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antijeffbozo_love2read'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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Cursing, Slavery, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Child abuse, Racism, Bullying, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident and Rape
Minor: Sexual content
qgg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I really liked this book. Bree is a fantastic lead character. The 16-year-old-in-college-with-wisdom-beyond-her-years-because-her-mother-died took me a bit of time, but then I got into the book and let that go. The beginning of the story is eerily similar to Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones. However, Bree still has her supportive dad, she has a therapist trying to connect her to her mom’s people and she has a whole depth to her grief that grounds her as a character. She’s not a complete Mary Sue character for much of the book. She does have an odd set of skills that make it dangerous to be her. The mystery keeps the plot moving. The romance triangle is not my thing so I can’t give this book 5 stars. I’m also not clear on how old Nick and Sel are? It might be gross. I only guessed 1/3 of the twists in the end of the book. Do not click on spoilers if you haven’t read the book!!! I guessed that Bree would be officially legendborn through rape. I did not guess that she would be of Arthur’s line. I also did not guess that it was Nick’s dad who was opening the demon gates.
I love a book when I can’t see all of the twists coming from a mile away!
I love a book when I can’t see all of the twists coming from a mile away!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Racism, Violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Rape
Moderate: Colonisation and Infidelity
chalkletters's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
I knew from Kate's description that Legendborn was dark academia meets Arthuriana with a fantastic twist. None of those things necessarily appeals to me particularly, but I did appreciate the moment I put the book down about a third in to ask myself whether that was 'the twist' or if there was another one coming. (I won't spoil anyone’s own appreciation by answering that question here.)
Tracey Deonn, first and foremost, does that thing great young adult books do (and some other books, as well): all Bree's emotions are incredibly real and raw. The grief over losing her mother, the giddy attraction to Nick, the anger and disgust in response to racism all jump out from the pages. In turn, this makes the relationships very compelling — whether it's the romance or Bree’s friendship with Alice or the steadfast support of her father. Legendborn really fired on all emotional cylinders.
As discussed, the plot is also impactful with at least one jaw-dropping twist. Bree's storyline is tight and easy to keep track of. Her antagonism with Sel, and the way that changes over the course of the novel, really adds depth to the action. However, the number of scions and squires and descendants of the knights of the round table get a little hard to track. Reliably remembering whether a specific page is on Bree's side or against proved challenging, let alone accurately tracking who makes up each of the bonded pairs. It always becomes obvious who’s who fairly quickly, but apart from Greer few of the characters on this level stand out as particularly distinct, which did make the death scenes less emotionally-affecting than they could have been.
While it’s not a perfect book, I really enjoyed Legendborn and will definitely be adding the sequel to my TBR.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Blood, and Racial slurs
Minor: Car accident, Slavery, Infidelity, and Misogyny
patienceholmes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.5
My only real criticism is that sometimes the messages were a little heavy handed. I think the author felt the need to make things very clear but in some bits it was a bit overdone and came off a little cringey. I think considering this is her first work though that’s totally understandable.
I personally found it a little too cliche with the romance aspects but I think so many people would love it for that and that’s personal taste.
Aside from that it was really great. I loved the focus on grief, I loved the magic system and learning how it all worked, I loved the way the characters were expanded on and delving deeper into their backstories.
I personally found it a little too cliche with the romance aspects but I think so many people would love it for that and that’s personal taste.
Aside from that it was really great. I loved the focus on grief, I loved the magic system and learning how it all worked, I loved the way the characters were expanded on and delving deeper into their backstories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, War, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Car accident, and Bullying
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
kimilyn's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I’ve been hearing about this book for years. People raving about how good it is. Now that I think back no one ever mentioned any specifics.. probably because this book is actually pretty average. The magic system is interesting but it takes a while to understand it and there were a lot of info dumps and not many demonstrations.
Characters
The characters are pretty bland. Everyone has a nickname. Eg. Sar and Tor and Sel and Whitty. But there aren’t a lot of defining characteristics. It felt like everyone was just doing what the plot demanded and weren’t making choices based on their needs or wants. When certain characters were in mortal danger I didn’t really care because I didn’t know them enough to care.
