Plot Summary
Flames and Forgotten Memories
Grace Marchant's earliest memories are fragmented: fire, loss, and the ache of being different. Orphaned by a blaze she cannot remember starting, she is cast adrift in a world that fears magic. Her only clues are the scars on her palms and the sense that something vital was stolen from her. In the city of Rathlynn, she finds a new home in the Academy, a place that trains officers to police the mageborn—those with dangerous, unpredictable powers. Grace's life is shaped by trauma and survival, her identity forged in the crucible of violence and the need to protect others from the monsters that magic can create. Yet, beneath her hardened exterior, the embers of her lost magic and her longing for belonging still burn.
The Monster and the King
Centuries before, a boy named Lucien Larelwynn confronts the Hollow King, a godlike mageborn corrupted by the Deep Dark. The king, exhausted and hollowed by the burden of his power, is ready to be stopped—even if it means his own destruction. The Maegen, the source of all magic, churns with light and shadow, tempting the king to surrender. But Lucien offers a pact instead of violence, a chance for redemption. This ancient confrontation sets the stage for the uneasy alliance between mageborn and mundane, binding their fates through blood, sacrifice, and the ever-present threat of the Deep Dark's return.
Blood on the Cobblestones
In present-day Rathlynn, Grace leads her squad through the city's poorest quarters, hunting a serial killer preying on mageborn women. The violence is intimate and grotesque, the victims left alive but broken, their magic twisted against them. Grace's team—loyal Daniel, fierce Ellyn, and gentle Kai, a mageborn Leech—are her found family. The investigation is personal, the city's fear of magic palpable. When the killer is finally cornered, the cost is high: Kai is forced to drain the murderer's magic, nearly killing himself in the process. The aftermath leaves Grace shaken, her sense of justice battered by the cruelty she witnesses and the pain inflicted on those she cares for.
Collars and Compulsions
The mageborn of Rathlynn live under constant surveillance, forced to wear collars that suppress their powers and submit to regular homage—a ritual that binds their magic to the crown. Grace's squad is fractured by loss when Kai succumbs to the strain of his abilities, dying in her arms after a failed attempt to save him. The Lord of Thorns, Prince Bastien Larelwynn, is both executioner and protector of the mageborn, a figure feared and reviled. His intervention in Kai's death is clinical, necessary, and devastating. Grace's grief is compounded by the knowledge that the system she serves is as monstrous as the criminals she hunts.
The Lord of Thorns
Bastien Larelwynn is heir presumptive to the throne, a mageborn of immense power, and the kingdom's enforcer. Haunted by lost memories and the legacy of the Hollow King, he walks a knife's edge between control and corruption. His relationship with the king, Marius, is one of deep love and obligation, but the court is a nest of vipers. Bastien is targeted by assassins, manipulated by the queen, and burdened by the knowledge that his very existence is a threat to the fragile peace between mageborn and mundane. His only solace is in his role as protector, even as it isolates and endangers him.
Homage and Betrayal
The annual day of homage is meant to keep the mageborn safe, but it is also a tool of control. Bastien's touch can stabilize or strip magic, and the rituals are both sacred and coercive. Grace's investigation into a new murder reveals a pattern: mageborn are being drained of their powers with unnatural speed, their bodies marked by burns. The evidence points to a conspiracy within the palace, implicating those closest to the throne. As Grace and Bastien's paths cross, suspicion and attraction spark between them, each recognizing the other as both ally and potential enemy.
The Hollow King's Curse
The legend of the Hollow King is more than a cautionary tale—it is a living curse. The pact that ended the Magewar binds the Larelwynn line to the mageborn, ensuring that no mageborn can rule, and that the Lord of Thorns must always serve the crown. Bastien's power is both a gift and a shackle, his torc a constant reminder of the price of control. The Deep Dark, source of all magic's corruption, waits beneath the Maegen, threatening to consume any who draw too deeply. The kingdom's stability is an illusion, maintained by fear, ritual, and the ever-present threat of another fall.
