Inborn

The Sagas of Di'Ghon #1

by John LeViness

Thaniel just wanted Elycia to be his kiss for the Festival of the Caller.

He never meant to awaken any magic.

Now the Ontar wants to use him to call monsters down out of the sky.

Nothing will ever be the same.

Little does he know that a larger and even more dangerous world is closing in.

Everyone has plans for his newly discovered Inborn abilities.

All Thaniel wanted was the girl.

He never meant to hurt anyone.

Join Thaniel and friends as he discovers that monsters are not just born...

They are Inborn.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

368 pages, ebook

First published February 28, 2012

About the author

I am not a normal man. I am not crazy. Or dangerous. I live a very normal life, one that is filled with love and happiness, surrounded by a wonderfully supportive family. Yet, they have all come to accept the same truth, as I have.

Arth started summoning me long ago, when I was but a young boy, pulling me out of this world and transporting me there. Like some mental tag along, I found myself riding inside the minds of others, a captive that saw what they did, felt what they touched, and bled when... I have taken a thousand last breaths. Loved and lost myriads. I have seen, killed, and lived as monsters. I have drowned and held others under. I have soared above the clouds on my own wings more times than I can count.

I know what you are thinking. I am not mad. The only difference between us is that, for whatever reason, Arth chose me.

So, I hereby confess that I am not the author of the Sagas of Di'Ghon. In truth, I am nothing more than a simple scribe. I just write down what I see. I wouldn't dream of changing it. They deserve more than that. Somehow, I feel as if it would be like scratching out the names from a tombstone.

If you read this, know that I cannot and will not apologize for the life, actions, or the death of these characters. It is what it is. The truth as I experience it.

My psychologist insisted that the Sagas are all just fanciful tales invented to soften the very real trauma of my childhood. What an idiot... I fired that fool the moment I knew the truth. If he only knew what I do - about the map - he would have known why their story has to be told.

I promise you that when the time is right, I will tell you all I know. For now, just open your minds and read the account of their lives for yourself. See them, hear them, feel them, love them, or hate them. Whatever... Just keep reading. In time you will know, as I do without a shadow of a doubt, that the Sagas of Di'Ghon are real. Arth does exist.

The truth is ... that I can't wait for them to come and take me there again.

I must know how the story ends.

Reviews

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of “Inborn” by author J. Lawrence in exchange for an honest review. I met Mr. Lawrence on www.goodreads in a forum, where he was discussing his book. After looking at the book jacket summary, I was ready to go on an adventure that Mr. Lawrence had penned.

“Inborn” takes place in Arth. Mr. Lawrence provides a well drawn out map that helps you visualize what the world of Arth. I found myself referring to this just so I could grasp the concept of the travels. It’s always a nice detail when you’re reading a fantasy novel and the author designs a map. Granted their main job is to paint a picture in your mind of what the world looks like. However, a map just gives us a little extra perk.

Thaniel, a messenger for the Ontar Hold has fallen in love with Elycia. Timing could be more perfect for Thaniel. The Festival of the Caller is just beginning and he has already once failed on trying to ask for a kiss from the beauty. Making a fool of him when trying to give Elycia an ice blossom the first time, didn’t measure up to par. Hoping to avoid another mishap, he places the largest ice blossom on her bed. To his delight, she is wearing this beautiful flower in her hair on the day of the festival.

While many are aware that her beauty has caught the eye of Thaniel, one isn’t too pleased over this notion. Keriim, a First guard, is deeply crushed and maddened. Keriim has a taste for brutality. He has a knack for slicing off the fingertips of the women he rapes, beats then brutally murders. Only problem is that the people who should be aware of his vile behavior are in the dark. While the slaves of Ontar Hold are aware of what this man is capable of.

In the meantime, Liselle Ontar is busy trying to prepare for the Festival of the Caller. She’s been busy studying the Prophecies of the Code. It’s basically a “manual that would instruct the next Ontar, the one for whom the code sang, in all things necessary to usher glory back to their clan.” Through this there is supposed to be the calling of a mythical creature, the Dra, summoned.

