Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

532 reviews

brjedi26's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Rape and Slavery

passionatereader78's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Authur and the round table fans this ones for you! This was a fantastic read! Fighting demons and monsters with twist after twist!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, and Death

Minor: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Rape, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

pagesofplatypus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

Let me start by saying I have loved King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Arthurian Legend since I was 6. I love how Deonn explores and expands on Arthurian legend in a modern setting. Both the Scion and Rootcraft magic systems are strongly developed.

Second, I want to talk about how well Deonn explores grief. Bree's rage and want for justice are deftly and poignantly portrayed. I feel like adolescents and girls don't often get to see the anger and bitterness of grief in many mainstream portayals of grief, especially in portayals of bereaved teen girls.

Next, Bree is one of the most amazing protagonists I've had the pleasure of meeting in a long time. Everything about her is just so real. Her grief and also her goofiness, her excitement, her curiosity, her exhaustion, and her compassion. I appreciate that she always advocated for herself and knew her worth. And I love how Bree explored her history and her powers in her own way and on her own terms.

And Sel, I'm going to love seeing more of Bree and Sel. I love that snarky, brooding, charming Merlin. He is such a great companion for Bree in his steady dedication to her and understanding of her pain.

Overall, Legendborn is a terrific series introduction and pays plenty of homage to traditional Arthurian Legend while calling to light and honoring African American history and legend as well. Deonn's writing is exhilarating and powerful and she does a spectacular job of placing reader's into Bree's mind and experiences.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape

danysgirl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad medium-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: Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Murder, Racism, Car accident, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Mental illness, Violence, and Vomit

hilivingston7's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this fantasy. It was a great modern day telling of the legend of Arthur on the legacy of UNC Chapel Hill that examined how chattel slavery impacted and continues to impact characters. The depiction of Bree’s grief for her mother felt so real and coupled that with her feelings of tokenism and isolation as the only minority experiencing daily micro & macro aggressions. I loved how the ending threaded the nuance of her ancestors and her coming to terms with accepting her mothers death. Really excited to read the second! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault, Car accident, Rape, Abandonment, Violence, Colonisation, and Sexual violence

shaynicole's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Sexism, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery

adalinemccormick's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Rape, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

bzliz's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I waited a long time to read this because people spoke so highly of it and I was worried it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. I’m so delighted to say I had nothing to worry about because it exceeded my expectations in every way. 

I immediately fell in love with Bree and I wanted nothing but good things for her. I’ve never been hugely into Arthurian legend but I enjoyed the dip into that world in a modern context and I was completely engrossed in every twist she encountered. The beautiful balance between aether and root was so cool and Bree’s journey to learn both paths was so fun. 

The biggest compliment I can give is that I want to immediately dive into Bloodmarked but I need to give it a few days so I don’t get them confused with each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Sexism, Vomit, and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping and Slavery

Minor: Car accident, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

Child abuse (off page):

mentions of the way Nick and Sel were raised involving physical abuse under the guise of being part of training for their duty.

Rape (off page): Mention toward the end of the book of one of Bree’s enslaved ancestors being raped by the master of the house, then threatened after she became pregnant. It’s not explicitly called by that name but it’s definitely what happened. Racism (on page):

Bree faces multiple instances of micro aggressions and overt racism. Nobody outright calls her any slurs but it’s pretty unrelenting because just like in real life even people who don’t mean harm can still cause harm.

klsreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

God-tier. An absolutely perfect debut. This book made me cry so hard, and I loved every minute of it. I loved the characters and their relationships (don't talk to me about Bree and her mom). There are non-tokenized queer and nonbinary characters and a bisexual male love interest (!!!!!!!). It reckons with grief, racial trauma, colonization, and the premature deaths of Black folks in America. It meditates on history, who is remembered, and what it means to be cut off from ancestral knowledge and power (literally and figuratively). It mythologizes and reckons with real racial struggles and white supremacy.The magic system is so unique and fun. Sprint to get this book. Tracy Deonn is unbelievably talented, and I will read whatever she writes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, War, and Blood

Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, Rape, Alcohol, Torture, Classism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Body horror

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Vomit

maximind's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Car accident, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Vomit, and Rape