vanyas's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Lots of side characters, lots of terms, and actual love triangle. I'll edit this later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
After Bree’s mother is killed in a car accident, she finds herself tangled up in a secret Arthurian society at UNC.
Before this year I hadn’t read a single Arthurian inspired fantasy, and now I’ve read two and I’m coming to the conclusion that I love them. This book was SO good—the world building is incredibly intricate but still manages to be accessible, and the plot had me actually gasping by the end.
In fantasy, it’s almost always the characters that are make or break for me, and I really enjoyed the characters here—especially both Nick and Sel. This is one of the rare times you’ll find me ALL THE WAY IN on a love triangle, and I can’t wait to get to Bloodmarked and see how things continue to play out.
Thanks to some awesome friends for buddy reading with me!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Arthurian myths; well-done representation; love triangles
CW: Death of parent; grief; racism/slavery; lots of death/blood/injury; mentions of sexual violence
After Bree’s mother is killed in a car accident, she finds herself tangled up in a secret Arthurian society at UNC.
Before this year I hadn’t read a single Arthurian inspired fantasy, and now I’ve read two and I’m coming to the conclusion that I love them. This book was SO good—the world building is incredibly intricate but still manages to be accessible, and the plot had me actually gasping by the end.
In fantasy, it’s almost always the characters that are make or break for me, and I really enjoyed the characters here—especially both Nick and Sel. This is one of the rare times you’ll find me ALL THE WAY IN on a love triangle, and I can’t wait to get to Bloodmarked and see how things continue to play out.
Thanks to some awesome friends for buddy reading with me!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Arthurian myths; well-done representation; love triangles
CW: Death of parent; grief; racism/slavery; lots of death/blood/injury; mentions of sexual violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Car accident, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
aliyas_encanto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been wanting to read this for a while but I really felt like there was a lot of unnecessary background description and minor characters were not fleshed out enough. Best characterizations were with Bree and Sel. Also, the relationship with Bree and Nick was extremely rushed considering the timeline of the book is barely a month (this made it feel the most YA to me). There were elements I loved (the diverse cast, honest portrayal of grief, harsh realities of racism, magic in different cultures, and the relationship with Bree and her family) but it was not enough for me to truly fall in love with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Racism, Violence, and Death
torij2000's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Violence
station12reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Grief
Moderate: Racial slurs
qgg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I really liked this book. Bree is a fantastic lead character. The 16-year-old-in-college-with-wisdom-beyond-her-years-because-her-mother-died took me a bit of time, but then I got into the book and let that go. The beginning of the story is eerily similar to Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones. However, Bree still has her supportive dad, she has a therapist trying to connect her to her mom’s people and she has a whole depth to her grief that grounds her as a character. She’s not a complete Mary Sue character for much of the book. She does have an odd set of skills that make it dangerous to be her. The mystery keeps the plot moving. The romance triangle is not my thing so I can’t give this book 5 stars. I’m also not clear on how old Nick and Sel are? It might be gross. I only guessed 1/3 of the twists in the end of the book. Do not click on spoilers if you haven’t read the book!!!
I love a book when I can’t see all of the twists coming from a mile away!
Spoiler
I guessed that Bree would be officially legendborn through rape. I did not guess that she would be of Arthur’s line. I also did not guess that it was Nick’s dad who was opening the demon gates.I love a book when I can’t see all of the twists coming from a mile away!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Racism, Violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Rape
Moderate: Colonisation and Infidelity
sambolin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Legendborn took a minute to get into. Much like the main character there was a lot of world building to catch onto. It was extremely rich in lore and the world. But at the beginning it was dense, and a little hard to get into. As Bree figures things out (and we do too) the pace picks up and is a non-stop read. I loved the twists this author incorporated. Even more so, my favorite part was the intricate weaving of generational trauma and microagressions- in a way that felt real and not teachy or preachy to readers. It wasn’t glossed over or forgotten- it was clear throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Death, Grief, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual violence
mishshell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is like a high 4.5
I could even almost go 4.75 but It just took me quite a while to understand the magic system and all the new words
But so worth it for the second half of the books
I could even almost go 4.75 but It just took me quite a while to understand the magic system and all the new words
But so worth it for the second half of the books
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I knew from Kate's description that Legendborn was dark academia meets Arthuriana with a fantastic twist. None of those things necessarily appeals to me particularly, but I did appreciate the moment I put the book down about a third in to ask myself whether that was 'the twist' or if there was another one coming. (I won't spoil anyone’s own appreciation by answering that question here.)
Tracey Deonn, first and foremost, does that thing great young adult books do (and some other books, as well): all Bree's emotions are incredibly real and raw. The grief over losing her mother, the giddy attraction to Nick, the anger and disgust in response to racism all jump out from the pages. In turn, this makes the relationships very compelling — whether it's the romance or Bree’s friendship with Alice or the steadfast support of her father. Legendborn really fired on all emotional cylinders.
As discussed, the plot is also impactful with at least one jaw-dropping twist. Bree's storyline is tight and easy to keep track of. Her antagonism with Sel, and the way that changes over the course of the novel, really adds depth to the action. However, the number of scions and squires and descendants of the knights of the round table get a little hard to track. Reliably remembering whether a specific page is on Bree's side or against proved challenging, let alone accurately tracking who makes up each of the bonded pairs. It always becomes obvious who’s who fairly quickly, but apart from Greer few of the characters on this level stand out as particularly distinct, which did make the death scenes less emotionally-affecting than they could have been.
While it’s not a perfect book, I really enjoyed Legendborn and will definitely be adding the sequel to my TBR.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Blood, and Racial slurs
Minor: Car accident, Slavery, Infidelity, and Misogyny
abisnail564's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Death of parent, Racism, and War
Moderate: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Pregnancy