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lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
5.0
Is this the best book ever written? Maybe not.
Is this the best YA fantasy book ever written? Maybe?
At least, it's one of the best I've read. Truly, the writing is fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I was at the edge of my seat and turned page after page after page. And I just found out this is Tracy Deonn's debut novel?! What?!
Loved the writing. Looooved the characters, the character work, development, their dynamics are so good. There are some tropes I usually don't enjoy that much, but here I didn't mind, I was even invested. I'm here for it. And there is so much LGBTQ+ representation! Gay, Lesbian, Bi Characters, a non-binary one. And the way they are casually part of the story made me SO happy.
Also, Bree as the protagonist is such a delight to follow. Even when she is grieving and angry. I love her.
I'm a fan of Arthurian legends. One of my first fantasy books ever was a retelling of the legend. Since then, I've encountered many more and this one is so unique. I have to admit, it is confusing at the beginning. There is a lot of world building (A LOT), a lot of names, and details. The magic system is wild and equally confusing. And then halfway through the book a second magic system comes into play. And I loved this one even more. But it worked for me. In the end everything came together perfectly, the plot, the characters, the mysteries. The ending is so satisfying.
And all that, the character dynamics, the friendships, the romance, the magic, the (for me perfectly paced) plot is interwoven with themes like grief, racism, colonization, slavery, generational trauma in such a brilliant way. I could say so much more and talk about this book for hours on end, but I don't want to spoil anything. I'm just in love which this story and can't wait to continue with Bloodmarked right away.
Is this the best YA fantasy book ever written? Maybe?
At least, it's one of the best I've read. Truly, the writing is fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I was at the edge of my seat and turned page after page after page. And I just found out this is Tracy Deonn's debut novel?! What?!
Loved the writing. Looooved the characters, the character work, development, their dynamics are so good. There are some tropes I usually don't enjoy that much, but here I didn't mind, I was even invested. I'm here for it. And there is so much LGBTQ+ representation! Gay, Lesbian, Bi Characters, a non-binary one. And the way they are casually part of the story made me SO happy.
Also, Bree as the protagonist is such a delight to follow. Even when she is grieving and angry. I love her.
I'm a fan of Arthurian legends. One of my first fantasy books ever was a retelling of the legend. Since then, I've encountered many more and this one is so unique. I have to admit, it is confusing at the beginning. There is a lot of world building (A LOT), a lot of names, and details. The magic system is wild and equally confusing. And then halfway through the book a second magic system comes into play. And I loved this one even more. But it worked for me. In the end everything came together perfectly, the plot, the characters, the mysteries. The ending is so satisfying.
And all that, the character dynamics, the friendships, the romance, the magic, the (for me perfectly paced) plot is interwoven with themes like grief, racism, colonization, slavery, generational trauma in such a brilliant way. I could say so much more and talk about this book for hours on end, but I don't want to spoil anything. I'm just in love which this story and can't wait to continue with Bloodmarked right away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Gore, Rape, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Really enjoyed this! Takes a little bit to get going and I was a little bored at first, but once you get into the real meat of the story it moves very fast and keeps you on your toes! It’s refreshing to have author and protagonist of color in the fantasy space and the history is artfully weaved into the story. Coming of age, the stages of grief, exploring family history, and exploring a first love all in the midst of an early college experience and discovering the paranormal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
m4rtt4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
2.5
I really wanted to like this. The premise was so exciting, and both the characters and the magical system were unlike anything I'd ever seen before. However, the book was so unnecessarily long!! Especially the first part felt like forever, I think you could easily reduce this book from 500 to 400 pages and have it still (even more) enjoyable. At 20yo I may not be the target audience for a book with a 16yo protagonist, and I acknowledge that many scenes felt too teen-like and maybe weren't made for me to enjoy. But I'm an young adult as well; and I still regularly enjoy YA books so why did I dislike this then??
The world-building was quite poorly done, it took me ages to understand how the magical system works. There were so many words in Welsh that weren't translated, even Welsh creatures whose appearances still remain a mystery to me. There were too many fighting scenes for my taste, and I'm not sensitive to violence or injuries — I just don't give a fuck about who hit whom and when and how. Neither did I like the romantic aspects of the story; why must every female YA protagonist always have a love interest? Also I was promised a (boarding) school setting, but everything academic was slowly disposed of as the plot thickened :(
Positive aspects of the book would be its natural diversity in characters, the existence of Selwyn (my favourite character <3) and the subplot about Rootcraft and Bree's family history. I really wish the book had focused more on that, based on the short scenes I am already way more interested in Rootcraft than I ever could be in King Arthur and his knights' descendants. Applause to Deonn for creating such an original fantasy experience, I find it so unfortunate I wasn't able to enjoy it. I really wanted to :(
(tbh I have no idea why I listened through the whole 18 hours despite thinking about DNFing literally every half an hour. guess I really had my hopes up for nothing..)