The two main boys were your typical golden haired good boy and dark haired bad boy. Each with their own super-tragic-traumatic-secret-backstory. Given the way the two boys are connected I wouldn’t mind a little polyamory between the three of them… But I doubt the author will be brave enough to do that. Trad pub and all. unfortunate because that would have made them a lot more interesting besides them fulfilling their trope roles and being “omfg! 😳 so shmexy! 🥵 can’t focus 😍”
Bree just felt stupid. There were a couple things the author was going for here according to the author’s note. Related to trauma and secret magic reasons, but for me it just didn’t work. I didn’t ever know why Bree was doing what she was doing. And not in a fun way that made me want to know more. It was more in a frustrating way that made me want to quit reading. Also can someone go back and keep track of how many times she passed out at the end of a scene? because I’m pretty sure it was more than five.
Plot
According to the author’s note the goal was to center Bree’s relationship with her mother and ancestors. But to me the only thing that was centered were the boys she was obsessed with. There was definitely a focus on Bree wanting to find out what really happened to her mom, but that wasn’t about their relationship. That was just a mystery to solve that happened to make her spend time with the hot boys. The ancestors storyline picked up near the end but it didn’t really seem centered. More of an addendum.
Plot Twists/Reveals (No Spoilers)
I usually enjoy plot twists. But not when they come out of nowhere with no hints or setup. During the last fourth of the book it felt like every few pages was another reveal or twist. Some of them worked but some of them were kind of annoying because it felt like the author was just throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. I’m sure it was well planned out but it was a lot and for me personally not everything hit in the way I think it was intended.
Worldbuilding
The whole Legendborn thing is a very interesting idea. But it was explained in either info dumps or from Bree magically connecting dots. It was very confusing for me for a lot of the book. I think I got most of it by the end but it took a lot to get there. I like exploring a fantasy world but every time there was a new pause in the story for another info dump I was just irritated.
Racism
Just to preface this I am a black woman and fantasy is my favorite genre. Any time I can see myself reflected in the genre is a win. This included. But I prefer when racism, especially anti-black racism, is left out completely. I get why it wasn’t here. Kind of a crucial piece of the story. but to me it could have been handled more intentionally.
The actual day-to-day racism Bree experienced felt like superficial representations. Most felt over the top or heavy-handed. Maybe my experiences with racism have been different from this author’s. But the racism I usually see is a lot more subtle when it’s face to face. More passive aggressive and disguised.
It also was weird that this was a very white, historic secret society, yet there were only one or two instances when someone made Bree feel unwelcome. From my experience it felt unrealistic. Places and people like that will make black people feel othered all day long. did you see Get Out? That was way more accurate. The looks, the comments, the body language. Wish there had been more of that here to emphasize Bree’s sense of not belonging.
And I know this book was long so there probably wasn’t room, but some nuance around the discussion of racism would have been nice. Like if either of her boyfriends had been unintentionally racist a few times so she could correct and educate them. Just a little more acknowledgment that everyone is a at least a bit racist, intentionally or not but that doesn’t make you a bad person if you learn from it and do better.
Diversity
There were five non-white characters in this book. And I think there were four LGBTQ+ characters.
It was weird to me that Bree kept talking about being black and wanting to connect with her heritage, but made no efforts to connect to black kids her age. Bree had zero black friends.
All the LGBTQ+ kids felt like afterthoughts. There was a non-binary kid and the vibe was that they were such a disruption and almost as much of an outsider as Bree. But it was just said, no one ever actually treated them any differently.
Final Thoughts
Like I said, for me this was average. Probably won’t pick up the rest of the series. But if you like a twist on Aurthurian Legend with a black lead, go for it.
**(Also am I crazy or is it weird that Bree is sixteen and her love interests are at least nineteen? That age gap is weird right?)
Characters
The characters are pretty bland. Everyone has a nickname. Eg. Sar and Tor and Sel and Whitty. But there aren’t a lot of defining characteristics. It felt like everyone was just doing what the plot demanded and weren’t making choices based on their needs or wants. When certain characters were in mortal danger I didn’t really care because I didn’t know them enough to care.
