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The Legendborn Cycle #1
Legendborn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC鈥揅hapel Hill seems like the perfect escape鈥攗ntil Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called 鈥淟egendborn鈥� students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a 鈥淢erlin鈥� and who attempts鈥攁nd fails鈥攖o wipe Bree鈥檚 memory of everything she saw.
The mage鈥檚 failure unlocks Bree鈥檚 own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there鈥檚 more to her mother鈥檚 death than what鈥檚 on the police report, she鈥檒l do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society鈥檚 secrets鈥攁nd closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur鈥檚 knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she鈥檒l go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down鈥攐r join the fight.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called 鈥淟egendborn鈥� students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a 鈥淢erlin鈥� and who attempts鈥攁nd fails鈥攖o wipe Bree鈥檚 memory of everything she saw.
The mage鈥檚 failure unlocks Bree鈥檚 own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there鈥檚 more to her mother鈥檚 death than what鈥檚 on the police report, she鈥檒l do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society鈥檚 secrets鈥攁nd closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur鈥檚 knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she鈥檒l go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down鈥攐r join the fight.
502 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2020
13.7k people are currently reading
453k people want to read
About the author
Tracy Deonn
10听books12.1k听followersTracy Deonn is a writer and 2nd gen fangirl. She grew up in North Carolina, where she devoured fantasy books and Southern food in equal measure. After earning two degrees from UNC-CH, Tracy worked in live theater, video games, and K-12 education. When she鈥檚 not writing, Tracy panels at SFF conventions, reads fanfic, arranges doggy playdates, and keeps an eye out for ginger-flavored everything.
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October 30, 2020
鈿旓笍鈿旓笍鈿旓笍
9/15/2020: THIS. BOOK. IS. OUT!
鈿旓笍鈿旓笍鈿旓笍
Before we dive in, let me ask you this:
Yeah, I didn't think so. The gutting (and gripping) thing about is that this is Bree Matthews鈥� reality鈥攁longside demon hordes, a magical element in the air called "aether," sinfully hot sorcerers, and a secret society filled with modern-day descendants of King Arthur and his knights.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
This book is fucking awesome and without a doubt one of my favourite reads of this year. Trust me: YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS.
It鈥檚 been a while since I鈥檝e read a YA fantasy that's really enthralled me and shaken up the formulaic script I鈥檝e come to associate with the genre. wasn鈥檛 perfect, but boy does it bring a wholly novel story to the (Round T)able鈥攁 heart-pounding urban fantasy that tackles grief, inherited trauma, legacies of colonization and chattel slavery, and being a Black woman in the South, redefining the legends we thought to be set in (Excalibur鈥檚) stone.
The reason I鈥檝e given this book 4 stars and not 5 is because鈥攄espite its fascinating world-building and important, moving subject matter鈥攊t still leaned heavily on several YA clich茅s that grated on me. I鈥檓 really conflicted in my reconciling of these contrived bits with the parts that were transcendent and powerful and heart-hurting. I know this sounds contradictory, but that's exactly what I鈥檓 feeling: torn. The meh parts of this book were meh, but the good parts were PHENOMENAL.
Duality鈥檚 a thing, y鈥檃ll, and is it.
For now, I鈥檓 just going to say this: I implore you to read . Deonn will reshape YA urban fantasy as we know it with this series, and I cannot put into words how excited I am to read the next book.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
So that was my TLDR version for the folks who鈥檙e here to get a sense of whether this book is worth your time (it is). If you鈥檙e desiring more of the nitty gritty, scroll on!
鈿旓笍 THE PREMISE?
16yo Bree Matthews has not been the same since her mother died three months ago. As she walks the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill as a student in the prestigious Early College program, her mother鈥檚 alma mater seems to abound with barely concealed secrets鈥攁nd Bree's convinced that one of them will shed light on why her mother died.
Then comes the night Bree meets Selwyn Kane鈥攁ll dark curls, golden eyes, killer jawline鈥攁nd witnesses him slay a demon, or isel, to be precise. Following this trail of deadly breadcrumbs leads Bree to the Legendborn: descendants of Arthur and thirteen of his knights, who vanquish demons to protect humankind. They're connected to her mother鈥攁nd Bree鈥攊n ways she'll never expect, and to find out, she's going to compete in their trials. With the help of Nick Davis (think smokin' golden-boy-next-door), Bree will join their ranks.
But what she discovers is unfathomably bigger than the Legendborn. And as Bree grapples with her grief, she must reconcile these new revelations with everything she thought she knew about her mom.
Will she stay loyal to the boys she's come to love, even if it means serving an Order that negates her very existence? Or will Bree somehow forge her own way?
馃敟 THE WORLDBUILDING?
There's a lot going on in this story, and we readers have to fumble alongside Bree as she encounters it all for the first time. Here's a quick summary of the positions within the strict hierarchy of the Order of the Round Table:
The Legendborn are demon-hunters descended from the original knights of the Round Table. The most important member of each family (or Line) is the Scion鈥攁 person between the ages of 16-22 who can be "Called" by their knightly ancestor. When you're Called, you gain the preternatural powers that the knight had; for example, Scions of the Line of Gawain gain the ability to heal others. Scions can manipulate aether鈥攁 magical element in the air鈥攊nto weapons, and they're trained from birth for their roles: however, not everyone will be Called. There's a rank order in which the knights Call their descendants (e.g., Line of Bors will always be called before Line of Lancelot) and the top-ranked families are hardly ever Called because the lower families can usually handle the demon threats (and, no spoilers, but if every Scion were to be Called... it'd be a bad thing). When a Scion dies or turns 23, their title passes to the next eligible member in their family, akin to succession to the British throne.
The Onceborn are what the Shadowhunters call "mundanes"鈥攈umans who aren't part of the Legendborn families, protected from the truth about demons and magic. The only Onceborns who know about this world are Vassals, who have served the Legendborn for generations in exchange for money, power, the works. Vassals may be initiated into the Order as Pages (lowest ranked in the Order hierarchy, but still one step up from Vassal) who can then compete, once a year, for the coveted spot of Squire. Squires are magically bonded to Scions who have been Called, and they gain the powers of that Scion; the Squire's duty is to protect their Scion at all costs.
Finally, we have the Merlins, or sorcerers of the Order. Merlins can use aether to do all manner of things, from tracking and incapacitating demons, to sensing Gates (portals that allow demons to enter the human plane), to manipulating, or mesmering, people's memories. The Kingsmage鈥攍ike Selwyn Kane鈥攊s the most powerful Merlin of their generation, and has a special bond with the leader of the Round Table.
鉁� THE GOOD?
鉃� The diversity of rep. Bree's Black and her best friend Alice Chen is lesbian and Taiwanese-American. Even though the Order is just about fully white, there are two bi characters, a gay character, a wlw relationship, and a non-binary character. There鈥檙e also several other Black characters who were pretty awesome, including Bree's dad and her therapist.
鉃� Bree's banter is 10/10. I loved the scenes featuring her and Alice (they have this thing where one of them quotes a certain movie and the other person's like "Did you just [movie franchise] me!??" and the first person's like "No, I [specific film from said franchise]'d you!" and it's freakin' adorable), and also her back-and-forth with the boys. Not to mention, Bree drops some FIRE comebacks against the bigots who come at her throughout the novel.
鉃� There's this epic fight scene at the end that made my heart race. It ties into the book's big twist and was seriously unputdownable.
馃挗 THE BAD?
鉃� So much capitalization. Anything to do with the worldbuilding was slapped with a capital letter鈥擝ree was Spelled to take an Oath to the Order so she can't break the Law against the Legendborn Lines even though she already has the Sight. Nothing inherently wrong with this, it just felt like a juvenile world-building move.
鉃� INSTALOVE. So at first I didn't think Bree and her love interest were going to exhibit instalove鈥攎y most DETESTED of tropes鈥攂ut they kinda did! I mean, this book only takes place over the span of 2-3 weeks, and by the end of that time they've fallen deeply in love with each other (and not just any love; it's an I-will-guard-your-life-with-my-own type of thing). There's a sort-of explanation for why this might be the case, but it's still instalove in my books.
鉃� 眉ber hot love interests and a love triangle I'm not altogether convinced was necessary. I am ALL for angst but wasn't the biggest fan of Bree being drawn to both guys. Also, I'm still waiting for the day when YA gives up the sharp-jaw-gorgeous-cheekbones-broad-shoulders-silky-hair love interest intros.
鉃� Chosen One tropeyness. Oof. We're constantly told that everything about Bree defies reason, physics, all known magic鈥攕he鈥檚 UNLIKE ANYONE EVER BEFORE HER and has powers innumerable. I'm more than a little sick of reading MCs who are singled out as special snowflakes, but that could just be me.
鉃� I expected more from the platonic friendships department!! Her best friend Alice plays such a minor role in the story, and in the beginning I was actually a little fed up because Bree and Alice were getting into the dumbest fights (that felt like they were only there to alienate Bree and further the plot). I loved Alice and Bree together, though; despite that rocky start, they have such a pure and good relationship鈥擨 just wish we'd seen more of it!
馃挜 THE GREAT?
As far as I'm concerned, this more than makes up for the tropes I mentioned above. doesn't simply acknowledge what it means to be Black in America, or to be any sort of different from the cishet white norm. It head-on confronts modern-day anti-Blackness and its roots in the nation's history of colonialism, disenfranchisement, and violence. It celebrates and champions the ways in which Black folk survive, resist, and thrive.
I really loved the revelation that , a clear statement about questioning hegemonic paradigms, honouring our blood and our land, and understanding that resources are neither infinite nor designed for human exploitation.
Also, two scenes in this book stuck out for me in particular. In the first, Bree is drawn into the memories of a Black woman from the nineteenth century, and they talk about colonizer magic built on the blood of slaves and Indigenous peoples. In the second, which reads like verse amidst the prose, . The revelations from this turn out to be both devastating and utterly uplifting.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
Whew. If you've read all the way down to here, I thank and congratulate you!
Bottom line for this book: I loved it and I really think you will, too.
Huge thank-you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me the privilege of reading this book as an ARC. All thoughts are my own!
Before we dive in, let me ask you this:
Did Clary ever have to think about the dangers of being picked up by police while at a party?
Would Jude ever have been questioned about the legitimacy of her presence at an Early College program?
When America was selected as Maxon鈥檚 queen (disclaimer: I鈥檓 just pulling this out of a hunch, I never got past book 1 lol), did his people ever hurl racial slurs at her?
