Many thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books and Hear Our Voices for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Black girl magic gets me every time, and so do stories based on the legend of King Arthur, so combining the two just seemed … efficient? Perfect? Like something I had to read? How about we just check all of the above.

Legendborn is an exploration into racism, the “sanctity” of tradition, family and friendship bonds, magic, and finding your place, with a healthy dose of secrets and betrayal.

I don’t even know where to start or what to say with this book other than read it? I mean, for sure. It has a little of something for everyone, and it tackles important issues in a way that doesn’t make the book about them, per se, but they’re an important discussion in regards to how the book unfolds.

My Thoughts:

- This world is magic layered on top of the real world, based on the legend of King Arthur, and it was so easy to slip into. I don’t want to go too much into the magic, because that would actually be a pretty big spoiler. You sort of have to see it. What I will say is that I love the twist to the Arthurian legend. It’s a little messier, a bit darker, but entirely compelling. Since just having magic clearly isn’t enough, and magic users need things to fight, right, this book throws in the added complication of demons. But they’re maybe not quite what you think. They tend to take the form of warped, giant, clearly evil and malevolent animals, which are absolutely terrifying. Would I still take one home and try to make it a pet? Yeah, probably. But not an approach I would recommend. Some of the descriptions of these demons were absolutely harrowing, and I absolutely loved it.

- Legendborn tackles a lot of tough issues, such as death and grief and racism. This are big issues, but this book tackles them with grace and a certain delicateness, while not shying away from the ugliness of either one. The grief is almost immediate, from page one, and it cut me to the quick right away. Get ready for some feels going into this, because I was not at all ready and it caught me off guard. Deonn does a stunning job capturing the mind-numbing, anxiety-inducing reality of finding out someone you love is suddenly gone. Where the narrative really shined was in its handling of the racism that Bree faces. The racism in this book is sometimes subtle, sometimes not, but always on the nose. It isn’t the focus of the book, but it’s an inevitable discussion arisen by the setting and content of the book, and it just struck such a chord.

- The romance in this is sweet and probably enticing to any fans of that sort of romance … but for people like me who crave enemies-to-lovers, there’s some whiffs of that, too. The best thing about finishing this book is that nothing with the romance is actually set for sure, which is nice since the protagonist is sixteen an what sixteen-year-old has it all figured out? I’m excited to see what the next books will bring for these teens. If you like a sweet romance, you’ll probably enjoy the one in this book … but don’t get settled in just yet. Because things may not be as happily ever after as it seems, and there’s a definite love triangle here. I thought the romance in this book felt a little too easy and cheesily sweet, and there’s not anything wrong with that. But there’s also some whiffs of some potential enemies-to-lovers plot going on. Nothing is settled or decided. So really, this has something for everyone. Want some sweet romance? This book has it. Still holding out for something a little more complicated in terms of the romance? Welp, you might just get that, too. We’ll have to wait for book two to find out!

- These characters absolutely wormed their way into my heart, in ways I hadn’t quite expected. Bree, in particular, is so similar to me, which may be why I connected so much with the book. Nick is a little too good to be true, and yet he is, which makes him a cinnamon roll deserving to be protected at all cost. Even though he’s not perfect, in a book full of darker people, he really stands out and shines. Sel is absolutely my favorite. Is that a surprise? He’s the dark, brooding, assassin type, who would sooner stab you than actually have a real conversation, with maybe a sprinkling of anger issues on top. In other words, he’s perfect. There are some definite squad vibes in this book, with all the kids in the secret society that work together. Even the side characters I started out hating, I learned to at least appreciate to some extent.

Absolutely phenomenal! Loved the magic system and our main character! 5 stars! Highly recommend and can't wait to read more from this author!

REVIEW GOES LIVE ON 11/4/2020 @ 8AM EST

THE 411...

“𝐼 𝑚𝑎𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛’𝑠 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 a𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒. 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠"

It's been a couple of weeks since I read the last page of Legendborn and yet thinking back on my reading experience, I still manage to get emotional and teary eyed. If you find yourself burnt out from reading Fantasy or even possibly that you may be outgrowing YA Fantasy, I'd say this is one worth giving a go. It's simply one that gives the reader so much more than they go in thinking to get. At its surface Legendborn is a continuation of King Arthur and the Order but author Tracy Deonn gave this story raw life & emotional ties to actual history that often times was painful to read. This is in no way a tame read, it will make you uncomfortable but these are the types of stories that deserve a seat at the table. 

Deonn gives us Arthur and The Order with a link to intergenerational trauma in the South. Our MC has PTSD and early symptoms of PCBD after witnessing her mother’s passing. She isn’t prepared for the revelations her grief will bring about. Recruited into a Early College program alongside her BFF, Bree is soon taken off course by a secret society. In this society there are descendants of Arthur and his Knights, the kicker is that they have an actual magical bond to their ancestors. This was set in place as a precautionary way of ensuring the line lives on and is well protected against any enemies of the Order. The Knights themselves remain in a dormant state and can only be awakened by an actual threat to King Arthur himself. During times of peace, the descendants train and take on pages such as Bree. Bree doesn't exhibit any actual talents or strengths but she manages to get Nick (King Arthurs descendant unbeknownst to her at the time) who is self-exiled from The Order, to join her in trying to unearth any secrets The Order may have to her mothers death. She discovers links to her ancestors that are painful and a testament to her own inherited resilience. The root magic she carries within is steeped in history and not without a price. If you’re looking for a Fantasy with more character depth & historical ties, this is for you. Some will compare this to a YA version of Ninth House or even the Shadowhunter world. I’d say it has elements from both those worlds however Legendborn stands on its own. 

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

If there’s one Fantasy I’ve read this year that I’d recommend, wholeheartedly without a doubt it’s Legendborn. I had zero interest in Arthurian Legend but one look at the cover & I knew this would be different. I had no idea what I was in for seeing that this is Tracy Deonn debut but I’m walking away grateful for the journey. I appreciated so much the inclusion of therapy for our MC who has experienced such great trauma at her mothers passing. The fact that Bree is at first apprehensive to receive the help because she's not yet ready to let go or forgive. Bree is hurting and living in her hurt. Although she learns a lot of painful things when she goes digging, she also reconnects with the memories of her mother and her ancestors. Bree grows stronger throughout the book that by the end we have a girl who is coated in a completely different suit of armor. I will be running to the bookstore to pick up my copy of the sequel ON release day!

Love this book so much! it is exciting and full of imagination. I have already purchased it for the library and may also purchase a personal copy. This is a must for YA fantasy readers.

Legendborn was a wild ride, from start to finish. It has met every expectations I had set for it: fast paced, compelling plot, interesting characters, cute romance. I gave it a four stars and I think it was an amazing read.

The writing was amazing and the pacing was perfect. I think it can be a bit info-dumpy at the beginning, but you need that information to understand the world and everything that happens in the story. Tracy Deonn did an fantastic job with the world building too. The Arthurian retelling in a modern day with a secret society…. I can’t even really express how well done it was. You can tell the author put a lot of work on it. Every aspect of the world is well crafted and smart.

The characters were my favorite part of this book. I’m really big on character-driven stories, and I personally think this was one of those. Bree was not perfect. She annoyed me at times, but I think that only made her even more real. She is incredibly stubborn and fights for what she wants. The side characters, Alice, Nick, Sel, and many more, were also amazing. They were just there to be there. They had their own story arc, that I think, and hope, we’ll get to see more in the future. The climax of the story was definitely my favorite part. I loved the action packed scene and the reveals… I felt so much I was squealing while reading!

This book did not gloss over the fact that Bree was a Black woman living in a place with mostly white people. I could relate to all the micro-aggression she was a victim of and to the fact that she felt like there wasn’t a space for her, even if she deserved to be where she was.

In conclusion, I would absolutely recommend this book and I can’t wait to buy my own copy!

Slow to start, explosive to finish. Like many fantasy novels, the setup of the world took a bit of time. Once all the players were in position, the story took off quickly. I liked the combination of the Arthurian legend and more nature/earth based magic. The frank examples of racism that Bree experiences are distasteful and hard to read, but that is the point. Bree is a fascinating character and I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Legendborn was everything people hyped it up to be! I'm mildly interested in Arthurian mythos, and this book was some good-good stuff. The writing pace was perfect, and the world-building was vivid. I could imagine being right alongside Bree as the story goes on. From the beginning, I was sucked into the world of Legendborn , and I devoured it.

I enjoyed Bree and her POV. The way she handles herself in some challenging situations and snide remarks, people throw her... UGH, the grace and poise. All of the characters bring something to the table, and there was not one character I felt was just there with no purpose. The friendship between Bree and Alice is so good. *wipes tear* I LOVED the romance and I'm not usually a fan of squeaky clean golden boy type but boy oh boy. The subtle love triangle was great for me; I loved the bad boy-golden boy-heroine thing going on.

The magic in Legendborn was epic. I loved the twists and turns. The Arthurian magic and hierarchy system was a little complicated and a lot to understand at first. Once you get used to different terms, ranks and creatures, it flows well. The two magical worlds colliding throughout Legendborn was extraordinary. The twists!!! The history!!! I loved how the history of slavery intertwined in the novel and played a massive part in the plot. The obsession with genealogy and ancestry in the Order and how it played into all of the characters were fascinating. The sexism and the racism and how they often intersected in Legendborn , ground my gears. The crap Bree had to put up with made me want to flip out.

Legendborn was a fresh novel and one of the best YA I've read so far this year. The message about the power of black women was *chef's kiss.* I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in the Legendborn series. Tracy Deonn did a fantastic job; I can't wait for more.

Interesting YA story with a great mix of magic, secret societies, adjusting to college and standing up for your beliefs.

Her very first night at college, Bree sees something magical that no one surrounding her notices. When another party-goer fails to erase her memories of the night, Bree stumbles into a strange new reality. She can see things, smell them, and feel them, when others around her can’t. Even more startling is that she realizes that the death of her mother might not have been an accident.

She suspects that someone altered her memories that night as well. Suddenly that cute boy from a secret society called “Knights of the Round Table” might be the key to unlocking who her mother really was, and why someone would want her dead. Furthermore, Bree unlocks a magic within herself that traces back through her ancestors.



While discovering a whole world existing parallel to her own, Bree avoids acceptance of her life without her mother.
Bree utilized her college experience as a chance to escape the weight of grief for her mom. She hides behind mental walls creating whom she refers to as “after-Bree”. While it was unhealthy to avoid addressing her grief in this way, it’s precisely how she found the courage to tear down barriers in the secret society. Bree was the only girl in the room that didn’t originate from a founding family of their club. Everyone around her held secrets and magic older than she could imagine. All of it somehow linked to centuries old stories of King Arthur and his knights.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is another Young Adult book that I would love to add to the required reading list at public schools.
There are plenty of moments that would be eye opening for today’s youth. The book is told from the perspective of an intelligent young black woman named Bree who is constantly treated as less than deserving of her achievements. At her South Carolina college her peers and adults alike drop not-so-subtle reminders that she is somehow beneath them for not being born white. Despite this, Bree remains proud of who she is and doesn’t shy away from her secret mission surrounding the death of her mother.

Bree’s determination to rise up everyday despite her nay-sayers is very inspiring. She discovers a lot more than magic running through her veins. She unravels a deep history of strong women passing that gift from one generation to the next. After centuries of control and abuse from others, Bree finds herself with the choice to either rewrite or repeat history. Readers will jump out of their chairs with the excitement of what comes next.

Weaving Arthurian legend, African diaspora, and traditions of the African American South, Deonn writes a compelling and fascinating story of Bree Matthews, age 16, who finds herself involved with the magical Order of the Round Table, which has been historically white and racist. As a Black teenage girl, Bree’s race and gender are never far from her - the amount of casual racism that she encounters as a daily basis was gut-punching (and sadly will be incredibly relatable for many of our readers).

The amount of twists and turns knocked the story out of the park, and I was actually trying to not scream and shout while reading the book on desk at work. Instead, I was g-chatting other committee members who had finished the book in all caps yelling about where I was in the book. Truly, reading Legendborn is a full-body experience.

Additionally, Deonn explores generational and compacted trauma in a way that’s thoughtful, and one of the deepest twists shows how the ramifications of slavery still affect descendants, centuries later. One of the quotes that will forever live with me is Bree’s quote on page 478, “I’m not some chosen one. I am the product of violence, and I am the Scion of Arthur, and I don’t want to be either. I just want to be my mother’s daughter. And my father’s. I just want to be me.”

Move over Cassandra Clare, Tracy Deonn is in town and she is PHENOMENAL.

