Fantasy

Blacklight Born

Blacklight Born

  • Downloads：6204
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-15 07:19:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alexander Darwin
  • ISBN：B097YZ2J79
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The Grievar War has engulfed the Empire of Kiroth。 Silas the Slayer has given voice and violence to his warrior kin， providing them a reason to rise up after a thousand years of servitude。

Cego is released into a war-torn world where the lines between shadow and light are blurred。 He must decide which side to fight for: with his brother's righteous rebellion or beside the family he has finally found。

Murray Pearson leads a group of Lyceum students on an adventure across Kiroth to follow the path of combat mastery。 But Murray seeks something more on this long road。 Redemption。

Blacklight Born is the explosive conclusion to the Combat Codes Saga， a story where all must seek a final truth as they step back into the Circle。 Why do we fight？

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Reviews

Carl-Erik Høyum ，

A fantastic read that manages to feel real even though it takes place in a fantasy and sci-fi univers。 If you love the Philip K。 Dick's Blade runner universe， but want your fighting scenes to be as close to real life mixed martial arts this is the book for you。 A fantastic read that manages to feel real even though it takes place in a fantasy and sci-fi univers。 If you love the Philip K。 Dick's Blade runner universe， but want your fighting scenes to be as close to real life mixed martial arts this is the book for you。 。。。more

Petrik ，

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review。To my own bafflement， I finally finished reading a series for the first time this year。Yes， I’m shocked at this revelation myself。 I used to be a binge reader， and I used to be a reader focused on finishing a series before moving on to something else。 But lately， with so many new books/series I want to read， it’s hard for me to stay put。 But， for the second half of this year， I’m determined to finish more series I’ve started; Blacklight ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review。To my own bafflement， I finally finished reading a series for the first time this year。Yes， I’m shocked at this revelation myself。 I used to be a binge reader， and I used to be a reader focused on finishing a series before moving on to something else。 But lately， with so many new books/series I want to read， it’s hard for me to stay put。 But， for the second half of this year， I’m determined to finish more series I’ve started; Blacklight Born by Alexander Darwin is the first kill。 Also， I would like to first mention that the cover art and design of this trilogy are striking and distinctive。 Kudos to Felix Ortiz and Shawn T。 King。 “We’ve got to move forward… Some days are good， some bad。 Doesn’t matter; we keep moving forward。 Sometimes， though， we need to take one step backwards to fix what’s wrong。 Sometimes， what’s weighing us down needs fixing before we can move forward again。” Blacklight Born is the third and final book in The Combat Codes Saga by Alexander Darwin; an MMA inspired sci-fi trilogy I’ve enjoyed。 What started as a very straightforward underdog story has definitely changed now。 Whether it works for the readers or not， Darwin is an author that’s not afraid to try something different with his books。 Admittedly， there were some storytelling structure decisions made by Darwin that didn’t click with me。 The first half of Blacklight Born is told almost exclusively through Murray’s perspective， and this section was one of the great parts of the novel。 However， there’s repercussion from the previous installment that made the longevity of Murray’s section slightly backfired on me， and that’s Murray’s flashback and my disconnection with Cego。 “Sometimes， we need to pick our fights。 Sometimes， the fight isn’t the one in front of us。” It’s not that I have problems with Murray’s flashback， but the constant back and forth between the past and present in every Murray’s chapter didn’t seem to add anything for me other than narrative disjointed。 But Murray’s flashback and the present story itself were good on their own， so there’s that。 As for Cego， Cego was the main character of The Combat Codes， and he still played a role in Grievar’s Blood。 But his appearance in Grievar’s Blood was so minimal in comparison; the second book of this trilogy was more about Sol and The Slayer。 By the time the story in Blacklight Born shifted to Cego as the main character again， I must say that I’ve lost quite a lot of interest in his character due to being separated from his POV longer than I preferred。 I personally think that The Slayer was more intriguing， and I wish we have more POV from him after reading his story in Grievar’s Blood。 “There are many middling Grievar who blame others for their failures。 These Grievar are blind to their own weakness， they cannot see their failures as fault of their own， and so they are forever confined to mediocrity。” As for the actions， the high quality of the combat sequence is something that Darwin maintained throughout the trilogy。 Darwin knows his martial arts， and the accessible prose enhanced the quality of the flow and immersion in the fight scenes。 Throughout the trilogy， there has been a lot of buildup leading to the final confrontations that occurred in the last few chapters of this novel。 And the battle did live up to the expectations; Darwin delivered the most climactic setting in the entire trilogy。 However， the conclusion of this final battle itself was， in my opinion， incredibly anti-climactic。 I totally expected more out of the climax sequences， and I do believe that the ending could’ve used one or two more chapters for it to feel more satisfying。 “A musician in training may believe there only to be seven notes on their lyre， and an apprentice painter might only see twelve central colors。 But the masters see beyond that， they can decipher the myriad of mixtures to produce harmonious melodies and glorious artworks。 Each Grievar has only four limbs and a head， and yet using these appendages in combination， an infinite number of techniques are at a master’s disposal。” Overall， despite having some mixed feelings towards this novel， I do believe that Blacklight Born was a good conclusion to The Combat Codes Saga， a series about friendship， identity， and redemption。 I have faith that Darwin’s next series will be superior to The Combat Codes Saga， and I’ll be looking forward to it。 “Though one often returns to the past to learn from mistakes， they must remain feather-footed there。 Treading too heavily in memories， dredging up either joy or regret， will only serve to impede the path of progression。” Series review:The Combat Codes: 4/5 stars Grievar's Blood: 4/5 stars Blacklight Born: 3/5 starsThe Combat Codes Saga: 11/15 starsYou can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon USThe quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication。You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channelSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing！My Patrons: Alfred， Annabeth， Ben， Blaise， Devin， Diana， Dylan， Edward， Ellen， Gary， Hamad， Helen， Jimmy Nutts， Jennifer， Joie， Luis， Lufi， Melinda， Mike， Miracle， Nicholas， Sarah， Sarah， Seth， Shaad， Summer， Wendy， Wick， Zoe。 。。。more

