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gabriella_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Read this entire book on a flight to England and holy shit. The way this book captures grief, trauma, and how it can intersect with misogynoir was gripping.
Tracy Deonn is excellent at character writing and establishing interpersonal dynamics (and conflicts). She also creates a unique atmosphere with obvious (and not so obvious) foes. She empowers her protagonist and makes her multifaceted. She breathes life into Bree and, as a reader, makes her feel so real. And this doesn’t get into how she writes an ensemble cast either - good GOD I would be remiss if I didn’t get into that.
Every character contributes something to the plot and it’s amazing that this author finds a way to do that without rendering them to be one-note or just a plot device. She has a plan for every character - and pieces of dialogue have a way of retaining relevance chapters later in a refreshing way.
I wish I had a book like this when I was a kid. 2,000/10 recommend reading this book if you are interested in fantasy and coming of age books. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Tracy Deonn, thank you for writing this.
Tracy Deonn is excellent at character writing and establishing interpersonal dynamics (and conflicts). She also creates a unique atmosphere with obvious (and not so obvious) foes. She empowers her protagonist and makes her multifaceted. She breathes life into Bree and, as a reader, makes her feel so real. And this doesn’t get into how she writes an ensemble cast either - good GOD I would be remiss if I didn’t get into that.
Every character contributes something to the plot and it’s amazing that this author finds a way to do that without rendering them to be one-note or just a plot device. She has a plan for every character - and pieces of dialogue have a way of retaining relevance chapters later in a refreshing way.
I wish I had a book like this when I was a kid. 2,000/10 recommend reading this book if you are interested in fantasy and coming of age books. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Tracy Deonn, thank you for writing this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Blood, Body horror, Death, Car accident, Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and War
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
I think this would've been a 4 star read for me if I had read with my eyes instead of my ears. I started listening to the audiobook in early summer and got about half way through before my Libby loan returned. I enjoyed it, but wasn't totally convinced on the hype this book often gets. Once I was finally able to borrow it again in Libby, I finished the second half in like 2 days and really loved how it wrapped up. These are wonderfully written characters and I'm excited to see how their story continues. Deonn has created an extremely poignant story of southern dark academia that has a lot of important things to say about race and gender in a way that's palatable without doing hard topics any disservice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Child death, Classism, Car accident, Sexism, Transphobia, and Slavery
Minor: Colonisation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, Body shaming, Classism, and Confinement
clairew97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
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
kimilyn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I’ve been hearing about this book for years. People raving about how good it is. Now that I think back no one ever mentioned any specifics.. probably because this book is actually pretty average. The magic system is interesting but it takes a while to understand it and there were a lot of info dumps and not many demonstrations.
Characters
The characters are pretty bland. Everyone has a nickname. Eg. Sar and Tor and Sel and Whitty. But there aren’t a lot of defining characteristics. It felt like everyone was just doing what the plot demanded and weren’t making choices based on their needs or wants. When certain characters were in mortal danger I didn’t really care because I didn’t know them enough to care.
The two main boys were your typical golden haired good boy and dark haired bad boy. Each with their own super-tragic-traumatic-secret-backstory. Given the way the two boys are connected I wouldn’t mind a little polyamory between the three of them… But I doubt the author will be brave enough to do that. Trad pub and all. unfortunate because that would have made them a lot more interesting besides them fulfilling their trope roles and being “omfg! 😳 so shmexy! 🥵 can’t focus 😍”
Bree just felt stupid. There were a couple things the author was going for here according to the author’s note. Related to trauma and secret magic reasons, but for me it just didn’t work. I didn’t ever know why Bree was doing what she was doing. And not in a fun way that made me want to know more. It was more in a frustrating way that made me want to quit reading. Also can someone go back and keep track of how many times she passed out at the end of a scene? because I’m pretty sure it was more than five.
Plot
According to the author’s note the goal was to center Bree’s relationship with her mother and ancestors. But to me the only thing that was centered were the boys she was obsessed with. There was definitely a focus on Bree wanting to find out what really happened to her mom, but that wasn’t about their relationship. That was just a mystery to solve that happened to make her spend time with the hot boys. The ancestors storyline picked up near the end but it didn’t really seem centered. More of an addendum.
