"The tire had gone flat and the chain now dragged on the ground somewhere next to my soul..."

With these words, the listener is introduced to Teylin Walker, a runaway swept into the criminal underworld of the Coterie. After encountering a mysterious boy with inexplicable abilities, Tey finds herself abducted from the streets of LA and smuggled to the mysterious island nation of Los Sueños. The island's inhabitants struggle to survive in a land where dreams and reality walk a thin line across a jungle-covered landscape. Amongst the radioactive silver pools, and rotting mansions of the archipelago's past, are children dubbed "Shadowborn” who possess mystical powers wanted by crooks and bounty hunters alike.

Desperate to escape, Tey searches for clues that bring her closer to the truth of her island prison. But when she rescues an injured Shadowborn boy from the abuse of a cruel master, she is forced to choose between her own freedom and the lives of those she has come to love.

In this thrilling debut, Maren Alder sweeps her listeners into an utterly gripping world and takes them on an exhilarating ride that will leave them gasping for more. Shadowborn, by Maren Alder, is an excellent science fantasy adventure novel. I loved everything about this audiobook, especially the diverse cast of characters and the brilliantly developed setting and plot. Los Sueños, an island nation entrenched in mystery, created an exotic paradise for this listener as I explored the author's creative landscape. This archipelago transported me to a new world with a little bit of everything: different cultures, underground markets, cutthroat bounty hunters, a failing monarchy, and the mystical Shadowborn. Each element played into the plot's complexity and gave the story a level of depth that kept me fully engaged and eager to discover the elusive truths.