The two main boys were your typical golden haired good boy and dark haired bad boy. Each with their own super-tragic-traumatic-secret-backstory. Given the way the two boys are connected I wouldn’t mind a little polyamory between the three of them… But I doubt the author will be brave enough to do that. Trad pub and all. unfortunate because that would have made them a lot more interesting besides them fulfilling their trope roles and being “omfg! 😳 so shmexy! 🥵 can’t focus 😍”
Bree just felt stupid. There were a couple things the author was going for here according to the author’s note. Related to trauma and secret magic reasons, but for me it just didn’t work. I didn’t ever know why Bree was doing what she was doing. And not in a fun way that made me want to know more. It was more in a frustrating way that made me want to quit reading. Also can someone go back and keep track of how many times she passed out at the end of a scene? because I’m pretty sure it was more than five.
Plot
According to the author’s note the goal was to center Bree’s relationship with her mother and ancestors. But to me the only thing that was centered were the boys she was obsessed with. There was definitely a focus on Bree wanting to find out what really happened to her mom, but that wasn’t about their relationship. That was just a mystery to solve that happened to make her spend time with the hot boys. The ancestors storyline picked up near the end but it didn’t really seem centered. More of an addendum.
Plot Twists/Reveals (No Spoilers)
I usually enjoy plot twists. But not when they come out of nowhere with no hints or setup. During the last fourth of the book it felt like every few pages was another reveal or twist. Some of them worked but some of them were kind of annoying because it felt like the author was just throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. I’m sure it was well planned out but it was a lot and for me personally not everything hit in the way I think it was intended.
Worldbuilding
The whole Legendborn thing is a very interesting idea. But it was explained in either info dumps or from Bree magically connecting dots. It was very confusing for me for a lot of the book. I think I got most of it by the end but it took a lot to get there. I like exploring a fantasy world but every time there was a new pause in the story for another info dump I was just irritated.
Racism
Just to preface this I am a black woman and fantasy is my favorite genre. Any time I can see myself reflected in the genre is a win. This included. But I prefer when racism, especially anti-black racism, is left out completely. I get why it wasn’t here. Kind of a crucial piece of the story. but to me it could have been handled more intentionally.
The actual day-to-day racism Bree experienced felt like superficial representations. Most felt over the top or heavy-handed. Maybe my experiences with racism have been different from this author’s. But the racism I usually see is a lot more subtle when it’s face to face. More passive aggressive and disguised.
It also was weird that this was a very white, historic secret society, yet there were only one or two instances when someone made Bree feel unwelcome. From my experience it felt unrealistic. Places and people like that will make black people feel othered all day long. did you see Get Out? That was way more accurate. The looks, the comments, the body language. Wish there had been more of that here to emphasize Bree’s sense of not belonging.
And I know this book was long so there probably wasn’t room, but some nuance around the discussion of racism would have been nice. Like if either of her boyfriends had been unintentionally racist a few times so she could correct and educate them. Just a little more acknowledgment that everyone is a at least a bit racist, intentionally or not but that doesn’t make you a bad person if you learn from it and do better.
Diversity
There were five non-white characters in this book. And I think there were four LGBTQ+ characters.
It was weird to me that Bree kept talking about being black and wanting to connect with her heritage, but made no efforts to connect to black kids her age. Bree had zero black friends.
All the LGBTQ+ kids felt like afterthoughts. There was a non-binary kid and the vibe was that they were such a disruption and almost as much of an outsider as Bree. But it was just said, no one ever actually treated them any differently.
Final Thoughts
Like I said, for me this was average. Probably won’t pick up the rest of the series. But if you like a twist on Aurthurian Legend with a black lead, go for it.