Yeah, I didn't think so. The gutting (and gripping) thing about is that this is Bree Matthews鈥� reality鈥攁longside demon hordes, a magical element in the air called "aether," sinfully hot sorcerers, and a secret society filled with modern-day descendants of King Arthur and his knights.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
This book is fucking awesome and without a doubt one of my favourite reads of this year. Trust me: YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS.
It鈥檚 been a while since I鈥檝e read a YA fantasy that's really enthralled me and shaken up the formulaic script I鈥檝e come to associate with the genre. wasn鈥檛 perfect, but boy does it bring a wholly novel story to the (Round T)able鈥攁 heart-pounding urban fantasy that tackles grief, inherited trauma, legacies of colonization and chattel slavery, and being a Black woman in the South, redefining the legends we thought to be set in (Excalibur鈥檚) stone.
The reason I鈥檝e given this book 4 stars and not 5 is because鈥攄espite its fascinating world-building and important, moving subject matter鈥攊t still leaned heavily on several YA clich茅s that grated on me. I鈥檓 really conflicted in my reconciling of these contrived bits with the parts that were transcendent and powerful and heart-hurting. I know this sounds contradictory, but that's exactly what I鈥檓 feeling: torn. The meh parts of this book were meh, but the good parts were PHENOMENAL.
Duality鈥檚 a thing, y鈥檃ll, and is it.
For now, I鈥檓 just going to say this: I implore you to read . Deonn will reshape YA urban fantasy as we know it with this series, and I cannot put into words how excited I am to read the next book.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
So that was my TLDR version for the folks who鈥檙e here to get a sense of whether this book is worth your time (it is). If you鈥檙e desiring more of the nitty gritty, scroll on!
鈿旓笍 THE PREMISE?
16yo Bree Matthews has not been the same since her mother died three months ago. As she walks the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill as a student in the prestigious Early College program, her mother鈥檚 alma mater seems to abound with barely concealed secrets鈥攁nd Bree's convinced that one of them will shed light on why her mother died.
Then comes the night Bree meets Selwyn Kane鈥攁ll dark curls, golden eyes, killer jawline鈥攁nd witnesses him slay a demon, or isel, to be precise. Following this trail of deadly breadcrumbs leads Bree to the Legendborn: descendants of Arthur and thirteen of his knights, who vanquish demons to protect humankind. They're connected to her mother鈥攁nd Bree鈥攊n ways she'll never expect, and to find out, she's going to compete in their trials. With the help of Nick Davis (think smokin' golden-boy-next-door), Bree will join their ranks.
But what she discovers is unfathomably bigger than the Legendborn. And as Bree grapples with her grief, she must reconcile these new revelations with everything she thought she knew about her mom.
Will she stay loyal to the boys she's come to love, even if it means serving an Order that negates her very existence? Or will Bree somehow forge her own way?
馃敟 THE WORLDBUILDING?
There's a lot going on in this story, and we readers have to fumble alongside Bree as she encounters it all for the first time. Here's a quick summary of the positions within the strict hierarchy of the Order of the Round Table:
The Legendborn are demon-hunters descended from the original knights of the Round Table. The most important member of each family (or Line) is the Scion鈥攁 person between the ages of 16-22 who can be "Called" by their knightly ancestor. When you're Called, you gain the preternatural powers that the knight had; for example, Scions of the Line of Gawain gain the ability to heal others. Scions can manipulate aether鈥攁 magical element in the air鈥攊nto weapons, and they're trained from birth for their roles: however, not everyone will be Called. There's a rank order in which the knights Call their descendants (e.g., Line of Bors will always be called before Line of Lancelot) and the top-ranked families are hardly ever Called because the lower families can usually handle the demon threats (and, no spoilers, but if every Scion were to be Called... it'd be a bad thing). When a Scion dies or turns 23, their title passes to the next eligible member in their family, akin to succession to the British throne.
The Onceborn are what the Shadowhunters call "mundanes"鈥攈umans who aren't part of the Legendborn families, protected from the truth about demons and magic. The only Onceborns who know about this world are Vassals, who have served the Legendborn for generations in exchange for money, power, the works. Vassals may be initiated into the Order as Pages (lowest ranked in the Order hierarchy, but still one step up from Vassal) who can then compete, once a year, for the coveted spot of Squire. Squires are magically bonded to Scions who have been Called, and they gain the powers of that Scion; the Squire's duty is to protect their Scion at all costs.
Finally, we have the Merlins, or sorcerers of the Order. Merlins can use aether to do all manner of things, from tracking and incapacitating demons, to sensing Gates (portals that allow demons to enter the human plane), to manipulating, or mesmering, people's memories. The Kingsmage鈥攍ike Selwyn Kane鈥攊s the most powerful Merlin of their generation, and has a special bond with the leader of the Round Table.
鉁� THE GOOD?
鉃� The diversity of rep. Bree's Black and her best friend Alice Chen is lesbian and Taiwanese-American. Even though the Order is just about fully white, there are two bi characters, a gay character, a wlw relationship, and a non-binary character. There鈥檙e also several other Black characters who were pretty awesome, including Bree's dad and her therapist.
鉃� Bree's banter is 10/10. I loved the scenes featuring her and Alice (they have this thing where one of them quotes a certain movie and the other person's like "Did you just [movie franchise] me!??" and the first person's like "No, I [specific film from said franchise]'d you!" and it's freakin' adorable), and also her back-and-forth with the boys. Not to mention, Bree drops some FIRE comebacks against the bigots who come at her throughout the novel.
鉃� There's this epic fight scene at the end that made my heart race. It ties into the book's big twist and was seriously unputdownable.
馃挗 THE BAD?
鉃� So much capitalization. Anything to do with the worldbuilding was slapped with a capital letter鈥擝ree was Spelled to take an Oath to the Order so she can't break the Law against the Legendborn Lines even though she already has the Sight. Nothing inherently wrong with this, it just felt like a juvenile world-building move.
鉃� INSTALOVE. So at first I didn't think Bree and her love interest were going to exhibit instalove鈥攎y most DETESTED of tropes鈥攂ut they kinda did! I mean, this book only takes place over the span of 2-3 weeks, and by the end of that time they've fallen deeply in love with each other (and not just any love; it's an I-will-guard-your-life-with-my-own type of thing). There's a sort-of explanation for why this might be the case, but it's still instalove in my books.
鉃� 眉ber hot love interests and a love triangle I'm not altogether convinced was necessary. I am ALL for angst but wasn't the biggest fan of Bree being drawn to both guys. Also, I'm still waiting for the day when YA gives up the sharp-jaw-gorgeous-cheekbones-broad-shoulders-silky-hair love interest intros.
鉃� Chosen One tropeyness. Oof. We're constantly told that everything about Bree defies reason, physics, all known magic鈥攕he鈥檚 UNLIKE ANYONE EVER BEFORE HER and has powers innumerable. I'm more than a little sick of reading MCs who are singled out as special snowflakes, but that could just be me.
鉃� I expected more from the platonic friendships department!! Her best friend Alice plays such a minor role in the story, and in the beginning I was actually a little fed up because Bree and Alice were getting into the dumbest fights (that felt like they were only there to alienate Bree and further the plot). I loved Alice and Bree together, though; despite that rocky start, they have such a pure and good relationship鈥擨 just wish we'd seen more of it!
馃挜 THE GREAT?
As far as I'm concerned, this more than makes up for the tropes I mentioned above. doesn't simply acknowledge what it means to be Black in America, or to be any sort of different from the cishet white norm. It head-on confronts modern-day anti-Blackness and its roots in the nation's history of colonialism, disenfranchisement, and violence. It celebrates and champions the ways in which Black folk survive, resist, and thrive.
I really loved the revelation that , a clear statement about questioning hegemonic paradigms, honouring our blood and our land, and understanding that resources are neither infinite nor designed for human exploitation.
Also, two scenes in this book stuck out for me in particular. In the first, Bree is drawn into the memories of a Black woman from the nineteenth century, and they talk about colonizer magic built on the blood of slaves and Indigenous peoples. In the second, which reads like verse amidst the prose, . The revelations from this turn out to be both devastating and utterly uplifting.
鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍鈼伙笍
Whew. If you've read all the way down to here, I thank and congratulate you!
Bottom line for this book: I loved it and I really think you will, too.
Huge thank-you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me the privilege of reading this book as an ARC. All thoughts are my own!
Read
February 4, 2021This took me approximately a million years to listen to the audiobook, but that's not the book's fault that's just me being lazy. But this was such an interesting and layered fantasy story. It dealt with grief and trauma very well, in a way I'd never seen before. The world that was built up totally captivated me. Despite taking me a long time to read, I think that the pacing did seem consistent as there was pretty much constant action, even in moments of inaction. The start of a super cool series I think!
January 8, 2021
the best book i've read in a really long time. 2020 was sort of a fail on all fronts for me, so finding such a good book so early in 2021 feels like a good omen.
PICK THIS UP!
PICK THIS UP!
November 29, 2024
One of my favorite books I鈥檝e read this year. It had everything I love. Dark academia, a woman coming into her power, secret society and demons!!!!! LOVED
March 6, 2024
3.5馃専
I loved how unique the premise of the story following king Arthur's lineage was to me! it was so refreshing to read a YA fantasy book that felt so unique and not being able to guess where it was going because it wasn't following a specific structure! I really enjoyed the romance but I am super nervous to see where it goes in the next book. also the end had my jaw on the floor!
I loved how unique the premise of the story following king Arthur's lineage was to me! it was so refreshing to read a YA fantasy book that felt so unique and not being able to guess where it was going because it wasn't following a specific structure! I really enjoyed the romance but I am super nervous to see where it goes in the next book. also the end had my jaw on the floor!
December 31, 2022
This was so good?! My only complaint is that I feel like I don't have a full understanding for the world, but everything outside of that was solid. I loved the characters so much! We have so many solid dynamics and fun interactions throughout the story. I'm definitely eager to see where things go in book two!
March 28, 2025
Hot dang, this book is incredible. That's how you write a YA Contemporary Fantasy!
((applause for dayssss))
Believe the hype, Legendborn is next level. I am so impressed with Tracy Deonn and cannot wait for the next book.
I would recommend going into this knowing as little as possible; just let the story wash over you. It's complex and layered. The characters are wonderful and the magic system is incredibly creative.
It's everything I look for in a Modern Urban Fantasy!!!
