Four stars for the writing and world building, it's stellar.
Three stars for the characters are somewhat one dimensional...but this is a YA story so imo, characters always fall into the same ol same ol; irrational and irritating.
Enjoyed the King Arthur references in the story. I do wish we had more Black characters around Bree but I guess for what this story is,that couldn't happen.

At the end of it all, I would recommend for teenagers.

LEGENDBORN BOOK REVIEW:
There is just so much depth to this book that I can’t possibly name all. Here are some things I loved about this book.
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I loved Bree. She was such a great character and person to read from. Sis played no games and she was so easy to root for! I also loved how realistic her transition into the Legendborn world was. I mean we got a whole wash day routine in this book! 
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I also loved Bree’s interactions with Sel and Nick. Two very different interactions in which I enjoyed. I’ve seen a few reviews, not a lot so we’re good!, about their dislike for the love triangle (team Nick...for now lolll), bad boy with a complex past, and insta love tropes in this book. I mean everyone is entitled to their own opinion but keep in mind that other popular fantasy books of today has all of these tropes. I’m just happy that we, Black readers, get to see ourselves in these tropes as well. Also these tropes were handled wonderfully so props to Tracy Deonn!
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I also love how Tracy Deonn made it a point to center a Black African MC in this story. I’m African so I can’t wholeheartedly speak to that experience but after watching some of Deonn’s interviews, she really emphasized on how important it was for her to insert the Black American identity and experience within this fantasy novel. What does it mean to be Black in a predominantly White space? What does it mean to be active in an environment that wasn’t originally meant for you? We all know how European fantasy worlds look like. And thankfully we are starting to know how African fantasy worlds look like! But what does a fantasy world and mythos inspired by Black American heritage look like? These questions are all answered in this book! Black people in general see themselves in this book but I love that Black Americans get to see themselves and their heritage portrayed in a fantastical setting! 
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Does this deserve the hype? Yes it does. This is the birth of a new fandom and I’m so here for it. Y’all better hype this book up!! Don’t let it be sidelined!

Legendborn takes one of the most renowned myths and turns it on its head as Tracy Deonn, and Bree by extension, shake ancient legends to the core and make them their own – and I loved every minute of it.

Legacies can be wonderful, even magical things – but they are privileges, too, because history is always written by the victors. Legendborn explores who gets the privileges that come with the bloodlines of the knights of the Round Table, from extra speed and strength to the wisdom of King Arthur himself, but more importantly, it explores who possesses the ability to trace their family as far back as the sixth century, and whose history has been destroyed with violence. The UNC campus itself memorializes only select legacies, including a statue immortalizing a plantation owner, and has a long way to go in acknowledging and providing reparations for its own racist origins. Family legacies are just one of the many things that the other Order members take for granted, with meticulous notes and documentation about their ancestors at their disposal – luxuries that Bree has been denied because of the enslavement of her own ancestors. But Bree is resilient and resourceful, and she recovers parts of her family’s past that can shake the foundations of the Order as they know it.

You can read my full recommendation of Legendborn here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/09/20/book-recs-legendborn-by-tracy-deonn/

This is a book I didnt know I needed. I identify so much with the protagonist Bree. She is a black girl with curly hair and she has magical capabilities! Also there is Arthurian folk lore which i love! There are so many important black experiences covered in this book as it relates to being black in white spaces and how certain interactions may unfold. There is power in black stories, power in finding yourself, power in standing up for what you believe. This is fantasy, don’t get me wrong but its so much more than that! I am IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOOK and can’t speak high enough praises! This is a book I will be revisiting, no doubt. I would recommend this book for teens, and adults who love fantasy.

Really amazing book.  For someone who loved Harry Potter but finds J.K. Rowling problematic, this was a breath of fresh air. I am already looking forward to the sequel.

A lot of interesting and compelling elements. We've got a complex, well developed world and a huge cast of developed characters. That hugeness made for a long read. It's so much and moves slowly. But Deonn is doing some cool stuff. We have multiple sets of rules for magic, different approaches reflecting different cultures. Add in racism and social strata and there's a lot to consider.

This book was absolutely amazing!! There was a point where I absolutely did not want to put the book down and would get annoyed when I had to stop reading. Yes, the book was that good and the ending was amazing like I am not sure how I am going to last until the next book. The ending was so unexpected and had me finishing it in the middle of the night when I had work early in the morning. I am a person who likes to guess what will happen in the book and come up with theories about characters and let me tell you, I still did not see that ending coming from a mile away.

