Born at Dawn

An Upper YA Fantasy Adventure (Da'Valia Trilogy, Book 1)

By: Christina Davis

Narrated by: Amelia Hugh

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

When a heist goes terribly wrong and the binding spell holding 17-year-old Neva's powers at bay is shattered, the half-human thief knows she's in trouble.

Neva has always hidden her Da'Valian heritage while working risky jobs to make a name for herself and serving at her family's tavern, but she won't be able to hide much longer. She can either risk the safety of those she cares about or seek out her mother's people to gain control over her emerging powers.

The Da'Valia are beautiful, brutal creatures created by the god of war, and the austere Da'Valian soldier Astiand reluctantly agrees to take Neva to his clan under his protection. She makes unexpected friends, including the handsome fighter Emiliand, and a new enemy in the clan's ruthless leader.

Spying on her guardian, the sly heroine quickly discovers just how deep she has stumbled into a dangerous, developing clan feud. Will she be able to embrace who she is in time to keep her loved ones safe?

©2020 Christina Davis (P)2021 Christina Davis

Even better the second time around!

I originally read this novel last year, but when the chance was presented to listen to the audiobook I couldn’t pass it up! I truly love the story and love how Neva struggles with her identity, but also manages to grow as a person under her circumstances. The world building was so very unique and I really enjoyed hearing about Davis’s world she has created a second time around. I cannot wait for the sequel.

Hugh was wonderful in her performance of the main story as well as each of the characters. I had a clear understanding of who was talking and each of the characters accents were consistent throughout the entirety of the story. The narrator gave a wonderfully animated performance as well. She seemed really excited to be narrating this book. I would definitely recommend giving this a go if you’re a fan of the Throne of Glass series or any other books with a strong female character with magical abilities.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Great Story

I absolutely loved this book. It was engaging and magical and sucked me right in. I can't wait for book 2! It is a clean read.

I have read the book already, so it was interesting to listen to it. Some parts made so much more sense, when I heard them spoken aloud verses in my head.

The narrator did a great job with all the voices and accents. I did not like how breathy and drawn out her words were though, especially when just narrating, not doing dialogue. I actually feel asleep once while listening!

Overall I highly enjoyed it. It's so nice to find a clean, engaging, and entertaining story!

Outstanding

Wow what a wonderful story. A heist gone wrong and definitely danger involved. The Narrator makes you feel as if you are part of the book. Loved it

An instant favorite for fans of YA fantasy.

I began hearing about this book last year, well before its release, and was eager to dive in once it became available. I preordered, saw its delivery straight to my Kindle on release day... and then, life. Between books pending review, work, kid, and an already ever-growing TBR pile, this one somehow fell aside.

So when I got the chance to review the audiobook, I was rather pleased, despite the fact that I never, ever listen to fantasy audiobooks that I haven't read first. I generally find it too easy to get distracted, and harder to pick up on the characters and the world-building that the author so painstakingly creates for their readers.

Having said that, I really did enjoy Born at Dawn, so much so, that it deserves a reread in my usual approach (something I will save for a little closer to book two's release).

Neva made for a compelling main character - her self-confidence set against her desire to learn more about the powers she was given strikes a close enough familiarity to Throne of Glass' Aelin that Maas fans will notice, but not be deterred from her unique development. The usual romantic trials and tangles that often plague YA fantasies is present here as well, however it is simply a slow burn that creates interest without detracting from the story.

I was also pleased to find that, despite the author setting up a multi-book landscape, the world-building here wasn't so grandiose that the reader would get lost.

In terms of the audiobook itself, the narrator is fantastic with her range and ability to separate the characters on the page, and I had no trouble in following along with her storytelling. She delivered the intensity perfectly, where I often found myself setting aside whatever I was supposed to be doing at the time, and simply listening in.

Fans of this genre will absolutely find similarities to other popular books alongside it, but there is enough unique creation in both the diverse cast of characters and the driving plot that I think it will be an instant favorite to those who give it a try. I am looking forward to a reread where I can truly escape within this world, and am absolutely looking forward to book two.

A New Heroine Is Born

This was my first experience with Christina Davis' work and I was enrapt from the very first page. The story is thrilling and exciting. The protagonist is a half-fae/half-human girl named Neva, who adds to her family's income by being a thief. When a heist goes wrong, Neva is set on a path to discover more about her Fae side and the journey is dangerous and enlightening. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I recommend this series to those who enjoy this genre. Amelia Hugh's narration is great and adds to the story's entertainment. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Live this story

(I was gifted a copy of this book and I have chosen to leave my honest review.)

This was my second time reading this book. But, the first time listening to it on audio.

First, let me talk about the audio. This narrator is really, really good. Her voice is so soothing, and her accents are perfect, and her male/female tones are perfect. And I think that the author hit it out of the park when she chose this narrator.

As far as the story, I have reviewed this here before but then I had that slight (massive) mishap where all of my reviews were deleted. So let me reiterate.

I enjoyed this book even more the second time around. I found the world building in this story to be amazing. The author was able to create these societies, this world, and make it absolutely believable. And while the terminology takes a minute to get used to it ends up flowing really well.

Trigger warning: Love triangle. 😆 Okay, it’s not really a trigger but, oh my goodness. I can’t cope. I have thoughts, and I have feelings, and I have opinions. And I know, I just know the author is going to rip my heart out. I know my ship is going to sink. But, honestly that is one of the things that is so great about this book. The level of emotional response it draws from me. Was I driving down the road yelling at the author? Maybe. Why? You’ll have to read and find out.

Epic world building!

Definitely can't wait for more of this series! 🙌 The world building is fantastic! Once I started reading this, I couldn't stop. I had to know how Neva was going to get herself out of the conundrum she managed to get herself into. And the journey was brilliant!

Amazing Beginning

I absolutely loved this book. The narrator truly brought the story to life! Neva is one of my new favorite heroines. I can't wait to read the next book, I NEED to know what happens next!!

Great listen

Great story and performance. One nit is all the names were difficult to follow without looking in the appendix for definitions.

Enjoyable listen

I enjoyed listening to this book. There are a lot of characters, so pay attention to who they are talking about. I did receive this book for an honest review.