Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Lendários

Bree's mom has just died in a car accident, but she has just been accepted into an early College plan, and she needs to get away from the house where her Dad is pining. She finds herself embroiled In a magic school with a twist, when she is drawn into a secret society that may or may not have something to do with the death of her mother. The story is somewhat romantic, but with a little bit of a triangular.. thing.. going on. Either way there is very little mooshy stuff and no hanky let alone panky.

Being one of the few Black girls on campus, Bree finds being in an elite society of blood and oath bonded mages pretty irksome. She is continually reminded that she doesn't belong, whether being mistaken as wait-staff, assumed to have been allowed entry as "affirmative action", or just wandering in the school gardens and finding a monument to the nameless slaves who built the campus.

Her boyfriend's paranoid bodyguard is sure that she's actually secretly a demon who is trying to manipulate or kill him... and just when she feels like she might be getting a grip on what is going on, she meets with a woman who used to know her mother, who tells her that this order of Blood Mages she has met with, are colonial scum who have stolen their magic, who never consider balance, and who are causing most of the imbalance that is drawing evil manifestations into the world.

And how do you learn all this stuff and still keep it secret from your childhood best friend.. with whom you are supposed to be living the college dream? To get anywhere Bree is going to have to start being honest with herself, get in touch with her own power, and be vulnerable enough to ask for help from unlikely places.

We've got a bit of diversity despite things being very White-centric. One of the main characters has relationships with guys and girls, another is non-binary gender (they/them), and Bree's best friend Alice is Taiwanese American. I've listened to a few books that have been read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and she does a solid job, but in this particular book where most of the characters are White, it makes my brain work doubly hard. I have to keep reminding myself that the young men she is hanging out with are not Black. It's very easy for my brain to be lulled into the idea that Selwyn is a Black lad, because that's how his voice sounds in the narration. Maybe I just need to concentrate harder.

Quite a lengthy book, but it really does close off with a "first book feel" that leaves you wondering about enough to bring you back for another round... maybe later though.

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directorpurry's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

2.5

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anniehayez's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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

This book sucked me into the world so fast. I love the characters and the magic and everything about it. I quite literally couldn’t put it down. The way this book highlights the everyday burden or micro and macro aggressions that black people face in America everyday was eye opening and infuriating. The book was able to tackle so many tough topics like racism, grief, and painful legacies without getting weighed down. The ending was epic and painful all at the same time. The only reason it’s not 5 stars for me was that I felt Alice’s character felt significantly underdeveloped and her relationship with Bree is told to us rather than shown many times. I also felt that some of the plot points were too similar to other YA fantasy and leaned a little too much on some recognizable tropes but I loved it so much I can get past all that. 1000% would recommend this to people and would absolutely read it again. I’m ordering the second book in the series immediately.

Update after reading Bloodmarked:

I stand by my criticism that some aspects of the first book lean a bit on classic YA tropes (games/trials, love triangle, nobody with powers). I also stand by the fact that Alice and Bree’s relationship is not explained enough in this book but now I completely love the two of them. I wouldn’t change a thing about the first book after reading the second book. Everything in this book is a fun way to enter this amazing world. Bloodmarked is so closer to a 5 star book and this is just a hair behind. Definitely one of my top 4.5s of the year.

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bookthief's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

5.0

A couple of years i ago I watched the BBC series Merlin and I loved it and when I heard about this book, which has a modern day retelling of a modern day Arthurian Legend, I knew I would love this book!

Bree was a fantastic character. She was strong, brave and resilient. I loved how throughout the book she accepted her grief for her mother and used it to discover the story of her origin through her ancestors. I was so surprised at the end that Bree was actually the Scion of Arthur. But I’m so glad that she is because she would be a great leader and king. Her powers are incredible and awesome and super strong. I can’t wait to see what type of king she will become in the next book!

Nick was an incredibly kind and determined person. The way he helped Bree when they had only known each other for less than a day was very sweet, and putting his life on the line several times for her. I would love it if Nick and Bree got together and stayed together as they work so well together. However a small part of me wants Sel to swoop in and be with Bree:)

The writing of the book was brilliant. The organisation was done perfectly as everything flowed smoothly and leaving mysteries at the perfect time.

I would definitely recommend this book to those of you who like fantasy and retelling of Arthurian Legend.

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