I loved Bree’s character soo much and how Deonn portrayed her was magnificent. I feel like the way Deonn portrayed Bree’s emotions so well especially with Bree’s grieving process. Sometimes authors make the grieving process very linear with the main character just coming to terms with the grief over a period of time. But what about the people who just avoid processing the grief? This is Bree. Her grief is not linear but a bumpy road with the occasional step back and I love that.

Honestly, I loved the whole plot, I was entertained all the way throughout the book. The book is very fast-paced and gives you a bunch of information about the secret society, Root, and back history/story, and its a lot of information but I think after a while you really get to understand what is going on. Also, the way that Deonn incorporated the microaggressions that Bree faced throughout the book is truly seamless and I can see each one of them happening in real life. And the characters?! I love Nick, but I think I love Sel more...but overall I think I enjoyed the different personalities because each character was truly their own person.

Legendborn definitely has the potential to be a great series. Although King Arthur retellings are popping up everywhere, this one is very unique. I think the world building was a little confusing, we were meant to learn as the character did, but it felt a bit all over the place. The characters were like able and the plot had a lot of action. I hope the next book will be a bit smoother.

I did not finish this book. The writing was drawn out. The development of the world was choppy and confusing. Because of the confusion, it was hard to understand exactly what was going on. The book has potential but as a YA novel, the cumbersome task of trying to keep up with so many new and unfamiliar terms while adjusting to and deciphering the new world takes away pleasure in enjoying the story.

Wow, is it too early to call 2020 THE year for YA fantasy? Either way, Legendborn is another one to add to the most impressive debuts of 2020. This book is so ambitious in scope, which makes it all the more remarkable how well this story is pulled off. The themes are rich in this book, and they come together with a delightful cast of characters to make a meaningful and propulsive plot. I've seen this book being compared to the Mortal Instruments. While I can see why I think this book is in a class of its own with its complexity and deep connection to lore & history. Not to be controversial, but Mortal Instruments could never.

	So, where to begin with a book like this? I think it's appropriate to start with Bree, the main character and the series's true heart. She is so fully-realized, fleshed-out and sympathetic. I will say that her angst did grate on me in the beginning, but only because I recognized a lot of the same flaws in her as in my teenage self and, whoo, it did something to me. But I think ultimately that speaks to how realistic a character she is, and I think she is the most well-done teenage character I have read in a while. And the growth she goes through in the story is excellently done. I love most, if not all, of the supporting characters and will say I am absolute garbage for her dynamic with Sel. The character relationships are complex and juicy in this book and I can't wait to see where they go in book two.

	And speaking of juicy, this book's plot is so good. It takes a little bit to ramp up, but I had to know what happened next once it did. I turned into a puddle of screaming fangirl at all the twists and turns that felt inevitable and surprising. There was one, maybe, that wasn't super foreshadowed, but I may have been missing something. Either way, this book had just the right amount of angst and drama, for me at least. It all felt earned and deeply rooted in both the characters and the lore of the story.

	I am brought back to that idea I saw on Twitter about how tropes are transformed when done by diverse authors. And, boy, does this book take that idea and absolutely run with it. This book is heavily inspired by Arthurian legend and has roots in the US's horrific history, particularly in the South, and creates something that feels truly unique from it. I marveled at how Tracey Deonn took story beats I know I'm familiar with and made them feel entirely new.

	Beyond the really accomplished craft of this book, it should be said that it also has some crucial things to say while simultaneously being a rip-roaring adventure. The themes around navigating white spaces, the legacy and ongoing effects of slavery, microaggressions, and finding power in your ancestors resonate strongly. There were so many parts of the book where I had to stop, highlight, and take a moment to say this is so powerful. I think this book could be really life-affirming for a lot of teens out there. 

	Essentially, I will go wherever Tracey Deonn leads me next. Especially because, holy moly, that ending was absolutely killer. If I could pre-order book two today, I would in a heartbeat. A must for action-adventure, fantasy, and urban fantasy fans alike.

Daring Debut that is A Fresh Take on the Arthurian Tale, Lovingly Flavored with Southern Flair 

Brianna Irene Matthews aka Bree leaves home to attend an early college type program at the university of her dreams. She’s still raw, still grieving and attempting to do the whole college experience with her best friend Alice–the only person from back home who sees her as the person she is now. A version of herself that is trying but lost without much of a paddle to navigate the waters…sometimes rocky, sometimes calm. It is here at the place of her mother’s college days that Bree finds more magic, more mysteries, and more about herself that she’d never imagined she would find. Stumbling upon a secret society, an ancient order tasked with protecting humankind, she finds the Order of The Round Table. The last descendants of King Arthur and his loyal knights all young people, her age, who have a safehold here and have protected society from Shadowborne, demons who would wipe out life here as we know.

