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whewtaewoon's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcohol, Car accident, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, and Slavery
patienceholmes'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
I personally found it a little too cliche with the romance aspects but I think so many people would love it for that and that’s personal taste.
Aside from that it was really great. I loved the focus on grief, I loved the magic system and learning how it all worked, I loved the way the characters were expanded on and delving deeper into their backstories.
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, War, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Car accident, and Bullying
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
clairew97'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Classism, Pregnancy, War, Murder, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Car accident, and Stalking
martin27'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
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery, Misogyny, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Car accident, and Rape
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Being one of the few Black girls on campus, Bree finds being in an elite society of blood and oath bonded mages pretty irksome. She is continually reminded that she doesn't belong, whether being mistaken as wait-staff, assumed to have been allowed entry as "affirmative action", or just wandering in the school gardens and finding a monument to the nameless slaves who built the campus.
Her boyfriend's paranoid bodyguard is sure that she's actually secretly a demon who is trying to manipulate or kill him... and just when she feels like she might be getting a grip on what is going on, she meets with a woman who used to know her mother, who tells her that this order of Blood Mages she has met with, are colonial scum who have stolen their magic, who never consider balance, and who are causing most of the imbalance that is drawing evil manifestations into the world.
And how do you learn all this stuff and still keep it secret from your childhood best friend.. with whom you are supposed to be living the college dream? To get anywhere Bree is going to have to start being honest with herself, get in touch with her own power, and be vulnerable enough to ask for help from unlikely places.
We've got a bit of diversity despite things being very White-centric. One of the main characters has relationships with guys and girls, another is non-binary gender (they/them), and Bree's best friend Alice is Taiwanese American. I've listened to a few books that have been read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and she does a solid job, but in this particular book where most of the characters are White, it makes my brain work doubly hard. I have to keep reminding myself that the young men she is hanging out with are not Black. It's very easy for my brain to be lulled into the idea that Selwyn is a Black lad, because that's how his voice sounds in the narration. Maybe I just need to concentrate harder.
Quite a lengthy book, but it really does close off with a "first book feel" that leaves you wondering about enough to bring you back for another round... maybe later though.
Graphic: Mental illness, Slavery, Bullying, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, War, Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Cancer
corin_134340'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
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Slavery
campisforever'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
Taking on Arthruiana (stories of King Arthur and the Round Table) is no small feat in itself. Doing so in a mode that centers a Black girl's existence is monumental and so, so, so important. Tracy Deonn has made a place for Black women among the heroes of Arthurian legend without bowing to its inherent assumptions about who can and should be considered "legendary." At the same time that it reanimates the legend of King Arthur, Legendborn resonates with ideas and approaches visible in other Black Feminist work (e.g., N. K. Jemisin, Octavia Butler, M. NourbeSe Philip, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Katherine McKittrick, Dionne Brand, Saidiya Hartman, etc.).
If you were a fan of Dark Horse's Once and Future Queen (which didn't get the run it deserved), Legendborn is for you. If you are looking for a fantasy novel that actively challenges and resists the inherent whiteness and racialism of "Tolkienist" fantasy and Western fantasy stories in general, I encourage you to read this book. If you're looking for something like T. H. White or Mists of Avalon, this book is not what you're looking for, but you should read it anyway.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Slavery, and Child abuse
All content warnings are given in degrees: "Graphic" means that they're prominent elements of the story and are the most detailed. "Moderate" means that they're world building elements--specifically, "racism" refers to depictions of the kinds of casual racism (e.g., hair touching, comments about affirmative action/diversity, one use of a phrase used to refer to Black hair types, etc.). "Minor" means that these things are referred to, but not depicted explicitly or in an extended manner. This book deals with the legacies of enslavement in American history and its attendant generational trauma. It does not shy away from these realities, but also does not allow them to take up more space than warranted.iamsammie27'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: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, Torture, and Slavery
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
melodei3'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Vomit and Rape
30something_reads'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
4.75
The gasps I gasped as I reached the climax of this story! This is an absolutely PHENOMENAL beginning to this series and I need to gather all of my thoughts because this book tackles SO MUCH and does it so beautifully.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Car accident, Slavery, and Child abuse