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leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
This book absolutely wrecked me in the best way. After the perfection that is book one in this series, I didn't know if this book would live up to my expectations. I am very glad that I worried for no reason.
Bloodmarked gives us a further look into Bree's exploration of her powers. Being a medium, a Rootcrafter, and the Crown Scion for the line of Arthur, Bree is being pulled in several directions at once. She must make difficult choices in attempt to save herself and the ones she loves, all while deciding who she can trust, which is proving to be much more challenging than she thought it would be. Of course as Bree struggles with this, I do, too. Deonn did a great job of planting little distrustful thoughts in our minds as the twists and turns of characters continued. The constant toying with my emotions made it stressful in the best way; I couldn't stop turning pages.
In addition to the new characters introduced in this book, we continue to see character development of Bree and several of the other characters from Legendborn. I love seeing the way their stories unfold. There is a lot of depth to Deonn's characters and she is masterful at tying up any loose ends that she may construct. Speaking of loose ends, the way she leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end of this book....so cruel, but so good.
As in Legendborn, the themes of feminism, racism/racial discrimination, and death and grief were all very prevalent. The way Deonn writes these, it is clear that these themes are deeply personal to her, which makes the depth of the story so much stronger. There is no doubt in my mind that book 3 will be anything short of brilliant, just as these first two have been. I don't know how I am going to contain myself in the meantime, but I will continue to recommend this series to anyone and everyone.
Bloodmarked gives us a further look into Bree's exploration of her powers. Being a medium, a Rootcrafter, and the Crown Scion for the line of Arthur, Bree is being pulled in several directions at once. She must make difficult choices in attempt to save herself and the ones she loves, all while deciding who she can trust, which is proving to be much more challenging than she thought it would be. Of course as Bree struggles with this, I do, too. Deonn did a great job of planting little distrustful thoughts in our minds as the twists and turns of characters continued. The constant toying with my emotions made it stressful in the best way; I couldn't stop turning pages.
In addition to the new characters introduced in this book, we continue to see character development of Bree and several of the other characters from Legendborn. I love seeing the way their stories unfold. There is a lot of depth to Deonn's characters and she is masterful at tying up any loose ends that she may construct. Speaking of loose ends, the way she leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end of this book....so cruel, but so good.
As in Legendborn, the themes of feminism, racism/racial discrimination, and death and grief were all very prevalent. The way Deonn writes these, it is clear that these themes are deeply personal to her, which makes the depth of the story so much stronger. There is no doubt in my mind that book 3 will be anything short of brilliant, just as these first two have been. I don't know how I am going to contain myself in the meantime, but I will continue to recommend this series to anyone and everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing and Torture
Minor: Vomit and Rape
naturally's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
unfortunately, bloodmarked was a victim of the sophomore slump! the introduction of valec the cross roads baby from the memory walk in legendborn and the evolution of bree/sel were the only redeeming qualities of this book, for me. i still had a fun time reading. but, overall, bloodmarked is significantly weaker than it's predecessor...
the first 20% was very slow and infor-dumpy. plus, a large chunk of the story was spent away from the college setting that i fell in love with in book 1.
bree being disconnected from other black people worked with the themes that deonn wanted to explore in legendborn. however, bloodmarked, mostly exposes how bree's relationships with other black characters are centred around her having something to gain from them (be it therapeutic services, shelter or knowledge etc). the only relationship with a black person that feels non-transactional is the one she has with her father who wasn't around at all in book 2 :( . bree's attitude toward rootcraft was frustrating to read, because it was established that the practice was used to connect with the ancestors and that it focuses on reciprocal exchange. bree seemingly only calls on her ancestors when she needs them to teach her something, and the way she spoke to vera (an enslaved Black woman and victim of r*pe) was disgusting, disrespectful, UNGRATEFUL... whilst i understand that it was overwhelming for bree to deal with intergenerational trauma as well as her own...she displayed astoundingly little empathy and consideration for how vera suffered. vera made a deal with the shadow king and the ancestors so that her descendants (including bree) could LIVE. if not for that deal, her child, the true scion of arthur would have died. for a character who lamented about being unable to trace her lineage, it was strange that bree ended up destroying her own ancestral plane and sole method of conversing with the ancestors she only just discovered??? the series could be redeemed if bree reflects on her behaviour and choices, otherwise i'm failing to see what deonn wants the overall message of this series to be.
furthermore, i can at least appreciate that bree's messiness shines through in this book. her decision making,,,was not the best. as a reader, i was trapped in a weird cycle of witnessing her make the same dumb mistakes over and over and over again. how many times did i watch bree recklessly run into fights, knowing that her friends would put their lives on the line to save her untrained self???
perhaps it's that i read book 1 and 2 back-to-back, but the love triangle has lost it's flair a bit. the toxic side of me enjoyed sel and bree's chemistry - not a delena shipper, but their dynamic mirrors elena and damon in vampire diaries season three. however, it doesn't sit right with me that bree gave significantly more grace to her white love interest than her own ancestor...
nick was kind of a non-factor in this book, despite having a rescue mission triggered by his kidnapping. i'm confusion??? at least two more books are needed to flesh him out as a character and love interest, because bloodmarked exposes how little they know about each other outside of bloodline history and lust.
this review marks me taking a break from the series to get my head together. i'll probably return when the series has concluded.