Blaise ，

https://undertheradarsffbooks。com/202。。。We have reached the concluding volume of the Combat Code series and it packs one final punch with an epic final volume。 All the questions I had entering this installment were answered and some twists I did not see coming。 Besides the action and friendships， Blacklight Born is a story of personal fear， sacrifices， and how to overcome them。 The sins of the past come up quiet a bit in this book and that can be the most difficult enemy to defeat。 How will our https://undertheradarsffbooks。com/202。。。We have reached the concluding volume of the Combat Code series and it packs one final punch with an epic final volume。 All the questions I had entering this installment were answered and some twists I did not see coming。 Besides the action and friendships， Blacklight Born is a story of personal fear， sacrifices， and how to overcome them。 The sins of the past come up quiet a bit in this book and that can be the most difficult enemy to defeat。 How will our character prevail？ If you are currently reading this series， I promise you will find out。 This will be a spoiler free review， but I will be touch on events that have happened in the previous two novels。The story begins with Murray and the members of the Whelps going on a Pilgrimage， but Murray has a different goal in mind of finding Cego and returning him home。 When we last left Cego he was in the fighting pits under punishment of death facing the goliath with defeat all but certainty。 Despite all odds， Cego was victorious in the arena and is rescued by the Slayer， whom turns out to be one of Cego’s brothers he has been looking for。 This is the initial set up for the book and the story really goes into hyperdrive in Part 2。 All of the different factions converge as we learn about the deadly sins of the past from all parties including the shocking beginnings of the Cradle。As I have stated in my previous reviews of Combat Codes and Grievar’s Blood that Alexander Darwin is an expert at writing hand to hand combat scenes and fighting techniques use by our main characters。 This was a given I knew entering this book， but what I didn’t expect to find was the way the story converged throughout the novel。 The worldbuilding， character motivations， and sci-fi like technology all came together for the wonderful climax。 Great care was put into completing this series and I hope the author will revisit this world at a later point in his publishing career。One thing I should also mention about this book is there are a good portion of chapters that have flashback sections and these gave me a much better understanding our main cast， especially Murray。 Every faction will have their view of the world at large and what part they wish to play in its preservation or destruction。 One thing is for certain， the Codes will be followed to the bitter end。 Don’t sleep on this great series by an author on the rise as it is one adventure I will never forget！Cheers！ 。。。more