Thaniel has no idea how he knows the things he knows, but he finds that Elycia is in trouble. Running in the dark cistern he finds her hiding from Keriim. He’s able to lead her to safety in the crowd of slaves waiting for their turn to touch the carving of the Dra.

Unknowing that he possess something magical in himself, Thaniel, sets off chain reaction of events that not only confuses, frustrates and jeopardizes his life as well as many around him. It all has to do with him being The Caller. He’s able to summon a Dra to the chamber. He’s able to touch the beast and not become harmed. All the while, he is not fully aware of how this is capable.

Given his freedom after the Dra is captured, Thaniel, Elycia and his best friend Jorel are headed to Navillus. This being the home of Thaniel and Elycia, he has promised to take her back to their village. Setting out on their way, they meet multiple people who have hidden agenda’s that will prevent them from their making their destination. Only problem is who are they going to be able to trust. Are they ever going to learn the truth of who they are?

*****

I feel bad that this took me a while to finally read this book. I had been swamped with requests to review books and this one just slipped through. I don’t know what happened with My Precious kindle, but one day it was there, then the next…POOF! It was gone. After sorting through my Amazon account, I noticed this book was missing on my kindle. Without delay, I started reading this book.

I did enjoy this story. The way that Mr. Lawrence detailed the journey of Thaniel, Elycia and Jorel was well done. Also the editing was perfect. I don’t know who he used, but he did a fabulous job in finding a professional editor.

I will say that I had a hard time following the story from time to time. I was confused at who some of the people were in the story. I’m certain that this issue will be cleared up in the next few installments. However, I was lost on who the Caller actually is. Same with The Order. There was a lot of discussion on who The Order was, but not much clarification about who they actually were. I was also confused who all the people were at the dam. As I said, I’m certain that he will clear these matters up in the next book or two. However, for the first book, it left me with a lot of questions. I guess this is what makes a great segue into wanting to read the second book…you need to know who these people are their purpose to the story.

There is one passage that I believe sums up the entire story: "Less than two weeks ago all she had to worry about was wheter or not to wear a blossom in her hair. Whitin that span of time she'd seen Thaniel call a dra, been chawed by wolves, and found out that the boy she'd been named eternal kiss to was the pery of an ancient evil band of magical killers called ramphyr."

Other than the above issues, I did honestly enjoy this story. I’m looking forward to reading the next book, Ramphyr. I believe this is going to clarify one of the above issues.

[Danielle Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!!! One day I was trolling Twitter when came a tweet from J. Lawrence advertising that his book Inborn now had a book trailer. Intrigued, I watched, and I knew instantly that I had to read that story. So, I immediately went to Amazon and purchased the book. I didn't get to read it right away, but the book was never far from my thoughts. The story of Thaniel calling me from a distance beckoning me to his tale. Finally I could bear it no longer and I gave in, I read the book and absorbed every detail that J. Lawrence gave me as if it were my next breath.

The tale of Thaniel instantly tore at my heart strings. All he wanted was a kiss from his hearts desire, but what he got was so much more, his entire world being turned upside down as he suddenly discovers that he may be the cause of destruction across the nation. Talk about an ego killer.

One minute Thaniel is dreaming of his kiss and the next he is releasing something that is beyond his control and his understanding. I couldn't help but feel for the guy, I really liked him as a character. He is dedicated, loyal, strong, caring--sometimes overly so--brave and trusting. And unfortunately it is some of these traits that get him into trouble throughout the story. Although I can't help but blame Elycia for most of it. I know the fault lies with Thaniel, but once you read the story you can come back and tell me how much you wanted to smack her, and then we'll talk.

I found all the characters completely enjoyable and I instantly fell in love with all of them. J. Lawrence managed to put a new spin on elemental magic both bringing us those elements we love and sparking our curiousity with one's we have yet to meet. I loved all the powerful forces at work in this story and can't wait to see where it all goes.

The biggest problem I had with the book was the lack of explanation on the new elements that J. Lawrence introduced in the book. You go throughout the whole book not really knowing the magic that is being used by certain key characters only to discover it towards the end. And even then a description was not really given. So I still wonder about those new elements introduced into the magical mix. But that did not in any way get in the way of me enjoying this story.