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the world building.  We have here this fleshed out, realized world that is one that I, as a reader can imagine myself in. This is the world with cars and modern architecture and where the internet all exists. It is also a world where weapons and armour can materialize at the drop of a hat, where healing properties can be grabbed out of the air, invisible to the sight of a normal human being–Oncebornes.  And foul creatures from the other side that seek to create harm and chaos. 

It is also a world where Bree lives and finds herself a child of two worlds. Again, a struggle that is relevant and timely as so many Black folks feel like second class citizens in whatever country they live in, and furthermore, how so many of us feel as if we are living through two different pandemics here in 2020. First and foremost, she’s a Black teen girl who knows that her skin and gender will make others actively work in dismissing, harassing, belittling, and attempting to erase her. Point blank, it makes her a target–to be treated differently. To endure silently the sly comments from school deans. To have to sit in a police car when her white classmates are told simply to return to campus. To be sized up in the worst way in the eyes of young men who only see her Black body as a means to an end.

Beloved, as readers, we aren’t thrown into a world where magic exists and microaggressions don’t. We are not thrown into a world where a Black girl is not aware that the many great institutions we uphold were built on the backs of people who look like her.  It would be unrealistic if Deonn penned this adventure this way and for that I am grateful. For Bree, it already wasn’t uncommon to find herself as the only person in the room with her features, her hair type, her shared life experiences. 

Bree is most certainly a hero that we’ve been waiting for. In the current wave of diverse YA titles making their way to shore, in Legendborn she is one of the new leaders of the pack. Seeing Black girls and women in fiction, in speculative fiction, in fantasy is always a treat.  And in recent years, it has thankfully become easier to visit a store and see someone who looks like me on the shelves, on display, featured on the website–yet it an even greater victory to read Bree’s story and see a fleshed-out, complicated, endearing narrative of a Black girl that I not only want to root for but see pieces of myself in. It is a greater victory to see that Bree is written by Black hands with a glorious cover illustration also by a Black woman. She’s a smartass–her banter throughout the book is gold. For a black girl who very easily falls into the ‘difficult to love’ category at times–it is refreshing and affirming to see her on display as someone very few really believe she is worthy–time and time again and eventually getting the landing right.

Throughout the fantasy genre, we see protagonists, especially children and teens without parents, without many mothers and fathers around. It is not uncommon to see the chosen ones running about as orphans or missing a parent–And in too many beloved stories and franchises mothers have a very obvious and depressing absence. Now writing this review, I see how this could be the book’s greatest criticism. And while Legendborn perhaps doesn’t fully subvert this trope, the author manages to effectively and brilliantly craft a story about a motherless child getting the chance to have a piece of her mother, again. Without heading into spoiler territory: this is the tale of a Black girl who gets to reclaim her mother–and her mother before her in a moving story about taking everything you are and everything you have–being your ancestor’s wildest dream and becoming the hero you need to be.

This YA fantasy is going on my list as one of my favorites for the year.

There are some familiar tropes at play here. Bree is the special girl who gets caught up in a fantastical adventure and snares the heart of the handsome, popular “prince.” (And maybe more than one guy is interested, so triangle TBD in later books.) The complexities of the story keep it interesting, though. The Legendborn, whose history is based in the court of King Arthur, are fighting the demonic Shadowborn, and Bree gets caught up in the struggle when she tries to figure out the order’s connection to the death of her mother. Black people have their own type of magic, which is called root, and Bree inherited those powers from her mother’s family. Beyond that, Bree seems to have powers all her own that nobody quite understands, a mystery that’s central to the plot. And once that mystery gets worked out, well, there’s kind of a twist in terms of some of those tropes . . .

I think one of the things that elevates the book above others in the genre is the central role that race plays in the story. Bree may be special in terms of the magic she wields, but she’s also Black, which means that some people will see her as less than she is. The Legendborn’s magical traditions grow out of their northern European roots, and many of them have slaveholders in their family trees. As the first Black person to join their group, Bree encounters racism within the ranks of the Legendborn and their vassals, who are almost all white. Even some of the people who want to be friends with Bree have a lot to learn in terms of their internal biases. (Seriously, why would anyone just reach out and touch someone else’s hair? I don’t get it. Do not do that.)