The mystery of it kept me completely engaged. I couldn't put it down once I started.
With the heavy fan-girling out of the way, let's get to the most serious question...
WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK RELEASE!?
Although, truth be told, I will probably read this again prior to the sequel. There is a lot of information packed in this novel and I need to have it fresh in my brain in order to continue.
P.S. If you enjoyed this, you may want to check out as well!!!
((applause for dayssss))
Believe the hype, Legendborn is next level. I am so impressed with Tracy Deonn and cannot wait for the next book.
I would recommend going into this knowing as little as possible; just let the story wash over you. It's complex and layered. The characters are wonderful and the magic system is incredibly creative.
It's everything I look for in a Modern Urban Fantasy!!!
The mystery of it kept me completely engaged. I couldn't put it down once I started.
With the heavy fan-girling out of the way, let's get to the most serious question...
WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK RELEASE!?
Although, truth be told, I will probably read this again prior to the sequel. There is a lot of information packed in this novel and I need to have it fresh in my brain in order to continue.
P.S. If you enjoyed this, you may want to check out as well!!!
September 28, 2020
Where should I even begin?!? Listen, I鈥檓 quite familiar with the legend of King Arthur but never in my life have I seen it done in this way. There is so much to unpack in this novel. The character development, the plot development, the spectacular writing, the university history woven into every single page, the connections I felt to the Black history discussed. Everything was done in such a fast paced and interesting manner that gave me such a connection to the story as a whole.
While this is being compared to the Mortal Instruments, I find that this novel is capable of standing on its own. There is a complexity and rich history that I found in this book that I didn鈥檛 necessarily find in TMI. The world building is intense and I鈥檓 a stickler for good world building. Deonn is careful in crafting a complex world while still explaining certain nuances without revealing too much to the reader. She even took the time to include pronunciation guides within the heart of the text (I loved this!). In each and every chapter there was another layer pulled away revealing so much about the world and about Bree. There is this discussion about fantastical worlds and abilities through the lens of Black and a White people and that even in these settings, Black individuals were forced to hide their abilities for fear of persecution. There鈥檚 a dichotomy of this world that Bree must attempt to navigate which in my opinion speaks to how Black people must function in predominately White arenas even if it is just a fantasy. This is especially true to those of us that attend PWIs instead of HBCUs. Trying to navigate those experiences can be challenging. We definitely see this conflict exhibited in Bree and some of the challenges she faces when she attempts to work with the Legendborn.
Speaking of Bree, I loved her. I connected with her. I felt for her. All of this happens while she still is attempting to process her mother鈥檚 death. And while a lot of this is an exploration of attempting to figure out what happened to her mother, a great portion of this is an examination of grief. I, myself, have not felt the pain of losing a parent but Deonn made me empathetic to Bree and her journey. There is so much to be said about the conversations regarding mental health and how Bree does and does not process her trauma. There鈥檚 a lot to be said about the Black communities treatment of mental health. Honestly, as I鈥檓 writing this I鈥檓 still amazed at how seamlessly Deonn was able to weave in so many different aspects into just the character development. There are other main and side characters that are super diverse in race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. I loved and I mean loved that it was so casual. It wasn鈥檛 added for the sake of adding it. It was representative of the norm. It didn鈥檛 move the plot. It didn鈥檛 change anything. Deonn was simply allowing her characters to be themselves. It was brilliant.
Hands down this is one of the best fantasies of 2020. And I mean truly one of the best. I鈥檓 honestly still trying to gather my thoughts but my goodness this book was pure brilliance with amazing writing, a fast plot, and such fun characters. I learned so much about root magic and it鈥檚 connection to our ancestors. I mean I just learned a heck of a lot and I love when books do that. And just wait for the twist and turns. Haha. Expect nothing. Don鈥檛 think you know anything. If you haven鈥檛 checked out this book please please please make sure you give it a try!
While this is being compared to the Mortal Instruments, I find that this novel is capable of standing on its own. There is a complexity and rich history that I found in this book that I didn鈥檛 necessarily find in TMI. The world building is intense and I鈥檓 a stickler for good world building. Deonn is careful in crafting a complex world while still explaining certain nuances without revealing too much to the reader. She even took the time to include pronunciation guides within the heart of the text (I loved this!). In each and every chapter there was another layer pulled away revealing so much about the world and about Bree. There is this discussion about fantastical worlds and abilities through the lens of Black and a White people and that even in these settings, Black individuals were forced to hide their abilities for fear of persecution. There鈥檚 a dichotomy of this world that Bree must attempt to navigate which in my opinion speaks to how Black people must function in predominately White arenas even if it is just a fantasy. This is especially true to those of us that attend PWIs instead of HBCUs. Trying to navigate those experiences can be challenging. We definitely see this conflict exhibited in Bree and some of the challenges she faces when she attempts to work with the Legendborn.
Speaking of Bree, I loved her. I connected with her. I felt for her. All of this happens while she still is attempting to process her mother鈥檚 death. And while a lot of this is an exploration of attempting to figure out what happened to her mother, a great portion of this is an examination of grief. I, myself, have not felt the pain of losing a parent but Deonn made me empathetic to Bree and her journey. There is so much to be said about the conversations regarding mental health and how Bree does and does not process her trauma. There鈥檚 a lot to be said about the Black communities treatment of mental health. Honestly, as I鈥檓 writing this I鈥檓 still amazed at how seamlessly Deonn was able to weave in so many different aspects into just the character development. There are other main and side characters that are super diverse in race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. I loved and I mean loved that it was so casual. It wasn鈥檛 added for the sake of adding it. It was representative of the norm. It didn鈥檛 move the plot. It didn鈥檛 change anything. Deonn was simply allowing her characters to be themselves. It was brilliant.
Hands down this is one of the best fantasies of 2020. And I mean truly one of the best. I鈥檓 honestly still trying to gather my thoughts but my goodness this book was pure brilliance with amazing writing, a fast plot, and such fun characters. I learned so much about root magic and it鈥檚 connection to our ancestors. I mean I just learned a heck of a lot and I love when books do that. And just wait for the twist and turns. Haha. Expect nothing. Don鈥檛 think you know anything. If you haven鈥檛 checked out this book please please please make sure you give it a try!
October 25, 2023
鈥淒on鈥檛 make your life about the loss. Make it about the love.鈥�
~Rating- 1.25 stars~
()
-Mention of most of these in the review-
Legendborn, by is the first book in the Legendborn series. This was a book I was hoping to enjoy and adore due to all the hype, but sadly I did not like it and was disappointed.
Before I explain why I disliked the book, I wanted to emphasize what I loved. I loved the portrayal of grief with the main character Bree and the representation in the book. Bree was a very compelling main character to read about. I also loved the writing style, and I have an entire google doc full of annotated notes.
However as a whole, I did not like this book and I want to talk about why. I understand why this is so well loved, but this is my personal opinion so please do not hate on me for it.
"Some truths only tragedy can teach. The first one I learned is that when people acknowledge your pain, they want your pain to acknowledge them back. They need to witness it in real time, or else you鈥檙e not doing your part."
Bree Matthews is grieving the death of her mother and wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC鈥揅hapel Hill is the perfect escape for Bree, until she witnesses a magical attack on her very first night at the campus. When a Merlin tries to erase Bree's memories of the night, it somehow doesn't work.
鈥淭ypical anger can hinder or help. But the kind that burns in your gut? That鈥檚 fury. And fury is meant to be used.鈥�
Bree discovers that there is a secret society called Legendborn, which contains students who hunt demons down. Soon Bree recalls some of her memories regarding her mothers death were erased, and she suspects her mothers death was more than just a car accident. Bree aims at finding the truth about her mothers death, and when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur鈥檚 knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she鈥檒l go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down鈥攐r join the fight.
鈥淚鈥檓 a daughter whose mother was taken from her.
Acceptance, I decide, is for people whose parents just died with no reason. True accidents or illness. Acceptance is not possible for murder.鈥�
The plot of the book is alright. My e-copy consisted of 630 pages (I could not find that edition) and it took around 250 pages for what was mentioned in the blurb to actually start happening. In fact, I'd consider the blurb and my plot summary to be a minor spoiler because of this, but there wasn't another way to explain the plot.
"Where do we begin?"
"At the beginning."
I found the plot to be slow and the pacing in some parts of the book was slightly off. While the beginning was very interesting, the mystery behind Bree's mothers death couldn't hold my attention for long. The middle was even more slow, where the plot was not progressing in any way. Although the plot's main focus was still finding the truth of Bree's mothers death, I felt it wasn't a strong enough storyline for a 630 page book.
鈥淟ove is a powerful thing, more powerful than blood, although both run through us like a river.鈥�
This book felt like The Mortal Instruments meets The Hunger Games in some ways (apologies for the comparison to two white books, I only meant some common tropes were similar), but I think Bree is a very different character than Clary and Katniss and this book can still stand on its own without the comparison. Even then, I enjoyed both of those series a lot more than this book, as those books had a stronger plot than Legendborn.
鈥淎nd then I鈥檓 in the air, leaving the earth and trees far behind me.鈥�
There were some plot twists in this book which were well written, and were foreshadowed, but unfortunately they didn't have much of an impact on me as I wasn't invested enough in anything that was happening. The ending was great, and I am hoping the sequel would be a better read.
鈥淏ut when your entire world is shattering, a little bit of magic is鈥� nothing.鈥�
The entire world building of this book comprised of info-dumping. I am still confused about the world and everything went over my head. While I always despise info-dumping, I can tolerate it in small doses. This book has pages upon pages of information that is dumped on us. At one point in the book, 10 pages of the world and how it functions is explained. That is too much for me to excuse.
A lot of words like 'Shadowborn' and 'Onceborn' are capitalized throughout the book, and I still do not know what they mean. Usually in fantasy books where the main character is new to the world, we understand the world along with the main character. But in this case, Bree seemed to understand everything about the world instantly, while I was completely confused. I am sad I missed out on it, as I actually felt the world was properly thought over.
Though I am not that well-versed in the King Arthur legend, I liked the concept of the book and the new take on it. It was refreshing to see.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 cry for my mother鈥檚 death. Or for myself. I cry because these strangers in the hospital鈥攖he nurse, the doctor, the police officer鈥攄on鈥檛 know my mother, and yet they were closest to her when she died. And when your people die, you have to listen to strangers speak your nightmare into existence.鈥�
I really appreciated the writing. As I said before, Bree's grief was so well written. Her pain was raw and it really hit home. The rest of the writing was good as well, and for a debut novel I think it was incredible. I am looking forward to reading more books by .
