Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Legendborn

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!

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sambolin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.0

Legendborn took a minute to get into. Much like the main character there was a lot of world building to catch onto. It was extremely rich in lore and the world. But at the beginning it was dense, and a little hard to get into. As Bree figures things out (and we do too) the pace picks up and is a non-stop read. I loved the twists this author incorporated. Even more so, my favorite part was the intricate weaving of generational trauma and microagressions- in a way that felt real and not teachy or preachy to readers. It wasn’t glossed over or forgotten- it was clear throughout.

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mishshell's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

This is like a high 4.5
I could even almost go 4.75 but It just took me quite a while to understand the magic system and all the new words
But so worth it for the second half of the books

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chalkletters's review

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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.

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