Darkborn

March 9, 2009
A mysterious curse puts unusual limitations on the cast of Sinclair's slow-moving but intriguing paranormal romance, the first of a trilogy. The blind Darkborn of Minhorne can't survive in the light, while the Lightborn will perish without it. The peaceful lives of Dr. Balthasar Hearne and Lady Telmaine Hearne, magically gifted Darkborn, are disrupted when Tercelle Amberley, once betrothed to Bal's long-missing brother and now engaged to duke-to-be Ferdenzil Mycene, shows up to ask Bal's help in delivering her illegitimate—and Lightborn-fathered—twin boys. She promptly deserts the infants, and an assassin seeking them takes the Hearnes' daughter hostage as further complications ensue. Sinclair (Cavalcade
) raises too many unanswered questions, mostly regarding the origins of the curse and the characters' Regency-style manners, but the political intrigue is mostly enough to sustain readers' interest.

Starred review from April 15, 2009
A divided people occupy the city of Minhornethe Lightborn, to whom darkness is fatal, and the Darkborn, who burst into flames if touched by sunlight. When a Darkborn physician helps a desperate pregnant woman, he becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens the safety of the city and the delicate balance between its inhabitants. Sf author Sinclair ("Legacies") turns her hand to fantasy in a series opener that sparkles with fresh insight into the lines that divide society; the strong, enduring characters draw their appeal from their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Highly recommended.

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