True Born by L.E. Sterling

Welcome to Dominion City.

After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated...and their genetics damaged beyond repair.

The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…

And then there's Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.

When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?

As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 page-turning stars.

I'm not going to give a play-by-play of the story, ruining it with spoilers. So below is basically an overview of the beginning setup and my overall enjoyment.

True Born – a pair of twins born conjoined in the upper most society of an apocalyptic world ravaged by plague. Lucy and Margot, with Lucy as the narrator of the tale, are the only children of one of the most influential political members of Dominion society. As such, they have rules in which they must abide to keep up appearance.

At the age of 18, you learn your fate. Lasters (those destined to be inflicted by the plague), Splicers (those who can afford to go to the clinic to stave off the illness), and True Born (genetically evolved, incapable of being inflicted by the plague).

True Born begins just prior to the twins' 18th birthday, as they are tested and await their fates. An uprising begins, in an effort to overthrow those in higher government by the destined to die. Lucy's father employs the True Born to take care of his daughters while he's away...and the story takes off from there.

The writing style is fluid, flowing quickly with an adventurous, addictive fantasy storyline. Lucy is a stable heroine, never a damsel in distress, who is a good role model. Strong and fierce, with a deep protective instinct, Lucy's drive to protect her sister is admirable. While Margot displays more teenage girl tendencies, she does have a backbone of steel. I truly appreciated how the twins were written, opposites but both with their faults.

The True Born were intriguing, well-developed, and added a suspenseful thread to the story. The world-building is vast, yet it leaves things left unexplained to keep you hooked for the next book in the series.

There is an underlying romantic thread – it lies quietly beneath the surface, not overpowering the main storyline but adding depth and the need to keep turning the pages.

True Born gave me the feels, and I devoured the book in a few short hours. When I was finished, realizing I would have to wait for the next installment, I wished I had slowed down and savored it. But, with its pacing, I doubt I could have stopped myself, even if I had tried.

Recommended for fans of Young Adult Dystopian Fiction/Urban Fantasy/Fantasy/Science Fiction.

Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to violent content.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
I took a chance on True Born. I love reading young adult novels, but I usually stick to contemporary books. True Born is fantasy/sci-fi, but the synopsis was interesting enough that I thought I'd give it a go. It took me a few chapters to get my head around the whole true born, splicer, and lasters thing and the dynamic of the world in which Lucy lives but once I did I was drawn right in.

When the children of Dominion turn 18 a reveal party is held where it is announced whether the child is true born, a splicer or a laster. As the day of Lucy's reveal approaches, Lucy starts to realise something is different about her and her twin sister, Margot, and the story launches from there. We get action and mystery and spots of graphic violence. True Born may not be suitable for sensitive younger teens because of the violence, but I'm sure my 13-year-old would love it.

The romance comes when Lucy's father hires a group of true born to protect her and her sister. Lucy is drawn to Jared, and I loved the hot and cold dynamic between them. It shows that you can have sizzling chemistry without the need for sex.

True Born is a great read which showed me that choosing to read a book outside of my usual genre can be well worth it. I can't wait for the next instalment.

L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature – where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit Y/A novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt – inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of True Born (True Born Trilogy #1) by L.E. Sterling to read and review.