Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

99 reviews

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.75

Bree has just lost her mother when she enters an early programme at university. If grief and this new life weren’t enough to deal with, she witnesses an attack by creatures who clearly aren’t human and suddenly her world expands. She discovers secret truths running through the fabric of what she knew, and finds herself in the midst of a very white secret society where she has to fight to prove she belongs even though she’s not sure about that herself.

This very clunky synopsis doesn’t cover half of what makes this book exciting. Although I’m not drawn to stories of evil creatures threatening the world, the way Tracy Deonn works with her tropes is stellar. Bree’s story of resilience and grief and blackness is intricately woven with a fast-paced narrative that had me reaching for this book over and over again. This book draws on some ancient themes (Arthurian legends, Black history in Southern USA) and shines a fresh, modern light on them. This book is admittedly more dark than academia, but there were very thoughtful narrative points in which the characters discovered untold truths about the past and their family histories. My favourite part may have been the balance between male, white, secret but official power, and the legacy of hidden Black power passed from generations through women. The way all the threads gathered between Bree’s fingers was extremely satisfying from a narrative point of view, and very moving as well.

I may not have been sold instantly on this book, but the speed at which I read the last hundred pages is a testament to how efficient it is.

Rep: Black MC, various LGBTQIA+ secondary characters including non-binary representation.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Sexual violence

emkplatts's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

I liked this book way more than I expected!!! It was so good! I love King Arthur retellings/adaptations, so I was pleasantly surprised when I started this book. My only critique is that I wanted more exploration of her powers and identity, but I'm hopeful that will come in the rest of the series. I also found the magic system a bit confusing with all of the medieval terms and rules etc. I thought the book discussed race and gender really thoughtfully. It integrated those real life elements into the fantastical world beautifully. It had a lot of important discourse woven into the fabric of the story, making it was easy to process. Which I felt was especially important for younger readers. I'm super excited to read the sequel and anxiously awaiting the third book to be released!

also my merthur heart is singing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, War, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism, Sexual violence, War, Violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death, and Car accident

Minor: Rape, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Murder, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

After Bree’s mother is killed in a car accident, she finds herself tangled up in a secret Arthurian society at UNC.

Before this year I hadn’t read a single Arthurian inspired fantasy, and now I’ve read two and I’m coming to the conclusion that I love them. This book was SO good—the world building is incredibly intricate but still manages to be accessible, and the plot had me actually gasping by the end.

In fantasy, it’s almost always the characters that are make or break for me, and I really enjoyed the characters here—especially both Nick and Sel. This is one of the rare times you’ll find me ALL THE WAY IN on a love triangle, and I can’t wait to get to Bloodmarked and see how things continue to play out.

Thanks to some awesome friends for buddy reading with me!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Arthurian myths; well-done representation; love triangles

CW: Death of parent; grief; racism/slavery; lots of death/blood/injury; mentions of sexual violence

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Car accident, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

notsobinaryart's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Sexism, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Medical content

rberdan's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I will be honest. I read the first half and a predictable thing I expected had already transpired so I wasn’t terribly invested, and then my Libby loan expired. I skipped my loan a few times and then it came back up a few days ago when I was in exactly the mood to read it while recovering from COVID and let me tell you… I did not put it down until I was done and promptly jumped to book two when I finished. 

I know enough about Arthurian legend to understand what’s going on, but I wouldn’t say I’m typically drawn to these stories, which is a testament to the author’s skill at storytelling. Sure, there were some predictable bits… it’s a YA novel and I expect this… but there were also some things I didn’t see coming and some different story elements in terms of both magic and the interweaving of power, elitism, and racism that were deftly woven. By the end of the noon I was already fully invested, and then when I read the author’s notes I retroactively had an even deeper appreciation for the work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Murder, Bullying, and Slavery

Minor: Sexual violence and Rape

ehmannky's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

A really good, fast-paced, and innovative spin on the Arthurian legends and a really beautiful look at the way that grief--both generational and personal molds can really do a number on people, especially young people of color. The strongest bits for me were the character building, when magic was actually being done, and the deep-dive into grief. I felt the Trials(TM) parts were the weakest links in this book, but hopefully they won't appear in book 2. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Violence and Blood

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Vomit

dailbrae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Misogyny, Rape, and Slavery

Minor: Alcohol

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, Body shaming, Classism, and Confinement

sambolin's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Death, Grief, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual violence

abisnail564's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Death of parent, Racism, and War

Moderate: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Pregnancy