Reviews with content warning for Blood - Bloodmarked

I really love how incorporated her rootcraft is, and how everything is revealed!! Like her being marked by the shadow king? Absolutely fucking amazing. I loved but also didn't love how she got with sel, But I mainly love it. The ending was so juicy!!

The biggest flaw I found with this book was just that it was very confusing to me, there would be pages and pages I wouldn't understand but I'd have to act like it. But all in all, I really liked it!!

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areyoubibliokay's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective 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

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kellyinbookland's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

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kimschouwenaar's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

The stakes are higher, the plot has thickened, the danger has surged, Bloodmarked has arrived.

The reader was too stunned to speak.

Holy shit.

Holy SHIT

What a rollercoaster. I sat staring at the final page for a solid ten minutes before moving again, jaw dropped, tears in my eyes, unable to do anything but grip the book in silent agony. Bree didn't have a single moment of peace.

I am still unsure of what I should write here. Bree is everything I look for in a main character: passionate, caring, hilarious, unapologetic, vulnerable, flawed, the list goes on. She captivates you from cover to back like the sword-wielding King she is bound to become, someone so mesmerising you cannot look away. The distinction between Before-Bree and After-Bree that was so prominent in Legendborn slowly dissipates until we are left with Bree , someone I don't ever want to leave behind, and someone I will NEVER get sick of.

And Selwyn. Oh, my dear Selwyn Kane how I laughed, cried and rhapsodised about Bree right with you. Selwyn Kane is the dark-haired, magic-wielding, morally grey anti-hero I am convinced everyone needs. With Nick taken, Sel is even more central to the plot than in Legenborn. He's witty, proud, impulsive, protective and absolutely hilarious. Let's be honest, he does not succeed at hiding his attraction to Bree, but, as we all know, Sel isn't great at being vulnerable. Bree and Sel together means flaming chemistry and the best banter I have read in a while. They're both unwilling to outright admit what they feel for the other, and reading them had me giggling like a kid and kicking my legs in excitement.

There are but a few flaws: some questionable grammar and punctuation (because I am an editor in training now, and, unfortunately, I cannot help but notice these kind of things), and two or three minor, minor plot holes that made me think I missed or skipped pages that just weren't there. The distance and time between several places was unclear, and character's actions weren't always well developed.

However.

I knew about halfway through that this would become one of my all time favourite reads. And I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I rated this anything under 5 stars. Five isn't enough, I need Goodreads and StoryGraph to have more.

The only reason I wouldn't recommend you to read it right now is because the third instalment won't be published until the BEGINNING OF 2025?! Nevertheless, if you do read it right now then we can cry about it together. Hit me up if y'all want to rave about this book with me. I don't think I'll shut up anytime soon.

If you have come this far, I am very much looking for more book friends! You can find me on:
IG: kimschouwenaar
TT: _kimschouwenaar
Goodreads: Kim Schouwenaar

- <3

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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

I loved this book SO MUCH. Such an incredible sequel!!

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queenkath32's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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buud_w0rm's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Okay so i was really rooting for Bree and Nick but in this book with Nick gone for the most part and things heating up and getting emotional between her and Sel, I saw the appeal lmaoo. I'm very shook with the end because i don't know whattt is gonna happen to her now that her and the shadowking have that agreement. This makes me think there should be a third book but it wasn't even announced :(( oh well, I'm definitely getting the physical of this and am more than happy to reread Legend Borne as well as Bloodmarked!! The part where she turned into a dragon in king Arthur's dream was soo fucking cool!!! but also sad cuz it forced Sel to eat away her root to save all of them ... which made him succumb to his demon side. I neeeed the 3rd book neeeowwww!! Only thing was I felt that some of the new people in the story was a little hard to keep track of rememebering. Maybe I'll feel differently upon reread.

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the sequel to Legendborn and the second book in the series of the same name.

Selwyn Kane is EVERYTHING and honestly the primary reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did. Overall, I’d say this one suffered from a bit of a sophomore slump—I wasn’t as connected to or engaged with the plot, and I was a bit frustrated with some of the characters’ decisions and with the ending overall.

But SEL. When I latch on to a fictional character I never let them go, and Sel is absolutely mine now. I urgently need more books in this series specifically because I urgently need more of him.

Overall, even with some mild criticisms, I do enjoy this series and think the world and magic system here is so interesting! I highly recommend these books for anyone who enjoys older-YA fantasy, and particularly fantasy with diverse rep and Arthurian inspiration!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Arthurian legend; Welsh terms of endearment (IYKYK); Black Girl Magic (literally)

CW: Blood/injury/violence; grief; racism and sexism; discussions of slavery

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