Well, I pretty much screamed my way through the last 60 pages of this one.

If you’re in the mood for Arthuriana, but modern, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

LEGENDBORN takes the question—what if there were modern descendants of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and how would that look in reality after fifteen hundred years?—but goes further in its answer by grappling with the realities, often unsavoury, of the descendants existing within the history of the United States.

I admit, I was initially a little skeptical, as I always am, of mythology being moved so far from its roots. (I felt the same about the Welsh King in THE RAVEN BOYS quartet). But Deonn subverts skepticism by showing EXACTLY what could happen with Arthurian descendants journeying to the New World and becoming part of the shameful modern history. They may be descendants of King Arthur and his knights, but that doesn’t mean they were always on the right side of history, and people who believe they are superior often start to believe the lie that everyone else around them are automatically lesser.

Deonn also examines the mythology through the lens of race and gender, and what that would look like in modern society and how it would have to change. She does some really clever and interesting things with the mythology, and makes you frantically turn pages to get to the end. It also unflinchingly deals with grief and the loss of a parent, and at times this is very difficult to read. (Bree’s dad is also a stand-out character.)

Loved this, and can absolutely see why it has so many fans. Will be reading the next one soon.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

After the raving reviews I was expecting to love this book but sadly as a Welsh speaking person I was quite disappointed. Books with a language the author is not fluent in should always be checked by multiple fluent speakers to ensure it is correct. Careless mistakes are made far too many times with the Welsh language and in the audiobook the language is butchered beyond comprehension.
Apart from the atrocious use of Welsh this novel was for the most part enjoyable, I liked the main characters but felt like the story really dragged in certain parts.

A brilliant and fast paced fantasy adventure, rich with ideas and potential for a huge series. a very cinematic and enjoyable book.

A layered and beautifully constructed fantasy story that deftly handles grief and trauma, this was a stunning novel and I cannot wait to devour the second book.

An exquisite YA fantasy that has made its mark on the market. One that I read a while back, adored, but had no idea I hadnt reviewed it yet. Truly stellar writing on the part of Tracy Deonn. Also on a cover note, this is a book that stands out amongst the crowd.

I will read anything Arthurian so immediately was drawn to this retelling. The magic system is uniquely inventive and the world-building is rich and layered. This is how you write fantasy.

I genuinely do not understand how so many people love this book, I had such high expectations and they were utterly shattered. I felt like I was back in middle school reading this, and honestly I probably would have loved it back then, but it just contained all of the tropes I associate with YA fantasy from 2012. I mean seriously, there was instalove, love triangle, clueless girl realizes she has magic and some attractive man introduces her to the secret magic world and she is always asking questions bc she is so uninformed the whole time. Honestly, why can’t people just explain things to each other it was all so cryptic for no reason and i just couldn’t stand it. Most of the “twists” I spotted from a mile away, this was just one of the most average fantasy books I have ever read. I guess this is a controversial opinion, but I really just don’t get the hype.

The only thing I really loved about this book was the representation and how racism was spoken about head on, and the representation of the ups and downs experienced after a death in the family. That’s the only reason I’m giving it 2 stars instead of 1, I think there needs to be more representation like this in YA fantasy.

Bree Matthews is still reeling from the death of her mother in a car accident when she arrives on the campus of UNC for an early program for high school students.
On Bree's first night at UNC she witnesses a strange creature and comes across a secret society with a mage, which they call a 'Merlin', who wipes the memories of what Bree saw.
But Bree's memories return and she finds that she now has a new memory of the night her mother died, one that makes her think that it wasn't an accident that caused her mother's death.
Bree becomes more involved with the secret society and its Legendborn members, learning about their links to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Bree will have to decide how far she is willing to go to find out the truth of what happened to her mother and whether she will join the society's fight or burn them down.

Going into a book as hyped as this one is always a bit daunting, especially as I tend to have quite unpopular opinions when it comes to hyped books, but I was looking forward to reading this.
Bree was a likeable and relatable protagonist who was having a very hard time coping with her mother's death. She did make some questionable choices, but I put that down to Bree being grief-stricken. I could understand her need to find out what happened to her mother, but I'm not sure if I would have been as willing to risk as much as Bree did if I'd been in her shoes (but again she wasn't in the best state of mind). While I did like Bree, I don't feel that I fully connected to her or any of the other characters in the novel.
The magic system, world-building and take on the legend of King Arthur were all interesting and unique.
I originally started reading an eARC version of this, but I found myself struggling a little to get through the book, so I switched to the audiobook. I'm glad that I did, because I did find it easier to get through and I enjoyed the narration.
The romance wasn't one of my favourites, but I thought the author handled the topics of grief and racism very well. I also liked the diversity, with there being a Black protagonist as well as LGBTQIA+ characters.
The plot took a long time to get going for me. It wasn't until around 75% of the way through when I found myself becoming invested in what happened, as well as being surprised in the direction that the plot went in.
While I didn't like this as much as I hoped I would, I still found it to be an enjoyable, unique read.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, unique read.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is an immaculate debut novel with so much potential to become a well-beloved fantasy series in the YA book community. Deonn has taken the Arthurian myth and turned it completely upside down whilst still keeping the essence of the age old tale.