Plot Twists/Reveals (No Spoilers)
I usually enjoy plot twists. But not when they come out of nowhere with no hints or setup. During the last fourth of the book it felt like every few pages was another reveal or twist. Some of them worked but some of them were kind of annoying because it felt like the author was just throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. I’m sure it was well planned out but it was a lot and for me personally not everything hit in the way I think it was intended.
Worldbuilding
The whole Legendborn thing is a very interesting idea. But it was explained in either info dumps or from Bree magically connecting dots. It was very confusing for me for a lot of the book. I think I got most of it by the end but it took a lot to get there. I like exploring a fantasy world but every time there was a new pause in the story for another info dump I was just irritated.
Racism
Just to preface this I am a black woman and fantasy is my favorite genre. Any time I can see myself reflected in the genre is a win. This included. But I prefer when racism, especially anti-black racism, is left out completely. I get why it wasn’t here. Kind of a crucial piece of the story. but to me it could have been handled more intentionally.
The actual day-to-day racism Bree experienced felt like superficial representations. Most felt over the top or heavy-handed. Maybe my experiences with racism have been different from this author’s. But the racism I usually see is a lot more subtle when it’s face to face. More passive aggressive and disguised.
It also was weird that this was a very white, historic secret society, yet there were only one or two instances when someone made Bree feel unwelcome. From my experience it felt unrealistic. Places and people like that will make black people feel othered all day long. did you see Get Out? That was way more accurate. The looks, the comments, the body language. Wish there had been more of that here to emphasize Bree’s sense of not belonging.
And I know this book was long so there probably wasn’t room, but some nuance around the discussion of racism would have been nice. Like if either of her boyfriends had been unintentionally racist a few times so she could correct and educate them. Just a little more acknowledgment that everyone is a at least a bit racist, intentionally or not but that doesn’t make you a bad person if you learn from it and do better.
Diversity
There were five non-white characters in this book. And I think there were four LGBTQ+ characters.
It was weird to me that Bree kept talking about being black and wanting to connect with her heritage, but made no efforts to connect to black kids her age. Bree had zero black friends.
All the LGBTQ+ kids felt like afterthoughts. There was a non-binary kid and the vibe was that they were such a disruption and almost as much of an outsider as Bree. But it was just said, no one ever actually treated them any differently.
Final Thoughts
Like I said, for me this was average. Probably won’t pick up the rest of the series. But if you like a twist on Aurthurian Legend with a black lead, go for it.
**(Also am I crazy or is it weird that Bree is sixteen and her love interests are at least nineteen? That age gap is weird right?)
Characters
The characters are pretty bland. Everyone has a nickname. Eg. Sar and Tor and Sel and Whitty. But there aren’t a lot of defining characteristics. It felt like everyone was just doing what the plot demanded and weren’t making choices based on their needs or wants. When certain characters were in mortal danger I didn’t really care because I didn’t know them enough to care.
The two main boys were your typical golden haired good boy and dark haired bad boy. Each with their own super-tragic-traumatic-secret-backstory. Given the way the two boys are connected I wouldn’t mind a little polyamory between the three of them… But I doubt the author will be brave enough to do that. Trad pub and all. unfortunate because that would have made them a lot more interesting besides them fulfilling their trope roles and being “omfg! 😳 so shmexy! 🥵 can’t focus 😍”
Bree just felt stupid. There were a couple things the author was going for here according to the author’s note. Related to trauma and secret magic reasons, but for me it just didn’t work. I didn’t ever know why Bree was doing what she was doing. And not in a fun way that made me want to know more. It was more in a frustrating way that made me want to quit reading. Also can someone go back and keep track of how many times she passed out at the end of a scene? because I’m pretty sure it was more than five.
Plot
According to the author’s note the goal was to center Bree’s relationship with her mother and ancestors. But to me the only thing that was centered were the boys she was obsessed with. There was definitely a focus on Bree wanting to find out what really happened to her mom, but that wasn’t about their relationship. That was just a mystery to solve that happened to make her spend time with the hot boys. The ancestors storyline picked up near the end but it didn’t really seem centered. More of an addendum.