There were some things that I didn't like about the writing, namely all the flashback and memory scenes. While I think they were impactful, 1st person flashback and memories do not work for me. I like it more it in 3rd person, but that is just a personal preference.
I am being very nitpicky, but we also have "I release the breath I鈥檇 been holding", which is better than the classic 'I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding', but I am finding this sentence or variations of in every other YA book I am reading these days. To each to to their own, I suppose, though I want to know if I was the only one who was annoyed by this.
鈥淲ho鈥檚 the literary nerd? The quoter or the one who recognizes the quote?鈥�
The characters of this book were ok. Bree was definitely the most well developed, but I didn't really like the rest of the characters. I wish the book focused a little more on the side-characters as even though they played a role in this book, they mostly faded into the background.
鈼� Bree Mathews
鈥淢y father says focus is death鈥檚 most precious gift.鈥�
鈥淒eath doesn鈥檛 give gifts.鈥�
Bree is definitely one of the best first person perspectives I've read in YA. I liked her POV a lot. She is fierce and brave and doesn't let anything break her. Her determination to find out the truth about her mothers death and her love for her mother was beautiful to see.
鈥淏ecause death breaks our connection! I want to scream. Death is not a thread. It is the sharp cut that severs us. Death separates us from one another, and yet it holds us close. As deeply as we hate it, it loves us more鈥�
I like that even though she is strong, she still has her flaws. Bree is an actual strong female protagonist, and I wish we see more characters like her in books.
鈥淔or the first time, I wonder if maybe Sel鈥檚 right and I am born of shadows. Or maybe those shadows aren鈥檛 who I am, but I keep finding my way to them anyway.鈥�
鈼� Selwyn Kane
Sel was an intriguing character. I wasn't interested in him in the beginning but as we got to know more about him I liked him more.
鈥淗e can鈥檛 be more than eighteen, but something about his features doesn鈥檛 belong to a teenager鈥攖he cut of his jaw, the line of his nose. His stillness.鈥�
He is a typical 鈥榖rooding love-interest with a tragic past鈥�, a trope that I am sadly sick of reading. Either way, he wasn't completely bad.
鈼� Nick Davis
I liked Nick a lot more than I liked Sel. I found his character to be a bit more relatable.
鈥淭his boy is not part of the plan. Not the beginning, middle, or anywhere in between.鈥�
He also fits the 'goofy, sweet male love interest' stereotype, but this is a trope I actually don't mind seeing in books. I am curious to see where his arc goes.
鈥淗ow does this boy navigate my emotions like a seasoned sailor, finding the clear skies and bringing them closer, when all I seem able to do is hold fast to the storms?鈥�
The romance of the book was nice. The love triangle is definitely unnecessary, but for once its not completely obvious who the main character will end up with. I do not mind if Bree ends with Nick or Sel, but then again I am unfortunately not that invested to really care.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not a damsel to me, Bree. You鈥檙e a warrior. You鈥檙e strong and you鈥檙e beautiful and you鈥檙e brilliant and brave.鈥�
I must say that the romance was very insta-lovey, and not just in the 'i-love-you-even-though-i-met-you-days-ago' way, but more like the 'i-will-do-anything-to-protect-you-and-even-give-up-my-life-for-you-because-i-love-you-so-much-even-though-i-met-you-days-ago' way which is more annoying and also a bit unrealistic. There is a reason for this provided in the end, but its still insta-love in my eyes. However, I still liked it a bit and thought it was sweet.
鈥淵ou are remarkable.鈥�
In short, Legendborn was a read that did not work for me primarily due to the amount of YA clich茅s it had. This book had all the tropes and things in books I personally hate- love triangles, insta-love, info-dumping, flashbacks and memories in first person, side-characters that fade in the background, lack of focus on platonic friendships, brooding male love interest with a tragic past, etc- all combined in one, which took away my enjoyment. But apart from this, it also has great powerful portrayal of grief, a strong black female protagonist and great writing. I would recommend it if you can look past the tropes. ( Edit-17/10/2022: , I realized I didn't mention this before so I'm adding an edit, but I absolutely acknowledge that while these tropes common in white cishet non-disabled stories, they are still lacking in books with BIPOC, LGBTQIAP+ and disability rep, and I do not intend to dispute that in my review at all.)
鈥淕rowing up Black in the South, it鈥檚 pretty common to find yourself in old places that just鈥� weren鈥檛 made for you. Maybe it鈥檚 a building, a historic district, or a street. Some space that was originally built for white people and white people only, and you just have to hold that knowledge while going about your business. (...) You gain an awareness. Learn to hear the low buzzing sound of exclusion. A sound that says, We didn鈥檛 build this for you. We built it for us. This is ours, not yours.鈥�
Buddy Read with my team The Avid Readers at The Never Ending TBR.
Review written on 10th July, 2021.
DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I鈥檝e read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
....................................................
This was disappointing. Really really disappointing. I had such high expectations, but this just didn鈥檛 work for me. 1 star maybe. Review to come.
August 19, 2022
there's that whole clich茅 about how doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, but actually when it comes to me reading YA fantasy over and over and expecting to still like it, it's called "being brave."
and in this case...i'm thrilled to announce i've been rewarded.
i mean, kinda. this feels like the best possible take on a clich茅 - it's fun and readable, but the love triangles and the confusing magic and the instalove and the dialoguey info dumps are all still there.
so i guess it's not that surprising that i really loved the first bit of this, but it took me 3 separate instances of picking it up to get through it.
the friendship and father relationship were kinda left by the wayside, and, again, there was both instalove and a love triangle, the two laziest ways to insert romance...but the mother relationship was great.
does it feel like we could have accomplished more in 544 pages? sure. but this is an incredibly long YA fantasy and i managed to finish it, and that says a lot in this day and age!!!
bottom line: yay, basically!
----------------
tbr review
me: i think i've outgrown YA fantasy
also me: time to add every single hyped book to my tbr
and in this case...i'm thrilled to announce i've been rewarded.
i mean, kinda. this feels like the best possible take on a clich茅 - it's fun and readable, but the love triangles and the confusing magic and the instalove and the dialoguey info dumps are all still there.
so i guess it's not that surprising that i really loved the first bit of this, but it took me 3 separate instances of picking it up to get through it.
the friendship and father relationship were kinda left by the wayside, and, again, there was both instalove and a love triangle, the two laziest ways to insert romance...but the mother relationship was great.
does it feel like we could have accomplished more in 544 pages? sure. but this is an incredibly long YA fantasy and i managed to finish it, and that says a lot in this day and age!!!
bottom line: yay, basically!
----------------
tbr review
me: i think i've outgrown YA fantasy
also me: time to add every single hyped book to my tbr
January 25, 2021
tw: death of a parent; generational trauma (depictions of slavery, abuse, rape); gore; possession; demons; racism and micro-aggressions
This was one of the most outstanding debuts I have ever read. I went into this book fairly blind but knowing it was getting some hype, and that is well worth it. Even during a reading slump, I was able to experience the majesty of this story. Deonn combines fantasy elements that I never would have considered going together masterfully, while also weaving those fantasy elements in with the very real issues of grief, racism, oppression, and heritage. There are so many lines in here that are a punch to the chest. What initially seems like it could be more of a cookie-cutter YA story ends up being so much more.
Initially, some of the romance elements I wasn't sure about, but as the story progressed (and with elements at play revealed in the ending), I'm invested.
I cannot wait for the rest of the very promising series.
This was one of the most outstanding debuts I have ever read. I went into this book fairly blind but knowing it was getting some hype, and that is well worth it. Even during a reading slump, I was able to experience the majesty of this story. Deonn combines fantasy elements that I never would have considered going together masterfully, while also weaving those fantasy elements in with the very real issues of grief, racism, oppression, and heritage. There are so many lines in here that are a punch to the chest. What initially seems like it could be more of a cookie-cutter YA story ends up being so much more.
Initially, some of the romance elements I wasn't sure about, but as the story progressed (and with elements at play revealed in the ending), I'm invested.
I cannot wait for the rest of the very promising series.
March 23, 2021
OHMYGOSH. 欧宝娱乐 Choice Nominees are up and I just couldn't resist ! Don't forget to vote!
Here's the original video review!
This month's is up!
Really enjoyed this book - 4.5 stars all the way (check out the video for my full review!)
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October 14, 2024
DNF@60%
I dont even know how I made it this far through this book because I didn't like the writing style nor did I like the narration when I switched to audio. I know I'm in the minority and I wanted to love this so bad!!. The only reason I waited so long to read this was because I wanted a paperback of it but whenever I went to buy it, I bought something else and I think that was just god helping me atp. So, I got the audiobook instead and the ebook but both of them were meh. I feel like this read a little too young with it also being too long and extremely booooooooooooooring. Also the audiobook was fucking atrocious.
WE were going around in a spiral for soooo long and the main thing began to late for me, at times I just wanted to roll my eyes at the characters. Bree was okay I liked her at times and hated her at others. I feel like the whole plotline wasnt impactful enough like it wasnt giving anything and I felt like I was just reading for the sake of not dnf'ing this book and honestly I would look at my audiobook speed which would go from 1.75 to 2 to 2.5 and 3x was looking at me with wide eye and I honestly almost reached the part where that would have been the case.
The characters were meh too. I only found Bree to be engaging and event that was not a lot but the side characters were so mid and sometimes when the main character does not deliver the side characters make up for it and unfortunately that wasnt the case here. The romance was also mid at best. Which is sooo disappointing because why would you give us a dish with practically nothing on it, like she really served it to us with the cover and everything only for waiter to reveal an empty dish. I would blame my expectation but it wouldnt have been a one star if it was just my expectations soooo not that.
The worldbuilding was a massive load of info dumping. Things would be thrown at us at one point and then we would be robbed of the basic definition of something from that world and then we'd be bombarded with info and it just turned into this vicious cycle that made me want to scream. I hate, hate books that have massive potential but dont deliver on it. Although I do see why so many people enjoyed this book but it just got on my nerve a lot
Overall, this was mid and I would not recommend it. To the people who bought the book (Hoda) im sorry for the money you wasted :(
___
Another one of the first few books from my goodreads tbr. I've been eyeing this book because it' sounds so interesting and it's an King Arthur's retelling but the audiobooks okay so far :(
I dont even know how I made it this far through this book because I didn't like the writing style nor did I like the narration when I switched to audio. I know I'm in the minority and I wanted to love this so bad!!. The only reason I waited so long to read this was because I wanted a paperback of it but whenever I went to buy it, I bought something else and I think that was just god helping me atp. So, I got the audiobook instead and the ebook but both of them were meh. I feel like this read a little too young with it also being too long and extremely booooooooooooooring. Also the audiobook was fucking atrocious.