The modern, university setting was a clever choice and creates a space for Deonn to discuss elitism in secret societies but also in universities in general. Since Bree Matthews is an outsider entering into this secret society, it makes intricate world building possible. At first I was confused by all the information about the different families and which knight they represented at the Round Table but by the end of the book I was well-versed in Deonn’s brand of Arthuriana.

The first thing that struck me when starting Legendborn was Deonn’s writing skill. The prologue was so phenomenally written that it was easy to just keep reading and reading. This book doesn’t feel long even though it’s a 500 pager. The pace is fast from the beginning and doesn’t let up. There were a few quiet moments scattered in between to give the reader a chance to catch their breath which I appreciated. I do wish that the catalyst for the action was a bit later in the book. I would have loved to get a chance to see Bree in her new setting first before diving straight into the main action of the book.

Deonn manages to tackle a lot of difficult and serious topics in Legendborn but she does so in such an impactful way. Grief is a theme that is interwoven in the story through the construction of ‘Before Bree’ and ‘After Bree’. I loved the way that Deonn doesn’t shy away from the messiness of grief. The raw emotion of losing someone you love is explored with such care and respect.

I also thought that discussions surrounding race and oppression in this book was masterfully done. There were a few moments where I had to put the book down for a second because the writing was so intense but eye-opening at the same time. When doing a historical retelling such as the Arthur myth in a setting such as the deep south in the US, there’s a lot of horrific history to unpack. Deonn makes sure that parts of history are not forgotten or swept under the rug. It gave the Arthur myth a whole new facet and gives readers something to contemplate on.

Bree’s age bothered me a bit whilst reading. I kept aging her up in my mind since the setting takes place on a university campus. I wish Deonn had made Bree a university student from the start. There were a lot of side characters to keep track of and I sometimes forgot who was who. It was very refreshing to see all the LGBTQ+ representation amongst the Round Table members and it was lovely to see one of the love interests was a bisexual mess.

Overall, I think Bree is an extremely compelling protagonist and I was fully invested in the story. I am dying to read the next book when it comes out. The world is fascinating and the ending was just *chef’s kiss* SO GOOD. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I was so moved by Deonn’s writing. There are a couple of things that bothered me about the book. But this book is as close to perfect as one can get. I cannot believe that this is Deonn’s debut novel.

I was obsessed with this book!
I was worried at first that it was slightly basic and would fall into conventional tropes but it didn’t!
I was stunned by the second 2/3rd of the book and cannot wait to read the next one!

Author: Tracy Deonn
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 15th September 2020
Pages: 490
Rating: 4 Stars


Goodreads Synopsis

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

CAWPILE

Characters – 8
Atmosphere – 8
Writing Style – 7
Plot – 7
Intrigue – 8
Logic – 8
Enjoyment – 7

Overall: 7.6

Review

Trigger Warnings: Loss of a parent, grief, addiction, gore, violence, microaggressions, racism, slavery, blood, and rape.

This review contains spoilers.

I’ve been wanting to read this for so long and I’m so happy that I finally picked it up last month as it was such a great read. So, I don’t know a whole lot about Arthurian legends, and as far as I know this is my first Arthurian retelling, so I was a little confused at the beginning but once everything was explained I got really into the story. As I said the magic system is a little complex but I was really intrigued by it especially the Rootcraft. My favourite thing about this was the characters, I especially loved our main character, Bree. Throughout the novel, Bree is dealing with the death of her mother and she learns about some things that her mother kept from her, honestly, some of the passages of this novel had me in tears. Nick was such a sweet character and the story about his mother having her memory wiped was so heartbreaking to read. Sel is such a complex character and in the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of him, however, once he began to open up and we learned more about his past he really grew on me. There are also some really great side characters that Bree meets when she becomes Nick’s Page, so I’m interested to find out more about them in the sequel. There are so many incredible plot twists in this novel that I didn’t see coming, especially the ending, and I’m excited to see how that story develops in the sequel. The last 100 pages or so were literally so intense that I couldn't put this book down and I thought the action scenes were well-written.

