This is the sequel to the very hyped Legendborn.
I remember being slightly let down by this one compared to the first, although it was still a great book! I still loved all the characters (especially Bree, Sel and Nick) and definitely want to find out what happens to them next but felt like this suffered from middle book syndrome a little and the plot lacked purpose and direction.

Time of death: 27%. I just can't do it. I WISH I liked Legendborn as much as everyone else seems to but I just dont. The first book, when it was good, it was incredible, but all of those good parts seem to be non-existent in Bloodmarked. This book amps up the tired mid-00s YA tropes, and seems to largely scrap the nuanced and inventive generational magic system, using it only as an inhibitor to the Arthurian magic. Nuance, it seems, has been dropped altogether in place of beating you around the head with any messages it tries to convey. There's just nothing here worth struggling on for.

A truly stunning, intricate and powerful sequel to Legendborn. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better Tracy Deonn knocks this out of the park - with interesting development for the core characters, emotionally charged and has me eager for the next instalment.

2.5 stars!

I really enjoyed the first book, but, can't say the same for this sequel.

This book came out almost after 2 years of the first book and between then and now, my reading preferences have changed a lot - it was definitely one of the reasons that I just couldn't connect with the characters. While I was quite sympathetic towards Bree (MC) in the first book, in this one she came across as a brat and I was quite annoyed by her. The plot was fairly simple but the magic system was just a convoluted mess. It's ambitious but executed poorly.

I think this is where my journey with The Legenborn cycle ends.

Legendborn was an incredible read, and here I am attempting to put into words how I feel about its sequel Bloodmarked months after reading it. To be quite frank, I still don’t have a clue where to begin. Tracy Deonn has written another exceptional book that will rip your heart out multiple times, fix it up a bit and then tear it into shreds all over again.

The stakes get even higher in this book, and it shows Bree who her friends and allies truly are as the Regents reveal how they plan to handle everything that happened in Legendborn. Bree has to fight with everything she has, and to do that she needs to learn to use her powers. The problem is that her Scion powers don’t want to play ball, and too many people are taking that as a sign of weakness. With her back against the wall Bree accepts help from the last place she wants to, putting her in more danger than she ever imagined.

In Bloodmarked Deonn takes Bree’s story down a much darker path, continuing to highlight real world issues through a fantasy narrative. Once again Deonn forces the reader to look their biases right in the eye and acknowledge them. I wasn’t even aware of one that had been with me since my own youth and was still causing me harm until a massive light was shone on it in Bloodmarked. That is how powerful Deonn’s writing is, and The Legendborn Cycle is a must-read for all ages.

The character development in Bloodmarked is some of the best I have ever seen, and there are too many beautiful scenes to mention.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

Bloodmarked is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. This sequel is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Bloodmarked today.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK Children's and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved 'Legendborn' and I was beyond excited to read 'Bookmarked'! It is safe to say that I also adored the second installment in the 'Legendborn Cycle'!

'Bloodmarked' moves at a faster pace than its predecessor. 'Legendborn' set up a story rich with complex magic systems and intriguing characters, but 'Bloodmarked' takes this even further by exploring the political elements of the world. It was a fun, thrilling read, full of unexpected twists and action/fight scenes that had me in a chokehold.

Bree Matthews is a wonderful YA protagonist. I absolutely adore how passionate, determined, and loyal she is. In Bloodmarked, she continues to struggle with the grief of losing her mother whilst taking on some huge new responsibilities. It was wonderful to see her growth throughout the book. Deonn's characters feel entirely real. It was interesting to read about Bree's different dynamics with Sel, Nick, and Alice. But it was also great reading about side characters with their own opinions and ambitions!

I want the third book immediately!

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a well-written, exciting, refreshing YA fantasy!

5 stars!

Brilliantly written, devastating, the exact sequel I needed and was hoping for.

This series continues to wow. Tracy Deonn can write anything and make it a masterpiece

Legendborn was an excellent story, powerful and full of emotions. Bloodmarked is even better so don't be shy, go and read it.
It's a lot of things but never boring or shallow.
Loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love these books so much!! I love Bree and Alice. I love the world of Legendborn and Bloodcasters and how the problems of race and privilege are woven into the story, without bogging it down. I love the tension and the action and just learning more about this world. I don't love the cliffhangers, which leave me hanging so often, but they definitely do their job to keep me reading!