WE were going around in a spiral for soooo long and the main thing began to late for me, at times I just wanted to roll my eyes at the characters. Bree was okay I liked her at times and hated her at others. I feel like the whole plotline wasnt impactful enough like it wasnt giving anything and I felt like I was just reading for the sake of not dnf'ing this book and honestly I would look at my audiobook speed which would go from 1.75 to 2 to 2.5 and 3x was looking at me with wide eye and I honestly almost reached the part where that would have been the case.
The characters were meh too. I only found Bree to be engaging and event that was not a lot but the side characters were so mid and sometimes when the main character does not deliver the side characters make up for it and unfortunately that wasnt the case here. The romance was also mid at best. Which is sooo disappointing because why would you give us a dish with practically nothing on it, like she really served it to us with the cover and everything only for waiter to reveal an empty dish. I would blame my expectation but it wouldnt have been a one star if it was just my expectations soooo not that.
The worldbuilding was a massive load of info dumping. Things would be thrown at us at one point and then we would be robbed of the basic definition of something from that world and then we'd be bombarded with info and it just turned into this vicious cycle that made me want to scream. I hate, hate books that have massive potential but dont deliver on it. Although I do see why so many people enjoyed this book but it just got on my nerve a lot
Overall, this was mid and I would not recommend it. To the people who bought the book (Hoda) im sorry for the money you wasted :(
___
Another one of the first few books from my goodreads tbr. I've been eyeing this book because it' sounds so interesting and it's an King Arthur's retelling but the audiobooks okay so far :(
January 12, 2021
Wow, I did not expect this to be so intense and deep. This is such a robust and gripping modern day fantasy tale. So thoroughly entertaining. This author deserves a lot of acclaim for the complex and intricate world building alone. The unconventional perspective on fantasy was so refreshing.
I was honestly shaken multiple times through the book due to the plot twists and bombshells, which kept me riveted.
Can see this easily becoming a new favorite among fantasy lovers.
I was honestly shaken multiple times through the book due to the plot twists and bombshells, which kept me riveted.
Can see this easily becoming a new favorite among fantasy lovers.
November 30, 2020
3.5 Stars
I really thought I was going to love this book more than I did, but unfortunately it was a little bit of a disappointment for me. Don鈥檛 get me wrong though, I still enjoyed it, but I was predicting a 5 star read!
The things I loved about this book was the characters, such as Bree (main character), as I really enjoyed how she dealt with her grief and how strong she was, as a character. I also really liked the romance! This book has a love triangle, which I usually don鈥檛 love that much, but I actually quite like how it was done in this. I don鈥檛 even know which pairing I prefer! I also really liked how racism and Slavery was discussed in the book, I think the way it was integrated into the story was great! The ending of the book was also another thing I loved, as I didn鈥檛 see the twist coming!
However, my main issue with this book was how hard it was for me to understand the Legendborn world. There were a lot of terms used and I found it hard to follow and it made me lose interest in the book. By the end of the book, I feel like I understand most of it but I still feel a bit confused. I think a glossary would have benefited this book a lot, or it definitely would have benefited me at least!
Overall, I enjoyed it and will most likely read the sequel. As I definitely want to know more after that ending!
I really thought I was going to love this book more than I did, but unfortunately it was a little bit of a disappointment for me. Don鈥檛 get me wrong though, I still enjoyed it, but I was predicting a 5 star read!
The things I loved about this book was the characters, such as Bree (main character), as I really enjoyed how she dealt with her grief and how strong she was, as a character. I also really liked the romance! This book has a love triangle, which I usually don鈥檛 love that much, but I actually quite like how it was done in this. I don鈥檛 even know which pairing I prefer! I also really liked how racism and Slavery was discussed in the book, I think the way it was integrated into the story was great! The ending of the book was also another thing I loved, as I didn鈥檛 see the twist coming!
However, my main issue with this book was how hard it was for me to understand the Legendborn world. There were a lot of terms used and I found it hard to follow and it made me lose interest in the book. By the end of the book, I feel like I understand most of it but I still feel a bit confused. I think a glossary would have benefited this book a lot, or it definitely would have benefited me at least!
Overall, I enjoyed it and will most likely read the sequel. As I definitely want to know more after that ending!
July 30, 2021
4.5 猸愶笍 Tracy Deonn don鈥檛 be shy, drop book 2 already! OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! The reason why I鈥檓 knocking off half a star is because there was so much information dump in the beginning and it took me a while to get into this book. honestly that鈥檚 more of a me problem. But once the plot started to thicken I was unstoppable. These characters are my new comfort characters and I will protect them at all cost. The best part about this book however, is the writing. This author literally has a gift. from the racism, sexism, and grief that Bree deals with throughout the book-is very real and very well written. the world building and magic system of this book, it did not disappoint. also not to be dramatic but i would die for Sel鉂わ笍 my merlin!
November 12, 2022
Star Rating: 鈥�&驳迟; 5 Stars
[Buddy read with my bby Darceyyyyy !]
11/12/2022鈥� BRR with my bestie & lil sis, DARCEY! AGAIN (obv lol). Clearly ALL THE STARS I might just be a fan of a poly relationship in this series, I鈥檝e realized! Deonn would do by the rep so, so very right! 馃グ
This is a novel of Arthurian legends retold & re-vamped, and amazing as hell Southern Black Girl Magic.
(It kinda gave off some hunger games vibes at times, or maybe more HP-ish ones, actually? Maybe. Maybe a mix of both?
Or more Shadowhunters? 馃
*thinking on it*)
Regardless, just trust me on THIS, guys ...
THIS LEFT ME STUNNED! Consider me officially *SHOOKETH!*
Legendborn seriously is such an EPIC READ; I could NOT tear myself away from this story, except for when I absolutely had to, & even then, my husband practically had to pry it from my hands. 馃槀! I say that with 100% honesty. This is such a unique, completely engrossing, make your heart race, AMAZING, & diverse novel! It puts a fresh new spin on some familiar themes, and introduces some that are completely original!
This is, without a doubt, one of my top 5 favorite YA fantasy novels that i鈥檝e read this year.
The fact that it鈥檚 an #ownvoices novel made it all the better. I loved the non-binary & LGBTQIA+ reps, as well! (& Sel is PAN ! *Squeeeeeeeeee* Deonn confirmed it on twitter!!!)
This book also has such a powerful message about Black women. About their strength, their tenacity, the injustices they have to face throughout their lives...
It is just EPIC on ALL levels.
So, yeah, I mean, what can I say... This book seriously made my heart SING & SOAR! And also makes it all hurt-y in the BEST WAY EVERRR.
I also have to say...
UHHH, GIRL F*CKING POWER. From moment ONE. the MC, BREE IS EFFING INCREDIBLE! She refuses to let people treat her unfairly, is 100% NOT afraid to share what鈥檚 on her mind, & is just so badass!
And omg ALICE! GIRL... HELL TO THE YES, GET IT.
Also, *PSA TIME*
I had written that I was shipping a certain two people in one of my updates, but I must inform you that I am nowww officially aboard Ship 鈥淭he Unknown鈥�, after my reread 馃槀. Enough said.
Just saying though鈥 mean srsly... I am so in love with Sel!
He is so DAMN PRECIOUS!
BUT NICK! I didn鈥檛 give him enough credit during my first read ! He is just so cute ! Ugh, choices, choices. SO HARD!
Oh, hai there, newest book boyfriend(s)! *swoons*
I always end up falling for the dark, haunted souls (being hot as hell sure does NOT hurt.) 馃槀
It鈥檚 my thing. It鈥檚 what I do. 馃し馃徏鈥嶁檧锔�
1000 times over recommend!
[Buddy read with my bby Darceyyyyy !]
11/12/2022鈥� BRR with my bestie & lil sis, DARCEY! AGAIN (obv lol). Clearly ALL THE STARS I might just be a fan of a poly relationship in this series, I鈥檝e realized! Deonn would do by the rep so, so very right! 馃グ
This is a novel of Arthurian legends retold & re-vamped, and amazing as hell Southern Black Girl Magic.
(It kinda gave off some hunger games vibes at times, or maybe more HP-ish ones, actually? Maybe. Maybe a mix of both?
Or more Shadowhunters? 馃
*thinking on it*)
Regardless, just trust me on THIS, guys ...
THIS LEFT ME STUNNED! Consider me officially *SHOOKETH!*
Legendborn seriously is such an EPIC READ; I could NOT tear myself away from this story, except for when I absolutely had to, & even then, my husband practically had to pry it from my hands. 馃槀! I say that with 100% honesty. This is such a unique, completely engrossing, make your heart race, AMAZING, & diverse novel! It puts a fresh new spin on some familiar themes, and introduces some that are completely original!
This is, without a doubt, one of my top 5 favorite YA fantasy novels that i鈥檝e read this year.
The fact that it鈥檚 an #ownvoices novel made it all the better. I loved the non-binary & LGBTQIA+ reps, as well! (& Sel is PAN ! *Squeeeeeeeeee* Deonn confirmed it on twitter!!!)
This book also has such a powerful message about Black women. About their strength, their tenacity, the injustices they have to face throughout their lives...
It is just EPIC on ALL levels.
So, yeah, I mean, what can I say... This book seriously made my heart SING & SOAR! And also makes it all hurt-y in the BEST WAY EVERRR.
I also have to say...
UHHH, GIRL F*CKING POWER. From moment ONE. the MC, BREE IS EFFING INCREDIBLE! She refuses to let people treat her unfairly, is 100% NOT afraid to share what鈥檚 on her mind, & is just so badass!
And omg ALICE! GIRL... HELL TO THE YES, GET IT.
Also, *PSA TIME*
I had written that I was shipping a certain two people in one of my updates, but I must inform you that I am nowww officially aboard Ship 鈥淭he Unknown鈥�, after my reread 馃槀. Enough said.
Just saying though鈥 mean srsly... I am so in love with Sel!
He is so DAMN PRECIOUS!
BUT NICK! I didn鈥檛 give him enough credit during my first read ! He is just so cute ! Ugh, choices, choices. SO HARD!