**(Also am I crazy or is it weird that Bree is sixteen and her love interests are at least nineteen? That age gap is weird right?)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Grief, Death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Classism, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Infidelity
zarhara's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Torture
spooderman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Bullying, Grief, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Classism, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Slavery, Death, Car accident, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Torture, Hate crime, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Mental illness, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Ableism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, Rape, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
vivavia's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racism, Torture, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Murder, Body horror, and Car accident
naturally's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.75
TRACY DEONN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS!!!
it's been a while since i picked up a ya book, so legendborn was the perfect book to mark my return. deonn effortlessly infuses arthurian legends (merlin & the knights of the round table etc), rootwork, the history of chattel slavery and the deep south, secret societies and more into her debut. all praise and accolades are well deserved! i will confess that the plot felt very info-dumpy from the 20% mark onwards, but i'm so happy that i stuck with it, because the worldbuilding was so rich and immersive. the author's note at the end was an excellent touch - i always love hearing about an author's reasoning behind certain themes/elements/plot points. it's clear deonn put a tonne of thought into the legendborn cycle-verse.
bree's journey of grief was so heart-breaking...i just wanted to reach into the pages and hug her. she's a heroine that i was rooting (no pun intended!) for from the onset. her experiences as a black girl (wash day, being the only black guest in a room etc) made her extremely relatable as well...and added to the protectiveness i felt over her as a character.
typically, i don't care for the love triangle trope, but this book singlehandedly made me a fan. omg nick doesn't play around when it comes to bree!!! my fave golden-hearted golden boy. he compliments bree so well and he is the source of affection and reassurance that she needs considering how much death she is surrounded by. the explanation behind their insta-love was genius too.
on the other hand...sel is just that GUY!!!! he and bree's relationship is more of an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn and i'm 10000000% invested already. their chemistry is literally electric???? they've also got me wondering if deonn is a vampire diaries fan bc the bonnie/damon/bamon/delena vibes were off the charts lol.
i honestly don't mind who bree ends up with. i was also getting throuple vibes i scream i scrumpt when sel confessed he used to be in love with nick!!!!
my only criticisms were 1) the order system was a little TOO complex. as an adult, i was struggling to keep up. teenage me would have been lost. 2) these characters read like they were in their early 20s to me, especially in terms of looks, intellect and maturity. (i feel the same way about leigh bardugo's six of crows duology idk) - this is more commentary about the lack of space for new adult protagonists in the trad publishing industry though.
it's been a while since i picked up a ya book, so legendborn was the perfect book to mark my return. deonn effortlessly infuses arthurian legends (merlin & the knights of the round table etc), rootwork, the history of chattel slavery and the deep south, secret societies and more into her debut. all praise and accolades are well deserved! i will confess that the plot felt very info-dumpy from the 20% mark onwards, but i'm so happy that i stuck with it, because the worldbuilding was so rich and immersive. the author's note at the end was an excellent touch - i always love hearing about an author's reasoning behind certain themes/elements/plot points. it's clear deonn put a tonne of thought into the legendborn cycle-verse.
bree's journey of grief was so heart-breaking...i just wanted to reach into the pages and hug her. she's a heroine that i was rooting (no pun intended!) for from the onset. her experiences as a black girl (wash day, being the only black guest in a room etc) made her extremely relatable as well...and added to the protectiveness i felt over her as a character.
typically, i don't care for the love triangle trope, but this book singlehandedly made me a fan. omg nick doesn't play around when it comes to bree!!! my fave golden-hearted golden boy. he compliments bree so well and he is the source of affection and reassurance that she needs considering how much death she is surrounded by. the explanation behind their insta-love was genius too.
on the other hand...sel is just that GUY!!!! he and bree's relationship is more of an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn and i'm 10000000% invested already. their chemistry is literally electric???? they've also got me wondering if deonn is a vampire diaries fan bc the bonnie/damon/bamon/delena vibes were off the charts lol.
i honestly don't mind who bree ends up with. i was also getting throuple vibes
my only criticisms were 1) the order system was a little TOO complex. as an adult, i was struggling to keep up. teenage me would have been lost. 2) these characters read like they were in their early 20s to me, especially in terms of looks, intellect and maturity. (i feel the same way about leigh bardugo's six of crows duology idk) - this is more commentary about the lack of space for new adult protagonists in the trad publishing industry though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Sexism, Death of parent, Classism, Blood, Death, Grief, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: War and Car accident
Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, and Infidelity
emjen16's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is AMAZING! Such a beautiful and raw take on grief, racism, and slavery. The world building was incredible, the characters are so lovable and real, and so many plot twists to keep you on your toes. In short, just read it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Classism, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
Minor: Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy