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A review by helliepad
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
After reading this, I was sure I was born in the right century, in just the right time, to be able to read this book and appreciate its wonderfulness wholly. A work of art, as Tracy Deonn mixes Arthuriana with her own Southern Black culture and delivers what I can say is very much a classic.
Storywise, the book is a gripping read in that it grabs you by the neck and doesn't let up until you're crying and sobbing big, happy, sad tears on your book or ebook reader. The protagonist is Bree Matthews, a sixteen year old Black woman who is dealing with the grief of recently losing her mother and is suddenly thrust into a world of Chosen Ones and Round Table Knights and their Glowy Magic. It is very easy to get lost in the frills of any Arthuriana retelling, as there are plenty of engaging stuff from the various source materials that can resonate with people of all ages, and it is also very easy to let mortal characters get lost in a fantasy narrative and let the pretty backdrop take over. Legendborn does not do it the easy way. Instead, it decides to walk up the steep rocky hill with considerable weights on its limbs, starts climbing at the crack of dawn, and manages to get on top before anyone else does. And that's what makes it great.
At its heart, Legendborn is a fantasy story set in a contemporary modern world. One that does not ignore the implications of extraordinary magic among mortals- nor the accompanying entanglement of social, interpersonal, and personal issues that arise because of, or even beside it. The narrative is immensely loving to its characters, who go through so much hardship that it would've felt like Game of Thrones if George R.R. Martin wrote better, without being too naive about the world it has made. The characters grieve, the characters react, and they have the agency that gives them life beyond words. This is a story so good that only someone who has personally experienced the core of herself could've wrote it. The stakes were higher than any fantasy book I've ever read, and they only got higher with every page turn and positively ascended during the last hundred pages (booktok was not kidding about that!), but even with all that tension, you never lose faith that the author will not deliver on her promises and her premise. I am a very cautious and critical reader- and I am surprised at how much trust I realized I had for Tracy Deonn, when the going got really, really going. That, for me, is the mark of a really talented artist, and an amazing writer.
There has been a lot of fantasy books written since the twenty first century started but few that can capture time as it passes. Journalism is history in motion, novels reflect society, etc. But this novel managed to be a high fantasy story set in the modern times, without shying away or glossing over the ugly human bits. Racism is present, addressed, and discussed- not simply handwaved. People are gay, out loud and in text. Characters are flawed, and they die, and grief along with trauma is present, addressed, and discussed. This book has multiple flawed and brilliant and evil women, whose magic system focuses on healing and protection, whose interests are complex and bright. This is my 21st century. I'm glad to see it exist. Thank you Ms. Deonn.
Storywise, the book is a gripping read in that it grabs you by the neck and doesn't let up until you're crying and sobbing big, happy, sad tears on your book or ebook reader. The protagonist is Bree Matthews, a sixteen year old Black woman who is dealing with the grief of recently losing her mother and is suddenly thrust into a world of Chosen Ones and Round Table Knights and their Glowy Magic. It is very easy to get lost in the frills of any Arthuriana retelling, as there are plenty of engaging stuff from the various source materials that can resonate with people of all ages, and it is also very easy to let mortal characters get lost in a fantasy narrative and let the pretty backdrop take over. Legendborn does not do it the easy way. Instead, it decides to walk up the steep rocky hill with considerable weights on its limbs, starts climbing at the crack of dawn, and manages to get on top before anyone else does. And that's what makes it great.
At its heart, Legendborn is a fantasy story set in a contemporary modern world. One that does not ignore the implications of extraordinary magic among mortals- nor the accompanying entanglement of social, interpersonal, and personal issues that arise because of, or even beside it. The narrative is immensely loving to its characters, who go through so much hardship that it would've felt like Game of Thrones if George R.R. Martin wrote better, without being too naive about the world it has made. The characters grieve, the characters react, and they have the agency that gives them life beyond words. This is a story so good that only someone who has personally experienced the core of herself could've wrote it. The stakes were higher than any fantasy book I've ever read, and they only got higher with every page turn and positively ascended during the last hundred pages (booktok was not kidding about that!), but even with all that tension, you never lose faith that the author will not deliver on her promises and her premise. I am a very cautious and critical reader- and I am surprised at how much trust I realized I had for Tracy Deonn, when the going got really, really going. That, for me, is the mark of a really talented artist, and an amazing writer.
There has been a lot of fantasy books written since the twenty first century started but few that can capture time as it passes. Journalism is history in motion, novels reflect society, etc. But this novel managed to be a high fantasy story set in the modern times, without shying away or glossing over the ugly human bits. Racism is present, addressed, and discussed- not simply handwaved. People are gay, out loud and in text. Characters are flawed, and they die, and grief along with trauma is present, addressed, and discussed. This book has multiple flawed and brilliant and evil women, whose magic system focuses on healing and protection, whose interests are complex and bright. This is my 21st century. I'm glad to see it exist. Thank you Ms. Deonn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore and Racism
Minor: Body horror