I became interested in reading "Legendborn" by Tracy Deonn based off of the beautiful cover and the synopsis, and I was honoured to receive an e-ARC copy from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"Legendborn" is a contemporary fantasy novel that follows 16-year-old Bree Matthews, who is accepted to an Early College program at UNC-Chapel Hill with her best friend, Alice. Still grieving over the recent death of her mother in a car accident, Bree views the Early College program as a fresh start. On her first night on campus, however, she is witness to a demon attack and is plunged into a dark, secretive world of magic and Arthurian legend. When a memory of the night her mother died resurfaces, Bree discovers her own magical abilities and becomes convinced that there is more to the death of her mother than what is written in the police report.

She recruits Nick-- a self-exiled Legendborn-- and infiltrates the ranks of the Legendborn" herself. While Bree contends with a rigorous initiation process, she and Nick attempt to discover the truth behind her mother's death. As they dig deeper, they grow closer, and the society's secrets grow darker. Soon, a magical war is brewing and Bree must decide how far she's willing to go in her search for the truth. Will she use her magic to fight with the society-- or tear it down?

This book was honestly extraordinary! It was dark and intellectual, and it balanced the contemporary elements with the fantasy elements very well! The magic system in the book is both unique and intriguing, Bree as a main character was absolutely incredible, and Tracy Deonn's writing was both vividly descriptive and wholly immersive. I COULD NOT stop turning the pages, and the ending definitely left me wanting more, which given that this is said to be the first book in a series is a VERY GOOD THING!

"Legendborn" establishes author Tracy Deonn as an exciting new voice in the fantasy genre. If you enjoyed "Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi, "Ninth House" by Leigh Bardugo or "Middlegame" by Seanan McGuire, this is definitely a book that you DO NOT want to miss!

"Legendborn" is scheduled for release on September 15, 2020. Special thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read it early!

I devoured this e-ARC practically in one sitting, and it’s not a short book! But I was so caught up in the story and so invested in the characters I didn’t want to put it down.

With strong, supple prose, rich worldbuilding rooted in Welsh legend, American history and African spirituality, compelling characters, high emotional stakes, gripping action, and some truly shriek-worthy twists, LEGENDBORN is one of the most absorbing YA fantasies I’ve read in years. But it’s also a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at grief, generational trauma and the dark legacy of enslavement, oppression and exploitation in the American south. Tracy Deonn has pulled off a tremendous balancing act with this story, and I can’t wait to see what happens next (but I’ll have to!).

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an eARC!

I put Legendborn on my to-read shelf on a whim, I thought I would try one of the new Arthurian retellings that has come out recently. I came for Arthur, but I stayed for the characters, the emotions, and the relationships.

One of the first things that grabbed me in this book was that it's written in first person POV. Bree just grabbed me in with her story and her voice. It felt like I was right there and that she was telling the story to me personally. I got wrapped up in Bree's emotions and very involved in her life very quickly. I cried at scenes in the book which were painful for Bree because I felt her pain. Bree is such a great character, everyone would benefit from reading with her for 500 pages.

I also loved the absolutely diverse cast of characters. Everyone walked up to the page fully formed. I didn't feel like any of the side characters were pointless or one-dimensional. Although Bree may not have been involved in the other's lives as much, I could see that they all had distinct relationships with each other and every single character grew over the course of the book.

I also loved the relationships in the book. I haven't read something so wholesome and so focused on consent for a very long time. Thinking of the relationships which formed in this book just makes my heart swell with joy. I love the way that they treat each other and I am so happy to watch their relationship continue and grow.

I also would like to point out that the existence of a romantic relationship in the book did not diminish the opportunity for other relationships in the book. That's actually one thing I loved, after establishing a romantic relationship, Bree goes on to continue to establish relationships with other characters, both male, female, and non-binary. She doesn't stop growing as a character because she is kissing the same boy.

Bree is also a Black girl living in the South and with the Black Lives Matters movement, I know many people are trying to diversify their reading. Being Black is a huge part of Bree's identity and it was important for me to see the world through her eyes to educate myself. There are a million things that I've never thought about, because I come from a place of privilege, that Bree pointed out by just living her life every day.

One of the main things is how do you take a Black girl and put her in an Arthurian myth? In contemporary culture, the Knights of the Round Table are white, straight, dudes from sixth century Wales. Where does Bree fit into this, without just inserting a Black character to tokenize the story?
I absolutely love the way that Deonn made Bree a part of the Round Table. My jaw dropped, and the rest of that discussion is too spoilery for an ARC review. It has been a very long time since an author completely surprised me with a plot twist.

The only reason I knocked off a star was because I struggled with the pacing. The first third is an introduction to the Round Table, which was fine, although a little slow. Once we determine Bree's place at the Round Table, we switch to a discussion of her Black roots. I loved the middle of the book, and I can see how the beginning ties together now, but while I was reading I was wondering why we were talking about the Round Table so much when the most interesting stuff had nothing to do with the Round Table.

I can't wait for the sequel, and I'm really hoping to see the characters I loved, and more of the characters we didn't see as much of (Alice in particular).

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing a digital ARC of Legendborn in exchange for an honest review.

Do you guys remember when Ninth House was announced and everyone got excited about secret magical societies in a modern university setting only to get their hopes and dreams crushed?

Legendborn is that if Ninth House was a) well paced, b) actually interesting, c) had likable characters, d) had a magic system that made sense, and e) followed through on its attempts to tackle real world issues.

Legendborn is absolutely incredible. Tracy Deonn somehow managed to combine Arthurian lore with her Rootmagic system based off of african-american histories and spiritualities and it never once feels info-dumpy or out of place. This is honestly the most well thought out magic system I've read in a long time and its TWO systems. Incredible.

Also, using magic as a commentary on real world issues is one of my favourite things ever and the way this book uses its two magic systems to provide commentary on colonization and racism as a whole? Incredible. Genius. I can't wrap my head around the fact that this is Tracy Deonn's debut.

I only really have two issues with this book, the first being how quickly Bree is to be like "oh yes magic" (someone says Merlin and she instantly goes "Like king Arthur? Is magic real?") but at the same time if that didn't happen I'd probably be sitting here complaining about how oblivious of a protagonist she is. I also just could not stand Sel BUT it was for the exact same reasons I can't stand Rhysand from the ACOTAR series so I'm sure everyone but me will be lusting after him in due time.