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Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

32 reviews

lucy_shanners's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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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.

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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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sunrae_booknook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

Bree really went into this book still dealing with grief in so many different forms. It was refreshing to see book two not disregard that and in fact build on that and the struggle of ancestral trauma and becoming her own character and not what other people expect or want from her. Yes there is a subplot of romance but this story isn’t about the love triangle between white boys, it’s about Bree. Forever team Bree and here for whatever she decides to do in book 3.

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tabbyclancy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? N/A

5.0

I can't review this without spoilers, so be aware.

Spoiler

Deonn owns my soul with the Legendborn Cycle Series. These are the books I needed and wanted when I was a teenager, and I am thoroughly enjoying them now as an adult. This is a series that doesn't shy away from things, preferring to stare straight down the barrel at them.

The first book pulled us into Bree's world of grief and determination, and this second book shows us Bree's transition from child to woman. It's a journey that's really subtle while you're reading it, once you sit back and go over the parts you loved most, it becomes increasingly mores apparent. Now, this isn't some romanticized notion of adulthood. This is making mistakes, having your agency taken from you, the validity of your statements questioned - all things we start to experience as teens and sometimes continue to have to battle well into adulthood.

This narrative challenges the status quo from the outset of the second book. Bree is King Arthur's heir, Scion, and wheeeeew-eee, no one is that accepting of it outside of the people most loyal to Bree. Words like mistake are thrown around, it's blatantly implied that Bree is an inconvenience to the Regent Council because she's black. She's set to turn their world on it's head. If only they figured out she'd do it even if they didn't allow her too.

It's a story that has threads within it that resonate with me to a degree I wasn't ready for but embrace eagerly. Trapped between two worlds, do you appease to 'dominant' culture/status quo or do you kick the culture and quo to the curb. Finding yourself within and beyond the expectations of those around you is a coming of age that we all face. But the nuanced way of telling readers that the rules aren't always here to help, leaves me breathless. Death and grief are never shadowed, or glossed over here, in fact Deonn makes it a point to address grief in world and in her author notes which are just fantastic.

Everyone knows Arthur as a righteous and good king, except, well, look at history. War and the Warrior kings are bloody, and this tale shows us the man so defined by grief that he wasn't anything but a soldier in the end. One bent on 'fixing' things so it wouldn't happen again. The most pure of intentions that leads people straight down into the bowels of hell.

Bree is dear to my heart, not just because she faces struggles that echo mine within a far more dire context, but she gives voice to things people just don't like to think about. Over, and over again. Not once is she truly taken by any one doctrine. She works within the knowledge given and then continues to shift perspective the more information she has. Which is such a real-world thing that people do and represented so beautifully in this book. Her frustration, her fear, her need to be in control when everything is rapidly spinning out of it. Her loyalty is breathtaking when you look at it after a first read. She's told that dragons defend what's theirs and burn the rest and runs with it and I am cheering for her in the background.

I eagerly look forward to the next installment.

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quirkykayleetam'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

I tried to rate this book lower than a 5 and I could not. This is a true sequel to Legendborn.

As the heir of two magical bloodlines, the descendants of King Arthur and the daughters of Vera, black women who have sacrificed themselves since slavery so their daughters could stand when they had to run, Bree Mathews may be the most powerful human on the planet. Now she has to deal with the expectations that power comes with. How does she supposed to rule as King over a racist institution with manipulative adults working their own schemes that she never fit into? How does she rescue her boyfriend from demons and white supremacists who think he is the heir to the throne? How does she control her power as her different strains of magic interact with each other in unprecedented ways? How does she chose her own destiny?

Bloodmarked has many of the same flaws as Legendborn: Just when you get a handle on the magic system, the novel throws you for a loop, changing the rules at play for Bree again. Playing to YA tropes, the book focuses too much on the tension within the "Love Triangle," when the characters interact beautifully when all three all together. Additionally, Bloodmarked sidelines many beloved characters from the first book. While the sequel introduces incredibly new characters in their place, a part of me wanted more of the minor Legendborn Scions we fell in love with in book one.

However, Bloodmarked also has all the strengths of the first book. I am whiter than a country club golf ball and I connect to the way Deonn illustrates the lived experience of black women living in the South today. One scene shows how white women will stand up to the patriarchy about rape, but will bury the issue of race when a white man rapes a black woman. The entire concept of Volition beautifully, beautifully shows why African Americans need safe spaces.

This book is imperfect, but important. I cannot stop thinking about it and I do not think I ever will.

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