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andelion's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Graphic: Racism, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Murder
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
“But grief isn’t a competition. It’s not an identical pain that we all meet one day when death finds us. It’s a monster, personalized by our love and memories to devour us just so. Grief is suffering, tailored.”
➽ Bloodmarked felt like a filler book and didn't live up to Legendborn at all! This was a big case of 'sequel syndrome' wherein Bloodmarked was mostly set up for the next book. I hope Oathbound is actually the finale, as I don't think I'll finish this series if it'll be longer than 3 books. I loved Legendbnorn when I read it and finally got around to checking out the sequel. Let's start with the positives of Bloodmarked first! The story follows Bree, a now awakened Scion of Arthur who is trying to prove herself as a leader in the upcoming war of demons against Legendborn. Her boyfriend Nick has been kidnapped and after the events of the first book, the Order is in disarray.
➽ I liked the themes of the book and the exploration of Bree's powers. Despite being meant a leader to the Legendborn, Bree immediately clashes with the Order. They aren't thrilled that Nick wasn't Arthur's descendant after all and now they're stuck with an unfamiliar face. Bree being a powerful Black girl just further sets them on edge as the society is very white and conservative. Just like in Legendborn, Bree is confronted by how traditional and backwards the Order can be. They're not planning on letting her take power and make decisions that easily, especially as her abilities are extraordinary for a Legendborn. I liked seeing the lengths the Regents went to in order to save face and control the narrative. They care less about stopping the war and more about their own politics and power struggles. I have to admit that I was a bit lost on the order hierarchy though. I still don't quite understand the function and goals of the Regents and thought they all were interchangeable as characters.
➽ Bree is also trying to control her Rootcraft and Legendborn powers. She still can't summon aether like normal Legendborn and is struggling with her new connection to Arthur. Bree definitely feels different from everyone else, as she's also a Medium and Bloodcrafter and deeply connected to her Root. She can't quite summon her Legendborn powers with intention, which is a problem as she's now hunted by the demons who want to kill her and end the Legenborn Cycle. Traitors are everywhere as even the Order wants to subdue her power. Bree feels more like a tool and an experiment than a person under their gaze. She's still dealing with her grief, anger and frustration that she can't do more to help. Her actions often get others in trouble, but I understood her feelings as she's constantly told what to do by everyone around her. I loved that the focus was more on Alice - Bree's best friend - and William - a healer from the lien of Gawain. I liked both characters in the first book and it was interesting to see Alice enter Bree's world as a Onceborn who can't see aether.
➽ The main issue Bloodmarked has is its slow pacing and plot that went all over the place. The first 30% were especially tough, as Bree's struggles with the Order were accompanied by info dumps and political squabbles. Even later, it felt like the search for Nick took a backseat as the characters walked around in circles. Sel, Bree, Alice and William didn't feel like they truly worked towards their goal of rescuing Nick, it felt like the plot happened to them. They were constantly taking steps back and changing their approach, so it felt like nothing happened except for the setup for Bree's powers. There was so much traveling and the focus of the story was everywhere. This didn't feel like Legendborn, because we left the setting and most characters behind. Even worse, it felt like the war took a backseat in the story, despite supposedly being the most important event that has the power to wipe out the entire world. Apart from Bree, Nick and William, the other Legendborn lines were barely mentioned. Most background characters felt interchangeable at this point, I couldn't tell the other Legendborn apart anymore.
➽ In the end, the audiobook for this was 22 hours long and even on 2x speed it felt neverending. Things only heated up in the very end! Even then, I didn't like some of Bree's choices.
➽ The romance was already my least favorite part of book 1 and this didn't improve here. You're out of luck if you're a Nick fan, as he's absent for most of the book and only occasionally appears via Bree's medium powers. In general, there were too many dream sequences/memory walks! I still like Sel as a character, but NOT as a love interest. His actions in the last book (almost killing Bree because he suspected she was a demon and generally harassing her) were somewhat addressed, but once again Bree is expected to absolve Sel of his guilt. He still acts like a jerk and his overprotectiveness annoyed me. I know he has his reasons, but I don't think he tried to understand Bree's frustration of being shoved to the back constantly. All Bree and him do is fight, so I don't see any positive connection between them. Sel betrayed Bree's trust -
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape and Slavery
molliford's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault
darkhorse488's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit this might be in my top 3 fantasy series of all time. By far one of the most creative magic systems I have ever read and the world building is top tier. The characters are also so richly drawn and continue to deepen in this book and I simply adore them. My only quibble is with the romance subplot here, but I can’t fault a YA book for reading like YA at times.
I absolutely loved Book 1 in this series but Book 2 is truly SOMETHING ELSE. The plot almost never lets off the gas past the first 50 pages and I was up reading this until 3 am last night. Bloodmarked is arguably even better then Legendborn which is extremely rare for a fantasy sequel. I truly cannot wait until book 3!
