Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Legendborn

I really enjoyed this book. While the initial world building and introduction to characters as well as the magic systems in the world got a bit confusing (due to the large amount of information to digest), once I got into the book I could barely put it down! I've read many fantasy books, and while a lot of the ones I have read tend to be quite diverse in terms of the characters, most of them aren't set in the real world and so don't always cover real world issues as this book does. I definitely have some new favourite characters to add to my list and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out in November!

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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5 ⭐ CW: death of a parent, complex grief, racism/microaggressions, mass Graves of enslaved Africans and Black Americans, whipping, descriptions of blood, gore, and dead bodies, child abuse, alcoholism mention, rape of enslaved women, violence, murder, blood magic

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a contemporary fantasy using Arthurian legend Hoodoo traditions. This book was much anticipated considering one of my favorite novels is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so you know I was pumped for a version with Black people in it!

We follow Bree Matthews as she navigates the grief surrounding her after her mother's sudden death. She goes to UNC-Chapel Hill for early college when she finds out about a secret society called The Order of the Round Table. Bree thinks the Order might be behind her mother's death, so she decides to try to infiltrate their ranks by coercing her new peer mentor, Nick Davis, to get her in.

I loved the magic systems in this! Especially the concept of the Root magic and Mediums to communicate with ancestors. That was one of the most profound things in this book, being able to know who your ancestors were at all and being able to commune with them. It was very powerful for a Black person to be able to do such a thing.

I loved how Deonn updated the Arthur myth by including colonialism and slavery, and how that trickled down to Confederate Monuments and building that were built by but never meant for Black people. I felt seen by all the microaggressions Bree had to deal with by being in a place with mostly white people.

I loved the enemies to friends we get with Sel and Bree. This book also had some great queer representation: bi girls and guys, gay guys and lesbians, and a nonbinary character. Also Alice (Taiwanese-American) is a badass of a best friend even if she starts off a bit rocky. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoilers.

The twists at the end!!! Several times I yelled "I knew it!" And "Whaaaatt!" If you've been seeing this hyped, know that I approve. I'm hoping a book two comes soon! Read this book and come yell with me lol.

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perseffable's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The characters felt inconsistent and like Schrodinger's cat; they didn't exist in the world until Bree or the plot needed them. I also felt there was no development between any of the relationships and friendships. And the magic system? It was info dump after info dump and didn't make sense at all. The second magic system made more sense but still was hard to follow.

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