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greeneggsandsam's reviews
70 reviews
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
"I've heard people describe panic as something rising up inside them. For me, panic radiates in the threads of my muscles, bangs in the back of my skull, twists my stomach, and sets my skin on fire. It doesn't rise or fall. It spreads."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Somebody's Daughter is a memoir by Ashley C. Ford in which she describes growing up in a poor, black family with an incarcerated father and a difficult maternal relationship. She also discusses growing up in a world that sexualizes her body from a young age and how she was sexually assaulted.
This memoir was very hard to get through. It had me tearing up, and it had me full on sobbing. After chapter one, I had to sit the book down and walk away for a minute. When I came back, I finished the book in one sitting with a small break in between to eat. Ashley's story is gripping and shocking, and while I wish this memoir didn't have to exist and people didn't have to live lives like the author did, I'm glad I read it. I expected this book to be hard hitting and emotional, but I did not expect it to be told in a voice that's so relatable. I couldn't keep count of the times I cried, but the tears were plentiful. I cannot imagine how someone can go through a life like Ashley Ford did, and then write in such detail about it. I don't understand how she made it through writing this, but she did, and then she shared it with millions of people.
Ashley Ford's words are raw and real. She has a way of getting in touch with and describing how life events made her feel, and then making us as readers feel them too. I will forever commend her ability to write this memoir.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Somebody's Daughter is a memoir by Ashley C. Ford in which she describes growing up in a poor, black family with an incarcerated father and a difficult maternal relationship. She also discusses growing up in a world that sexualizes her body from a young age and how she was sexually assaulted.
This memoir was very hard to get through. It had me tearing up, and it had me full on sobbing. After chapter one, I had to sit the book down and walk away for a minute. When I came back, I finished the book in one sitting with a small break in between to eat. Ashley's story is gripping and shocking, and while I wish this memoir didn't have to exist and people didn't have to live lives like the author did, I'm glad I read it. I expected this book to be hard hitting and emotional, but I did not expect it to be told in a voice that's so relatable. I couldn't keep count of the times I cried, but the tears were plentiful. I cannot imagine how someone can go through a life like Ashley Ford did, and then write in such detail about it. I don't understand how she made it through writing this, but she did, and then she shared it with millions of people.
Ashley Ford's words are raw and real. She has a way of getting in touch with and describing how life events made her feel, and then making us as readers feel them too. I will forever commend her ability to write this memoir.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚. 𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎, 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒖𝒔. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Crow Rider is the sequel to The Storm Crow, where we follow out main character Anthia after Rhodaire is attacked by the Illucian empire. The attack leads to the destruction of Anthia's life as all the magical crow are killed along with her mother, the queen of Rhodaire. The Crow Rider continues Anthia's quest from book one where she plans to fight back against Illucia after finding a surviving crow egg in book one.
I 10,000% fell in love with The Storm Crow, it's everything I could ever want in a book. I have to say, book two delivered EVERYTHING for me personally. I loved learning more about the magic in this world, the different people, and the technologies. The climax kept me hooked until I binge read through to the end. The battle scenes were detailed, but still fast paced to keep up with the tensions. The descriptions of the world, the people, the buildings, and everything were so excellently unique and detailed that I could imagine myself inside of Anthia's world.
I cannot wait for Kalyn Josephson's new series coming out because her mind is a beautiful place that I NEED to be back inside of. I absolutely adored learning about the countries and their people, the magic and it's limits, and especially the crow. This is a duology that had me hooked from the synopsis, and I will never not recommend this book to lovers of YA fantasy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Crow Rider is the sequel to The Storm Crow, where we follow out main character Anthia after Rhodaire is attacked by the Illucian empire. The attack leads to the destruction of Anthia's life as all the magical crow are killed along with her mother, the queen of Rhodaire. The Crow Rider continues Anthia's quest from book one where she plans to fight back against Illucia after finding a surviving crow egg in book one.
I 10,000% fell in love with The Storm Crow, it's everything I could ever want in a book. I have to say, book two delivered EVERYTHING for me personally. I loved learning more about the magic in this world, the different people, and the technologies. The climax kept me hooked until I binge read through to the end. The battle scenes were detailed, but still fast paced to keep up with the tensions. The descriptions of the world, the people, the buildings, and everything were so excellently unique and detailed that I could imagine myself inside of Anthia's world.
I cannot wait for Kalyn Josephson's new series coming out because her mind is a beautiful place that I NEED to be back inside of. I absolutely adored learning about the countries and their people, the magic and it's limits, and especially the crow. This is a duology that had me hooked from the synopsis, and I will never not recommend this book to lovers of YA fantasy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
As Old as Time by Liz Braswell
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
3.5
"Magic always comes back on itself."
