Furborn

YA is one of my favorite sub-genres. I like the young vibe of the books, the awkwardness when it comes to the MC’s to express their feelings. The hormones forcing them to make dumb choices. It’s entertaining.
Furborn was a surprise for me. A very good surprise! I loved it! Every part of it and I was sad when it ended. I would say it was a sudden ending, but it really wasn’t. I just wished the book would continue.

The plot of the story is captivating. The dynamics of the MacKeznies makes you want to be adopted by them all.
The story starts with the first meeting of our boys Spencer and Connor, near a tree where the farmers hang dead foxes, a sign for everybody to know that they’re deep in sheepland. The tree is a nightmare for Connor, and it disgusts Spencer as well.

Their first meeting goes without verbal acknowledgment, but they notice each other all right.

Years later, when PA MazKenzie can’t take care of the farm and his lovely sheep anymore, the younger generation of the family decides its time to move.
Spencer, being your typical emo boy, that mean no friends, well except one, find himself in this new setting of his life.

The second meeting of the boys goes…well not as Spencer would imagine. After all these years, the boys remember each other.

Regardless of all the warnings of Connor’s grandmother, and her strict manners, Connor can’t keep away from Spencer. The boy’s allure, his darkness, is just too much to resist. And during one of Connor’s rages, causing him a big injury, he ends up in the care of MacKenzies.

This book is full of secrets. If you like YA, and more, YA Paranormal, this book is for you.

I wish this will turn into a series because I need more Connor and Spencer!!!

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine

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Furborn, by Isabella Rowan
★★★★☆
198 Pages
POV: 3rd person, multi-POV
Content Warning: mentions of stroke, suicide attempts, self-harm, missing child, search and rescue


I loved the premise of the book, with the idea of fox-shifters and Connor potentially being the last of the furborns in the country. However, the blurb is only the tip of the iceberg. It literally describes the Prologue and little more. The story is so much more than what the blurb entails.

I hate to end on a flat or sour note, so I'm going to dip into the negatives now, that meant I couldn't give it 5 stars. Then I can end on a high note.
First off, there were some simple and small issues with the likes of grammar and punctuation. Being Scottish, I had little-to-no knowledge of the terms used. Most were well explained quickly, but a lot of things weren't (e.g. rangas, myki card, CBD, White Night and ten-pound poms) And, honestly, when I looked up the word ranga after reading, I wasn't keen on its use. Not only was it used to describe Connor throughout the book, but Spencer used it and it felt so derogatory once I knew what it meant. The way it was used between Spencer and Kelsey, I honestly thought it was a teasing word for crush or something. I wish I hadn't looked it up.
I also felt that the pace of the book suffered quite a bit. The first half was VERY slow. The chapters were short, but instead of helping, I feel like it made the book feel so much longer, which made it feel more of a slog to get through. There were a whole lot of instances where the pacing felt off and disjointed, that there was a lot of nothing happening, only for everything to happen at once. It felt like the second half of the book was stronger. I didn't feel like it was a world-building issue, either. That was nicely paced throughout the book, but it felt like the events needed to happen all at once, and that left a lot of empty space at the start.

So, I absolutely FLOVED Spencer and Connor. They were adorbs, in all kinds of ways, and even better together. Connor was gruff and resistant to outside help, thought humans nothing more than murderers and a danger to his people. In contrast, Spencer was this young, emo kid who was trying to hide from the world and unsure where his future lay. Together, they perfectly balanced each other and offered something the other person was lacking.

The POV was nicely and evenly split between Connor and Spencer, but we also got the added bonus of a fluke chapter in Emily's POV. This was so vital to the story, and adorable at the same time. Although it led to a huge plot twist, it was well orchestrated. I liked that Connor and Spencer were given equal status all the way throughout the book. They both got to tell their side of the story, without biased towards one or the other. (I still wish Spencer had taken a video of the Old Jack performance to take back to show Connor, though. That would have been a nice touch.)

The plot lagged a little at the start, but picked up pace halfway and kept that up throughout. I sometimes felt that major issues (Kelsey, and Emily) were ignored or forgotten about for large chunks of the story, to focus more on Connor's struggle. While it could be long-winded and boring at times, with Spencer doing chores and such, the spark was there whenever Connor and Spencer were on page together. That, for me, saved it and made it special.

Furborn was a super sweet YA books with a touch of realism from two grungy and mature MC's. It gave action, adventure, and romance in equal measure, while offering some interesting insight into the furborn world-building. I wouldn't be averse to reading more, perhaps of Spencer's future, or to see some of the furborn get their stories. With an outstanding, twisty ending, I couldn't help but push past the few negatives to enjoy the overall story.

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Favourite Quotes

“Your raven has done well by you,” May said. “You were right to trust him.”