I absolutely loved Book 1 in this series but Book 2 is truly SOMETHING ELSE. The plot almost never lets off the gas past the first 50 pages and I was up reading this until 3 am last night. Bloodmarked is arguably even better then Legendborn which is extremely rare for a fantasy sequel. I truly cannot wait until book 3!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Violence and Racism
Minor: Slavery
dandan10's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Racism, Rape, and Death of parent
tourmaline1703's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
I adored Legendborn when I read it a couple of years ago and I can't believe it's taken me so long to get round to Bloodmarked. I cannot wait for the next book as I am pretty invested in this series and I think the stakes are going to keep ramping up throughout the next book.
The worldbuilding is beautiful and it's such an interesting concept. As it had been a while since I read the first book, it took me a while to remember everything but I got there eventually. We got to really dive deeper into the magic system, especially Bree's powers, of course, and got to understand how long rivalries and tensions had been around for. What of course makes me happiest, as a Welsh person, is the accuracy of the Welsh mythology, it is so pleasing to read.
The writing is wonderful, and the use of Old and Modern Welsh made me very happy. It felt like I was in on the characters' secrets because I could also understand what they were saying and the Welsh is written in beautifully. The start of the novel is written very cleverly as well with Bree's situation and I think the writing style reflected what she was going through very well.
The plot was well paced and I liked how that reflected the various obstacles characters were having to overcome. This novel isn't just characters on one mission and that's the sole plot, there are twists and obstacles in their way that keep the plot moving and changing. Despite this being a fantasy novel, the plot also deals with important modern issues such as racism and it discusses slavery a lot, which is incredibly important to discuss in the real world as well as its significance to the story.
I love the characters in this story and their dynamics with each other. It helped having a slightly smaller main cast of characters because we got to properly delve into their personalities and motives. It felt like there were actual risks as well, this isn't something where everyone constantly comes out unscathed, there are genuine risks. It is just fab.
The worldbuilding is beautiful and it's such an interesting concept. As it had been a while since I read the first book, it took me a while to remember everything but I got there eventually. We got to really dive deeper into the magic system, especially Bree's powers, of course, and got to understand how long rivalries and tensions had been around for. What of course makes me happiest, as a Welsh person, is the accuracy of the Welsh mythology, it is so pleasing to read.
The writing is wonderful, and the use of Old and Modern Welsh made me very happy. It felt like I was in on the characters' secrets because I could also understand what they were saying and the Welsh is written in beautifully. The start of the novel is written very cleverly as well with Bree's situation and I think the writing style reflected what she was going through very well.
The plot was well paced and I liked how that reflected the various obstacles characters were having to overcome. This novel isn't just characters on one mission and that's the sole plot, there are twists and obstacles in their way that keep the plot moving and changing. Despite this being a fantasy novel, the plot also deals with important modern issues such as racism and it discusses slavery a lot, which is incredibly important to discuss in the real world as well as its significance to the story.
I love the characters in this story and their dynamics with each other. It helped having a slightly smaller main cast of characters because we got to properly delve into their personalities and motives. It felt like there were actual risks as well, this isn't something where everyone constantly comes out unscathed, there are genuine risks. It is just fab.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Racism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Infidelity, Slavery, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment
rachelh92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Grief
lia_24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
I don't even know what to say. What are words?
This ending... That was uncalled for.
Some thoughts tho (includes spoilers):
1. The whole time I was terrified for my boy, my love, my life William. Perfection in person. The light of my life. And I am beyond relieved that he is alive. He better stay that way or I will lose my mind.
2. I have never wanted three people to all be together so much as I do with Bree, Nick and Sel. I am also very conflicted about this want. Mainly it roots in the fact that I can't decide who I want Bree to end up with, and also the fact that Sel and Nick have a lot of chemistry...
3. Alice??? How dare you, author, for blindsiding me with that. I hate it. She better be okay.
4. Speechless.
5. I really love William a lot.
6. I love the entire concept of root magic etc. I'm glad it has taken such a focal role in this book because everything about it is fascinating (and also very heartbreaking when it comes to the history)
That's it, I loved this hook.
This ending... That was uncalled for.
Some thoughts tho (includes spoilers):
1. The whole time I was terrified for my boy, my love, my life William. Perfection in person. The light of my life. And I am beyond relieved that he is alive. He better stay that way or I will lose my mind.
2. I have never wanted three people to all be together so much as I do with Bree, Nick and Sel. I am also very conflicted about this want. Mainly it roots in the fact that I can't decide who I want Bree to end up with, and also the fact that Sel and Nick have a lot of chemistry...
3. Alice??? How dare you, author, for blindsiding me with that. I hate it. She better be okay.
4. Speechless.
5. I really love William a lot.
6. I love the entire concept of root magic etc. I'm glad it has taken such a focal role in this book because everything about it is fascinating (and also very heartbreaking when it comes to the history)
That's it, I loved this hook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Grief, Racism, and Rape
charliebites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, War, and Hate crime
Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, and Vomit
musicanys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, and Rape