⭐⭐⭐💫
As Old as Time is a Beauty and the Beast twisted retelling that tells the story as though Belle's mother were a powerful enchantress that cursed the Beast and his castle.
I was not expecting this retelling to have direct phrases and quotes from the original Disney story, and for much of the book it is basically the original story with an alternating timeline where we learn about her parents' history. I liked the parents' history, but the direct pull from the original put me off a little.
At the end of the second part, the new story really starts to take more shape and this novel becomes more unique. I enjoyed watching the character development of the Beast. Watching the interactions between Belle and the Beast was also interesting, and at times, made me smile and laugh.
I really enjoyed the major twist of the story, however, there was a very abrupt moment during the climax that I felt was... an easy way out? It tied things up quickly, and a certain group of characters that were just in action at that point in the plot were just never mentioned again and the plot continued on to the next thing. There was no mention of those characters and what happens to them.
This book was a very easy read, and it has made me interested to read more in the series.
⭐⭐⭐💫
As Old as Time is a Beauty and the Beast twisted retelling that tells the story as though Belle's mother were a powerful enchantress that cursed the Beast and his castle.
I was not expecting this retelling to have direct phrases and quotes from the original Disney story, and for much of the book it is basically the original story with an alternating timeline where we learn about her parents' history. I liked the parents' history, but the direct pull from the original put me off a little.
At the end of the second part, the new story really starts to take more shape and this novel becomes more unique. I enjoyed watching the character development of the Beast. Watching the interactions between Belle and the Beast was also interesting, and at times, made me smile and laugh.
I really enjoyed the major twist of the story, however, there was a very abrupt moment during the climax that I felt was... an easy way out? It tied things up quickly, and a certain group of characters that were just in action at that point in the plot were just never mentioned again and the plot continued on to the next thing. There was no mention of those characters and what happens to them.
This book was a very easy read, and it has made me interested to read more in the series.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
"𝙎𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The New Jim Crow shows how the United States warped the control of a racial minority into its current existence. This country started with direct racially targeted laws, and when those were ruled unconstitutional, our country's leaders used "colorblind" methods to create a new form of political racial discrimination while pretending to not target America's black population. Michelle Alexander clearly delved into so much research on not only our current issues, but the country's past issues that have led us into a country known for mass incarceration that massively targets black people, specifically black men.
This book enraged me. It opened my eyes to the extent of these issues, ones I knew existed but didn't know were as bad as they were. It made me cry. It made me want better for this country and for racial minorities. I'm very glad I finally got and read this book, but as Michelle Alexander says herself, this book is not meant for people like me that already acknowledge that these issues are present in our society. This book is meant for the people who don't believe, and inadvertently perpetuate the issue. And I wish I could force people like that to read this, because ignorance will only allow this already deeply rooted issue to continue expanding, and knowledge is the first step to working towards undoing it.
If you're unsure of whether or not to read it, please do. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I recommend section five specifically. It delves the most into how mass incarceration is a new form of Jim Crow, while briefly mentioning the history and how it adapted to its current state. I recommend the book at its entirety, but section five is gets the point of the book across the most.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The New Jim Crow shows how the United States warped the control of a racial minority into its current existence. This country started with direct racially targeted laws, and when those were ruled unconstitutional, our country's leaders used "colorblind" methods to create a new form of political racial discrimination while pretending to not target America's black population. Michelle Alexander clearly delved into so much research on not only our current issues, but the country's past issues that have led us into a country known for mass incarceration that massively targets black people, specifically black men.
This book enraged me. It opened my eyes to the extent of these issues, ones I knew existed but didn't know were as bad as they were. It made me cry. It made me want better for this country and for racial minorities. I'm very glad I finally got and read this book, but as Michelle Alexander says herself, this book is not meant for people like me that already acknowledge that these issues are present in our society. This book is meant for the people who don't believe, and inadvertently perpetuate the issue. And I wish I could force people like that to read this, because ignorance will only allow this already deeply rooted issue to continue expanding, and knowledge is the first step to working towards undoing it.
If you're unsure of whether or not to read it, please do. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I recommend section five specifically. It delves the most into how mass incarceration is a new form of Jim Crow, while briefly mentioning the history and how it adapted to its current state. I recommend the book at its entirety, but section five is gets the point of the book across the most.
The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? N/A
5.0
"'𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩.'"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Storm Crow follows the princess of Rhodaire who has lost almost everything after the Illucian army attacks their land and murders the crows. In Rhodaire, there are different types of crow that contain magic, and they are all integral to Rhodarian life and prosperity. When Anthia, the youngest princess, is forced to marry the prince of Illucia, her will to fight back is finally rekindled. After finding a crow egg, her hopes are renewed as well.
