morgasm 's review for:

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

4.0

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Bad first:

This series is in the unfortunate position of having very high expectations from me because it is, in fact, very good, so this time around I came in knowing it would be stellar and was not swept off my feet when it was. That is my fault tbh. 

I have now read two books published in 2022 that

have a *best to ever do it but doesn’t know her power* girly borrows too much power from the folklorian king that lives inside her and he sneakily possesses her body right after she finally has her romantic heart-to-heart with her dark haired, moody love interest (who has a name with a y in it) to the heartbreak of all and she is relegated to spend some time in his hibernation dream world where she drowns for a bit in the local water source, meets said king’s loved ones, wreaks havoc, and is called back violently

. This would have been SUCH a strong point in the book for me if I hadn’t read

One Dark Window

first. I am honestly kind of salty that I had that reading experience because I’d already felt the frustration, anxiety, and curiosity about my main girl

being betrayed and possessed by her king

. 

I am often one to judge characters- especially teens- for emotional outbursts or bad communication. Personal flaw, I know. I am not working on it. But of course since this is YA that happened in the plot and it will always grate on me a little bit. 

The sequel had a less contained story and plot than the first book which had clear goals, conflicts, and twists. This one was a bit more amorphous so some twists were less twisty because I had a hard time pinning down where it was “supposed” to go anyway. 

Nick is basic but Sel is cliched. I like and dislike both in equal measure. 

Now. Briana Matthews.

Why on earth did you scorch the ancestral plane to free yourself from outside control just to sell yourself to the literal Devil? You are smart and now know that the Hunter will only ever protect you so you would 1000% be able to train and fuck around with your power knowing he would protect you from death and harm. And you don’t need to literally burn bridges with your ancestors and their strength- Vera especially- to get away from them when you can literally just stop calling. Maybe you just want Sel to heal….? But girly this is the end of the world we’re talking about. That is an unbalanced trade

.

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Now the good:
This series is so unique and exceptional in so many ways. The world itself started out very strong with how the Order and Legendborn would intersect with real world structures which is something that a lot of stories absolutely fail to do. I know that sometimes fantasy is meant to just be fantasy, but it is so incredible to be in a universe that expertly grounds the fantasy in real world events, structures, and hopes. I know a lot of people don’t like “low fantasy” but this series excels BECAUSE it is folklore and history in one. Love it. 

I had so much fun learning about the magic outside of the Order. So much of this book is influenced by revelations about the

traditionalist propaganda of the Order

so it was great to explore the magic that existed outside of it. It makes a lot of sense that while Bree is exceptional, there’s gonna be a lot more magic like hers and new to her considering there were

two Rootcrafters in her immediate radius in book one

. I was ready for lore expansion (thank you for the tip, Monika), so I was able to enjoy the info dumps when they came along. 

I am endlessly impressed by Tracy Deonn’s ability to introduce and characterize so many individuals. There are a lot of names at all times, but even if I can’t remember who is what name, I can know their vibe and feel the distinctions between the characters. I’m usually so fatigued in books and series that add in new people all the time because it can feel like a a) crutch, b)  nuisance, and/or c) diversity play. None of these characters feel like that. It’s incredible. My favorites introduced in this book were

Valec and Samira

. 

William is the best. I love him. For some reason Nick feels like a blank “white boy of the month” but Will feels so fleshed out and sincere. I love him. 

IM SO GLAD

BREE IS A DRAGON

!!!!I GUESS IT AND

ITS ONLY AETHER

BUT FUCK YES!!!

As much as I hate reading about teenagers kissing (I just age them up whenever it happens) the tension is written well. I respect it. 

I. Loved.

Volition

. It makes sense with the magic, the story, the history, and god it is cathartic and beautiful. 

The

“Erebus is the Shadow King” reveal was delightful. His protective but cruel nature towards Bree was always interesting and complex and it just makes so much sense. I love a reveal like that.

I really liked the

“actually nothing is old and the Order is modern because the Regents are a controlling pair of shitbags”

angle. Love. 


Glad we’re finally meeting

Morgaines

after hearing about them in both books. 

I think this book was an even more compelling story about grief than the first book. It was much more complex and extended to multiple forms of grief within universe. 

I love a fast-paced book. I put this book off for so long because it is massive with tiny font and it moved pretty quickly even though I was in a major reading slump. 

I loved it when

Max died

. 


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The neutral
I wish

Alice had died instead of going comatose

. You know it won’t happen because

the narrative is building up her Mesmer immunity and partial sensitivity to aether

but it just doesn’t hit as hard. Granted I like

Alice

so ultimately I won’t complain. 

This book wouldn’t lose anything by aging up the cast to college age. I figure the author wanted to specifically give young black girls a YA book for them, but unlike w the hunger games where their young age is important to the plot I think this book could gain even more maturity and nuance with an older cast. 

There are some slight contradictions in the book, specifically about consent and judgment. None are clear or bad enough to ruin the narrative but it’s kinda…. Annoying. 

There is no need. No need. To write in a Scottish accent into the physical dialogue. I can imagine it just fine without “youse” “ma da” and all the other stuff. Slang is one thing but bro that got me going lmao

I hate reading a series that isn’t out yet. I’m tryna do one book per year so I can read the final book when it drops but it is difficult to retain information between reads for such a dense world. 

I wish this existed when I was younger. It would’ve made me woke so much sooner.