going forward, i hope to see:
the first 20% was very slow and infor-dumpy. plus, a large chunk of the story was spent away from the college setting that i fell in love with in book 1.
bree being disconnected from other black people worked with the themes that deonn wanted to explore in legendborn. however, bloodmarked, mostly exposes how bree's relationships with other black characters are centred around her having something to gain from them (be it therapeutic services, shelter or knowledge etc). the only relationship with a black person that feels non-transactional is the one she has with her father
furthermore, i can at least appreciate that bree's messiness shines through in this book. her decision making,,,was not the best. as a reader, i was trapped in a weird cycle of witnessing her make the same dumb mistakes over and over and over again. how many times did i watch bree recklessly run into fights, knowing that her friends would put their lives on the line to save her untrained self???
perhaps it's that i read book 1 and 2 back-to-back, but the love triangle has lost it's flair a bit. the toxic side of me enjoyed sel and bree's chemistry - not a delena shipper, but their dynamic mirrors elena and damon in vampire diaries season three. however, it doesn't sit right with me that bree gave significantly more grace to her white love interest than her own ancestor...
nick was kind of a non-factor in this book, despite having a rescue mission triggered by his kidnapping. i'm confusion??? at least two more books are needed to flesh him out as a character and love interest, because bloodmarked exposes how little they know about each other outside of bloodline history and lust.
this review marks me taking a break from the series to get my head together. i'll probably return when the series has concluded.
going forward, i hope to see:
- bree having BLACK friends
the ancestors allowing alice, william and sel into volition...doesn't hold much weight because they aren't black. essentially, these are non-black characters entering black safe spaces and it feels a bit invasive rather than being a bonding experience. alice can do black hair??? SO??? i'm not sure what the reasoning was behind her not being black... - bree apologising to vera
- return of the unc setting
- more valec <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, War, Blood, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual violence
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
laleha's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
And now the wait for Book 3 begins…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Racism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Rape
Minor: Cursing and Drug use
houstonwegotaproblem's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: War, Torture, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Death
Minor: Cursing
bootsmom3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, War, Racism, Confinement, Medical trauma, Violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Death, Rape, Cursing, Blood, Death of parent, Slavery, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Infidelity
immovabletype's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
Not a perfect book but still so damn good. I care so much about these characters and their fates and cannot wait for the next book.
Note: How this book is classified as medium paced is beyond me. It is the definition of fast paced if I've ever seen one. These poor kids barely get to rest.
Note: How this book is classified as medium paced is beyond me. It is the definition of fast paced if I've ever seen one. These poor kids barely get to rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Medical trauma
Minor: War, Abandonment, and Rape
soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Stalking, Gore, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Cursing, Rape, Alcohol, Misogyny, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Medical content
Minor: Gun violence and Abandonment
books4bee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Violence, Confinement, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Kidnapping, and Murder
abbyschalupa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Enjoyed while reading, but afterwards the issues stuck with me. The plot is trying to do too many things at once and feels convoluted. A large theme has to do with mesmer and torture, gaslighting, and Bree not being able to trust herself. This was difficult for me to read. Many areas had Bree making choices that made no sense, and while the characters are lovable, they can also be insufferable and wind up in entirely avoidable situations. That said, it was still a fun read that I flew through and I'm hoping all the loose ends get tied together in the 3rd installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Torture, Blood, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Cursing, and Body horror
Minor: Slavery, Rape, and Colonisation
micaelamariem'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
If I hadn't screamed it from the rooftops yet, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is such an amazing YA fantasy and was one of my favorite reads of 2021. Naturally, I had preordered the sequel and waited (im)patiently for a year and a half to get my hands on it. And it's finally here!
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn, published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, is the sequel to Legenborn, following Bree's journey to understanding her ancestral links and inherited powers, while being on the run from those who don't believe she belongs and believes she is a threat.
As expected, this was an amazing read. I loved that we got to see more of my favorite characters and their interactions: Bree, Sel, Alice, and William. And actually, I loved getting more William in this book; I didn't know until now that I actually loved his character. I'm also pleased to see more Alice as we didn't get a lot of view of her character in Legendborn. Sel, of course, has my heart so I can never get enough of him. We are also introduced to a few new characters but it's Lark, particualrly, that I want to see more of in book three and I want to see some type of relationship between him and William.
I did love the developments in this book--the tension between Bree and Sel, the found family kind of feeling, the exploration of identity--especailly when it comes to bloodlines, power, and race. In some way or the other, we did see all characters wrestle with their identity, though Bree was the main focus.
I still think I liked Legendborn better because I liked the fresh feeling of being new to a campus and joining a secret society--it gave a very high school/college vibe, whereas this was more on the road which the plot necessitated but it led us to not see as many character interactions.
I will say this series makes me want to learn Welsh and I'm considering adding that on DuoLingo. And I also feel kind of bad, because it's a YA novel, but I don't want a love triangle, I want a throuple....anyway...
The ending was very intense and I really hope we get to see Sel's interaction with his mom. I want more Lark, more William, more Alice. And I want to figure out if this will truly be a love triangle.
Basically, I need book three ASAP. Bloodmarked gets four stars from me--mostly because some of the on the road bits didn't hold my attention as much.
Still highly reccomend for fantasy and retelling lovers. If you liked the show Merlin, you'll like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Alcohol, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexism, and Violence