Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

102 reviews

naturally's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.75

TRACY DEONN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS!!!

it's been a while since i picked up a ya book, so legendborn was the perfect book to mark my return. deonn effortlessly infuses arthurian legends (merlin & the knights of the round table etc), rootwork, the history of chattel slavery and the deep south, secret societies and more into her debut. all praise and accolades are well deserved! i will confess that the plot felt very info-dumpy from the 20% mark onwards, but i'm so happy that i stuck with it, because the worldbuilding was so rich and immersive. the author's note at the end was an excellent touch - i always love hearing about an author's reasoning behind certain themes/elements/plot points. it's clear deonn put a tonne of thought into the legendborn cycle-verse.

bree's journey of grief was so heart-breaking...i just wanted to reach into the pages and hug her. she's a heroine that i was rooting (no pun intended!) for from the onset. her experiences as a black girl (wash day, being the only black guest in a room etc) made her extremely relatable as well...and added to the protectiveness i felt over her as a character.

typically, i don't care for the love triangle trope, but this book singlehandedly made me a fan. omg nick doesn't play around when it comes to bree!!! my fave golden-hearted golden boy. he compliments bree so well and he is the source of affection and reassurance that she needs considering how much death she is surrounded by. the explanation behind their insta-love was genius too. 

on the other hand...sel is just that GUY!!!! he and bree's relationship is more of an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn and i'm 10000000% invested already. their chemistry is literally electric???? they've also got me wondering if deonn is a vampire diaries fan bc the bonnie/damon/bamon/delena vibes were off the charts lol. 

i honestly don't mind who bree ends up with. i was also getting throuple vibes

i scream i scrumpt when sel confessed he used to be in love with nick!!!!

my only criticisms were 1) the order system was a little TOO complex. as an adult, i was struggling to keep up. teenage me would have been lost. 2) these characters read like they were in their early 20s to me, especially in terms of looks, intellect and maturity. (i feel the same way about leigh bardugo's six of crows duology idk) - this is more commentary about the lack of space for new adult protagonists in the trad publishing industry though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexism, Death of parent, Classism, Blood, Death, Grief, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: War and Car accident

Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, and Infidelity

kumquats87's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.0

The legend of Arthur, reimagined with a female African American lead. The promise of a deconstructed colonised fantasy was the only incentive I needed to read this. And I am so glad that I did. I will admit that my exposure to Arthurian legend was limited - little more than hazy childhood memories of the Sword in the Stone on VHS, later supplemented by Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As such, some of the more predictable twists still managed to catch me by surprise. 

Yet I still knew enough to be aware of the broad strokes; to understand it as a legend couched in heroism, magic, loyalty, and bravery. In essence, it was a story that portrayed colonisers as the heroes of history. Legendborn offers a much needed alternative; taking this legend of so-called heroism and injecting it with the reality of imperialism, exposing its horrendous impact upon marginalised bodies. If Arthur did exist, then he, his forebears, and his descendants would all be complicit in the subjugation of the oppressed. 

Legendborn asks the reader to witness how imperial power harms - how those that benefit from these power structures act to preserve their privilege from even the slightest threat. (As an aside, it will be interesting to see how this aspect plays out in Bloodmarked, given the climactic events of legend born.)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence, Car accident, Bullying, and Sexism

cinderrunner's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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 book is INCREDIBLE. The heart, grit, power, world building, humanity, awareness, blending of trauma and our country's god awful history with race is masterful. I cannot wait to read the sequel. I have zero complaints. You can tell how well the author understands what she's writing cause the truth in every aspect of the book (even the fantasy elements) is so stark. The first few pages alone, hearing how Bree talks about loosing her mom, left me speechless. I have not witnessed a fiction author put that sort of pain into words in a long time. And then it just gets better the more you read. A truly wonderful and unflinching fantasy story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Colonisation, and Misogyny

fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Slavery, Bullying, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pregnancy, Car accident, and Rape

libre_coffeeandpages's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Legendborn lived up to the hype! It was extremely engaging and I was hooked from the very beginning. I usually have difficulty staying invested with young adult novels but this one really drew in my attention. The King Arthur theme and implicitly picking apart some of the original story made me think of it in a different light. There were several times I emotionally clashed with the MC though. Sometimes reading young characters is a challenge because, well, I'm not that age anymore so I'm just like - ughhhh I understand why you feel like that but you HAVE to know there's a better ways to handle things. T-T 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, War, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Slavery, and Homophobia

cosmicquokka's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Rape

gitruz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Kidnapping, Car accident, Classism, and Panic attacks/disorders

hailslynn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

Definitely one of my top 5 books of the year and possibly ever. Felt the same kind of joy and excitement while reading that I used to get when reading my favorite series from middle school

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Blood, Medical content, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality

dricatica's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Colonisation, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Racism, Car accident, Classism, and Rape

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Bullying, Classism, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Death, Slavery, Violence, and War