Oh, hai there, newest book boyfriend(s)! *swoons*
I always end up falling for the dark, haunted souls (being hot as hell sure does NOT hurt.) 馃槀
It鈥檚 my thing. It鈥檚 what I do. 馃し馃徏鈥嶁檧锔�
1000 times over recommend!
October 4, 2022
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Simon & Schuster Canada). All thoughts and opinions are my own.
鉁� Writing
鉁咅焼� Main character
馃啑 Plot
馃啑鉂� World-building (complex hierarchy)
鉂� Info-dump
DNF at 29%
I know that this is a very unpopular opinion as I saw and read so many 4 stars and 5 stars reviews. I wanted to like this book so much, but I just could not get into the story. This book has great potential and I understand why it is so popular, but sadly it was not for me.
The basic storyline of the book is quite easy to follow, but the Legendborn world? Not that easy鈥�
Bree鈥檚 mother died three months ago. Now, Bree just left her home to start fresh at the University of North Carolina. There, she sees magic and realizes that it is in fact the second time that someone used magic to erase her memory (but it did not work, and no one can explain why). The first time was the night her mother died. Determined to find out what really happened to her mother, Bree decides to try to join the Legendborns, a secret group dedicated to eliminating the Shadowborns (demons) with their magic (called aether), so she can find out what happened the night her mother died.
Bree got used to the fact that demons can access her world through gates fast and easily. She also learned specific vocabulary quickly. Honestly, I got lost during the explications a few times, there seemed to be so many different factions to the Legendborn (or should I say different Chapters with a very strict hierarchy: Legendborn, Vassals, Page, Scion, chosen squire, Mage, etc.). I could not get a clear picture of this secret organization. The members talk about 鈥樷€橳he Code of Secrecy鈥欌€� or 鈥樷€橳he Order Law鈥欌€�, but do not give any more details about it. I do not mind a complex magic system and the one in this book is actually really interesting, but there were whole pages of info-dumping.
It has a Mortal Instrument vibe, but in this book, the Legendborns need to worry about their everyday life. They are not invisible beings that spend their whole days killing demons. They need to go to school and keep up the appearance of normal life at any cost. I liked this part, it made everything much more relatable. What bothered me was how well Bree adapts to her new reality, she even says how she has an advantage over the other Pages because she saw someone use aether before and she saw demons twice before entering the secret society. It feels as if everything falls right into place for her. She is a 16 years old teenager and she managed to infiltrate the Legendborn society even though she knows nothing about them, more than that, people just tell her inside information because she asks them. She manages to fight a demon when almost everyone else gets injured鈥� I like that she is fierce, but it didn鈥檛 feel right how everything was going so well for her after 72 hours of being thrust into this new world.
Bree is a great main character; she has spunk and is not afraid to speak her mind. It is also nice that she is a black character, I have (sadly) not read a lot of books with a black main character and it was nice to discover this story with a slightly different perspective than what I am used to. It was interesting to discover her inner thoughts and to see how she deals with racist comments and assumptions or how her perspective is affected by the history of segregation in the United States. Nick is the golden boy sidekick who lives near the campus and decides to help Bree even though he rejected his Legendborn legacy many years ago. He is a nice character, but nothing special. Then there is Selwyn, he is intriguing, and I think that I would have liked him.
Overall, I know that this is a great book for many people, but it was not one for me. It was hard for me to get into this story because of all the info-dumping. I must mention though that the writing is gorgeous, and I really enjoyed the author's style.
馃檪
鉁� Writing
鉁咅焼� Main character
馃啑 Plot
馃啑鉂� World-building (complex hierarchy)
鉂� Info-dump
DNF at 29%
I know that this is a very unpopular opinion as I saw and read so many 4 stars and 5 stars reviews. I wanted to like this book so much, but I just could not get into the story. This book has great potential and I understand why it is so popular, but sadly it was not for me.
The basic storyline of the book is quite easy to follow, but the Legendborn world? Not that easy鈥�
Bree鈥檚 mother died three months ago. Now, Bree just left her home to start fresh at the University of North Carolina. There, she sees magic and realizes that it is in fact the second time that someone used magic to erase her memory (but it did not work, and no one can explain why). The first time was the night her mother died. Determined to find out what really happened to her mother, Bree decides to try to join the Legendborns, a secret group dedicated to eliminating the Shadowborns (demons) with their magic (called aether), so she can find out what happened the night her mother died.
Bree got used to the fact that demons can access her world through gates fast and easily. She also learned specific vocabulary quickly. Honestly, I got lost during the explications a few times, there seemed to be so many different factions to the Legendborn (or should I say different Chapters with a very strict hierarchy: Legendborn, Vassals, Page, Scion, chosen squire, Mage, etc.). I could not get a clear picture of this secret organization. The members talk about 鈥樷€橳he Code of Secrecy鈥欌€� or 鈥樷€橳he Order Law鈥欌€�, but do not give any more details about it. I do not mind a complex magic system and the one in this book is actually really interesting, but there were whole pages of info-dumping.
It has a Mortal Instrument vibe, but in this book, the Legendborns need to worry about their everyday life. They are not invisible beings that spend their whole days killing demons. They need to go to school and keep up the appearance of normal life at any cost. I liked this part, it made everything much more relatable. What bothered me was how well Bree adapts to her new reality, she even says how she has an advantage over the other Pages because she saw someone use aether before and she saw demons twice before entering the secret society. It feels as if everything falls right into place for her. She is a 16 years old teenager and she managed to infiltrate the Legendborn society even though she knows nothing about them, more than that, people just tell her inside information because she asks them. She manages to fight a demon when almost everyone else gets injured鈥� I like that she is fierce, but it didn鈥檛 feel right how everything was going so well for her after 72 hours of being thrust into this new world.
Bree is a great main character; she has spunk and is not afraid to speak her mind. It is also nice that she is a black character, I have (sadly) not read a lot of books with a black main character and it was nice to discover this story with a slightly different perspective than what I am used to. It was interesting to discover her inner thoughts and to see how she deals with racist comments and assumptions or how her perspective is affected by the history of segregation in the United States. Nick is the golden boy sidekick who lives near the campus and decides to help Bree even though he rejected his Legendborn legacy many years ago. He is a nice character, but nothing special. Then there is Selwyn, he is intriguing, and I think that I would have liked him.
Overall, I know that this is a great book for many people, but it was not one for me. It was hard for me to get into this story because of all the info-dumping. I must mention though that the writing is gorgeous, and I really enjoyed the author's style.
馃檪
August 30, 2020
|| || || ||
Some of my friends were saying that this is like The Mortal Instruments, and while I can kind of see what they mean, I also think that LEGENDBORN is a much better book. Clary and Jace were such immature little shits, whereas all of the characters in LEGENDBORN-- even if they aren't nice-- have nuance. Plus, the heroine, Bree, is just really fascinating. She is unlike a lot of heroines I've read in YA. She's allowed to have sexual agency. She knows when she looks good. She gets mad and calls people out when she should. She doesn't cower. She's a bona fide bad-ass. But she also has moments when she feels vulnerable and weak. In short, she behaves more like a teen and less like an adult's idea of what a teen ought to be, and I really loved that.
The premise of LEGENDBORN is kind of weird. Basically, people who are descendants of the Knights of the Round Table have magic powers called "Bloodfcraft" and they defend the world from evil demons called "Shadowborn." Bree ends up getting involved with one of their prodigal sons, Nick, when she starts to have reason to believe that they killed her mother.
Bree is a high school student taking college classes at a prestigious North Carolina university. Remnants of history-- and the grim legacy of slavery-- are everywhere, and that history ties into Deonn's take on Arthurian legend in several unusual ways. One of the things I liked best about this book was how it tackles inequality and racism. Bree faces discrimination from ordinary people (like a cop who lets her white friend go but takes her and her Asian friend in, or people who touch her hair without her permission), but the history of racism and slavery aren't ignored either, which is something that a lot of fantasy and historical fiction fail to touch on: that a lot of historical figures or people in power who exist in economies where exploitation of other human beings is a product often did terrible things to get their money and their power. In this book, all power has a cost, and sometimes the price can be unforgivable. It's a chilling and powerful lesson.
There were other things I really liked about this book, too. It's diverse. Bree is Black. Her best friend is Asian. We meet several other Black mages, and there's a focus on Black history and Black experiences. The LGBT+ rep was really pronounced and done really casually. One of the love interests is coded as bi or pan (I'm not sure which). There's a non-binary character. There are several F/F couples. There's a love triangle, but for once, I actually liked both love interests for different reasons, and I like that it's not super obvious which one Bree is going to end up with (maybe both??). The golden boy or the bad boy??? I mean, how does one choose? (Take the bad boy, obviously.)
Even though the premise was a little cheesy, I found myself really drawn to the inventive world-building, and I felt so much more invested when things got dark and things took a Hunger Games-like turn. Honestly, with the bonding Scions and the training sessions, LEGENDBORN gave me Vampire Academy vibes more than anything else. Especially with the whole "hot for trainer" trope. I could easily see this becoming a movie (in fact, I hope it does), and I'm really excited to see where the sequel goes with all of this since there's still so much left unexplored.
If you like books with strong heroines and immersive fantasy novels, you'll probably love this.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars
March 16, 2025
absolutely unreal. maybe, probably, almost certainly the best book i鈥檝e read this year.
December 4, 2021
This was a fantasy that stood out among the other releases this year. Love it or hate it this book brought a different premise and I saw a lot of fanfare around it. It gave me a lot to think about and break down.
Bree Matthew's is still grieving her mother's death and getting accepted into UNC Chapel Hill's early college program seems like the distraction she needs. But was her mother's death actually an accident? Bree ends up stumbling upon a secret Arthurian society that may have the answer she seeks. After a strange encounter at a party. Bree enlists help from reluctant Legendborn Nick.
I liked that this was set on a college campus. Especially since this story is set in a somewhat realistic version of our world it provided a way for Bree to sneak out every night without being under her father's watchful eye. However the school life aspect was underdeveloped and there was no balance there whatsoever. Also these teens could've easily been bumped up to 18 year old college students instead of being high schoolers. The school aspect could've been fleshed out better and would've balanced the story.
There is a romance with a love triangle brewing at the surface and some insta-love. I really wasn't feeling the one relationship so I hope it doesn't go in that direction. I felt the book could've stood without the romantic aspect because it was giving early 2010s YA vibes with the two generic archetypes of male love interests. Also the descriptions of them being boys who looked like men was creepy.
