FORESTBORN

A perilous quest takes place amid persecution in this fantasy duology opener.

As shifters, Rora and her brother, Helos, can take three animal forms and countless human guises. Although Rora serves the crown of Telyan, the queen’s tragic death, a dire prophecy, and growing resentment toward magical people—shifters, whisperers, and forest walkers—leave the siblings feeling unwelcome. Having fled the massacre in Caela Ridge and scrabbled for survival in the magical Vale, both crave a real home. But the continent’s magic is restless, and even as humans persecute the forestborn, a magical sickness known as the Fallow Throes infects humans alone. When Finley, a beloved friend, falls ill, Rora, Helos, and Finley’s uptight brother, Prince Weslyn, embark on a quest into the wild lands seeking a cure. Increasing the stakes, the trio must also evade the attention of Eradain’s genocidal King Jol and stop the world from experiencing another Rupturing. Passing through perilous, enchanted lands with predatory plants and monstrous and magical beasts, Rora also grapples with her traumatic past. The trio’s emotional journeys are equally fraught, replete with self-recrimination, romantic woes, and complicated family dynamics. Debut author Becker offers an inventive panoply of beasts and botanicals, painting a phantasmagorical landscape. As shape-shifters, Rora and Helos can change into any human they've met before, but their default forms have olive skin; other characters have a range of skin tones.

Commentary on discrimination wrapped in an imaginative high-fantasy quest and political intrigue.