Magic Unleashed, Magic Bound
As Grace and Bastien are drawn together by necessity and mutual respect, their connection deepens into something more. Both are marked by loss and the burden of power—Grace by her stolen magic and Bastien by his role as both jailer and savior. Their alliance is tested by court intrigue, assassination attempts, and the revelation that the queen and her allies are experimenting with new ways to syphon magic, using mageborn as living batteries. The lines between justice and vengeance blur, and the cost of survival grows ever steeper.
The Queen's Deadly Court
Queen Aurelie's court is a theater of cruelty, where mageborn are entertainment and power is currency. Bastien and Grace are forced to navigate a deadly dinner, where the queen flaunts her control over magic and people alike. The true horror is revealed: mageborn are being harvested, their magic distilled into orbs for the nobility's pleasure. The court's decadence is built on suffering, and the queen's ambitions threaten to unleash forces she cannot control. Grace and Bastien's resistance is both personal and political, a fight for the soul of the kingdom.
The Deep Dark Beckons
The Maegen's power is seductive, offering strength at the price of self. Bastien teeters on the brink, his memories eroded by magic and manipulation. Grace's own magic, long suppressed, begins to resurface, fueled by her proximity to Bastien and the dangers they face. The Deep Dark calls to them both, promising release from pain and the fulfillment of their deepest desires. Only their connection to each other—and their shared commitment to justice—keeps them from falling.
Tethers and Syphons
The conspiracy at the heart of Rathlynn is laid bare: mageborn are being tethered and syphoned, their magic stolen to empower the queen's loyalists and the Royal Guard. The process is perfected by Mother Miranda, a figure from Grace's lost past, who has risen from abuser to high priestess. The system is monstrous, reducing people to resources, and the lines between victim and villain blur. Grace's investigation becomes a rescue mission, and Bastien's power is both weapon and liability.
The Price of Power
As the city erupts in riot and the palace falls to violence, Grace and Bastien are forced to make impossible choices. Friends betray friends, lovers are turned into weapons, and the cost of resistance is measured in blood. The Academy is destroyed, its defenders slaughtered, and the mageborn are rounded up for slaughter or enslavement. Grace's loyalty is tested to the breaking point, and Bastien must decide whether to embrace his power or risk losing himself—and her—forever.
Riot in Rathlynn
The city rises against the queen's tyranny, mageborn and mundane united in desperation. The Royal Guard, empowered by stolen magic, unleash devastation on the populace. Grace, Bastien, and their allies fight to protect the innocent and escape the city, pursued by enemies on all sides. The riot is both a last stand and a beginning, a spark that threatens to ignite the entire kingdom.
The Fall of the Academy
The Academy, once a sanctuary for Grace and her friends, is reduced to a charnel house. Survivors are few, and the cost of resistance is staggering. Grace's commander, Craine, dies defending her people, entrusting Grace with the future. The loss is personal and profound, but it steels Grace's resolve. The fight is no longer just for survival, but for the possibility of a better world.
The Warrant and the Crown
The king's death leaves a vacuum, and the warrant—a magical token of authority—becomes the key to the kingdom's future. Grace is entrusted with the warrant, binding Bastien's power to her will. The responsibility is crushing, and the temptation to use it is ever-present. Bastien, crowned by Grace's sacrifice, becomes both king and Hollow King, his humanity balanced on a knife's edge. Their love is both salvation and curse, the only thing standing between the kingdom and destruction.
The Temple's True Face
The final confrontation takes place in the Temple, where Mother Miranda's true identity is revealed: Hanna, Bastien's lost love and Asher's sister, twisted by ambition and pain. Celeste, Bastien's sister, is both victim and monster, her power a threat to all. The truth of Grace's past is laid bare—her magic stolen, her childhood destroyed by Miranda's cruelty. The cycle of abuse and exploitation is exposed, and the only way forward is through sacrifice.
Sister, Monster, Goddess
Celeste's madness is both tragedy and threat, her love for Bastien warped by years of imprisonment and manipulation. Miranda's ambition is her undoing, as she is consumed by the very magic she sought to control. Bastien, restored to his full power, must choose between vengeance and mercy, between becoming the Hollow King or remaining himself. Grace's love is the anchor that keeps him from falling, even as the world crumbles around them.
