity isn't the norm. Additionally, the heavy elemental feel of this book also appealed to me. I really enjoyed Lela's character - particularly her strength in the face of adversity and position as an outsider -  and I was able to become emotionally invested in Kofi to some extent. Futcher's world building was also quite engaging, and I enjoyed the direction she took with her pre civilized world.

 However, I have to agree with Cassandra that character development all but ceased for quite some time halfway through the book. Moreover, my main issue with Fourborn is that, despite a good and original narrative at its root, the writing could occasionally be clumsy and at times jarring, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the novel. While Futcher does have a fascinating and unique ideas, her execution could do with a little more polishing. Like Cassandra, I can't wholeheartedly recommend Fourborn, though, for readers who want a unique story, and don't care too much for grammar mistakes, Fourborn could be a worthwhile read.

Overall: 

Genre: Fantasy

About the Author

Megan Futcher was born into a family of dedicated bibliophiles. She is a proud introvert and some of her fondest memories are those of visiting libraries and local bookstores. In many ways, growing up she saw her library card as her best friend. 

From the moment she was able to write a full sentence she began dabbling around with words, creating stories out of the fictional worlds and the characters that lived on in her imagination.