The author doesn’t shy away from discussing racial issues in the mundane world, either. The author is an alum of the University of North Carolina campus at Chapel Hill, and the campus is a big presence in the book. However, the university has a history based in slavery, and race remains an issue at the school. Bree is constantly having to navigate being Black in an environment built by and for white people, and the reader gets to experience the anger and pain that she feels as she does so. This may be a fantasy, but it’s very firmly grounded in reality.

Readers interested in #ownvoices YA fantasy will definitely want to check this one out. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series to find out what happens next!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

BOOK REPORT for Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn

Cover Story: Black Girl Magic
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Modern Fantasy
Bonus Factors: Arthurian Myth, Early College, Diversity
Factor: Series Starter
Anti-Bonus Factor: Discrimination
Relationship Status: Feeling Sparks

Content Warning: The topics of slavery and the abuse that came with (whipping, rape) are depicted in Legendborn as memories—i.e., events that happened in the past—but they are no less disturbing and might be triggering for some readers. 

Cover Story: Black Girl Magic
Although this term is often used in a more figurative sense, there is literal Black Girl Magic happening on this cover, and I am here. for. it. The young woman looks like a take-no-prisoners and take-no-shit badass, with a side of sorrow in her eyes, which is absolutely accurate for the story, and the ying-yang of her arms and the different colors of magic is another awesome nod to what's within.

The Deal:
Three months ago, Bree Matthews's mother died, and Bree separated into Before-Bree and After-Bree. After-Bree keeps things walled up inside herself, things that threaten to overwhelm or set fire to the world.

But when Bree sees magic—real magic—happen on her first night in the Early College program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she's thrust into the secret world of the Order of the Round Table, the descendants of King Arthur and his knights who have sworn to protect humanity from demons. And when Bree realizes that someone from the Order might have had a hand in her mother's death, After-Bree's lust for vengeance threatens to break her meticulously constructed walls right down.

BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Bree, fueled by her grief over her mother's death, has a tendency to do her own thing without telling others or without concern for her own safety. Part of me wanted to be there for her to pull her back from the edge, but another part totally gets the anger that comes with grief, and so wanted to support her in her efforts. (Especially when Bree recognizes the racial inequalities and white supremacy of the Order; yas, Queen, you take them down!) Bree is absolutely the kind of person who'd go into literal battle for the people she cares about, and everyone needs a friend like that in their lives. (Particularly when we're talking about actual battles against real, live demons!)

Swoonworthy Scale: 6
You're intelligent folk who've read a lot of YA, so although this is a semi-spoiler I'm going to come right out and say it (because if you read this book you'll figure it out as quickly as I did): there's a love triangle in this book. It's only going to get worse before it gets better, and I have no idea how it's going to end up. But, the dudes are total dreamboats, both, in very different ways, so I don't envy Bree's struggle.

That said, there is a good helping of swoon in this book before the triangle gets too messy. It's a very sweet, very early college "we can be alone together and my parents aren't going to freak out" swoon, but nostalgia for that kind of fizzy chemistry is all too real.

Talky Talk: Modern Fantasy
Although the lore in Legendborn is inspired by the very old myths of King Arthur and other voodoo-type magics—mixed to great effect!—Deonn doesn't shy away from being upfront about contemporary (and in some cases, sadly much older) issues. The Order is painfully white, and on more than one occasion during the book, Bree is othered because of the fact that she's Black and a woman, both. Deonn's messages on classism, racism, and sexism are powerful and moving and never feel shoehorned into a book about demons and knights. I applaud her for including these topics, because they're absolutely part of the real world, even if the "real world" in this case happens to have magical bits.

Bonus Factor: Arthurian Myth
I'm all about Arthurian retellings, and the more feminist or diverse they are, the better. (The Round Table was such a sausage fest!) Deonn does a great job of using the known myths to inspire the new magical system in Legendborn; I wouldn't call it a retelling, but it's definitely familiar to anyone who knows even the bare minimum about King Arthur and his knights. (Also, I watched Deonn's launch Zoom event in which she talked about how it's actually impossible to do an actual retelling of an Arthurian myth because there's no one story that people can retell, and this blew my mind with both its brilliance and how obvious it is now that she said it out loud.)

Bonus Factor: Early College
I love the fact that Deonn set this book on a college campus; it makes the secret society themes easier to believe than if it took place in a high school setting. (Bree and her friend Alice are juniors in high school, but attending an early college program.)