I unfortunately dnfed this book about 100 pages in so not much thoughts other than it's truly not for me. I find I didn't care for any characters, the plot, or even the world so I found it best to just dnf.

First, hello beautiful cover! 😍 I love a good cover! The story behind this beauty did not disappoint either! I kept hearing great things about this book so my expectations were pretty high.⁣
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This book has an amazing relatable, bad ass MC, secret societies, root magic, demons, King Arthurian mythology and more! There is quite a bit of information regarding the secret society, magic and past history that take a minute to fully understand but once you do it makes the story even more enjoyable.⁣
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This was an amazing well developed, fast paced debut novel and I look forward to reading the second book!⁣

I was really impressed with this. The timing of Legendborn is so apropos as it’s set primarily on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill and a lot of universities in America are coming to terms with their institution’s involvement in America’s ‘Original Sin’. I think Tracy Deonn did a great job tying that dark history in with Arthurian legend and, of course, rootcraft. It’s clearly set up to be a series and I hope we get more of Bree exploring and exercising her “craftwork” in the sequel (s). Disclaimer: it is very YA but if you can get past the angst and relationship drama you will definitely be pleased. I really needed this after being so saddened by the ending of Children of Virtue and Vengeance (#ijs)

I received an eARC from Netgalley for an honest review of this book. I actually downloaded it awhile back and completely forgot that I had it until it was placed on my WRBG book list for the fall. I was skeptical at first because I’ve been moving away from YA as the characters frustrate me (chalk it up to adolescence I guess) and the fantasy storyline and setting (NC native and black girl) made it a little more appealing. also heard it was pretty thick so I dove in a couple of months early but ended up finished rafter only 3-ish weeks.

This post/review has been a long time coming 😩 LEGENDBORN by Tracy Deonn is absolutely one of my fave reads (if not THE Fave Read™️ ) of 2020, and I am positively dying to read it all over again! 🌸

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I am literally speechless. As both a reader and a writer, LEGENDBORN took me on a vivid emotional journey following sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews, who is recently grieving the loss of her mother. When she finds out there's more to her mother's death — and it possibly involves the existence of magic?! — she's ready to do everything in her power to find out HOW and WHY. 🌸

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The prose of this novel? The world building? The character development? The interwoven relationships between Bree and her mother, Bree's life, her past, her family, and heck, even her new friends — all of it was done so superbly I was left gasping for breath from the first page until the last 😩🌸

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Obviously, I highly recommend this book. As a Black girl, even though I didnt share the same experiences, Bree's anger, her grief, her determination — they spoke to me on a soul-deep level. I hope you all check it out! 🌸

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So many thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours and the publisher for the review copy! All opinions are my own 🌸

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Find me on bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/vianoniomoh 🌸

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ahem, ladies and gentleman, I have an important announcement to make. Now, nobody tell Jem, Sevro, Morozko, Nik Malikov, Kaz, or Hilo…but I have a new book boyfriend, and his name is Selwyn. As I’m reviewing this before most of my friends, I have called eternal dibs and you can all feel free to back off and leave him to me.

THIS BOOK! Books from debut authors tend to scare me a little. Yes, sometimes (like now) I am absolutely blown away and need to read a thousand more books written by my newly found favorite author immediately. Other times, there are issues with pacing or character development, or an unclear magic system. Although I still feel that my understanding of The Order and its magic system are a little confusing, I believe that is partially intentional, as I am learning things at the same pace as our MC, Bree.

Let’s discuss Bree while we are on the topic. She is everything that a 2020 reader needs to look for in a YA heroine. She was both strong and damaged, and it made her as a character that much more relatable and realistic. Bree is grieving the untimely death of her mother and the writing made the emotions feel as though they were my own. Her grief was raw, and real, and it made her that much easier to connect with as a character. I also adored that she didn’t take grief from anyone. Bree was never afraid to stand up for herself or speak her mind. Her connection to her ancestors was a favorite part of the book for me and I look forward to seeing that bond in future books of the series.

The side characters were solid. As you now know, I am in love with Sel and have added him to the harem. Nick and Alice are characters that I have a complex relationship with, and I fully believe that is intentional as Bree’s relationships with both of them are in flux. The other side characters, with the exception of William, were a tiny bit of a blur for me as I tried to understand who was linked to whom and why, but I did enjoy the very diverse cast of characters.

