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tetrootz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Slavery, Classism, War, Abandonment, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Mental illness, Torture, Bullying, Car accident, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Acephobia/Arophobia, Police brutality, and Rape
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
All in all, very gripping once past the first 50 pages -> I binged this. I love the characters so much + the exploration of how historical institutions are hostile to POC (esp in USA) stood out to me.
Had some flaws (
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, Slavery, Bullying, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, and Racism
Minor: Misogyny, Murder, Kidnapping, Rape, Alcohol, Car accident, Colonisation, Stalking, Transphobia, Self harm, Confinement, and Torture
Self harm is not in the mental health issues way but the for blood way.racquelmae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Racism and Slavery
midnightverde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Classism, Gore, Bullying, Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infidelity and Rape
nanci's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
litoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Someone let Miss Tracy Deonn cook and she created a masterpiece. Five Stars.
The story starts with the heartbreaking loss of Bree Matthews' mother. A few months later, she heads off to USC, the same university her mother attended. Shortly after arriving at the school, she stumbles upon the exclusive Order of the Round Table, a modern-day rendition of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
As mysterious and perilous incidents unfold on campus, Bree seizes the opportunity to join the Order as a Page, facilitated by Nick, the prospective King and heir to King Arthur's throne. Amidst her training to be a Squire, escalating violent events prompt the original Knights to call upon their Scions to Awaken, signaling an impending war. The catch is that if Arthur's Scion (Nick) is Awakened and falls victim to the Shadowborn demons,
Simultaneously, Bree undergoes therapy where her therapist unveils
I won't spoil the rest for you; PLEASE READ IT. I couldn't contain my excitement and literally yelled and felt chills when the climax was revealed.
On the downside, I found a minor issue with Bree's frequent lack of awareness in certain situations. For instance, moments where she unexpectedly realizes actions she apparently performed without conscious awareness felt a bit inconsistent for a character with such
Here's what I appreciated:
- The engaging narrative
- Rich lore
- Well-crafted magic system
- Compelling characters, particularly Bree, Sel, Nick, and Alice
Bree's perspective as an intelligent Black woman resonated with me, offering a poignant exploration of how White society incessantly thrusts her race and gender in her face. As a person of color myself, I identified with many parallels, and the portrayal of racist interactions at times moved me to tears.
The inclusion of queer representation in the story is commendable. Same-sex relationships are normalized, and I applaud the matter-of-fact acceptance within the narrative. The diverse sexual orientations of characters, including Sel being bi (we need more bi men in books) and Alice being a lesbian, along with queer figures in high-ranking positions in the Order, is a refreshing and welcomed aspect.
Tracy Deonn's debut novel is a tapestry of adventure, gripping battle scenes, dynamic characters, a captivating magic system, and creative, imaginative lore rooted in Arthurian legend. It lays the foundation for a
Five stars.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexism, Misogyny, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, War, Death, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Gore, Death, Body horror, Violence, Kidnapping, Classism, Grief, Death of parent, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Moderate: Murder, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Torture, Child abuse, Colonisation, Medical content, War, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Slavery, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Car accident, Transphobia, Rape, Sexual content, and Cancer
madelinegl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Sexism, and Slavery
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Rape
Minor: Alcohol
kassidyscatalogue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've always loved the story of King Arthur, Merlin, and the round table, but this is such a fun and creative take on the legend. Deonn modernized Arthur in such a unique way and really made me care about the characters and what was going to happen to them.
I was really impressed with Bree's story of grief and ancestral trauma that she fights through to become such a strong main character. The way Deonn sprinkles in the history of the slaves and the treatment of black people in today's society was really eye opening to me and even added to what Bree has to go through while also just trying to survive classes and her own family issues.
I also appreciated how casual Deonn integrated lgbtq+ individuals. Greer was definitely one of my favorite characters with how supportive they were of Bree and defiant of anyone who tried to slander them for being different.
I can't wait to read the next book and find out how the story continues with Sel, Nick, and Bree.
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
Moderate: War and Gore
Minor: Rape
tey_lynn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Medical content, Slavery, Gore, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Medical content, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexual assault