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festive_fossil 's review for:

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
4.25
adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
This may not be the most coherent or detailed review, just because I got so caught up while reading that I didn't end up taking a ton of notes. Overall I really enjoyed this YA fantasy, which feels so good to say because it has been a while since I've really liked one. Idk if I am just aging out of the genre or what, but YA fantasy has been tough for me lately. Legendborn was a breath of fresh air. If you were at all obsessed with the legend of King Arthur as a child (that would be me), then this is a must-read, though I'd say it is a must-read for anyone interested in urban fantasy or just general fantasy. That isn't to say I thought this was the perfect book, but I found it to be an original and innovative interpretation of old themes and stories. 

Here are some of the things I really liked:
  • Ooooh boy the themes this book was tackling! Racism, grief, mental health, intergenerational trauma - just some big, heavy stuff and I loved it.
  • The worldbuilding was so interesting and unique. Obviously, King Arthur is nothing new in fantasy, but how the legend was interpreted in this book, and how Deonn mixed it with other magical traditions was just so cool. I can't wait to explore this world more in the next book.
  • I loved Bree as a protagonist. She is strong, smart, brave, and experiences a lot of growth through the story.
  • The supporting characters in this world were really well done, no one felt one-dimensional or shallow or just there to forward a plot point. Diversity was also effortlessly blended in.

Here are some of the things I didn't like as much:
  • The worldbuilding. Notice it is on both lists? There is a LOT going on in Legendborn. You have barely started to get the hand of one new worldbuilding element before five others are tacked on. And while I appreciated all the elements on their own, this book tended to be quite info-dumpy and messy in places. To me, it seemed that the execution was a little off here.
  • The speed with which romance happens in YA books (or regular romance for that matter) bothers me.   There is actually some justification given for this in the story, but I have always rolled my eyes at insta-love or anything that comes close. I've just always been a cynic at heart I suppose! This is more a personal opinion and I did not factor this into my star rating for this book.

Overall would highly recommend Legendborn and I'll probably be nagging my friends and family to read this one for a while.
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