Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

82 reviews

rainbowshelves's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

This rocked my world. This explores power, privilege and duty. It tackles grief and trauma. The balance of the legacy of the past against hope for the future. All with the backdrop of Arthurian legend. Yeah. Read it. Immediately. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Slavery, and Grief

Moderate: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse and Vomit

peachmoni's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book. It's not the same old, tired YA fantasy despite involving Arthurian legend. I especially appreciate the way grief and institutional racism were handled.

The only thing I am wary of is a potential relationship that could happen in the next book (sincerely hope it doesn't).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, War, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

powellki's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

heymrsbond's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse and Rape

maisierosereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

 I listened to the audiobook of Legendborn on Scribd - click here for a 60 day free trial if you want to listen too!

I absolutely loved this book. The kind of love that only grew with each passing chapter, and left me desperate for the sequel before I'd even heard the last sentence. If it wasn't for my day job, I could have probably listened to the whole book in one or two sittings without complaint.

Legendborn is a beautifully and emotively told story of Black Girl Magic (and much, much more) with some of the best worldbuilding I've ever seen in contemporary magical realism. The way Tracy Deonn weaved together this diverse cast of characters, their backstories, their relationships, their ancestral histories, the history of the university, the history of two separate magic systems, real life history, trauma... I'm not going to be over it for a long time, if ever, and I'm absolutely okay with that.

Specifically in terms of the audiobook: Joniece Abbott-Pratt is a hugely talented narrator, and reads with such intense emotion. The only possible thing I could fault her on is the English accent she puts on for one of the side characters, but in the scheme of things that didn't bother me all that much. I can't personally speak to the accuracy of her pronunciation when it comes to the Cymraeg phrases but I love that Tracy Deonn included these as part of the culture of the Legendborn.

I highly recommend Legendborn to any fans of magical realism, Arthurian legend, contemporary fantasy, and excellent writing in general. The fact that Legendborn is a debut is truly astounding - I can't wait to see Tracy Deonn's future work! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Car accident

cosmicmo's review against another edition

I hope there is a second book. This is the second YA retelling of a King Arther story and it did not disappoint. I throughly enjoyed it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

annacolb's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Slavery

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

mmqin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, and Violence

delia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This story is masterful in the way it depicts grief and the natural ease of racism - outright and microaggressive, while weaving those narratives and those of being a modern teenager WITH the lore of King Arthur. It also accurately speaks to a Black experience in the modern south and feeling those traumatic ties to the past. Beautiful, fun, endearing, love it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Grief

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Vomit

jamesflint's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Rape and Slavery