As the blurb for this book indicates, it is absolutely a great read for fans of Shadowhunters. Legendborn also has to be one of the most unique takes on Arthur’s story that I’ve read. I look forward to finishing the series and would like the next book in my hands immediately. Please and thank you, Simon Teen.

This was a fantastically fun fantasy. Deonn stages a twist on the Arthurian legends at a collegiate all white secret society, but the hero isn't who the society expects it to be. This was perfection.

I’d be a whole lie if I said that I wasn’t sucked into this book because of the cover, but this book definitely did NOT disappoint!! I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

This book had everything: a bomb main character (who handled the idea of Legendborn and everything wayyyyy better than I would have lmao), demons, King Arthurian mythology, root magic, secret societies, and more.

Admittedly, there were a few times where I had to go back and reread certain parts to make sure that I knew what was going on since I don’t know much about King Arthurian mythology and things like that, but I definitely caught myself up and enjoyed it. I also thought that the author’s note at the end was really interesting and helpful to understanding the book.

While this book was fast-paced from the very beginning it still took a couple pages for me to get into the story. But once I was into the story it was an amazing ride.The magic systems well were explained and they were quite interesting. I loved the fact though the different magic systems were coming from basically the same place the branches were so different. Also the fact that the magic used by Black people is connected to Black History was a really great story element. One detail that I loved immensely even though it definitely wasn't put into the story for enjoyment purposes per-se was the fact that Tracy Deonn didn't shy away from showcasing the everyday struggles with racism that Black people go through. I don't know why but I was kind of expecting the story to just focus on the magic and glance over the everyday details. I also loved the mundane moments that in the midst of the action and magic.I loved Bree as I character and the other characters were very 3 dimensional and intriguing. I also loved Nick and Sel as characters as well as love interest for Bree ( I know the romantic relationship in this book is between Nick and Bree and I love that but I saw something between Bree and Sel and I don't hate it.) Almost finished I want to mention that this book had Non-Binary, Sapphic and Bi or Pan Representation. Also the plot twists !!

I wanted to love this so much, but... I just didn't. This had all the makings of a book I thought I was going to love, but for whatever reason I just didn't.

I think the topics that were explored in this story such as, grief, institutional racism, and slavery were well explored and brought a side to ya urban fantasy that I haven't seen before. My issues with the book had to do with the execution of the story and how certain tropes were used. Which sort of leads me to think maybe YA urban fantasy isn't for me anymore?

The first maybe 30-40% of this book I felt like I didn't know what was happening. The whole legendborn system was very confusing, I couldn't keep straight who was a scion, who was a squire and what it all meant. This made it really hard for me to get into the book. By the time I started to feel like I understood what was going on I'd already checked out from the story and didn't really care anymore.

I did like the secondary magic system that we were introduced to. I thought how it brought in Bree's family history, and America's history of slavery and white supremacy was really interesting. I also liked how it ultimately tied in to the rest of the story.

I wasn't a fan of the characters. Bree was super stubborn and made some *questionable* decisions which lead to some funny one liners at times, but ultimately I just found her annoying which made it hard to read from her perspective. Her relationship with her best friend Alice was also a big disappointment to me. For being Bree's best friend I feel like she's the side character we see the least of. The story starts off with them in a huge fight that... made no sense to me. I get it, they're 16, communication is not the best at that age. But Alice gets mad at Bree for not "being the same" when Bree's mom died like... 3 months ago?? I felt like that Alice was actually wrong here was not acknowledged. Even after they made up I found it really odd how Bree kept hiding everything from her.

As for the other characters, I just didn't care. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, Nick felt pretty generic to me, but I didn't mind him. Not a fan of the love triangle thing that started happening towards the end/second half. Hate to love really just doesn't work for me when one of them is trying to kill the other.

I did appreciate the exploration of grief in this book. Bree's mom's death was the driving force of the book, and I thought Bree's actions and thoughts around that were well done. I also appreciated how even though her dad wasn't physically present he wasn't absent.

Overall this book was just not for me. I'd recommend it if you are big fan of urban fantasy and want to try something with a different take because like I mentioned it does bring a lot of new things to the table.

DNF
I'm setting aside the ebook for now and going to try and get an audiobook. Though the book is fun, I'm overwhelmed with the world-building.