The Maegen's Light
In the aftermath of the final battle, Bastien is offered apotheosis—a chance to become a god, free from pain and memory. Grace, dying from her wounds, is drawn into the Deep Dark, the place where all magic begins and ends. Bastien's love pulls her back, and together they choose humanity over divinity, sacrifice over power. Their reunion is both miracle and promise, a testament to the strength of love in the face of darkness.
Sacrifice and Salvation
Grace and Bastien escape Rathlynn, leaving behind a kingdom in chaos and a legacy of pain. Their love is hard-won, forged in fire and blood, and tempered by loss. The mageborn are scattered, the future uncertain, but the possibility of healing remains. The Deep Dark is not defeated, only held at bay, and the fight for justice continues.
A Kingdom in Exile
On a ship bound for exile, Grace and Bastien look back at the kingdom they have lost and the future they must build. Their memories are scarred, their power diminished, but their bond is unbreakable. The Deep Dark stirs, the threat of the Hollow King lingers, and the struggle for the soul of Rathlynn is far from over. But for now, they have each other, and the hope that love can redeem even the darkest magic.
Characters
Grace Marchant
Grace is a woman forged by trauma, her childhood erased by fire and abuse. Raised in the Academy, she becomes a fierce protector of the vulnerable, driven by a need for justice and a fear of her own power. Her relationships are defined by loyalty and loss—her squad is her family, and every death is a wound she carries. Grace's magic, stolen and suppressed, resurfaces as she confronts the corruption at the heart of Rathlynn. Her journey is one of self-discovery, reclaiming her identity and agency in a world that seeks to use and discard her. Her love for Bastien is both a source of strength and vulnerability, anchoring her to humanity even as she faces the monstrous.
Bastien Larelwynn
Bastien is the Lord of Thorns, heir to a legacy of power and pain. His life is a tapestry of lost memories, ancient bargains, and the ever-present threat of becoming the Hollow King. He is both jailer and savior to the mageborn, his touch a blessing or a curse. Bastien's psyche is fractured by duty, love, and the knowledge that his very existence endangers those he cares for. His relationship with Grace is transformative, offering him a chance at redemption and connection. Bastien's struggle is between embracing his power and retaining his humanity, a battle that defines the fate of the kingdom.
Kai Albren
Kai is a mageborn Leech, able to drain magic from others—a power that is both gift and curse. Loyal to Grace and the Academy, he is marked by suffering and the knowledge that his service will likely end in death. Kai's sacrifice to save Grace is emblematic of the mageborn's plight: used, discarded, and mourned only by those who truly see their worth. His death is a catalyst for Grace's rebellion and a symbol of the system's cruelty.
Daniel Parry
Daniel is Grace's oldest friend, a bridge between the Academy and the criminal underworld of Eastferry. His easy charm masks deep insecurities and a desperate need for belonging. Daniel's love for Misha and his loyalty to Grace are tested by impossible choices, leading him to betray and ultimately redeem himself. His journey is one of self-forgiveness and the recognition that survival sometimes demands compromise.
Ellyn de Bruyn
Ellyn is the heart of Grace's squad, her strength and humor a bulwark against despair. She is marked by grief—first for Kai, then for the destruction of the Academy—but refuses to be broken. Ellyn's loyalty is unwavering, her courage unflagging, and her presence a reminder that even in the darkest times, friendship endures.
Queen Aurelie
Aurelie is the queen consort, a woman whose beauty masks a ruthless hunger for power. She is both seductress and tyrant, using magic and manipulation to bend others to her will. Her court is a theater of cruelty, her ambitions a threat to the kingdom's very soul. Aurelie's relationship with Bastien is one of mutual exploitation, and her willingness to sacrifice anyone for her own gain makes her a formidable antagonist.
Mother Miranda / Hanna Kane
Miranda is the architect of the mageborn's suffering, a woman who rises from street-level abuser to Mother of the Temple. Her mastery of syphoning and tethering magic makes her both innovator and monster. Miranda's relationship with Bastien is complex—once his lover, now his enemy—and her manipulation of Celeste and the mageborn is both personal and political. Her downfall is a reckoning for the cycle of abuse she perpetuates.