It was a great adventure from start to finish full of magic, action, mystery and humor. Definitely a fantasy series that will keep my imagination working overtime for a while. I definitely look forward to reading what is next for Thaniel, hoping that he is given the opportunity to be all that I know he can be. (I know it sounds cheesy, but I can't explain what I want without giving stuff away, so there).

[RuthAnn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is going to be pretty painful to write, but I feel like I need to give honest feedback.

The first thing I want to say is that it was edited really well. It did not have any of the spelling or grammar issues that so often plague self-published works. I also loved the cover. It really drew me in. I absolutely love dragons, so I was very excited to begin.

This story had a lot of things going for it, but for me, it was not executed well enough to hold my attention. There were some pretty gaping holes of detail needed that the author left open that caused my ultimate frustration and need to put it down.

First and foremost--what is the Caller? What is the legend behind it? Why is this person important? Why does Lisella wish that the Caller would come during the time of her rule? Because these central questions aren't answered, it's hard to know whether Thaniel's destiny is good or bad. Because of the way it's written, you'd think that being the Caller is a wondrous thing, especially since there is an entire festival dedicated to it and slaves are freed because of Thaniel's emergence. But instead, he is met with horror and revulsion by his paramour, disdain from Lisella and treated abominably by citizens and soldiers alike.

It just didn't friggen make sense. It felt like there were a lot of sinister things going on for absolutely no reason.

So because of that, at nearly 100 pages in, I found that I couldn't get behind any of the characters. There wasn't enough detail in the story for me to be able to decide whether to like or dislike any of them. I had to put it down.

I think, though, that with the gaps filled in, this could be a very good book and ultimately picked up at some point.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I judge fantasy novels by their ability to whisk me away from reality. Every time I picked up this book i was transcended into a world of fantastical imaginations, filled with cold mysterious mountains, menacing monsters and murderers and magical heroes. I found myself rooting for the main characters and dooming their enemies as if they were real. A great read, looking forward to the 2nd to be whisked away again.

[Rachel Brune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this fantasy book, thinking I would just give it a glance and then come back to it.

Yeah…

I ended up reading it almost straight through, including on every break I took on a 14-hour road trip, and some late night up-with-the-newborn sessions. So, it definitely grabs and holds your interest.

There is just enough world-building to make sure that the action of the book holds true and can be followed, but the plot is super fast-paced and keeps you riveted. Sometimes, it was a little too fast, but there is another book in the series (and hopefully more to come), so the author has lots of room to play.

The main characters are varied, even the ones who weren't as completely finished as others. They were all interesting, though, and some of them were downright terrifying. The world that the author has started is harsh, and hard, but not without some humor, which I definitely appreciated. I'm heading over to Kindle to pick up the sequel, and am looking forward to reading it!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the making of a fabulous book; but I do think that J. Lawrence should expand a lot of areas in this book - there were a lot of areas where I became confused with what was going on. I can actually see him writing the book and in his head seeing where he would end up - just, I think, he left some of the details out for us.

I see that J. Lawrence is presently editing this book - I would really like to read the updated edited version.

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn then this book is for you! The characters are fantastically written, and the interplay between them makes it very difficult to put this book down! This is an action packed story of magic, friendship, and power. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a little while to really get into this book, the introduction to all of the characters was well done but necessarily took you all over the city. Once the characters were all set the action picked up quickly. I enjoyed the story, and stayed up late the past couple nights to finish it!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, I had a hard time putting it down. Found myself liking the main characters, but disliking or more distrusting of all the others

[Damgaard78 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, enjoyable book. Devoured it in no time. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Jordan Leviness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read books. I read this book. Enough said.

[Alpha_stigma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, really hope for a second that explores the Jen a bit more

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, I had a hard time putting it down. Found myself liking the main characters, but disliking or more distrusting of all the others

[Aphrael · Rating 2 out of 5]

cool world and pretty good plot so far. interesting choice to have the villains be pov characters. the gleeful account of the rapist/murderer character, combined with how inconsistent and unlikable the main female character is written, makes me a bit uneasy.

[Dbldrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a heads up I picked this book because it was listed in an urban fantasy list.. It is NOT an urban fantasy book.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strong start but I felt the story began to fall apart once the characters left the hold.

[Whiskey and Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars