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starccato'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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Transphobia and Religious bigotry
cemeterygay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When this book picks up, not only did I not want to put this book down, I grew to love this book so deeply. I was already a big fan of Arthurian inspired stories and retellings and not only did this fulfill that interest but it gave a very interesting take on Arthurian myth.
Bree is such an amazing protagonist. I was rooting for her at every step along the way and was deeply invested in her growth as person. Bree learning to handle her grief and to confront generational trauma was so wonderfully handled and served as such an amazing and steep contrast to the privilege and generational concepts of debt and duty that permeated among the Legendborn students.
I thought many of the side characters were very interesting. While I didn't personally like Sel or Nick that much I think they were both really interesting characters as were most of the mages. I also really liked the therapist and how she really helped not only develop more of the world and Bree's mom but really helped Bree grow throughout the book and confront her grief.
The discussions of generational trauma, exploitation, and systemic racism and violence were so well blended into the main plot and Bree's growth and struggle with grief. The discussions of family dynamics, roots, the relationships between parents and children, and descendants and ancestors was so well handled with all of the characters in which it is brought up but especially for Bree. The ending of this book was absolutely phenomenal, at times almost leaving me in complete tears, and I cannot wait until the next book comes out.
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, and Vomit
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
CW: Discussions of past slavery, racial micro/macroaggressions. discussions of systemic racism, elitism, mind control/memory manipulationskatrina_ingram'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Car accident, and Colonisation
The MC is grieving over her mother dying in a car accident, the grief is pretty detailed for a YA fantasy. The book also has a string race theme, with the character encountering instances of racism throughout and also learning about and discussing slaveryclaudiamacpherson'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
4.5
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
theblerdnewsletter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Classism
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review
- 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: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault
shaaay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
moony78'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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sarahmcg'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? No
5.0
Loved about this book:
-Fantasy aspect, drawing on Arthurian legend
-Bree - a badass character, honestly there was a lot of really strong feminine energy in this book that I appreciated
-A diverse fantasy with really important themes and dialogue that I thought the author did a great job incorporating into a compelling read
What I struggled with:
-The world-building in the beginning was very complex to me, I was taking notes in the notes app on my phone to try to keep everything straight!
But the second half of the book once I understood everything better (for the most part) went a lot smoother for me! This is a book that I feel like could benefit from like an index with definitions, etc haha.
Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
alphabetmafiamember'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
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and War