Overall this was a fantastic YA Fantasy novel with an incredible main character and an interesting magic system. After that ending, I can’t wait until book 2 is released.

This was such a well constructed and enjoyable urban fantasy. It tells the story of Bree, a 16 year old black girl dealing with the death of her mother. When she is accepted into an early college program, she finds herself not only in a world of keggers and sororities, but also demons and the Arthurian society created to defeat them. What I loved the most about this book was the way in which Tracy Deonn holds up a mirror to the white privilege inherent in the collegiate system. Dealing with micro aggression and subtle (and not so subtle) racism on a daily basis, Bree has to navigate the world automatically at a disadvantage. Bringing in themes of heritage, inherited and generational trauma, this is a YA fantasy with greater depth than many, while still retaining so many of the tropes familiar to YA readers. A really strong opener to what I feel will be an excellent series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Legendborn is a King Arthur retelling/sequel in that King Arthur and his knights have used magic to tie themselves to their descendants, meaning they can sort of reincarnate when a great need is of them. There’s also Merlin stand-ins called Merlins and one called a Kingsmage who serves King Arthurs descendant. Merlins being the mages and binding themselves to the line was interesting to read about, with some mysteries hidden within too.

On top of the Order, there’s other types or magics/factions too. There’s Wildcrafters which use rootcraft which manipulates energy and is shown to be a more nature focused magic in that it opposes bloodcraft which is depicted as bad. There’s also an enemy called the Line of Morgaine or the Shadowborn which is touched upon to probably be brought up more in later books. This gave the world a bit more depth and showed that it’s not just the order that has and can use magic.

I found there was a lot of info dumping and telling not showing when it came to the Order and magic as a whole though. Whilst we’re learning alongside Bree, it’s more often told to us by other characters and takes up a good portion of the first half of the book.

Bree as a main character is wonderfully written. She’s smart, but stubborn and her actions are all pushed forward by grief over her mother. You can tell why she does what she does, even when she makes poor decisions.

Uses the welsh language, but I missed what being within Wales could have added to the tale. I had similar issues with a Robin Hood retelling being set with an American protagonist too, however Legendborn does make up for this later as it does end up being part of a plot point which means the setting needs to be America.

Overall, the book is reminiscent of many YA paranormal books I read when growing up with similar tropes and predictability at times. But because of this nostalgia, as well as new additions and twists it helped keep my attention.

Positives of Legendborn
Great main character
Interesting take on King Arthur
Negatives of Legendborn
Tells a lot instead of showing

This book had so much potential but for me it just fell short. I found myself getting really confused with the magic system and all of the vocabulary used. The insta-love was also a huge no for me. Usually I can tolerate it if the characters have chemistry and develop into a good relationship but I didn't feel anything between the two characters and actually found myself hoping Bree would fall for a different character.
This book definitely had positives, I liked the messages it was portraying about race and acceptance even if it did feel a little forced and stereotyped.
I really enjoyed the flash back like elements that Bree experiences when getting to know her family's past. I would have liked to have seen more of that.
In terms of pacing it seemed to drag for me until the last 20% where it was full of action and I was sucked in and couldn't put it down!
Unfortunately I cant see myself reading the sequel, I would reread this and hopefully gain more from it in terms of personal understanding of the magic but otherwise it wasn't a standout book for me.
I feel like the minority here because everyone else I know who has read this loved it but for me it was just an okay book.
3.5/5 Stars

I am so in love with this book!! Brilliantly written and with an unpredictable and compelling plot, it is not only a fast-paced fantasy adventure story that will not let you put down the book, but it also talks about racism and grief in such a powerful way! I would recommend this book not only to YA fantasy fans, but to anyone who like reading smart, multi-layered stories.

A unique & brilliant remaining of Camelot! Tracy Deonn adds some much needed diversity & fresh new twists to Arthur's lore. This hit the mark in so many ways & I was completely enthralled by the storytelling.

When I say this book was everything to me, I genuinely mean it. It had magic that was so enthralling that I wanted to be sucked right into the world, a premise that got me hooked from literally the first page and characters I couldn't help but love.

There have been quite a few books inspired by King Arthur published in recent years. Here Be Dragons by Sarah Mussi, The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White, Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy, Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke… The list is endless.

However, I don’t think any of them live up to Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn. Combining Black Girl Magic with a fresh twist on the Order of the Round Table, this is a captivating debut which I found ridiculously hard to put down.