Bonus Factor: Diversity / Anti-Bonus Factor: Discrimination
In addition to Bree's being Black in a very white (secret) society, one of her friends is non-binary. The powers that be don't really know what to do with either of them, and that's both empowering—eff the system!—and unbelievably frustrating—they're people, not something other; they don't need to be treated any differently than anyone else because of their race or gender identification and deserve to be as respected as everyone else.

Factor: Series Starter
I'm not sure how many books Deonn plans to include in the Legendborn series, but there's a very large world she's created in the first book that I'm excited to explore in however many more she blesses us with.

Relationship Status: Feeling Sparks
I'd heard you were something special, Book, but I was reserving judgment until we could get together just the two of us. I'm glad to see that the hype wasn't undeserved; there's definitely something exciting happening here, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

The story of King Arthur and the Round Table has been around for a long time. And, as such, there are many takes on the legend – some simply straightforwardly recount the story of a once and future king who was both a great warrior and a good man. But others eagerly explore other, less frequently centered characters, such as Guinevere or Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, and reimagine new ways of telling this tale that’s almost as old as time.

Tracey Deonn’s debut novel Legendborn falls firmly in the latter category, relocating the King Arthur myth to America and re-centering it around a young Black girl desperate to figure out who she is. And it’s honestly wonderful: Full of rich interior world-building, a fresh and complicated take on the Round Table, and a perspective that’s been missing for far too long from this particular literary lane – all mixed with a unique dash of Southern history.

Full review: https://culturess.com/2020/09/16/legendborn-review/

<em>To be able to trace one's family back that far is something I have never fathomed. My family only knows back to the generation after Emancipation.</em>

It is truly impossible to look at Tracy Deonn's <em>Legendborn</em> in a way that does not elucidate race and generational trauma in an incredibly unique way. The depths to which this story demonstrates these concepts it masterful in its own right. There is so much nuance to this fantastic retelling of Arthurian lore that you can't help leaving it impressed. And I would wager that this is probably the most important story I will read all year. 

<b>The Story You Think You Know</b>

I've always <em>loved</em> Arthurian tales. There is something utterly captivating about the boy king, his gallant knights of the round table, and the wizard who advised him. And while <em>Legendborn</em> is certainly a story based around this story, it is in no way what you expect it to be. This is both a brilliant...and an unfortunate thing.

I would <em>love</em> nothing more than to say that I adored every single piece of this book. And truthfully, there's really only one thing I didn't care for. In every single other way, this book was basically perfect. Sure, there was a half-baked almost love-triangle, but given the source material, I'm actually fine with it. 

What bugged me, though, was the twist at the end. The all at once speed with which it happened was one thing. What's worse, is I feel horribly conflicted over my distaste for it to the point that I'm still giving this book five stars despite finding it irritating. You see, were this twist not entrenched in the deeper commentaries of the book, I would have hated it. It is only the nuanced acuity of the treatise that made this twist brilliant.

This is a chosen one-eqsue narrative that needed to be precisely that. I guess a part of me is just kind of sick of them. 

<b>Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table</b>

I've always been weary over the years whenever magic beyond Merlin's, specifically, is involved in tales of Arthur. When I first picked up <em>Legendborn</em> I was excited but skeptical. I can be choosy when it comes to certain retellings and Arthurian fall into that realm for me. Fortunately, Deonn's take on these brave knights and their king was <em>brilliant</em>. It was unique to the point of falling in love, but not so vastly out there that it irks you. I can <em>easily</em> set aside my preconceived notions and love for this story and adopt the world that Deonn has created. 

Basically, Arthur and his knights fought demons. To ensure they could continue their battle through the years, Merlin--who is part demon which accounts for his ability to use magic without the assistance of spirits--casts a spell that allows the spirits of Arthur and his knights to reside in and lend power to their decedents. There are a lot of rules for this and equivalent exchange-type limitations. One cannot have great power without giving up something in return. 

And it's amazing. Despite being <em>vastly</em> different from the tale you may know and expect, Deonn melds these world ideas expertly. Never once did I find myself really questioning how these pieces could join together. Root magic was a little more difficult for me to merge with Arthurian legend at first. The connection was a bit harder to grasp, but ultimately still makes for an excellent story.

<b>Diversity</b>

In a weird way, <em>Legendborn</em> is not as diverse as you kind of expect it to be. At least, not in the <em>way</em> you expect it to be. I was, at times, shocked by this. But I think the message Deonn is trying to send--and send it she does--would not have worked out nearly as well had there been more black folk main characters. Now bear with me, I'm going to dive into this a bit. 