This book was a good sequel, it wasn't quite as good as Legendborn but I still enjoyed it immensely. I loved learning more about the world and seeing it expand as they moved out of Legendborn territory and into the wider world of magic users. And I definitely loved seeing more of Alice as she is so badass and perfect. I also really loved how dark it got with the regents. I can't wait to see Bree kick their asses.

My only hang-up really was that Bree didn't fight many of her own battles. She had all this training in weaponry and fighting, but because she can't call ether she can't fight at all? I felt that was a bit of a cop out. Especially when seeing Alice trotting around all happy with being able to protect herself because she has a pair of brass knuckles. I just don't like seeing Bree sidelined like that and made to be something to be protected rather than the awesome powerful girl she has the potential to be.

Other than that though, I really loved it. I can't wait for the next instalment!

I was so so excited to read this after the success of Legenborn, and it did not disappoint.

Tracey Deonn continues to build a smart, reflective and moving story that will make you enraged, exhilarated and tearful, all in the one chapter.

One of my favourite reads of the year for sure.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I had started reading this via audio but struggled with the narrators Scottish accent so happily switched to ebook! It was great to be back with these characters again. I thought the plot itself was engaging and built on what we knew from the first book. The characters are great and I enjoyed meeting the new additions too! Overall a great fantasy series!

A perfect continuation of Legendborn, full of as much action, bloodshed & feeling as the first one!

This is most definitely one of the best YA Fantasy books I’ve ever read. Every character is so well mapped out to the point where they leap off the page (not to sound cliche). We definitely see more of every character’s personality and traits throughout this second book and I’ll say I love Alice she’s a badass!

With the first book I felt it was slow to begin with (for world building and character introductory reasons I understand!) but this second one does not hang around in getting RIGHT into action and plot.

The best thing was that there was little snippets of information about what happened in Legendborn to catch you back up, which hardly happens in most sequels! Not to mention the obvious inclusivity throughout!

Deonn is a powerhouse and I cannot wait to see where this series goes and what she writes next! Auto-buy author for sure 👏🏻

More of this forever. This series is fantastic and the writing is just so strong - highly recommended to check this one out!

I thought initially that this was going to be a duology when I read Legendborn but I’m even more excited after reading this to know tiger will be another book. If you loved Legendborn you willlove this just as much, Bloodmarked is a fast paced joy of a read, Tracy Deonn’s world building and writing just gets better all the time and that end, I need the next book now

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book wow its been over a year since i last read Brees story, i was honestly scared i wouldn't remember much but i fell back into her story so easily. If you liked book one you will only like this more its much richer than Legendborn and so much crazier. Though i was hoping it may be a duology i can't wait to read the book that will follow this one. Its got everything i love a school setting, amazing characters, secret societies and action.

please check this book out

A breath-taking, densely-packed book that unravels in the middle. BLOODMARKED will grab you and never let you go, even through its worst parts.

Hmm. This is a difficult book to rate. If I had to give one word to sum up my feelings of this book, it would be: complicated.

I was initially worried I wouldn't be able to get into this because it's been a little while since I read LEGENDBORN, but it was so easy to fall right back into Deonn's sinister world of secret societies, unexplainable magic, and ominous demonic threats. Unfortunately that momentum doesn't carry throughout the rest of the book.

The twist that Bree is the Scion of Arthur worked so wonderfully well in LEGENDBORN that I was expecting Deonn to blow my proverbial socks off with BLOODMARKED – and the book delivers on this promise in the first half. Immediately we are thrust back into the action, Bree being caged in the Lodge for her own safety. The story only spirals from there as she wrestles with her new ancestral powers, the expectations they bring, and the looming threat of Camlann, the Final Battle. The Regents' machinations, the unexpected betrayals and nuanced exploration of systemic racism, generational trauma and body autonomy are excellently executed. Deonn portrays authentic character interactions and realistic portrayals of the weight of being the Chosen One.

