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A review by _artemis
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Damn, what a sequel. I feel like book 2 in a series has so much pressure on it... when it's done well... book 2s are often my favorite in the series. Bloodmarked definitely has that potential!! But I reserve the right to change my opinion when book 3 comes out. There are parts of this book (a majority) that I loved even more than the first book.
The magic system, the politics, etc. felt a little more confusing than the first book, but in the end I definitely was wrapped up in it and just decided to trust the process. Always a good choice with Tracy Deonn — her mind!! I missed the neater, school-based framework of the first book. Especially because it means we get a little less time for everyone to interact on an emotional level because the majority of the book this little crew is on the run — the main focus is what's our next step and what does all the information we have right now mean? But, there was no room here to catch your breath and it makes for an addictively fast paced installment and I burned through this book.
The end twists and turns were definitely not what I expected, even though I knew yet another shoe was poised to drop. There is so much momentum going into book 3... which btw I need immediately. I honestly feel lucky that I was able to read Legendborn and Bloodmarked back-to-back because of the complex world building/storylines and I know I'll definitely need to revisit book 2 at least to get up to speed when book 3 is dropped. It can't come soon enough!!!
Once again, Tracy Deonn is weaving a super complex magical world with incredibly poignant insight to important societal issues. She uses the King Arthur Legend, which is almost ubiquitous in the fantasy genre, as a social commentary as much as a really cool cog in a fascinating magic system. I adore how she uses fantasy, and its notable pitfalls (from diversity on/off the page to problematic representation), to critique the genre itself. I wish more people were making compelling, brave, bas ass work like she is.
Also, two words: Selwyn Kane. I wanted even more Sel... but man, what we did get was A+.that scene with the fireflies and the kissing had me kicking and giggling and i wanted 500 more pages
The magic system, the politics, etc. felt a little more confusing than the first book, but in the end I definitely was wrapped up in it and just decided to trust the process. Always a good choice with Tracy Deonn — her mind!! I missed the neater, school-based framework of the first book. Especially because it means we get a little less time for everyone to interact on an emotional level because the majority of the book this little crew is on the run — the main focus is what's our next step and what does all the information we have right now mean? But, there was no room here to catch your breath and it makes for an addictively fast paced installment and I burned through this book.
The end twists and turns were definitely not what I expected, even though I knew yet another shoe was poised to drop. There is so much momentum going into book 3... which btw I need immediately. I honestly feel lucky that I was able to read Legendborn and Bloodmarked back-to-back because of the complex world building/storylines and I know I'll definitely need to revisit book 2 at least to get up to speed when book 3 is dropped. It can't come soon enough!!!
Once again, Tracy Deonn is weaving a super complex magical world with incredibly poignant insight to important societal issues. She uses the King Arthur Legend, which is almost ubiquitous in the fantasy genre, as a social commentary as much as a really cool cog in a fascinating magic system. I adore how she uses fantasy, and its notable pitfalls (from diversity on/off the page to problematic representation), to critique the genre itself. I wish more people were making compelling, brave, bas ass work like she is.
Also, two words: Selwyn Kane. I wanted even more Sel... but man, what we did get was A+.