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bookishspy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I had a lot of people recommend this story to me over the past year, and after finally reading it, I'm actually regretting not getting around to it sooner!
Bree is such a perfect main character. She is fun, smart, and has such a deep and real personality. She's not perfect and also had a temper when it was called for. She didn't just always let things slide right off her back as some might’ve. Her strength was the standout here.
Nick is such a sweet guy and always had Bree's back. I love that he had a little rebellious streak, but he knew when it was time to put that aside. He did surprise me with one of the fights where he hit someone who he knew was not allowed to hit him back, and that left me wondering if he might be a bit darker than he seems. The romance with him was perfect, just a little flirty and cheeky. It was super cute, but he clearly has a jealous streak.
Sel seems endgame to me. He has the dark and mysterious thing going on, plus a bit of that forbidden charm. He's also deeper than he first appears to be, and he seems to have a bit of a cheeky streak as well. I really want more of him.
While it is not heavy on romance and is more fantasy with a side of romance, the love triangle is certainly triangling, and it is hitting the spot. The jealous moments and then working together despite it, just perfect.
Now, if we get to the actual story, I will say this wasn't a perfect score for me, but it was close! The only thing that dragged down this story was how confusing the names and places got at times. We were thrown a lot of names and expected to remember who was who and where was where. I was winging it a lot of the time, and because of that, the bad guy reveal just didn't hit as hard as it should have.
Despite that, this was so unique and exciting! It was also heartbreaking and hard to read at times that involved heavy doses of racism and sexism. Sometimes, I wanted to climb in this book and yell at some of these characters for their bigotry, which is a testimony to how well written this story was. I was enthralled and binged this as fast as I could, and I think I'll move immediately to the next book in the series.
I would highly recommend this fantasy book!
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Car accident, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Kidnapping, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
peppermint_pink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I was just a little disappointed mostly because the hype around the book elevated my expectations too much and it didn't meet my initial expectations. Some things that bothered me:
- The timeline. Like 60% of the book happened within the first week of school? It gave me whiplash. The whole thing happens in two weeks. What. I also kind of wish the author just made Bree 18 instead of 16
because the age and early college thing mixed with how fast everything went is throwing me off a little. - The love triangle. This is more of a personal preference. I don't like love triangles at all, especially not when it felt like Bree didn't have much chemistry with one of the dudes in the love triangle.
Also two white boys?! But that's what you get when you read YA - you've got to accept that teenage melodrama will be part of the story. - Her relationships. I really needed her to have more Black friends or at least TRY to look for more POC friends.
Her one friend kinda got pushed to the wayside and it was lowkey disappointing and felt underdeveloped. - I know that the story represents the reality for a lot of Black people who are in PWIs but it really felt like there were TOO many White people. Maybe that's just me. I just thought there would be more Black people but I can count on one hand the number of (named) Black characters she interacts with
not counting the ancestors.
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Vomit, and Car accident
zed_dog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, and Car accident
amiraqualls's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism and Rape
girl_that_readss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Death, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment
bendersreads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Blood, War, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
eldritch_archivist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Transphobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Pregnancy
boglord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Slavery, Kidnapping, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Police brutality, and Alcohol
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a contemporary fantasy using Arthurian legend Hoodoo traditions. This book was much anticipated considering one of my favorite novels is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so you know I was pumped for a version with Black people in it!
We follow Bree Matthews as she navigates the grief surrounding her after her mother's sudden death. She goes to UNC-Chapel Hill for early college when she finds out about a secret society called The Order of the Round Table. Bree thinks the Order might be behind her mother's death, so she decides to try to infiltrate their ranks by coercing her new peer mentor, Nick Davis, to get her in.
I loved the magic systems in this! Especially the concept of the Root magic and Mediums to communicate with ancestors. That was one of the most profound things in this book, being able to know who your ancestors were at all and being able to commune with them. It was very powerful for a Black person to be able to do such a thing.
I loved how Deonn updated the Arthur myth by including colonialism and slavery, and how that trickled down to Confederate Monuments and building that were built by but never meant for Black people. I felt seen by all the microaggressions Bree had to deal with by being in a place with mostly white people.
I loved the enemies to friends we get with Sel and Bree. This book also had some great queer representation: bi girls and guys, gay guys and lesbians, and a nonbinary character. Also Alice (Taiwanese-American) is a badass of a best friend even if she starts off a bit rocky. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoilers.
The twists at the end!!! Several times I yelled "I knew it!" And "Whaaaatt!" If you've been seeing this hyped, know that I approve. I'm hoping a book two comes soon! Read this book and come yell with me lol.
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Racism, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, and Death of parent
alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and War