A review by amandalorianxo
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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

3.25

I’m still undecided if I want to rate this a three or 3.5 star rating. I did enjoy the fact that this was a diverse read and putting a woman of color as the main character in a fantasy / King Arthur variation retelling was awesome. It gave a refreshing take on some of the blander versions over the years. The grief, pain and sadness Bree feels was relatable over the course of the novel. Even the therapy discovery & acceptance had a note of familiarity to it. Speaking of, I’m also glad that Bree’s dad & Bree have the discussion albeit brief, about how families of color aren’t as receptive to therapy as most would assume. 

In spite of all the positives, I did wish that the world building didn’t make me feel so bogged down & overwhelmed. Too many characters to keep up with. There were times there were pages of it & I had to take my time to understand who was who & how this system played out as far as rankings go. Not a big fan of insta love. I also wish Bree’s love interest was a boy of color. Nothing against inter racial relationships but it would have been such a positive impact if teens / young adults could feel & read about two people of color in love in a fantasy space we normally don’t have. 

The pacing was fine, I preferred it be slow for better understanding. I hope the sequel picks it up a bit. 
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