As far as <em>central</em> characters go, Bree is pretty much the only black character. There are some side characters of course. Namely, Bree's father, her ancestors, a therapist, and a young college student. Then there are the waitstaff at that gala later on, but let's come back to this. Then you have Bree's best friend Alice Chen (Taiwanese-American) and Sarah, a half-Venezuelan Squire who is pretty white-passing. And that's pretty much <em>it</em>. 

This book is set in the South on a campus that is apparently basically <em>filled</em> with white people. Thus the majority of characters, including both love interests, are white.  And when I say both, please note that one of the love interests is <em>barely</em> that.

Back to diversity, where we see the bulk of it is in the LGBTQ characters. There's the wonderful William, who is gay. Then you have Sel and Tor who are both bi. Sarah and Alice who, to my understanding, are both lesbians. And there's Greer, who is non-binary. 

<b>The True Shining Star</b>

<u>Inherited, Generational Trauma</u>

At the end of the day, the most essential and significant piece to Deonn's <em>Legendborn</em> is the blackness commentary. Deonn goes much further than simply discussing the surface level pieces that exist within discussions about race. One of the most captivating pieces deals with generational trauma that spans largely from the treatment black people have suffered since the very moment their ancestors first set foot in this country. There's a visceral pain to the knowledge that one's history is rooted in slavery and how that has eroded their ability to <em>know</em> that history.

This is a concept that I'm fairly new to. I've only recently learned about the impact that not knowing your family's history or who your ancestors were can have. If I wanted, I could probably trace my familial ancestors back generations. This isn't always the case for black Americans. More often than not, this isn't something they can do. Their history has been lost along the path of the suffering their ancestors went through. 

Well, you feel that through Bree. And it's heart-wrenching in every possible way. 

<u>Racism</u>

Bree's experience with The Order of the Round Table is dripping in microaggressions. These come from both well-meaning characters and the clear bullies of the story. There are hints of the scars police brutality has left on black Americans, commentaries surrounding gate-keeping, and many, <em>many</em> parallels to classism and slavery. The question of Bree's worth as an individual is brought up more times than I could count. Some of it is subtle while other bits are overt. 

And it's all interconnected. Race plays a huge part, obviously. But so does classism, existing in where an elite established by generations of slavery, racism, and gate-keeping expect their positions to keep the status quo. These people feel threatened, as though their lives are being infringed upon by the smallest of changes they are expected to make as the world attempts to balance out what has always been unequal privilege. 

Remember how I mentioned that there was this gala moment in which all the waitstaff were black? This was an incredibly striking moment in the novel and, like many of the moments of racism that Bree faced, met with her disdain. It's incredibly telling that this moment is included, meant to make us uncomfortable. And yet it shines light on something important, that the "elite" majority will often do what they can to hold the status they deem theirs and use class structures to hold down those they don't consider worthy.

<b>And So Much More</b>

I cannot truly account for <em>everything</em> that was brilliant about this novel. I loved the characters immensely. In a great many ways <em>everyone, </em>with perhaps <em>one</em> exception, was brilliant. They were so easy to fall in love with. I also greatly appreciated all the subtle inclusions about the black experience that, wonderfully, will allow for more readers to relate to Bree and also provide small opportunities for growth in those who do not know. 

At the end of the day, there's one thing that I feel an immense need to say about Tracy Deonn's <em>Legendborn</em>: 

<strong>We need more books like this.</strong>

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This was a fantasy  that truly stood out among the other releases this year. Who else is doing Knights of the Round Table meets Southern Gothic Black Girl Magic?

Bree Matthew's is still grieving her mother's death and getting accepted into UNC Chapel Hill's early college program seems like the distraction she needs. But was her mother's death actually an accident? Bree ends up stumbling upon a secret Arthurian society that may have the answer she seeks. After a strange encounter at a party. Bree enlists help from reluctant Legendborn Nick. 

I really liked that this was set on a college campus. Especially since this story is set in a somewhat realistic version of our world  it provided a way for Bree to sneak out every night without being under her father's watchful eye. There aren't enough YA stories set in college that allow for more freedom.

There is a romance with a love triangle brewing at the surface and some insta-love. I wasn't really feeling the one relationship so I hope it doesn't go in that direction.

All in all this fantasy tale felt unique in a see of other fantasies and the fast pace made it easy to get through. 
I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read more at
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/09/legendborn-by-tracy-deonn.html

*This review is based on an uncorrected proof copy provided by the publisher.*

4.75/5 stars

Bree, a Black teenager in small-town North Carolina, is reeling after the loss of her mother, who died in a tragic car accident. In spite of her loss, or perhaps because of it, she decides to go through with her plan to attend the Early College program at UNC Chapel Hill, which allows high school students to live at and enroll in the college. There, amidst her grief, Bree experiences magic (for the second time in her life) and discovers a secret society. Arthur and his knights were real, and their legend lives on in their descendants and devotees to the Round Table. When Bree realizes there may be more to her mother's death than a cruel twist of fate, she decides to infiltrate the society and find out what this magic really means. Along the way, she finds both solace and mystery in her heritage and ancestry, which may hold the key to the new powers she is manifesting.

Debut author Tracy Deonn has produced a book about pain, grief, magic, and legend. The new take on the King Arthur mythos, which has been mined in literature for centuries, takes readers on a journey through history, ancestry, belonging, and exclusion. Deonn asks important questions, such as who has been able to be part of the Arthurian legends? Who has been excluded, and why? Can an organization that operates exclusively on family connections, heritage, and birthright truly be a force for good? What would that organization do when someone disrupts their status quo?

The Legendborn operate around the descendants of Arthur and his knights. These descendants, called Scions, work with other devotees of the lines whose families have served for hundreds of years. They use aether, a magical substance drawn from life and energy, to defend the world of humans against evil forces that manifest as demonic creatures. The Legendborn are incredibly insular, as are most secret societies, and they operate with extreme amounts of power and money in regular societies. Much like an oversized fraternity or Skull and Bones society, the Order has influence in nearly all industries and interests. As with most exclusive societies, the Legendborn operate within a white, cis-centric mentality.

Bree, the main character, is nothing if not a disruptive force. Her identity as a Black woman is outside the realm of what the Legendborn have ever included in their ranks. She and a non-binary character named Greer are the only two inductees of the Legendborn to challenge the typical Southern sensibilities of the society. Bree struggles with the emotional labor it takes to exist in an organization, and a world, that was not built to accept people like her. This struggle is paired with the UNC campus, which has a long and ugly history with slavery, the lionization of enslavers such as Julian Carr, and the inability to create safe spaces for people of color.

While we get a lot of Bree's insular life and go through her trauma with her, we are given an extremely interesting, active plot that propels the story along at a fast pace. The Legendborn's younger class is populated with complex characters who all have their own relationship to their lineage, history, and place in the society. Nick, Arthur's descendant, is Bree's guide to the world of the Legendborn and her love interest. He is a reluctant golden boy returning to his inheritance with a large chip on his shoulder. On the other side, Selwyn Kane is a "Merlin," one of the Legendborn's powerful sorcerers. He is charged to protect Nick and the rest of the UNC chapter from the monstrous creatures that emerge from campus Gates. Sel is immediately suspicious of Bree and believes she may just be the very evil he has been sworn to fight.

All the action scenes are written snappily and bring the reader along as if they are watching a scene unfold on screen. The magic is described well, and we discover more about its rules and uses as Bree does, which gives the discovery an organic feel. The only drawback, at least in the proof copy, was not having a glossary of the Welsh terms that the Legendborn use to classify monsters, magic, and lineages. Some of the terms are easy to catch on to, but I did feel like sometimes Bree was suddenly familiar with a term when it had never been explained to her. Otherwise, the action was easy to follow and continued at a breathless pace.

Deonn's writing is painful, realistic, and evocative. I often found myself putting the book down and digesting what I read, how I felt, and how Bree felt. As a white person, this book challenged me to step outside myself and see how a Black person views the world around them. I myself am a graduate of UNC, and it was both difficult and educational to see the campus through Bree's eyes. I am grateful for the beauty of this book, but I am also grateful for its raw reality and the way it exposes our society's flaws. I can only imagine the emotional toll this book must have exacted from Deonn, but I am immensely glad the book was written.

This book is perfect for YA fantasy lovers, fans of Arthurian lore, and anyone looking for, as the blurb says, some Southern Black Girl Magic. Bree is a strong, brave girl who examines her trauma, knows her worth, and seeks to attain what she knows she deserves. I cannot wait until the sequel is released, but I am thrilled to recommend this to anyone who will listen.

Since her mother’s death, Bree has become After-Bree. After-Bree doesn’t want the same things as before, but her life has already been set in motion and it’s a train that can’t be stopped. After sneaking out on Chapel Hill’s campus during her Early College program, Bree gets a lot more than she bargained for. Suddenly magic exists, demons are real, and there’s a secret order of Arthur’s Roundtable keeping Onceborns (humans) across the country safe. Looking for The Order’s connection to her mother’s death has thrust Bree into a world she wasn’t prepared for and she just may have to break just to survive.