Plot Twists/Reveals (No Spoilers)
I usually enjoy plot twists. But not when they come out of nowhere with no hints or setup. During the last fourth of the book it felt like every few pages was another reveal or twist. Some of them worked but some of them were kind of annoying because it felt like the author was just throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. I’m sure it was well planned out but it was a lot and for me personally not everything hit in the way I think it was intended.
Worldbuilding
The whole Legendborn thing is a very interesting idea. But it was explained in either info dumps or from Bree magically connecting dots. It was very confusing for me for a lot of the book. I think I got most of it by the end but it took a lot to get there. I like exploring a fantasy world but every time there was a new pause in the story for another info dump I was just irritated.
Racism
Just to preface this I am a black woman and fantasy is my favorite genre. Any time I can see myself reflected in the genre is a win. This included. But I prefer when racism, especially anti-black racism, is left out completely. I get why it wasn’t here. Kind of a crucial piece of the story. but to me it could have been handled more intentionally.
The actual day-to-day racism Bree experienced felt like superficial representations. Most felt over the top or heavy-handed. Maybe my experiences with racism have been different from this author’s. But the racism I usually see is a lot more subtle when it’s face to face. More passive aggressive and disguised.
It also was weird that this was a very white, historic secret society, yet there were only one or two instances when someone made Bree feel unwelcome. From my experience it felt unrealistic. Places and people like that will make black people feel othered all day long. did you see Get Out? That was way more accurate. The looks, the comments, the body language. Wish there had been more of that here to emphasize Bree’s sense of not belonging.
And I know this book was long so there probably wasn’t room, but some nuance around the discussion of racism would have been nice. Like if either of her boyfriends had been unintentionally racist a few times so she could correct and educate them. Just a little more acknowledgment that everyone is a at least a bit racist, intentionally or not but that doesn’t make you a bad person if you learn from it and do better.
Diversity
There were five non-white characters in this book. And I think there were four LGBTQ+ characters.
It was weird to me that Bree kept talking about being black and wanting to connect with her heritage, but made no efforts to connect to black kids her age. Bree had zero black friends.
All the LGBTQ+ kids felt like afterthoughts. There was a non-binary kid and the vibe was that they were such a disruption and almost as much of an outsider as Bree. But it was just said, no one ever actually treated them any differently.
Final Thoughts
Like I said, for me this was average. Probably won’t pick up the rest of the series. But if you like a twist on Aurthurian Legend with a black lead, go for it.
**(Also am I crazy or is it weird that Bree is sixteen and her love interests are at least nineteen? That age gap is weird right?)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Grief, Death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Classism, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Infidelity
saltylane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
This is a great story that subverts a lot of tropes and defies expectations. It twists and turns with unpredictable but believable mysteries and resolutions. Just when you think you know something, you’re surprised with where the plot and characters go. It has a lot of painful realism stuffed in with the magical fantasy, and I commend the author for not pulling punches.
Highly recommend & I’m going to read the next book asap.
Highly recommend & I’m going to read the next book asap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Violence, Racism, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Bullying, Slavery, Car accident, Classism, and Gore
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Transphobia
morgankailackerman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Slavery
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Car accident, and Classism
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Bree's mom has just died in a car accident, but she has just been accepted into an early College plan, and she needs to get away from the house where her Dad is pining. She finds herself embroiled In a magic school with a twist, when she is drawn into a secret society that may or may not have something to do with the death of her mother. The story is somewhat romantic, but with a little bit of a triangular.. thing.. going on. Either way there is very little mooshy stuff and no hanky let alone panky.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
arobear's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
This book is a great read, especially the last half as we get deeper into the lore and complexities of connections/relationships. The perspective from a black woman as a main character is so needed in this space! There is a lot to explore in terms of legacy and how it intertwines with personhood, family, duty, and grief. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it does start off slow and I was confused by the many characters and kept getting them mixed up, but overall I would highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Classism and War
Minor: Police brutality, Rape, and Slavery
zarhara's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Torture