Nightborn is the second novel in Lou Anders’ THRONES & BONES series for middle graders. I enjoyed the first novel, Frostborn, for its likeable protagonists, sense of adventure, touch of humor, and warm-heartedness. It’d be best to read it before beginning Nightborn.
The beginning of Nightborn finds Karn, our young gaming hero, back on the family farm. But not for long. Soon he is picked up by a wyvern and taken to the dragon in the coliseum who insists that Karn go find and solve a riddle that will lead him to another of those nasty Horns of Osius that the dragon wants to destroy. It appears that Karn’s friend Thianna, the giantess, is already involved and probably captured by enemies. So, off Karn goes to complete the dragon’s quest and to save his friend. Not long after he sets out, he meets a young elf named Desstra who appears to be helping him but is really on her own quest for the horn. She has something to prove and the stakes are high for her.
Together the youngsters will face many challenges. There are riddles, strategy games, fights, betrayals, explosions, chariot races, a touch of torture, and some really freaky animals. And, just so you won’t forget that the target audience is middle graders, even some poop jokes. It’s fast moving and fun, but there’s also an important message that, I hope, kids will take to heart: compassion is not a weakness, friendships are to be treasured, and it’s wonderful to have friends who come from different lands and cultures.
We learn a lot more about the world, its history, its geography, and it cultures in this second installment. We also learn about the horns and begin to understand why Thianna’s mother ended up in the land of the giants. Still, there is much left to learn in the next novel, Skyborn. I’m looking forward to it.
The audio version of Nightborn that I read was produced by Listening Library and is 8.25 hours long. I loved the narration by Fabio Tassone.
I love it!
Almost as good as my friend: up-and-coming author Amber Merlini!
I don't know what kind of a writer he is, but Simon Raven got the best speculative-fiction-writing name ever!
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