Oh, my goodness. I went in to this book expecting to love it, but I am IN love with it! This was even more amazing than I had hoped for!
Before reading, I didn't realize the importance of the storm crow. I thought they were strictly for military like purposes, but they are far more integral to the life of Rhodaire than I thought. I loved learning about the history and legends of the land, it was very unique to the story line and enjoyable.
I also loved the relationships between our main character, Anthia, and her sister, Caliza, and best friend, Kiva. The author delved into Anthia's struggle with depression following the attack of her and losing almost everything, and I felt it was really well done. The plot, land, characters, history, and all were so well thought out and everything had a purpose for being told. I am SO excited to read the second book in this duology. This is, thus far, my favorite book of 2021. It is stunning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Storm Crow follows the princess of Rhodaire who has lost almost everything after the Illucian army attacks their land and murders the crows. In Rhodaire, there are different types of crow that contain magic, and they are all integral to Rhodarian life and prosperity. When Anthia, the youngest princess, is forced to marry the prince of Illucia, her will to fight back is finally rekindled. After finding a crow egg, her hopes are renewed as well.
Oh, my goodness. I went in to this book expecting to love it, but I am IN love with it! This was even more amazing than I had hoped for!
Before reading, I didn't realize the importance of the storm crow. I thought they were strictly for military like purposes, but they are far more integral to the life of Rhodaire than I thought. I loved learning about the history and legends of the land, it was very unique to the story line and enjoyable.
I also loved the relationships between our main character, Anthia, and her sister, Caliza, and best friend, Kiva. The author delved into Anthia's struggle with depression following the attack of her and losing almost everything, and I felt it was really well done. The plot, land, characters, history, and all were so well thought out and everything had a purpose for being told. I am SO excited to read the second book in this duology. This is, thus far, my favorite book of 2021. It is stunning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
"'𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕."'
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
An Enchantment of Ravens is a fantasy romance novel following Isobel, a human, who was raised to be careful around the fae whose enchantments are often laced with tricks and deceit. The fae desire human craft, so many humans cook, make, and create items for the fae in exchange for an enchantment that they believe would benefit them. Isabel paints portraits, and one day, the Autumn prince shows up as her client. When Isabel paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, she is whisked away into the fae world by Rook, who is enraged at her for showing his weakness.
The writing of this books is absolutely stunning. The writing alone has me wanting to read more by Margaret Rogerson. Her depictions of places and the fae were stunning, and I could so clearly imagine everything which is so amazing! I also love how the fae from the four kingdoms differ, sometimes dramatically. And naming the human town Whimsy was such a fun element.
This book is fairly faced paced, especially where it's a shorter one, but it is not hard to follow at all. There is a twist right before the ending, and I only caught on to it right before it was revealed, and I love how the twist worked. It makes you rethink everything that has previously happened in the book.
I really enjoyed this read, and I cannot wait to read more by this author eventually.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
An Enchantment of Ravens is a fantasy romance novel following Isobel, a human, who was raised to be careful around the fae whose enchantments are often laced with tricks and deceit. The fae desire human craft, so many humans cook, make, and create items for the fae in exchange for an enchantment that they believe would benefit them. Isabel paints portraits, and one day, the Autumn prince shows up as her client. When Isabel paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, she is whisked away into the fae world by Rook, who is enraged at her for showing his weakness.
The writing of this books is absolutely stunning. The writing alone has me wanting to read more by Margaret Rogerson. Her depictions of places and the fae were stunning, and I could so clearly imagine everything which is so amazing! I also love how the fae from the four kingdoms differ, sometimes dramatically. And naming the human town Whimsy was such a fun element.
This book is fairly faced paced, especially where it's a shorter one, but it is not hard to follow at all. There is a twist right before the ending, and I only caught on to it right before it was revealed, and I love how the twist worked. It makes you rethink everything that has previously happened in the book.
I really enjoyed this read, and I cannot wait to read more by this author eventually.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"'𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.'"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Library Of Lost Things is a young adult romance about a 17 going on 18 year old Darcy Wells who is as addicted to books as her mother is to shopping and collecting unnecessary items. Darcy struggles to cope with her mother's hoarding at the same time handsome Asher begins popping up in her life mote frequently.
I absolutely adore books with mental health representation, and reading a book with a character who suffers from hoarding is a new one for me. Throughout readers learning about Darcy and her mother, we also learn more about this illness and the way it can take shape and effect the people in your life. I also highly enjoyed all the book related metaphors and quotes from our super intelligent and Bibliophile main character, Darcy.