For the most part was very fast paced except for some info-dumpy sections particularly in the middle. Initially the acceptance of magic was breezed over so quickly it gave me whiplash. I am interested in reading more though the medieval fantasy aspect didn't capture me. I'm having a hard time understanding that magic system and really could use a good explanation of how everyone's powers work.
There also needs to be more development on the character front. Bree was so one track minded and we didn't get many scenes with her genuinely connecting with the people around her. Her lack of Black peers was jarring to me especially since she was so surrounded by white kids in the order. And her best friend was shown so little I didn't even believe their closeness.
I am interested in seeing how things develop in the next book since this is a trilogy.
I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read more at
Bree Matthew's is still grieving her mother's death and getting accepted into UNC Chapel Hill's early college program seems like the distraction she needs. But was her mother's death actually an accident? Bree ends up stumbling upon a secret Arthurian society that may have the answer she seeks. After a strange encounter at a party. Bree enlists help from reluctant Legendborn Nick.
I liked that this was set on a college campus. Especially since this story is set in a somewhat realistic version of our world it provided a way for Bree to sneak out every night without being under her father's watchful eye. However the school life aspect was underdeveloped and there was no balance there whatsoever. Also these teens could've easily been bumped up to 18 year old college students instead of being high schoolers. The school aspect could've been fleshed out better and would've balanced the story.
There is a romance with a love triangle brewing at the surface and some insta-love. I really wasn't feeling the one relationship so I hope it doesn't go in that direction. I felt the book could've stood without the romantic aspect because it was giving early 2010s YA vibes with the two generic archetypes of male love interests. Also the descriptions of them being boys who looked like men was creepy.
For the most part was very fast paced except for some info-dumpy sections particularly in the middle. Initially the acceptance of magic was breezed over so quickly it gave me whiplash. I am interested in reading more though the medieval fantasy aspect didn't capture me. I'm having a hard time understanding that magic system and really could use a good explanation of how everyone's powers work.
There also needs to be more development on the character front. Bree was so one track minded and we didn't get many scenes with her genuinely connecting with the people around her. Her lack of Black peers was jarring to me especially since she was so surrounded by white kids in the order. And her best friend was shown so little I didn't even believe their closeness.
I am interested in seeing how things develop in the next book since this is a trilogy.
I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read more at
May 3, 2021
鈥淒on't make your life about the loss. Make it about the love.鈥�
鈥淭he most important thing you can do in this world, the most necessary thing, is to survive it. You can't do anything for anyone else if you don't take care of yourself first.鈥�
rating - 3.75 stars鉁ㄢ湪
Legend Born is the first book in a fantasy series that has come out last year by author Tracy Deonn. This book is definitely something else. It is a diverse urban fantasy story inspired by something I had 0 clue off Merlin and King Arthur and his thirteen knights. It involves a secret society of people with powers that are from this line called legendborns that has a lot of history in it. It follows a black 16 year old main character that deals with racism , grief from the death of her mother recently and mental illnesses caused my grieve PTSD and upcoming PCBD. She comes across a accident that brings her to this magical order and then things happen and she believes her mothers death might not be an accident and might be involved with this order of legendborns that hunt shadowborns [ aka demons that come to earth to make chaos ] It also has several Bi and Gay reps in the story and history of black people. So quite a lot of cool things....
Things krizzie loves about this book
Worldbuilding & magic 鈥� The worldbuilding and magic in this book are really freaking cool. They are definitely super complex and my peanut brain could not handle it at times sometimes had to read certain pages more then 3 times and still did not understand which is a little bit downside but once the story progresses even tho the magic Is confusing because it is a lot , it is super cool with lots of different powers and lots of history and things that are coming together in the story. It has no info dump which was in this case both really great because it wasn鈥檛 boring but also a little confusing sometimes to keep up because everything in the world happened fast and vague. Overall the world and magic is really cool and I did love it besides having a peanut brain.
The plot 鈥� The plot is so good. Bree is dealing with grieve from her mothers death and is in the middle of progressing that and hurting because of it when she comes upon the order and thinks her mothers death might be connected to this which is becoming like a puzzle we are finding out with her as we also find out the order with her as she joins to have a position in the order to find out about her mother so she goes to a competition with trials. Its character driven and plot driven and I really enjoyed the plot. There where somany twistst and it felt like a big puzzle that I needed to figure out with my peanut brain but I really enjoyed the plot. Its coooool and I n t r e s t I n g.
The charracters 鈥� I enjoyed Bree as a main character and I especially enjoyed how the author handled grieve and mental illness in this story and her charracter. I love fantasy stories with charracters in it that deal with mental illness that鈥檚 krizzies perfect combination. We see bree struggle with grieve and its ugly and that鈥檚 what grieve is and I could relate to her. She deals with PTSD from her mothers death and panic attacks. She also talks with a therapist during this book which I liked that diagnosed her with upcoming PCBD. the author also experienced these mentall illnesses she said so you could really feel like the author knew what she had written. Bree is also badass which I liked and not whiny and stupid. I liked the topic of racism in her character and in this book in general it鈥檚 a good thing in a book to make people a w a r e. It does have really strong chosen one special snowflake vibes but I didn鈥檛 really mind it I do have to say I usually don鈥檛 mind that trope that much. I also enjoyed Sel a lot who is my kinda guy. Dark hair , part demon , dark , sarcastic , broken. Yes sign me up please. I need more of him right now , thankyou.
Things krizzie didn鈥檛 love
The romance INSTA LOVE ALERT EW鈥� The romance is between Bree and The son of the ruler of the legend born secret society who is very much a standard golden boy. Boring. And there love is very insta love. They basically are in love and love eachother all of the sudden in two days. I really hated this and could not connect to the romance of them at all. It was so forced. I hate insta love. I also feel a love triangle coming which I don鈥檛 like. With sel and bree also becoming a thing maybe. I do like those two there is more chemistry there and no insta love barving shit. So yeah the romance in this book isn鈥檛 my thing at all. Because puky insta love.
Nick , side charracters鈥� the goldedboy character , I coudnt connect and I think he is very standard. There where a cast of cool side character but I feel like we don鈥檛 get enough information to them and I need more of that , that could have been done better.
Overall I struggeled a bit with the beginning and world of the book but ended up really enjoying the magic and worldbuilding as it is freaking amazing , I love the plot and the puzzle , the dealings with mentall illness and the diversity of this book I love , the main character is great and diverse and not standard besides being the chosen one. What I didn鈥檛 like was the insta love and some typical basic character * nick * * cough * but overall I enjoyed this book and I am excited for the second. I would reccoment if you want a diverse fantasy , the insta love does suck but the rest is good so I can live with it if it gets solved and drowned quickly.
Krizzie out ,bye ; ) also I need more sel
鈥淭he most important thing you can do in this world, the most necessary thing, is to survive it. You can't do anything for anyone else if you don't take care of yourself first.鈥�
rating - 3.75 stars鉁ㄢ湪
Legend Born is the first book in a fantasy series that has come out last year by author Tracy Deonn. This book is definitely something else. It is a diverse urban fantasy story inspired by something I had 0 clue off Merlin and King Arthur and his thirteen knights. It involves a secret society of people with powers that are from this line called legendborns that has a lot of history in it. It follows a black 16 year old main character that deals with racism , grief from the death of her mother recently and mental illnesses caused my grieve PTSD and upcoming PCBD. She comes across a accident that brings her to this magical order and then things happen and she believes her mothers death might not be an accident and might be involved with this order of legendborns that hunt shadowborns [ aka demons that come to earth to make chaos ] It also has several Bi and Gay reps in the story and history of black people. So quite a lot of cool things....
Things krizzie loves about this book
Worldbuilding & magic 鈥� The worldbuilding and magic in this book are really freaking cool. They are definitely super complex and my peanut brain could not handle it at times sometimes had to read certain pages more then 3 times and still did not understand which is a little bit downside but once the story progresses even tho the magic Is confusing because it is a lot , it is super cool with lots of different powers and lots of history and things that are coming together in the story. It has no info dump which was in this case both really great because it wasn鈥檛 boring but also a little confusing sometimes to keep up because everything in the world happened fast and vague. Overall the world and magic is really cool and I did love it besides having a peanut brain.
The plot 鈥� The plot is so good. Bree is dealing with grieve from her mothers death and is in the middle of progressing that and hurting because of it when she comes upon the order and thinks her mothers death might be connected to this which is becoming like a puzzle we are finding out with her as we also find out the order with her as she joins to have a position in the order to find out about her mother so she goes to a competition with trials. Its character driven and plot driven and I really enjoyed the plot. There where somany twistst and it felt like a big puzzle that I needed to figure out with my peanut brain but I really enjoyed the plot. Its coooool and I n t r e s t I n g.
The charracters 鈥� I enjoyed Bree as a main character and I especially enjoyed how the author handled grieve and mental illness in this story and her charracter. I love fantasy stories with charracters in it that deal with mental illness that鈥檚 krizzies perfect combination. We see bree struggle with grieve and its ugly and that鈥檚 what grieve is and I could relate to her. She deals with PTSD from her mothers death and panic attacks. She also talks with a therapist during this book which I liked that diagnosed her with upcoming PCBD. the author also experienced these mentall illnesses she said so you could really feel like the author knew what she had written. Bree is also badass which I liked and not whiny and stupid. I liked the topic of racism in her character and in this book in general it鈥檚 a good thing in a book to make people a w a r e. It does have really strong chosen one special snowflake vibes but I didn鈥檛 really mind it I do have to say I usually don鈥檛 mind that trope that much. I also enjoyed Sel a lot who is my kinda guy. Dark hair , part demon , dark , sarcastic , broken. Yes sign me up please. I need more of him right now , thankyou.
Things krizzie didn鈥檛 love
The romance INSTA LOVE ALERT EW鈥� The romance is between Bree and The son of the ruler of the legend born secret society who is very much a standard golden boy. Boring. And there love is very insta love. They basically are in love and love eachother all of the sudden in two days. I really hated this and could not connect to the romance of them at all. It was so forced. I hate insta love. I also feel a love triangle coming which I don鈥檛 like. With sel and bree also becoming a thing maybe. I do like those two there is more chemistry there and no insta love barving shit. So yeah the romance in this book isn鈥檛 my thing at all. Because puky insta love.
Nick , side charracters鈥� the goldedboy character , I coudnt connect and I think he is very standard. There where a cast of cool side character but I feel like we don鈥檛 get enough information to them and I need more of that , that could have been done better.