The world-building was quite poorly done, it took me ages to understand how the magical system works. There were so many words in Welsh that weren't translated, even Welsh creatures whose appearances still remain a mystery to me. There were too many fighting scenes for my taste, and I'm not sensitive to violence or injuries — I just don't give a fuck about who hit whom and when and how. Neither did I like the romantic aspects of the story; why must every female YA protagonist always have a love interest? Also I was promised a (boarding) school setting, but everything academic was slowly disposed of as the plot thickened :(
Positive aspects of the book would be its natural diversity in characters, the existence of Selwyn (my favourite character <3) and the subplot about Rootcraft and Bree's family history. I really wish the book had focused more on that, based on the short scenes I am already way more interested in Rootcraft than I ever could be in King Arthur and his knights' descendants. Applause to Deonn for creating such an original fantasy experience, I find it so unfortunate I wasn't able to enjoy it. I really wanted to :(
(tbh I have no idea why I listened through the whole 18 hours despite thinking about DNFing literally every half an hour. guess I really had my hopes up for nothing..)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Car accident
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: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Car accident, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.0
“Love is a powerful thing, more powerful than blood, although both run through us like a river.”
I had no idea how to rate this book because I have very conflicting feelings about it.
The story was trying to do so much. The author was trying to fit so many themes into it. It felt like it had... too much plot? It got to a point when I'd be second-hand stressed for Bree because she had far too much on her plate. The chapters were so long. And still, nobody, including me, could catch a damn break. except when Bree washed her hair. That was such a lovely moment. Because the story was constantly jumping between one subplot to another (and, to be honest, the painful chapter length), I never sat down to read for very long because I would always feel a kind of closure when the story moved on. Seriously, this book took me so long.
And still.
Even all these issues couldn't distract me from how important this story is. As a white person living in a predominantly white country, Bree's point of view was such a new way to see the world, not only because of her race but also because of her loss. Not to say she was unrelatable (as many white readers like to talk about POC heroes), but I actually found more of myself in her than I thought I would. If it weren't for all the problems mentioned above, I would be running around recommending this book to everyone.
But alas, this wasn't a story for me. But please, still give it a chance. I don't regret reading it (at all!), and I even considered buying the second book solely to support the writer haha
The story was trying to do so much. The author was trying to fit so many themes into it. It felt like it had... too much plot? It got to a point when I'd be second-hand stressed for Bree because she had far too much on her plate. The chapters were so long. And still, nobody, including me, could catch a damn break.
And still.
Even all these issues couldn't distract me from how important this story is. As a white person living in a predominantly white country, Bree's point of view was such a new way to see the world, not only because of her race but also because of her loss. Not to say she was unrelatable (as many white readers like to talk about POC heroes), but I actually found more of myself in her than I thought I would. If it weren't for all the problems mentioned above, I would be running around recommending this book to everyone.
But alas, this wasn't a story for me. But please, still give it a chance. I don't regret reading it (at all!), and I even considered buying the second book solely to support the writer haha
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Slavery, Medical content, Car accident, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape, Murder, and Pregnancy
happilyeveralli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
AMAZING. This has to be my favorite read of the year if not ever. I don’t think I’ll read anything else this year that’ll top it. In getting back into reading these past two years I’ve yet to read something with such good representation. I love Nick and Bree together. I love Bree and her personality. I love her growth. I like how Alice also slowly grew. William is my bestie. I’ve ordered a signed version of BLOODMARKED and look forward to reading it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
lovebugger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.75
this book is so good. lost my mind
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
destynee'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? No
5.0
This was a ride. Literally the only way for me to explain it at the moment. I was taken on a roller coaster of emotions and I loved it. If I could give this book a hundred stars I would. Bree’s journey of self discovery, navigating her grief and trauma…It all just hit home. Tracy did a wonderful job showing just how much slavery impacts Black people by taking Bree through memory walks with her ancestors. She shows how much of a hole not knowing where you come from or who came before you can leave. It’s a hole that I know well and I honestly cried 😂. There are even characters that will have you pissed at first but then as the story progresses you get to see them in a whole new light. Making Bree and Alice best friends was also 👩🏾🍳💋. Alice is ride or die for Bree and vice versa. This story is one that can teach a lot of lessons but also take you for one heck of a ride filled with magic and secret societies. It’s astounding and hands down one of my favorite reads this year. I cannot wait to read BloodMarked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Body horror, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit
jenmcreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
As a local, I knew as soon as I heard about Legendborn it had to go on my TBR and it absolutely did not disappoint. The way Deonn has layered this book with the Camelot derived fantasy elements as well as with the Southern history and experience of black people from the days of slavery to the present is really remarkable. It does not feel forced or didactic, the elements of the story fit together neatly and lead up to the truly thrilling conclusion of this part 1. The last 100 pages or so were paced so fantastically, and with such suspense I was totally unable to put the book down. Not just Bree, but the cast of characters are all beautifully developed and fleshed out. Tracy Deonn is on my must-buy authors list after this start!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia