An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic. After her mother dies in an accident, … Magic.
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.
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LENGENDBORN, by Tracy Deonn is a book that met every “high expectation” I had after reading some other reviews (well, looking at the 5-star ratings, anyhow). I went into this book blindly, aside from the ratings, and “it was fantastic” comments. I meant to start it earlier in the month for a group read, and ending up consuming it in 3 days.
Bree is a young woman who is going to a nearby campus/early college three months after her mother dies in a car accident. The beginning is so sharp with her loss, rage, and the fury that she strives to suppress.
“No one wants to hear the real answers. What the Sorry For Your Loss Crowd wants is to feel good about asking the questions . . .”
I won’t rehash the plot here, just give my personal opinions.
The characters were PHENOMENAL! Seeing this through the eyes of Bree–I honestly felt the racial tension as she went on through a primarily white, prestigious campus. As for the group she encounters, the history of its origin was completely new to me, and I hung on every sentence (sometimes rereading if I was disrupted so that I didn’t miss anything).
Bree’s personal growth and emotional journey really take center stage. This was remarkable, in my opinion, and left me feeling satisfied by the ending, and looking forward to the next installment.
Highly recommended.
I heard about Legendborn by Tracy Deonn from Booktok reviews. I added it to my TBR and then forgot about it until it came in my BOTM box. When I finished reading the book, I wanted to kick myself for not picking it up sooner! That’s how impressed I was with the story, characters, worldbuilding, and the magic system. It is the perfect YA fantasy novel with a great blend of everything to keep you turning the pages. I’m waiting for book 2 of this series.
I loved the amount of inclusion in this book, and not just with the protagonist. There was a good mix of social commentary and magic, without anything being in your face. It got a little complicated and bogged down in the middle when there was a ton of information about the magic, but I liked the characters enough to stick with it. I also liked the concept of “after-Bree” and how she was so tough on the outside and so shattered within. I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
The premise of this book and the way the Arthurian legend is woven in is enough for me to enjoy it, but on top of that, the author manages to explore the complex themes of grief, generational trauma, and racism … all while telling a truly wonderful story.
I’m so eager for the sequel!
Bree’s growth was incredible and very well done. She start out angry and impulsive, but slowly she overcomes those and becomes a heroine you can’t help but root for.
Being the only black girl in the very white secret society has its challenges, relayed in a very relatable fashion, even for those of us who have never faced racism at a personal level. Add in the history and links to slavery that leads to the final twists and conclusion of this book, and the layers of complexity were impressive.
So good! I loved the worldbuilding, and listening to the audiobook made it even more powerful. I loved the way the book dealt with the themes of grief and loss.
When I started Legenborn I only had the intention to read about 20%-30%, but I soon realized it got harder and harder to put this book down. Next thing I know I finished it in one day. I cannot express how amazing and powerful this book was. The writing was powerful, emotional, and engaging. The story was a fantastic twist on the Pendragon/story of King Arthur.
Bree Matthews is a wonderful main character that I loved. She was strong in her grief and never gave up. She contained a power deep within her that she hadn’t even realized. She didn’t let people put her down and didn’t let the passive aggressive racism slide. I think the way the author handled the racism and white privilege of this society was done so well. But more than that, I could feel the black excellence within this book. There was power within these women of color within this book starting with Bree and diving deep into her lineage. One thing I loved that was touched on is our black line/ancestry and how Bree was heartbroken at not seeing/knowing her family line. For a lot o black people that history is lost and unknown. Its something that crosses my mind with my own family. Loved how that arc of the story was done. It was quite emotional honestly.
The build up and pacing was great and I loved how everything fell into place. Bree is on a long journey and all these moving parts from her grief at the loss of her mother, being a black woman, being thrown into a world of magic, and finding your own inner strength. It was surreal and had me so addicted to the overall story. I also loved every single character. Obviously Bree was amazing and a very mature character, Nick was so lovable and while he was Bree’s love interest it did not take over the heart of the story, and then there’s Sel who I loved so much. Sel was badass, intriguing and came a long way in the story.
All I can really say is that this was my favorite book of the year. Absolutely superb, well though out story, that was exciting from beginning to end. It is dripping with history not only of the King Arthur story, but also black culture and history. The characters are ones you can get behind and root for. There are some really exciting action scenes and the magic is fleshed out so well. Between the magic and the demons I just wanted more and more. I am dying to know more about this power Bree wields. Its going to be hard to wait for the next book in the series.
Wonderful, original take on Arthurian legend, translated to the modern world and interpreted with new complexity that includes racial and class dimensions. The beginning of a series, and totally satisfying both within the pages of this individual book and as a setup for what comes next. Fantastic read.
This has been on my radar to read for awhile now and I am FURIOUS with myself for waiting so long!!! Can you say epic?? This is brilliant and beautiful and heartbreaking. I love how the book centers the pain and trauma of centuries of racism and enslaved people while still being very present in how our current society still battles the same issues. All of which are tied into magic and demons and the freaking Arthur legend….I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
This is by far one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. It’s my new favorite book. I loved the ties between King Author, slavery and present day. Monsters, magic, healing and love. It was wonderfully written and I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to reading future works of this author. It’s not often you find fantasy books written by and staring black women! Amazing! Thank you sis!