Overall I struggeled a bit with the beginning and world of the book but ended up really enjoying the magic and worldbuilding as it is freaking amazing , I love the plot and the puzzle , the dealings with mentall illness and the diversity of this book I love , the main character is great and diverse and not standard besides being the chosen one. What I didn鈥檛 like was the insta love and some typical basic character * nick * * cough * but overall I enjoyed this book and I am excited for the second. I would reccoment if you want a diverse fantasy , the insta love does suck but the rest is good so I can live with it if it gets solved and drowned quickly.
Krizzie out ,bye ; ) also I need more sel
March 11, 2025
4.5 stars
I鈥檓 so mad at myself for not picking this up sooner.
I LOOOOOVE King Arthur lore and this book DELIEVERED. Think of this book like this: The Knights of the Round Table had magical powers that they used to protect the world from demons, and those powers have been passed down generation to generation and are awakened when there is war coming, one knight at a time up the ranks until finally, Arthur is awakened. Now add in a secret society that is old school, and NOT in a good way (most of the people in this society are absolutely horrible people with horrible beliefs), and throw in a girl that is trying to figure out how her mom died.
This book talks about soooo many important things, while also giving us a FABULOUS fantasy plot. I'm invested. This deserves ALL of the hype and is exactly what I want when I pick up a YA fantasy. It gives the depth that is needed in a story like this. I am going straight into Bloodmarked and I cannot be stopped.
I鈥檓 so mad at myself for not picking this up sooner.
I LOOOOOVE King Arthur lore and this book DELIEVERED. Think of this book like this: The Knights of the Round Table had magical powers that they used to protect the world from demons, and those powers have been passed down generation to generation and are awakened when there is war coming, one knight at a time up the ranks until finally, Arthur is awakened. Now add in a secret society that is old school, and NOT in a good way (most of the people in this society are absolutely horrible people with horrible beliefs), and throw in a girl that is trying to figure out how her mom died.
This book talks about soooo many important things, while also giving us a FABULOUS fantasy plot. I'm invested. This deserves ALL of the hype and is exactly what I want when I pick up a YA fantasy. It gives the depth that is needed in a story like this. I am going straight into Bloodmarked and I cannot be stopped.
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November 1, 2022HOLY SHIT. THAT WAS FREAKING AMAZING. one of the best books of the year hands down. That ending threw me for a loop let me tell you, DID NOT see it coming. so many thoughts but ultimately just two鈥擨 love the history and heritage that comes with this story and the honouring of Bree's ancestry through the worldbuilding and magic system and also how grief is represented in this book. and two, I LOVE SEL, lord protect him.
August 28, 2020
maybe i鈥檒l review this when i have actual clear thoughts to form words....but for now i鈥檓 just gonna settle with I NEED THE NEXT BOOK AND I NEED IT NOW
September 26, 2024
I am sooooo late to this fantasy but better late than never. This story was incredible. The author had in her head the emotions she wanted you to feel and she delivered. I will continue to shout from the mountain tops to not let the YA designation deter you as an adult to read these stories!!
This story deals with grief, trauma and deeply rooted racism as we follow an amazing main character who delves into some unique magical systems at the University of North Carolina.
I now have another series to dive into especially after that ending.
4.5/5
This story deals with grief, trauma and deeply rooted racism as we follow an amazing main character who delves into some unique magical systems at the University of North Carolina.
I now have another series to dive into especially after that ending.
4.5/5
March 29, 2025
鉃� i am in a slump 鈽�
this was definitely not what i was expecting. i honestly had no clue WHAT to expect before i started reading this. a lot of the side plots and the side characters are very clich茅 fantasy devices, but i enjoyed the magic system and the world building.
at times, i felt like this was actually VERY confusing. i read a lot of high fantasy and fantasy books with a wide cast of characters. however, legendborn's pacing and info-dumping was taking me out of the narrative.
to top this off, i also felt like there was too much of instant obsession and love, with a random love triangle that was thrown into the mix. i would've liked this way MORE if this was around 150 pages shorter. with the level of details that were presented to us, i would've preferred a more concise and faster paced book with less side characters.
i am also flopping so badly right now? help a girl out.
this was definitely not what i was expecting. i honestly had no clue WHAT to expect before i started reading this. a lot of the side plots and the side characters are very clich茅 fantasy devices, but i enjoyed the magic system and the world building.
at times, i felt like this was actually VERY confusing. i read a lot of high fantasy and fantasy books with a wide cast of characters. however, legendborn's pacing and info-dumping was taking me out of the narrative.
to top this off, i also felt like there was too much of instant obsession and love, with a random love triangle that was thrown into the mix. i would've liked this way MORE if this was around 150 pages shorter. with the level of details that were presented to us, i would've preferred a more concise and faster paced book with less side characters.
i am also flopping so badly right now? help a girl out.
May 4, 2021
She tried
I am definitely split writing this but I won鈥檛 give into rewarding something just because it has cultural value. The black part of me likes that the author tried to acknowledge and put in some of our struggles but I don鈥檛 think it was done in a productive manner. She portrayed a constantly victimized black person and this is just one perspective that isn鈥檛 truly reflective of the total black experience. It鈥檚 somewhat unfair to white people making them all seem ignorant or outright belligerent. It鈥檚 unfair to black people making it look like we are constantly worried about race. Some of us are proud and extremely happy with what we have achieved and feel a connection to all that came before us without the explicit need for family walls and names. There is injustice and unfairness in black lives but this was a ham handed way to present it.
The fantasy book lover in me hated the main character. She was entitled, whinny, and overall weak. She was crazy self righteous and bold but when it came to actually facing enternal and external challenges she ran and or collapsed. It was like watching a child throw temper tantrums to get her way and then when she did and realizing it wasn鈥檛 what she wanted throwing it away. The magic system could have been interesting if you didn鈥檛 have to wait 85% book to get to it. I applaud the effort but I truly didn鈥檛 enjoy the experience.
I am definitely split writing this but I won鈥檛 give into rewarding something just because it has cultural value. The black part of me likes that the author tried to acknowledge and put in some of our struggles but I don鈥檛 think it was done in a productive manner. She portrayed a constantly victimized black person and this is just one perspective that isn鈥檛 truly reflective of the total black experience. It鈥檚 somewhat unfair to white people making them all seem ignorant or outright belligerent. It鈥檚 unfair to black people making it look like we are constantly worried about race. Some of us are proud and extremely happy with what we have achieved and feel a connection to all that came before us without the explicit need for family walls and names. There is injustice and unfairness in black lives but this was a ham handed way to present it.
The fantasy book lover in me hated the main character. She was entitled, whinny, and overall weak. She was crazy self righteous and bold but when it came to actually facing enternal and external challenges she ran and or collapsed. It was like watching a child throw temper tantrums to get her way and then when she did and realizing it wasn鈥檛 what she wanted throwing it away. The magic system could have been interesting if you didn鈥檛 have to wait 85% book to get to it. I applaud the effort but I truly didn鈥檛 enjoy the experience.
November 1, 2022
Reread October 2022: still as incredible as the first time around, and more than ready for !
I'm kicking myself for not being better about bookmarking quotes I'd like to use in reviews while listening to audio, because this story has many sections that are worthy of remembering. After seeing so many raving reviews about this book, I was eager to jump in, and after waiting for what felt like ages, my audiobook hold from the library came in. It was the absolute perfect timing in listening to this book, and if the second were already released, I would have jumped straight into that one as well. I can't get enough of this world that has created!
I'm not typically a big reader of Arthurian retellings, but this is by far the best one I've come across. Think of it as part urban fantasy, part murder mystery, with a dash of romance (and possibly a light love triangle in the next book?) Heavy themes of racism, both overt and microaggressions alike, are touched on and might be disturbing to some readers, but their inclusion is necessary to the plot line and I felt tied in so well with the overarching message of the story. Also, topics of grief, family, and generational trauma are spoken on as well, and once we see how all of these things tie together, it makes a profound statement as to where I see the next book taking us.
But wait! Please don't let the heaviness of that paragraph make it sound like this book is just doom and gloom. There is so much joy to be seen here. Young, budding love, the loyalty of childhood friends, strong paternal/daughterly bonds: it's all here. I adored seeing Bree come into her own and discover not only who she is in the Legendborn world, but as a daughter, friend, and young Black woman. I love when we get the opportunity to watch our main characters grow, especially when they don't start out these hardened, totally strong characters, but have to come into that. Also, I'm going to need more Bree + Sel, please and thank you. Gah, this book was a fresh breath of air in a saturated genre, and I am here for it!
I'm kicking myself for not being better about bookmarking quotes I'd like to use in reviews while listening to audio, because this story has many sections that are worthy of remembering. After seeing so many raving reviews about this book, I was eager to jump in, and after waiting for what felt like ages, my audiobook hold from the library came in. It was the absolute perfect timing in listening to this book, and if the second were already released, I would have jumped straight into that one as well. I can't get enough of this world that has created!
I'm not typically a big reader of Arthurian retellings, but this is by far the best one I've come across. Think of it as part urban fantasy, part murder mystery, with a dash of romance (and possibly a light love triangle in the next book?) Heavy themes of racism, both overt and microaggressions alike, are touched on and might be disturbing to some readers, but their inclusion is necessary to the plot line and I felt tied in so well with the overarching message of the story. Also, topics of grief, family, and generational trauma are spoken on as well, and once we see how all of these things tie together, it makes a profound statement as to where I see the next book taking us.
But wait! Please don't let the heaviness of that paragraph make it sound like this book is just doom and gloom. There is so much joy to be seen here. Young, budding love, the loyalty of childhood friends, strong paternal/daughterly bonds: it's all here. I adored seeing Bree come into her own and discover not only who she is in the Legendborn world, but as a daughter, friend, and young Black woman. I love when we get the opportunity to watch our main characters grow, especially when they don't start out these hardened, totally strong characters, but have to come into that. Also, I'm going to need more Bree + Sel, please and thank you. Gah, this book was a fresh breath of air in a saturated genre, and I am here for it!
February 6, 2023
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH.
THE FREAKING COVER, THE AWESOME CHARACTERS ARE MY LIFELINE
AND SEL MY DEAR SEL WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN馃槶馃挅
THE FREAKING COVER, THE AWESOME CHARACTERS ARE MY LIFELINE
AND SEL MY DEAR SEL WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN馃槶馃挅
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