But as was an issue in the first novel, BLOODMARKED sags hard after the midpoint and struggled to hold my attention until the end. I would've even say it was bad, but there is so much travelling and shuffling around, what ultimately felt like a lot of unnecessary tangents that the characters chase, and egregious plot points that hinge on total coincidences, that it ended up killing a lot of the enjoyment for me.

Most frustratingly, however, is the fact that it feels like Bree has no agency in her own story. Over and over again she is rescued from danger by the people around her, mostly Sel. She never gets the chance to chase her goals and is sometimes relieved from making difficult choices. She gets knocked out so many times, helpless despite all the power she supposedly wields at her fingertips.

And I get that the point of the book is that, exactly, she was given no choices, not from her ancestors or the Legendborn, but even in the small ways it seems like her character is being pushed around to make the plot work, rather than her pushing the plot.

Of course, the ending rectifies this almost immediately with a compelling, tangled web of politics, drama and sword-slinging as Bree's misplaced trust comes back to haunt her. I enjoyed parts of this book as equally as I didn't – but more in a way that I think is up to personal taste rather than any objective critique. Some people will love BLOODMARKED and some people won't, but either way, it'll be interesting to see, given the circumstances of the ending, what happens in LEGENDBORN #3.

WILL I READ ON? Yes.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn is the sequel to her award winning book Legendborn. It is important to read Legendborn before picking up Bloodmarked as it provides a lot of information about the characters, magic systems etc and without being familiar with the story the reader could easily find themselves a little lost.
Blending Arthurian legend with Black Girl Magic is a brilliant idea and Deonn executes it remarkably well.
Bree, our heroine is still reeling in shock from the reveal at the end of Legendborn , and much of the book is about her reconciling her powers over aether from her Legendborn side with the Root magic that has passed down her matrilineal line. She is struggling to gain control, and matters are made worse when she uncovers a shocking truth about the people she believed she could trust.
I really thought Legendborn was excellent so I was beyond impressed to find that Bloodmarked was even better. The plotting and pacing is on point and the love triangle aspect of the storyline, which could have had me rolling my eyes actually had me rooting for the characters involved. The author tackles the history of Black People in the United States head on, and never shies away from the terrible hardships they endured and the traumas that still resonate generations later. We get to meet a few new and very interesting characters as well as spending time with old friends, and through this we are given more information about the magical systems of the series. The book ends on a dramatic note and left me looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Legendborn became a new obsession for me in 2020. It was such an epic tale, with expansive mythology and scale that combines an expert interrogation of societal issues and a tale of reclaiming your own identity in a world that wants to bury it. So to say my expectations for Bloodmarked were high is to massively underplay it. Deonn smashed through them to deliver another meteoric tale that burns bright.

Bloodmarked takes every aspect of the previous book and elevates it to new heights. That deep rooted exploration of grief and trauma expands in an intimate and deeply emotional story. The reconciliation of the generational abuse and trauma Bree faces is immense and Deonn does not shy away from showcasing just how impactful dealing with this legacy is. It is a challenge that threatens to overwhelm Bree, consistently alienating her and providing yet more challenges. She really goes through it in this book. Her vulnerability and moments of release really hit hard, as you fall ever more in love with her. She is a truly phenomenal protagonist.

Deonn also ensures that her readers go through it with Bree. There are so many twists and turns here that will fully make you want to throw the book across the room. Without spoilers, that ending made me stop everything and just sit in shocked silence for a while after finishing. The stakes also grow ever higher in an intense and atmospheric book. It is so fast paced, but still allows you fleeting moments to breathe and reflect on everything that has occurred. What truly made me ebullient was the sheer scope and level of detail Deonn brings into the book. There is so much new ground covered in this book that was hinted towards in the first book, making me question what else we have previously missed to have it pay off soon. This series is constantly raising the game for all other YA fantasy novels. It is so astute and creative, constantly giving you something new and exciting.

Bloodmarked shakes the YA fantasy scene up once more, fulminating with its brilliance and impact. If this series isn’t already on your radar, you need to change that immediately.