Book Review: True by Laney McMann

---

True
Fireborn #3
Author: Laney McMann
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: September 7 2015
Review Source: J. Taylor Publishing

Nothing in Layla and Max's world will ever be the same.

Since Max left, and joined his father in the Shadow Realm, everything in Layla's life has changed. The Demon Gods threaten to destroy the Otherworld, and an inconceivable darkness has awakened—a darkness that wants control of Layla's will. It also wants Max ... dead. Not only must Layla face the true fire simmering inside her, but fight the one she loves most. And this time, with her friends and family left behind, she's completely on her own.

Leaving Layla nearly destroyed Max, but it was his only choice. Now, he must play the part—stay in control of his end goal, his actions, and the poison coursing through his veins, clouding his thoughts, and turning him into what he fears most, a Demon God. But even with his Oghams fighting the toxins, his control is slipping. Living in the Fomore castle with his Vampyre Fae ex-girlfriend isn't making it any easier to stay sane, and waiting to face off against Layla is taking its toll.

In the final installment of the Fire Born Novels trilogy, the legendary Battle will be fought, and Layla and Max stand to lose everything. How far will they go to save each other and protect the ones they love? Even they don't know the answer. No one can win.

From the ashes of old, They shall rise. The last of the Ancients, Foe and Ally. The Legend lies in wait, And bides its time. Until at last the day comes, For the children born of fire

In the final installment to the Fireborn series Layla and Max must fight for what they believe in, while trying to make it back to one another. As Layla is discovering more and more about herself she becomes a woman who is fit to someday be Queen. Max is fighting to play his part while preparing to battle Layla.

This final installment was a strong ending. I absolutely loved reading from Max's point of view. I for some reason tend to love books that switch between point of views. Maybe it's because I feel that one character sometimes becomes tedious depending on the story and character. But mixing it up between two different POVs makes it a lot more entertaining.

It was interesting to see Layla trying to consolidate between Layla and Teine, and how that unfolded had me wanting to read more. I honestly love this series for the folklore. I've said it in my previous reviews for these books but for me that is the strong suite. I love, love, love the back story that comes along with the Ancients and why Max and Layla have their powers and their Oghams. I feel like I wouldn't need a story with as much action and adventure if it were just the folklore that is within this series.

Book Review: Torn by Laney McMann

---

Torn
Fire Born #2
Author: Laney McMann
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: September 4 2014
Review Source: J. Taylor Publishing

Find Max.

That’s all Layla cares about. Not healing from the Fomore attack. Not finding answers to how she survived a fall that nearly killed her. Nothing will stop her. She will find him. She’ll even pair up with an overbearing Fallen Angel who’s hell bent on making everything harder than it needs to be if she has to.

Protect Layla.

For Max, nothing else matters. Not the bruises covering his body. Not the pain radiating from his broken bones. Not even his hands tied behind his back. He will find a way to save Layla, and the Fomore will pay if they’ve hurt her.

Every. Single. One of them.

In the second installment of The Fire Born trilogy, a new breed of villain looms—one Layla and Max will never suspect, and this killer has nothing to lose. Better yet, with Max and Layla’s deaths, victory is in the grip of the enemy.

Will Max and Layla find each other in time, or is it already too late for them both?

Max and Layla find themselves apart from each other, with only protecting the other one and saving them in their mind. Layla is still learning everything about what she is, and this new world that she is a part of. And Max is trying his hardest to protect Layla no matter what.

While I enjoy this story I did feel that this was a very predictable second book. It followed the formula that most sequels followed, and that had me tired. For the beginning of the book it was all Layla could do to figure out a way to get Max back. I felt like this was how a lot of second books in romances go. Boy is gone for some reason, girl knows she cannot live without him - and therefore she will do anything she can to find the boy. And some of the plot points felt familiar to me as well.

I do enjoy the fantasy of the story, and I will be reading the third book. I need to know what happens next. Like every book in a series there's a cliffhanger that I feel I must get resolution for. I enjoyed that this book gave us more answers about Layla and what she is. There were many new things that readers will learn about Layla and her powers as the Ancient. That was nice, I really enjoy the folklore that goes into the story.

Book Review: Tied by Laney McMann

---

Tied
Fire Born #1
Author: Laney McMann
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: September 9 2013
Review Source: J. Taylor Publishing

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares. Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken. No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.

Learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction. Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves? The answer may never be far enough... away.

Layla is a girl who remembers losing a best friend that no one else seems to remember. When he comes back into the picture she first believes that she's hallucinating, but then the things ensue after he's back in her life that makes it difficult for her to believe that she is hallucinating. Layla learns that her ancestors are not what she believed, and now she has to choose whether she really wants to be with Max or if she continues to live in the dark.

I'm not sure what I expected going into this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I started it and got halfway through it in one sitting. It has the right element of fantasy, and I liked how it was portrayed. Following Layla the reader is left in the dark as to what her heritage is, meaning we get to learn what is happening through her and the other characters in her life.

McMann does a decent job of writing a story that gets the reader involved in the world. I was immersed when I was reading Tied, and I was wanting to learn more about the folklore and about what was happening to these characters. I wanted to transfer myself into this world, and live there with Layla and Max, and I wanted to be there to help Layla learn about who she really was.

Max is adorable, and I absolutely love him as a character. There are some unanswered questions that I'm hoping will get answered in the next book, honestly I cannot wait to start the next book!