Celeste Larelwynn
Celeste is Bastien's sister, a mageborn of overwhelming power and fragile sanity. Imprisoned and exploited, she is both victim and threat, her love for Bastien warped by years of isolation and manipulation. Celeste's actions are unpredictable, her allegiance shifting between family and self-preservation. Her fate is a warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the cost of neglect.
Asher Kane
Asher is Bastien's childhood friend, now general of the Royal Guard and Aurelie's enforcer. His loyalty is poisoned by loss and ambition, his actions driven by a need for control and revenge. Asher's relationship with Bastien is a study in betrayal, their shared history twisted by manipulation and the lure of power. His ultimate failure is a testament to the corrosive effects of envy and resentment.
Marius Larelwynn
Marius is Bastien's cousin and the king of Rathlynn, a man marked by kindness and the burden of leadership. His love for Bastien is genuine, his desire for a better world sincere. Marius's death is both tragedy and turning point, his final command to Grace a charge to protect what is good in the world. His legacy is the hope that love and justice can prevail, even in the face of darkness.
Plot Devices
The Maegen and the Deep Dark
The Maegen is the wellspring of all magic, a source of both light and darkness. Its power is seductive, offering strength at the price of self. The Deep Dark, lurking beneath the Maegen, is the embodiment of magic's corruption, waiting to consume those who draw too deeply. This duality is mirrored in the characters' struggles—Bastien's battle against becoming the Hollow King, Grace's fear of her own power, and the kingdom's reliance on rituals of control. The Maegen is both plot device and metaphor, a force that shapes destiny and demands sacrifice.
Collars, Sigils, and Homage
The mageborn are bound by collars and sigils, their powers regulated through rituals of homage. These devices are both literal and symbolic, representing the kingdom's fear of magic and its need to dominate the other. The rituals are meant to protect, but they also dehumanize, reducing mageborn to tools. The tension between freedom and control drives the plot, as characters resist, subvert, or are destroyed by the system.
Memory, Identity, and Lost Pasts
Both Grace and Bastien are marked by lost memories—Grace's childhood stolen by trauma and abuse, Bastien's past erased by magic and poison. The recovery of memory is both personal and political, a journey toward reclaiming agency and truth. The manipulation of memory is a weapon wielded by those in power, and the restoration of identity is an act of resistance.
Tethering and Syphoning
The queen's conspiracy to tether and syphon magic from mageborn is a central plot device, transforming individuals into living batteries. This system is both innovation and atrocity, a means of consolidating power and perpetuating suffering. The process is perfected by Miranda, whose mastery of magic is both genius and horror. The device serves as a critique of exploitation and the commodification of the other.
The Warrant and the Crown
The warrant is a magical token that binds Bastien's power to the will of its bearer. It is both protection and shackle, a symbol of the kingdom's reliance on ritual and the dangers of unchecked authority. The crown, forged by Grace's sacrifice, is both apotheosis and curse, offering Bastien the chance to become a god or remain human. The choice is both personal and political, shaping the fate of the kingdom.
Foreshadowing and Prophecy
The narrative is threaded with warnings—ancient prophecies, recurring dreams, and the ever-present threat of the Deep Dark's return. The past is never truly past, and the cycle of abuse, exploitation, and resistance repeats. The foreshadowing creates a sense of inevitability, even as the characters fight to change their fates.
Analysis
Mageborn is a sweeping fantasy that interrogates the nature of power, trauma, and redemption through the lens of a society built on fear and control. At its heart, the novel is a story of survivors—those who have been broken by the system and those who fight to change it. Grace and Bastien are both products and rebels, their love a defiant act in a world that seeks to use and discard them. The narrative explores the costs of safety, the dangers of dehumanization, and the seductive allure of power. Magic is both blessing and curse, a force that can heal or destroy, depending on who wields it and why. The novel's structure—alternating between personal and political, past and present—mirrors the characters' struggles to reconcile their histories with their hopes. The ultimate lesson is that justice is not the absence of darkness, but the willingness to face it, to choose love and sacrifice over vengeance and control. Mageborn is a meditation on the possibility of healing, the necessity of resistance, and the enduring power of hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
Last updated:
