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Where should I even begin?!? Listen, I’m 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’t necessarily find in TMI. The world building is intense and I’m 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’s 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’s 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’s a lot to be said about the Black communities treatment of mental health. Honestly, as I’m writing this I’m 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’t added for the sake of adding it. It was representative of the norm. It didn’t move the plot. It didn’t 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’m 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’s 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’t think you know anything. If you haven’t checked out this book please please please make sure you give it a try!