Andy ，

'Blacklight Born' is the third and final book in Alexander Darwin's 'The Combat Codes' trilogy， and was a great finish to the series。Split into two parts， the first part focuses on Murray Pearson and the Whelps - Dozer， Knees and Brynn - as they travel on a Pilgrimage， a Grievar tradition that involves fighting challenges across the nation。 But Murray has another reason for joining the Whelps on their pilgrimage， he's searching for his protége Cego。 Mostly following Murray's point of view， it wo 'Blacklight Born' is the third and final book in Alexander Darwin's 'The Combat Codes' trilogy， and was a great finish to the series。Split into two parts， the first part focuses on Murray Pearson and the Whelps - Dozer， Knees and Brynn - as they travel on a Pilgrimage， a Grievar tradition that involves fighting challenges across the nation。 But Murray has another reason for joining the Whelps on their pilgrimage， he's searching for his protége Cego。 Mostly following Murray's point of view， it works very well。 Punctuated with flashbacks， these glimpses catch us up on the back story of what has been going on in between books， adding depth to story， the world building， and the character development， especially for Murray， as he drags himself from a drunken despair after losing Cego at the end of the previous book， 'Grievar's Blood'， before waking from his stupor and realising that he has a promise to keep， one which he can't keep if he's feeling sorry for himself at the bottom of a bottle。The second part of the book switches the POV to Cego， now reunited with the Whelps， and returns to the classrooms of the Lyceum。 As with the first part， this change works very well， as we get a sense of what Cego has gone through mentally， as well as physically， and how his relationships with the Whelps has changed。 We also see how the Lyceum has changed whilst he and the Whelps have been away， with the toady Callen Albright now in charge。 It all builds up to a brutal final confrontation with Cego's brother， Silas the Slayer， leader of the Flux rebellion， of which he was briefly a part of， in a winner takes all fight。It's a crescendo of a finish， one that it has been building up to over the course of the series， and Alexander Darwin pulls it off， sticking the landing！ Filled with memorable and believable characters， in an expansive dystopian sci-fi world full of different races， beliefs and creatures， with spectacular authentically described brutal fight sequences （Darwin is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt after all！）， it keeps you fully engaged with a slow burn as we catch up with the timeline， but once it nears the end is full of twists and turns， unrelenting and exciting。 'Blacklight Born'， as well as 'The Combat Codes' trilogy as a whole， has been an epic read。 Questions were answered， and threads were tied up， but by the end， it still leaves you wanting more。A satisfying ending to a great series that is very much recommended reading。Note: I did receive an e-ARC edition of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Zack Argyle ，

When I received the ARC for Blacklight Born， I have to admit that my expectations were high。 The first book was fun， and the second book broke the dam and launched the story sprawling out like a wave crashing throughout a grungy world that I couldn't get enough of。 Book three had some shoes to fill。。。and it did。Blacklight Born is an explosive ending to an epic series。 A triumph of storytelling。 There is so much to love。 Hand-to-hand combat with mechs。 Deeper relationships with found family。 And When I received the ARC for Blacklight Born， I have to admit that my expectations were high。 The first book was fun， and the second book broke the dam and launched the story sprawling out like a wave crashing throughout a grungy world that I couldn't get enough of。 Book three had some shoes to fill。。。and it did。Blacklight Born is an explosive ending to an epic series。 A triumph of storytelling。 There is so much to love。 Hand-to-hand combat with mechs。 Deeper relationships with found family。 And MOAR CHOCOBO！ If you can't tell， I adore this world。 The setting， the races， the creatures， the magic， it comes together in a whirlwind of storytelling that leaves you just as winded as the Grievars。And that ending！ I felt like I was watching a blockbuster film， gripping the edge of my seat and wincing with each painful moment。 It was exactly what I wanted—most of what I expected—but with twists that made the whole scene a hundred times more powerful。If it's not clear， I had so much fun with this book， with this entire series。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Joshua Wentworth ，

First I have to say that as with all great books the worst thing about this one is that it ended。 In the Combat Codes trilogy Darwin has built a fascinating world with a host of rich characters that you can't help but want to know more about and unfortunately the trilogy can only focus on so many of them at once。 That being said， Blacklight Born delivers an excellent and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy closing up most of the loose ends quite neatly and continuing to deliver the spectacularl First I have to say that as with all great books the worst thing about this one is that it ended。 In the Combat Codes trilogy Darwin has built a fascinating world with a host of rich characters that you can't help but want to know more about and unfortunately the trilogy can only focus on so many of them at once。 That being said， Blacklight Born delivers an excellent and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy closing up most of the loose ends quite neatly and continuing to deliver the spectacularly written fight scenes that are Darwin's trademark。 If you enjoyed the first two you will definitely enjoy the conclusion， but it will leave you hoping for a 'Tales From the Lyceum" anthology or something of that nature that gives us a deeper dive into the history of the world that Darwin has built。 。。。more

