A review by peppermint_pink
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Wow first let me just say that the plot is so engaging - it got me reading 60-90 pages a day. Just be aware that this book is LONG. The magic system was also so interesting and I can't wait to learn more about it. 
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.

 Still, I loved seeing the growth and discovery in Bree in the last third of the book. Tracy Deonn really showed the impulsivity and anger that comes with being a teenager, not to mention a grieving one.   Overall, it wasn't bad at all. I just didn't love it the way I expected to. 
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