This book is such a well written, well articulated book. Oh my the emotions that Tracy invoked in me, the sight she gives us not only into her legend born world but into a young African American Teen in the south, the pain of knowing your ancestors were enslaved and not knowing their legacy bc it was taken from them. This all goes back to how African American history is from word of mouth and the Heroine does not have those stories to know her-story
What a magnificent book! I’ve spent the past week recommending LEGENDBORN to everyone I know. It’s got everything: a complex new magical system, grounded in Arthurian legend; a sassy protagonist who is destined to become an iconic hero in her own right; important, thought-provoking themes; and a burgeoning love triangle that feels inevitable but right. Seriously, y’all, this book is a blast! @tracydeonn is now on my always pre-order list.
I give Legendborn an enthusiastic five stars. It’s been a while since I was this invested in a book. Everything about it spoke to me: the intricate plot, the well-developed characters, the glimpses of history mixed with fantasy and the legend of Arthur.
My own stories are mixes of different histories, different cultures so this one was just up my alley. Tracy Deonn was able to weave all these legends and lore from two very different cultures seamlessly, injecting new life into the old (and sometimes overused) stories.
As a lover of the underdog, this book didn’t disappoint me either. There was the protagonist, Bree, the only African American in a elitist Anglo-Saxon group, Sel who is viewed by all as a tool rather than a full-fledged member of the society (and who I totally fell in love with), and even Nick who seems helpless against his own fate and the will of his father.
The twist at the end was awesome too (no spoilers, lol).
Finally I must give the author kudos for not doing what some YA fiction writers do, which is water-down the language. The book is written in rich vocabulary, a reminder of the children’s books I read as a child that taught me language is a weapon with which the author either destroys or elevates you, feeding your heart and your soul.
And that cover! Perfection!
I first found Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, published by Simon & Schuster, through Bookstagram and it looked brilliant. YA fantasy/king Arthur retelling? Sign me up. Naturally, when I saw the book in the bookstore, I had to have it. It was on my backlist TBR for a while but this month I finally picked it up and am so glad I did.
Tracy Deonn is a bestselling author from North Carolina, who used much of her own experience to write Legendborn. She’s been in a variety of careers including live theatre, education, and video game production.
After Bree Matthews’ mother dies, Bree escapes her grief by attending an early college program at UNC-Chapel Hill. But, her first night there, Bree witnesses a magical attack, a sight that unlocks her own magical powers. Desperate to get to the truth of what she is and what actually happened to her mother, Bree joins the campus’ secret society dedicated to King Arthur. Well, not just dedicated to. The majority of the society is full of direct descendants of King Arthur and the other knights of the round table. Can Bree find the truth before she gets caught up in their magical war?
I absolutely loved this book. I read it slower because I went on vacation last week, and my days were so busy with activities, but whenever I could I grabbed the book and tried to read even a snippet at a time. It became addictive. So much so that I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait for the publication of its sequel.
Not only was the subgenre my favorite–fantasy retelling–but it was executed so well. Bree was a compelling character with her own trauma, magic, mixed feelings, and realizations. But so were the characters all around her. No one was flat, one-dimensional, or entirely unlikable. Plus, there was so much good representation; a lot of the book dealt with generational trauma of African-Americans whose ancestors were slaves in the American south and it really explored the Black experience, including some Black cultural traditions even in its own magic. Plus, there was also LGBTQ+ representation, non-binary representation, Asian representation, Latina representation, and disability representation.
The worldbuilding and history was really well developed, cutting into how Bree’s life and history ties in with the Round Table, and how the Round Table became a secret society on a college campus. The book also deals well with trauma, grief, and PTSD, in a realistic manner. The romance was also cute, though I wasn’t always rooting for the love interest lol.
Finally, the main reason to read this book is Sel. I’m in love with Selwyn Kane. (I wish I was eighteen again so I could say that without sounding creepy. Why do we have to get older but book characters don’t?) Sel is an amazing, well-rounded character but also of course, dark-haired with a tragic past so naturally I love him.
I know every book has flaws, even the best books. But I’m at a loss here. The only real critique I could make is that sometimes the storyline gets bogged down with the history of the round table and each family that passes the legacy through their bloodlines. But even then, I find that history was important later on.
Overall, I’m proud to say that Legendborn will be joining my list of five star reads for 2021. It is such a good book. I recommend to everyone who loves magic, books that deal with trauma and history, and books with shocking betrayals.
It started out really slow for me. But the overall story line made it absolutely worth it. I can’t wait for part 2.
It’s a story of a young lady who’s mother dies in a tragic car accident, but she later realizes it may not be an accident. Her pursuit to find her mother’s killer leads to a path of unexpected discovery of herself and the world around her.
I cannot say enough good things about this book! I’m so ready for book 2!
This was SO. GOOD. I don’t even have the words for how much I loved it. The first half was confusing with all of the feudal terms, but once I understood the difference between scions and squires I was in love. The beautiful combination of magic cultures should be used as a template for all future books. I cannot wait for the next book!
Arthuriana magnificently respun to center a Black girl in the modern South. Engaging and exciting, developing a wonderful mythos all its own, this is a true must-read.
I loved the premise of Legendborn and the writing put it at another level!
King Arthur meets Shadowhunters secret society at UNC + Black girl magic.So good!
The year is young, but no doubt this will be in the running for one of my favorite books of 2021. With excellent world building, great characters, and a twisting, turning plot that kept me on my toes, this book wowed me from start to finish. That this was her debut novel absolutely floored me. It was so well crafted. Can’t wait for more!