Stefan Koch ，

The final installment answers most of the questions opened in the previous books， some in a very unexpected manner。 It thus offers a more coherent narrative， after the somewhat disparate story lines in Grievar's Blood。 The story starts with a strong focus on Murray and the remaining Whelps， before Cego becomes main PoV again。 This proves to be a good choice， as it helps show the changes and fallout brought about in book 2。 The final installment answers most of the questions opened in the previous books， some in a very unexpected manner。 It thus offers a more coherent narrative， after the somewhat disparate story lines in Grievar's Blood。 The story starts with a strong focus on Murray and the remaining Whelps， before Cego becomes main PoV again。 This proves to be a good choice， as it helps show the changes and fallout brought about in book 2。 。。。more

Arundeepak Jayaseelan ，

4。5/5Detailed action sequences， Steady pacing and some unpredictable twists at the end makes Blacklight Born the best entry in this seriesFirst of all huge thanks to the author for sending me an E-ARC of this book。 It was one of my most anticipated book this year and it goes without saying that this review is my unbiased opinion。Quick Summary: Blacklight Born， the final entry in the The Combat Codes Saga takes place some time after the events of Grievar's Blood as Murray leads the remaining memb 4。5/5Detailed action sequences， Steady pacing and some unpredictable twists at the end makes Blacklight Born the best entry in this seriesFirst of all huge thanks to the author for sending me an E-ARC of this book。 It was one of my most anticipated book this year and it goes without saying that this review is my unbiased opinion。Quick Summary: Blacklight Born， the final entry in the The Combat Codes Saga takes place some time after the events of Grievar's Blood as Murray leads the remaining members of The Whelps （Knees， Dozer and Brynn） for the Pilgrimage but with an ulterior motive， to find Cego。WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:Murray: That man is MVP。 His internal conflicts， his actions and his strong belief in The Codes were written wonderfully。 Without a doubt， my favourite character of this series。The writing: It was simple and easily accessible。The pacing: It was steady and never felt too rushed despite this book being just under 400。 I also loved the time jump in the beginning of this book as it made me curious to find out what happened at the time and i also liked how the author provided that information steadily as the story progressed。Action sequences: Like the previous entries in this series， vividly detailed action sequences is one of the strongest aspect of this book。 I could follow the fights like I was actually there。Answers: Every questions I had after finishing those previous entries were answered in this book like。。。 What's Shimo's deal ？ Why Cego lost some fights even though he had like a decade of hardship training and so on。I also loved all the characters interactions took place in this book。。。 Cego & Sol， Murray & Cego， Murray & Sol， The Whelps & The Flux and so on。 It was beautiful to see all the characters coming together again。WHAT DIDN'T WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:Even though all the questions were answered and every character arcs were tied up neatly I kinda felt that the ending was slightly anticlimactic。 Maybe because I expected a straight up final battle or I don't know。。。 i expected more。FINAL WORD:This page turning action fantasy novel is a satisfying conclusion to The Combat Codes Saga and best entry in this series IMO。 。。。more

Alexander Darwin ，

Writing the final installment of a trilogy is tough！ I put an ample dose of pressure on myself to properly tie up character and narrative arcs while also setting the pace / action that readers loved in the previous two books。 And I believe I succeeded。 I feel this third installment is the best of the three， and I can't wait to step back into the Circle with you all。 My sincere appreciation to all the readers that have made it to the third book， I owe it all to you guys！ Writing the final installment of a trilogy is tough！ I put an ample dose of pressure on myself to properly tie up character and narrative arcs while also setting the pace / action that readers loved in the previous two books。 And I believe I succeeded。 I feel this third installment is the best of the three， and I can't wait to step back into the Circle with you all。 My sincere appreciation to all the readers that have made it to the third book， I owe it all to you guys！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blacklight Born

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blacklight Born&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blacklight Born&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0