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A review by jasperdotpdf
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
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
4.0
So I've let my thoughts on this book steep a bit and I'm still really torn on what to rate this book, but I think 4 stars is a good compromise. I read this and Bloodmarked back to back so a portion of my thoughts on this are influenced by my opinion on the sequel, just FYI.
On one hand, there's a lot of small-ish things in this book that I didn't love. The worldbuilding was really interesting but at certain points it felt contrived and convoluted. The idea of these two "types" of magic existing in the Order and Rootcraft was really cool, but the attempt to make them not only coexist in the same book, but converge in the same character didn't work too well for me.
The worldbuilding was confusing, info-dumpey and yet there were still so many terms that were never really explained that I just had to figure out on my own.
I especially struggled with the way Rootcraft was handled. It was oftentimes depicted as the more "ethical" form of magic when contrasted with the Order that is saturated with elitism, greed and racism/colonial history. And while Legendborn often critiques these things very clearly and distinctly, the way Bree interacts with magic and the world around her feels almost contradictory to this. It seems like she oftentimes chooses the Order over the community of Rootcrafters. The way her relationships with Nick, Sel and William are explored much more deeply than with Mariah and Patricia are one of the primary examples for this.
I also felt like the cast of characters was a little too big. I barely remember half of them and care about even less, as it was really easy to lose track. Especially when just being introduced to the way the Order is structured and the way the worldbuilding works, all the minor characters and the titles were really overwhelming. By the end of the book (and Bloodmarked, for that matter) the focus is on a much smaller group of characters, and I think the book could've benefitted from reducing the cast down a bit from the beginning.
This is a super small point of critique but it was super noticeable when I read the book so I did just want to mention it. Bree passes out so. many. times. There's a copious amount of chapters that end in her losing consciousness and then waking up in the next chapter, and it treads a very fine line between funny and annoyingly overused. I digress.
Despite all of this, I adored reading Legendborn. It does such a great job of taking a lot of the core elements of 2010s YA that was super popular back then, like secret magic orders and love triangles, but giving them a lot more depth.
The way the book deals with grief is so wonderfully heartwrenching and painfully realistic.
Bree is a delightful protagonist and the main cast of characters is wonderfully developed.
Furthermore I do love that the book addresses topics like racism and colonialism, even if the execution in the worldbuilding didn't 100% work for me, because they so desperately need to be talked about. Having these discussions in a YA book is gonna bring a lot of young readers closer to a topic that's so important to talk and think about, and Legendborn did a great job at this.
Deonn's writing style is engaging and easy to follow, and had me so invested in these characters so quickly. This book had me staying up all night cheering for and crying with these characters. It had me running to the bookstore on a Saturday to get book 2 without having to wait until after the weekend to get the delivery in had I ordered it online.
It's not a perfect book, and bloated at times, but I cared so much about the characters and what would happen to them. I was constantly on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next, so I can't bear to give it any less than 4 stars, even with all the things I didn't love.
On one hand, there's a lot of small-ish things in this book that I didn't love. The worldbuilding was really interesting but at certain points it felt contrived and convoluted. The idea of these two "types" of magic existing in the Order and Rootcraft was really cool, but the attempt to make them not only coexist in the same book, but converge in the same character didn't work too well for me.
The worldbuilding was confusing, info-dumpey and yet there were still so many terms that were never really explained that I just had to figure out on my own.
I especially struggled with the way Rootcraft was handled. It was oftentimes depicted as the more "ethical" form of magic when contrasted with the Order that is saturated with elitism, greed and racism/colonial history. And while Legendborn often critiques these things very clearly and distinctly, the way Bree interacts with magic and the world around her feels almost contradictory to this. It seems like she oftentimes chooses the Order over the community of Rootcrafters. The way her relationships with Nick, Sel and William are explored much more deeply than with Mariah and Patricia are one of the primary examples for this.
I also felt like the cast of characters was a little too big. I barely remember half of them and care about even less, as it was really easy to lose track. Especially when just being introduced to the way the Order is structured and the way the worldbuilding works, all the minor characters and the titles were really overwhelming. By the end of the book (and Bloodmarked, for that matter) the focus is on a much smaller group of characters, and I think the book could've benefitted from reducing the cast down a bit from the beginning.
This is a super small point of critique but it was super noticeable when I read the book so I did just want to mention it. Bree passes out so. many. times. There's a copious amount of chapters that end in her losing consciousness and then waking up in the next chapter, and it treads a very fine line between funny and annoyingly overused. I digress.
Despite all of this, I adored reading Legendborn. It does such a great job of taking a lot of the core elements of 2010s YA that was super popular back then, like secret magic orders and love triangles, but giving them a lot more depth.
The way the book deals with grief is so wonderfully heartwrenching and painfully realistic.
Bree is a delightful protagonist and the main cast of characters is wonderfully developed.
Furthermore I do love that the book addresses topics like racism and colonialism, even if the execution in the worldbuilding didn't 100% work for me, because they so desperately need to be talked about. Having these discussions in a YA book is gonna bring a lot of young readers closer to a topic that's so important to talk and think about, and Legendborn did a great job at this.
Deonn's writing style is engaging and easy to follow, and had me so invested in these characters so quickly. This book had me staying up all night cheering for and crying with these characters. It had me running to the bookstore on a Saturday to get book 2 without having to wait until after the weekend to get the delivery in had I ordered it online.
It's not a perfect book, and bloated at times, but I cared so much about the characters and what would happen to them. I was constantly on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next, so I can't bear to give it any less than 4 stars, even with all the things I didn't love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, and Slavery