A review by ceallaighsbooks
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

“Every instinct I possess yells at me to run. Just a couple of miles and I could be back in the real world, where there are no ritual slabs and robes and magical Oaths. But it isn’t the real world, is it? It’s the surface the Order works to maintain while they operate below, on its edges, and in the shadows. I can’t run.” 
 
TITLE—Legendborn 
AUTHOR—Tracy Deonn (her debut novel!) 
PUBLISHED—2020 
 
GENRE—contemporary YA fantasy (is that what urban fantasy is considered? I’m never sure...); retelling 
SETTING—University of North Carolina, modern day, with fantasy world elements 
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—Arthurian Legend retelling; grief; racism; secret societies; dark academia; demons; trial tournament competition trope; African American history and spiritual traditions 
 
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!! 
BONUS ELEMENT/S—Aside from the fact that this is a super cool Arthurian Legend retelling, I loved all the great dark academia vibes! Also the memory walking part of the magic system was a phenomenallll inclusion. 
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!! 
 
“To me, Arthur represents the seat of the canon of Western legend. Arthuriana is an opportunity for us to reorient ourselves to the stories we preserve… and rediscover who gets to be legendary.” — from the Author’s Note 
 
I really wanted to save this for the fall because it has such great dark academia vibes but since I am currently on a bit of an Arthurian reading binge I decided to jump in anyway. And wow. I was blown awayyy by how great of a retelling this was. The author transformed almost every detail of the original legend into a modern and completely innovative story that reflects themes both timeless and current. 
 
But that wasn’t all that made this book so great—this book featured some stellar worldbuilding. The magic system that Deonn invented in particular was one of the most philosophically complete magic systems I have ever encountered. At first it seems really simple and like your standard “energy” magic, but as the book goes on and the MC (and the reader) learns more about the precise nature (and cost) of the magic, you realize that Deonn has found a way to channel historical magical and spiritual beliefs with solid philosophical (and spiritual) underpinnings—the fact that the magic can only be either borrowed or stolen and the implications of the one versus the other was 😚👌🏻. (The only thing I didn’t like was that it was all blood-related / inherited powers and that’s always been a bugaboo of mine 🙈—BUT, tbh, Deonn treats even this concept in a new way that I think makes it not only relevant but necessary to the story she is telling SO. Yeah. No points off for that. 😅) 
 
“This is the heart of Rootcraft, Bree. Protection from those who would harm us, and, if they do, healing so that we can survive, resist, and thrive.” 
 
BUT what I think especially blew me away about this book was its plot! Holy smokes! Sometimes retellings can get predictable as you wait for specific characters to show up and certain events to happen but Deonn has written a story so unique to her and her vision, that I never found myself doing that AND when certain BIG things happened I was surprised and inspired enough to literally cheer outloud, having been completely drawn into the action of the story. I am SO excited for book two!!! 
 
“I stand at the statue and claim the bodies whose names the world wants to forget. I claim those bodies whose names I was taught to forget. And I claim the unsung bloodlines that soak the ground beneath my feet, because I know, I just know, that if they could, they would claim me.” 
 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 
 
TW // racism (esp depiction of “micro”aggressions), grief, death of parent, violence, slavery, graphic depiction of torture and abuse associated with slavery 
 
Further Reading— 
  • The Story of Silence, by Alex Myers—another Arthurian retelling (specifically a retelling of Silence, a medieval French poem with Arthurian themes and characters)
  • Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo—another dark academia YA fantasy with secret society trope (TBR)
  • The Guinevere Deception, by Kiersten White—another Arthurian YA Fantasy retelling (TBR)
Expand filter menu Content Warnings