WHEW! This book was a ride. I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t sure at first because Bree was so frustrating and narrowsighted, but Tracy created a King Arthur retelling for a Black girls that we NEEDED! This book made me experience anger, frustration, sadness and triumph. Not only does this weave a tale of King Arthur but it turns it on its head with the history of Black Americans and our ancestry. The magical elements were amazing and there was so much mystery to uncover about Bree’s heritage & her mom’s death, as well as wth is going on in Chapel Hill. We also get Non-binary rep, an angsty bisexual king, and sapphic rep as well. The racism that exists in these old white secret societies? Yep that’s addressed. Magical fights to the death? Yep. A twist that I may have seen coming but still had me on the edge of my seat?? YEP!

Listen, the point is, it’s worth the read.

The writing in this book is phenomenal. I highlighted so many quotes and passages on my Kindle. The author's explanations of how Bree is dealing with her grief are incredibly poignant, and I appreciated that she allows the character to express the frustration and exhaustion that deals with managing other people's feelings when you are dealing with grief.

I loved that there was more than one magic system at play here and I really appreciated the Author's Note at the end that explained the origin of one of those systems. I also know from experience that the descriptions of UNC's campus are spot-on. Deonn really conveys a great sense of setting without getting bogged down in those descriptions.

What I would like to change:
I felt like things get a little muddled towards the very end of the book. I was missing a little bit in the way of explanations after the big battle. I also felt that there was a portion of the book at the end that dealt with a possession where the spirit of the person was weaved in and out of the narrative at will. That felt a little at odds with how the procedure was initially described by the person who was possessed. It just seemed like a convenience for the narrative that needed a little more development.

I AM IN AWE. THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.

Like, not gonna lie, the first few chapters everything was a little touch and go for me. It was a bit muddled, confusing, but I sticked with it because I have seen so many good reviews on this book I felt like there was something that I was missing. I am so glad I stuck it out, because this might just be one of my favorite Legend of King Arthur retellings in the history of the world. I never even compared it with my other favorite retelling, Merlin (BBC show). It is just unique, a breath of fresh air with tiny hints of Mortal Instruments/Soul Screamers to give it that nice starting point.

But it is so much more than Mortal Instruments. It is an urban fantasy series set in our time (no pandemic), in a college setting (Bree is a high school girl in the Early College track because she is freaking smart), that actually incorporates some difficult to address topics such as slavery, economical inequality, blatant racism, the difficulties of living in a world that wants to forget the struggles of the black community while our protagonist Bree is continuously being confronted by the echoes of what what done to her ancestors. It is done in a way that is just organic, which in a fantasy setting is kind of unheard of, dealing with this in a real way that is like OUR world and not a make believe world. It is just very well done and I loved it.

BREE! I love Bree. She is smart, daring, committed, won't put up with your BS racism and will check her friends if necessary. She loses her mother, and throughout the book we are dealing with this, while also adding to her pain when she realizes that generations of women in her family have died relatively young. She goes on a journey to both try to find out why her mother died (she suspects foul play; someone tried to take her memories away from that night, not realizing that she was immune) and discover why she has the powers she has. She meets Nick because her racist principal decides she has an "attitude" problem and needs guidance. Nick is an all around Rich American Boy who managed to grab Bree's attention (and mine) within just a few pages with his devil may care smile and teasing. I instantly shipped them, and in the next book I suspect we will get a WHOLE TON of character development from the Nick department (can't wait). Nick helps Bree infiltrate the Round Table secret society, and together they work to find out what exactly happened to Bree's mother.

There is definitely a love triangle going on as well; but I won't mention names because it is spoilery. And, well, this is a legit love triangle where I can see it going either way. The author develops both love interests with such fine details it is HARD to choose, though I may have a favorite...I bought stocks on both ships.

*shrugs*

There is so much to Legendborn. Fantastic representation for LGBTQ+ that does not feel forced in the least. Rich black community magic system. Smooth writing that makes you flip page after page with no care as to how long you stay up reading (the book is 500+ pages and I am totally okay with this). On some parts there is unavoidable info dumping, but there is a lot of material to go through so it is necessary, and to Tracy Deonn's credit she makes it painless. THAT ENDING. UUUUUUUUF. You are not ready for this. I was not ready for it (I had my suspicions, and I was partly right but still surprised).

I CANNOT wait for the sequel! Like, top 5 most anticipated books for 2021. BRING IT!

<i>PS; I was provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to the publisher! </i>