The romance is absolutely adorable, Asher is so swoon-worthy, and Darcy's best friend, Marisol, is a delight. I was not prepared for how emotional this coming of age story was going to become in regards to Darcy's relationship with her mother, and the near ending had me crying!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Library Of Lost Things is a young adult romance about a 17 going on 18 year old Darcy Wells who is as addicted to books as her mother is to shopping and collecting unnecessary items. Darcy struggles to cope with her mother's hoarding at the same time handsome Asher begins popping up in her life mote frequently.
I absolutely adore books with mental health representation, and reading a book with a character who suffers from hoarding is a new one for me. Throughout readers learning about Darcy and her mother, we also learn more about this illness and the way it can take shape and effect the people in your life. I also highly enjoyed all the book related metaphors and quotes from our super intelligent and Bibliophile main character, Darcy.
The romance is absolutely adorable, Asher is so swoon-worthy, and Darcy's best friend, Marisol, is a delight. I was not prepared for how emotional this coming of age story was going to become in regards to Darcy's relationship with her mother, and the near ending had me crying!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.25
Sawkill Girls is a YA horror with a bit of a fantasy element to it. Marion's mother and sister have just lost their father, and they move to an island called Sawkill Rock to live in a cottage on the Mortimer's property and become their maids. This novel follows Marion's persepctive, as well as Val and Zoey who already lived on the island. Young girls have been going missing for decades, and when the killing rate increases drastically, these three girls find themselves tangled up in a dangerous world of monsters they never knew existed.
This is the first horror novel I've ever read, so I didn't know what to expect. I'm happy to say I was VERY happy with this book. While being a horror, there was some fantastically developed parts of the book, and that made me like it even more as a fantasy lover. Legrand also did a good job at writing something scary, because I had to put the book down at times from being so spooked out (and reading in a basement by myself at 2 am). Despite being something I'm not used to reading, I flew through this book and didn't want to put it down. Sawkill Girls is also queer and Sapphic. I feel like the relationships in the book are well developed, and Zoey's love interest makes me absolutely swoon!
I am definitely interested in reading more horror, and I am stoked that this is the one I started the genre with because it's amazing.
This is the first horror novel I've ever read, so I didn't know what to expect. I'm happy to say I was VERY happy with this book. While being a horror, there was some fantastically developed parts of the book, and that made me like it even more as a fantasy lover. Legrand also did a good job at writing something scary, because I had to put the book down at times from being so spooked out (and reading in a basement by myself at 2 am). Despite being something I'm not used to reading, I flew through this book and didn't want to put it down. Sawkill Girls is also queer and Sapphic. I feel like the relationships in the book are well developed, and Zoey's love interest makes me absolutely swoon!
I am definitely interested in reading more horror, and I am stoked that this is the one I started the genre with because it's amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
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? N/A
4.5
░R░e░v░i░e░w░ ░T░i░m░e░
"'𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒐. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓. 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔.'"
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a YA fantasy about a young black woman who find herself wrapped up in a world of demons and Arthurian legend after her mother passes away. It is the first book in a series, and true to fantasy, there is a bit of world building and learning of the magic system, but the book is not overloaded with only that.
The beginning of Legendborn follows our protagonist, Bree, as she struggled with grief of losing a loved one. Just the start of this novel had me in a very emotional state and attached to our main character. I was tearing up within the first 50 pages. The pain Bree goes through after losing her loved one makes her a very relatable character to many readers, including myself. As a black woman, Bree also faces racism within the world inside and outside of magic, which can also make her very relatable for some readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but YA fantasy is my favorite genre. I loved the tie ins of real life issues like grief and racism. I adore the magic system and learning about it as Bree does. The little twists and surprises were great, and I'm so happy I finally read this! I cannot wait for book two to come out.
"'𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒐. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓. 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔.'"
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a YA fantasy about a young black woman who find herself wrapped up in a world of demons and Arthurian legend after her mother passes away. It is the first book in a series, and true to fantasy, there is a bit of world building and learning of the magic system, but the book is not overloaded with only that.
The beginning of Legendborn follows our protagonist, Bree, as she struggled with grief of losing a loved one. Just the start of this novel had me in a very emotional state and attached to our main character. I was tearing up within the first 50 pages. The pain Bree goes through after losing her loved one makes her a very relatable character to many readers, including myself. As a black woman, Bree also faces racism within the world inside and outside of magic, which can also make her very relatable for some readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but YA fantasy is my favorite genre. I loved the tie ins of real life issues like grief and racism. I adore the magic system and learning about it as Bree does. The little twists and surprises were great, and I'm so happy I finally read this! I cannot wait for book two to come out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape and Death