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A review by aksmith92
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
The Setup: Bloodmarked, the sequel to Legendborn, continues Bree Matthews' journey as she grapples with the revelations about her ancestry, the power she has inherited, and her place in the secretive Order of the Round Table. Now the designated Scion of King Arthur, Bree is thrust into a world of danger and politics as the Regents of the Order become more complicated than once thought. Nick is a bit MIA, and Bree's abilities are still poorly understood and unpredictable; Bree is forced to rely on unlikely allies, including the ever-complicated Selwyn Kane. As the battle between tradition and revolution intensifies, Bree must navigate a world never meant for her while uncovering more profound truths about her lineage, grief, and destiny.
What I Liked: I promise I still like this series a lot, even after rating it slightly lower than the first one. First and foremost, Deonn expanded the worldbuilding and mythology in Bloodmarked, deepening the Arthurian elements while weaving in even richer themes of systemic oppression, power, and identity. The fantasy elements were simply *chef's kiss*. I absolutely loved it. At its core, the novel continues to make Bree a compelling protagonist, torn between her desires and the weight of expectations placed upon her. Deonn also continued to explore Bree's struggles with grief and rage, making her journey feel raw and deeply personal. I also liked that Sel's character received much more depth, adding complexity to his motivations and interactions with Bree. I'm indifferent to the love triangle trope; you must know that this novel continues to have it. I don't always love it, but I think Deonn does it well here, and I don't mind. I still think I'm past the point where I enjoy when a boy is mean to everyone and everything and still part of the love triangle, but I did like Sel better in this novel, slightly.
I was still utterly engrossed in this book, unable to put it down. Deonn is a master of throwing in some plot twists that I don't see coming, and I loved that in this book. The ending helped pull me from the "eh" feeling I had around the 50-75% mark. Near the end, we saw Bree develop, and we also got left with quite a cliffhanger that I'm looking forward to reading in the next book. Lastly, Deonn is a fantastic writer; I'm in the book with these characters.
What Missed the Mark: This book suffered from pacing issues (for me). Some sections were drawn out, while the end was slightly rushed. I felt the narrative momentum waver regularly. I also think the book suffered the infamous middle book in the series syndrome; i.e., to build out more of the plot and characters, the book lacks some finesse versus the first book (and likely later books) because Deonn was continuing to set things up for us. It was palatable here and drew me out of the story a bit.
Additionally, I know this is a young adult novel, and Bree celebrates her 17th birthday in this book. But there were so many moments where I was like, why is Bree not doing this, or did Bree not learn the lesson literally from a minute ago not to do that again? I know that Bree is supposed to be a teenage girl who has a ton of weight on her shoulders. I know that Bree was battling so much grief, intergenerational trauma, and just a lot of stuff in this book/series. I know. Yet, I was still annoyed at many of her choices because I felt like 95% of the book was her making the same decisions repeatedly, which I think ties neatly into my critique about the pacing issues. I tried not to let this waver my review too much because Deonn made a 17-year-old-girl the main character, and maybe it's because I'm 32 and can't relate so much anymore to teenage life, but I would be lying if I didn't say it impacted my reading experience.
Despite these minor critiques, and even though it isn't the highest rating I've ever given to fantasy, Bloodmarked delivered an engaging and emotional continuation of Bree's story, offering a satisfying blend of action, magic, and social commentary. I appreciated the expansion of the series' lore, and the book sets up even more intriguing developments for the next installment, which I am ready to read!
**
What I Liked: I promise I still like this series a lot, even after rating it slightly lower than the first one. First and foremost, Deonn expanded the worldbuilding and mythology in Bloodmarked, deepening the Arthurian elements while weaving in even richer themes of systemic oppression, power, and identity. The fantasy elements were simply *chef's kiss*. I absolutely loved it. At its core, the novel continues to make Bree a compelling protagonist, torn between her desires and the weight of expectations placed upon her. Deonn also continued to explore Bree's struggles with grief and rage, making her journey feel raw and deeply personal. I also liked that Sel's character received much more depth, adding complexity to his motivations and interactions with Bree. I'm indifferent to the love triangle trope; you must know that this novel continues to have it. I don't always love it, but I think Deonn does it well here, and I don't mind. I still think I'm past the point where I enjoy when a boy is mean to everyone and everything and still part of the love triangle, but I did like Sel better in this novel, slightly.
I was still utterly engrossed in this book, unable to put it down. Deonn is a master of throwing in some plot twists that I don't see coming, and I loved that in this book. The ending helped pull me from the "eh" feeling I had around the 50-75% mark. Near the end, we saw Bree develop, and we also got left with quite a cliffhanger that I'm looking forward to reading in the next book. Lastly, Deonn is a fantastic writer; I'm in the book with these characters.
What Missed the Mark: This book suffered from pacing issues (for me). Some sections were drawn out, while the end was slightly rushed. I felt the narrative momentum waver regularly. I also think the book suffered the infamous middle book in the series syndrome; i.e., to build out more of the plot and characters, the book lacks some finesse versus the first book (and likely later books) because Deonn was continuing to set things up for us. It was palatable here and drew me out of the story a bit.
Additionally, I know this is a young adult novel, and Bree celebrates her 17th birthday in this book. But there were so many moments where I was like, why is Bree not doing this, or did Bree not learn the lesson literally from a minute ago not to do that again? I know that Bree is supposed to be a teenage girl who has a ton of weight on her shoulders. I know that Bree was battling so much grief, intergenerational trauma, and just a lot of stuff in this book/series. I know. Yet, I was still annoyed at many of her choices because I felt like 95% of the book was her making the same decisions repeatedly, which I think ties neatly into my critique about the pacing issues. I tried not to let this waver my review too much because Deonn made a 17-year-old-girl the main character, and maybe it's because I'm 32 and can't relate so much anymore to teenage life, but I would be lying if I didn't say it impacted my reading experience.
Despite these minor critiques, and even though it isn't the highest rating I've ever given to fantasy, Bloodmarked delivered an engaging and emotional continuation of Bree's story, offering a satisfying blend of action, magic, and social commentary. I appreciated the expansion of the series' lore, and the book sets up even more intriguing developments for the next installment, which I am ready to read!
**
The unsaid thing about funerals is that directly after the communal mourning for someone you love, after everyone is gone and the connected grief dispersed, comes a solitude beyond imagining. A great, gaping nothing where a whole person and life and future used to be. The other side of a funeral is abyss.
I could respond that I do, I do have an idea. But grief isn't a competition. It's not an identical pain that we all meet one day when death finds us. It's a monster, personalized by our love and memories to devour us just so. Grief is suffering, tailored.
You invoke grief now so that death will never surprise you again. You imagine how it could happen, so that you can imagine how it cannot. You wish to destroy it before it destroys you. Is this the right of it?
"Intention isn't want. Intention isn't even need." She looks up out at the yard, taps her pointer finger to her chest, then tips it outward. "Intention is the bare bones of desire, but it requires fuel. That fuel is your will."
Consider that chaos favors imbalance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Torture, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent