Book Review of Lionborn
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The Children’s Book Review
Lionborn
Written by Sharique Zea
Ages 10+ | 230 Pages
Publisher: SHARIQUE ZEA (2025) | ASIN: B0FLMP4YK7
What to Expect: Magic, friendship, destiny, adventure.
With its unique blend of self-discovery, the bonds of friendship, and destiny, this middle-grade adventure novel stands out in the world of fantastic fantasy fiction.
At school, Fionn is known as “Monster Boy.” He can’t control the frightening dreams of monsters that have haunted him since childhood, but he knows that, despite his parents’ disbelief and his peers’ mockery, his dreams are more than just nightmares. It’s not until the lion cub appears, however, that things start to get really weird. Although no one else can see the cub, it seems to be tied to Fionn, helping him out when he is in danger. Its appearance coincides with the arrival of a series of mysterious riddles, purportedly from his best friend Ella’s long-missing mother, and the arrival of a new friend, Tiny, who might have a few secrets of his own.
Soon, the three friends are catapulted into the dangerous world of Arborea, which turns out not to have been a dream after all, and where the monsters who have haunted Fionn’s dreams are now after his blood. As they work frantically to stay alive, the three friends will learn things about themselves and each other that they never thought possible.
Fionn, Ella, and Tiny make a great team of protagonists, with Ella’s determination and Tiny’s confidence providing the perfect foil for Fionn’s self-doubt, helping him grow into the hero he will become by the end of the book. From demonic, fiery landscapes prowled by fearsome beasts to bewildering labyrinths and enchanted forests, the settings of the story are richly evocative, morphing into each other and the human world throughout the story, so that the reader feels immersed in an environment of shifting magic and fragile boundaries. Best of all, the story reminds readers that even when surrounded by danger, threat, and uncertainty, we have it in ourselves to be heroic.
This rollercoaster of a quest story is a great next read for middle-grade fantasy lovers who have enjoyed Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Inheritance Cycle.
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About the Author
Sharique Zea was born in the city of Ranchi, Eastern India, into a family of readers who nurtured his love of stories from an early age. His father a headmaster and his mother a college professor, he grew up regularly visiting his local library where his imagination soared from his cosy reading corner into the magical worlds created by C.S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Madeleine L’Engle, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Educated in his home city, Sharique achieved a Bachelor of Commerce degree at St. Xavier’s College and an Executive MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, one of India’s top management institutions. Now based in London, Sharique spends his days crunching numbers as a Chartered Accountant, but his heart belongs to the magic of words, spending his free time following his lifelong passion for fantasy.
For more information, visit https://www.shariquezea.com/
1 Comment
Once again, this absconding bas*ard is trying to bury his past. A man who ruined the lives of his own sons has now written a book for children, pretending to be some moral guide. The hypocrisy is sickening.
What’s even more laughable is that this so-called “author” didn’t even write his own story. The book is clearly churned out using AI tools and then aggressively promoted through AI-driven chatbots.
No AI, no fake book, and no manufactured image can cover up the truth—your past will always expose you, and the damage you’ve done will follow your name forever.