When the book begins we meet our protagonist, Bree, on the night that her mother dies in a car accident. It’s made worse by the fact that Bree had a huge fight with her mother the previous night, leaving her to come to terms with the knowledge that the last words she said to her mother were ones said in anger.

Their fight was about Bree’s enrollment in an Early College program. Bree signed up without her mother’s permission, thinking she wouldn’t get in (but if she did, attending the university where her mother studied had to sweeten the deal, right?!). But Bree’s mother wasn’t ever going to let her daughter go there, and Bree is left with no idea why.

Unfortunately, Bree’s mother’s secrets end up causing her to get embroiled in more trouble than either of them could have anticipated. Before lessons begin she goes to a party where she meets a mysterious guy called Sel. She spots something strange that nobody else seems able to see, and Sel ends up doing something to her memories… Something that makes her wonder if her mother’s death wasn’t a simple accident.

Bree is left questioning the truth about the world around her, fighting with her best friend Alice, and being assigned a (startlingly attractive) peer mentor. How will Bree get her head around the new world she’s discovering while still struggling to cope with her grief?

Going into Legendborn, all I knew was that it was a King Arthur retelling. The last King Arthur retelling I read was one which seriously disappointed me, so instead of intriguing me that aspect made me put off reading this book for longer than I should have.

I wondered how a King Arthur retelling set in America was going to work, but Tracy Deonn does a wonderful job of explaining the history of how Arthur’s descendants came to be across the pond. She has obviously put a lot of work into researching not only the original legend, but the history of America itself as well.

At its heart this story is a scathing look at the way that generations of Black people have been treated in America – from back in the days of slavery up until today, when Bree experiences microaggressions and prejudiced comments just because of the colour of her skin. It’s empowering, it’s a call to arms, and it’s high time that we get more YA fantasy retellings written by Black authors about Black characters.

I absolutely love Bree. Although she is a Chosen One (and that’s not my favourite trope!) she is such a well-crafted character that I can almost overlook it. As well as dealing with the discovery of a magical underworld, she’s also dealing with developing feelings for Nick, the strain that the Early College program is putting on her relationship with her best friend, and her mother’s death. That adds up to a ton of character development, which Tracy Deonn ekes out and takes time with. Bree doesn’t change within a few pages, and throughout the novel we get a lot of her inner monologue as she struggles to decide what to do about the situation she has found herself in and the way that it is changing how she sees herself.

The other aspect of the story that I really enjoyed was the possible love triangle between Bree, Sel and Nick. I wouldn’t describe Bree and Nick’s relationship as instalove because it does take her a little while to trust him enough to let him in, but their romance does develop quite rapidly. However, the friendship between Bree and Sel was what I was living for. They have a lot in common, and even though he’s the bad guy at the beginning you quickly learn that there’s a lot more going on under the surface. I’m describing this as a possible love triangle because by the end of the first book Bree and Sel’s relationship is still purely friendship, but I have strong feelings towards these two and I hope that they end up developing strong feelings for each other! It’s been a while since I’ve felt this drawn to a YA romance, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Tracy Deonn takes these characters in the as-yet-untitled second novel in the Legendborn series.

There are only two reasons why I didn’t give this book five stars. The first is a very minor one, but it’s the overly repetitive descriptions of the way that each boy smells. I was reading this book aloud to Sean and I lost count of the amount of times I said the words ‘laundry and cedar’ or ‘whiskey and cinnamon’. Those descriptions are very vivid and vibrant, but when they kept getting repeated every couple of pages it threw me out of the story entirely.

The other reason that Legendborn ended up being four stars is that the ending is too rushed. For a book which comes in at just over 500 pages, the climax takes place over just a couple of chapters, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the action at the end of the novel had played out more slowly. I loved the fast-paced nature of a certain reveal, but as a whole the book had such slow pacing and I really savoured the level of world-building that Tracy Deonn was putting into the story, so for the ending to be a complete 180 was a bit of a shame.

That being said, this is one of the best YA fantasies I’ve read in a long time. I loved the fact that it included such a unique twist on the King Arthur legend, I really enjoyed the unique magic system and I think it’s brilliant that this book sits beautifully between YA and Adult – definitely sitting at the older end of the YA fantasy spectrum.

Tracy Deonn is an author to watch, that’s for sure. I’m eagerly anticipating news about the sequel to Legendborn, and I’m already looking forward to rereading this story in preparation for Bree’s tale to continue.

Such a good book! Tracy Deonn's writing is beyond incredible. How she approaches grief is incredible and I need book 2 ASAP!

Legendborn tackles grief, being a Black woman and redefining legends but to sum up this book, I would say this book is full of secrets, a secret society, demons and magic.