Book Review: First Born

Media Type: Print Book
Title: First Born
   *Series: Lily Moore #1
Author: Tricia Zoeller
Publisher: Blue Portal Press LLC
Pages: Not specified.
Release Date: May 6, 2013
Source: Author
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Genre: Urban Fantasy

HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who are fans of the Urban Fantasy genre, and enjoy tough female characters.

Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N

When twenty-six-year-old graphic designer Lily Moore shapeshifts for the first time, Atlanta police detectives consult wildlife experts to sort through the bizarre forensic evidence she leaves in her wake. Her traumatic transformation coincides with murder and Lily finds herself the center of a mad vortex of area crimes.

On the run, Lily turns to her younger brother to help unravel the secrets surrounding her boyfriend’s death as well as unlock the mysteries of their Chinese heritage. When a loved one goes missing, Lily finds herself scrambling to find purchase in this new world where there hasn’t been balance for a century.

As she learns to master her new preternatural abilities, she must cut through the lies of those around her. With the police and a killer hot on her trail, can she solve the mystery of being First Born or will family secrets prove deadly?

When I first saw the blurb for First Born, I knew that it was something I’d definitely read. Lily Moore sounded like exactly my type of character. A woman who is put into a crazy situation, and deals with it like the strong female she is. I eagerly broke into this book and waited to be blown away.

What I noticed first off was that the beginning was a little choppy. I’ll fully admit that it may have been that I was reading an ARC, but it took me around 30 pages to fully figure out what was going on with Lily. From the synopsis I surmised that she was a shapeshifter, but it is what she shifts into that was so confusing. Once I had a handle on what was happening, I had a little better time following along. I’m glad I kept reading, because things really picked up after that.

In fact, I actually liked Lily the further I read. She starts out a little bit lost, and definitely not a confident character. I sympathized with her and the craziness of the situation she was put into. Still, I really wanted to see the girl who mastered her fear. I wanted to see some butt-kicking! I did eventually get my wish. However, as I mentioned above, it does take a while to get to this point. There is a lot that Lily needs to learn about her past, and we learn it right along with her.

While First Born wasn’t everything I was hoping for, it was a pretty solid read. I definitely see potential in Lily Moore’s storyline, and I’d love to learn more about her. In the next book I hope the beginning is a little more fleshed out. As I said though, give this one more than just the first few pages and you’ll likely enjoy it in the end! I’m looking forward to more from Tricia Zoeller.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.