Keep reading for a spoiler free review on Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn to find out if this book is right for you.
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.
Review
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a no-brainer 5 star read for me. I just finished my reread of this book and I loved it even more than the first time. I’m currently reading the sequel, Bloodmarked, so stay tuned for my review on that book soon.
World Building
The world building in this book is very cool but also a little confusing and it can take a while to understand the whole magic system. Once I understood it though I was really into it. I’ve never read a King Arthur retelling before this one and I really enjoyed how the author did it. If you like retellings then this book could be for you.
Characters
The characters are everything in this book and it was easy to fall in love with them. Bree is the main character and she is a strong, independent young woman. She can be stubborn at times but it gives her strength.
Selwyn is a Merlin and he is my favorite character without a doubt. He is a very intense character with a not so friendly look and he takes his job as a Kingsmage very seriously. You might find it hard not to laugh at some of Sel’s grumpy moments though. I love seeing the relationship between him and Bree change and develop throughout the story.
Nick is the guy who helps Bree navigate this tricky new life. He guides Bree as his page in the trials and he would do anything for her. He is just the sweetest.
I can’t not mention William and Alice. There is no kinder person in the world than William. He is their healer and puts everyone else’s well-being above his own. Alice is the most amazing best friend anyone could ask for. She’s always there for Bree even when Bree starts to stray down some dangerous paths.
Representation
As a white woman, I can’t really speak on the representation of race but I did learn a little about what it’s like to grow up as a black woman through Bree’s point of view. It reminded me to have an open mind and to consider things from different angles that I may not be used to.
The book also has multiple LGBTQ+ characters. The author made it so it was a natural part of the book and not a big deal. Deonn also made it clear of the struggles of being part of the LGBTQ+ community and the black community.
Plot
The Plot was crazy but in a good way. There was lots of action and it kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. One of my favorite parts was the night of the second trial. I can’t really say much without spoiling it but I believe it was a turning point in the story.
I enjoyed the mystery part of Bree trying to figure out what happened to her mother and why her magic is unusual even for the Legendborn. It added more dimension into the story.
The ending had a crazy plot twist that I loved and did not see coming. It left me hungry for more and I could not wait to pick up the second book in the series.
I would say that the majority of the characters are college students and are taking classes during the events of the book. It wasn’t mentioned much and it was easy to forget that they were all in school and I wasn’t sure how they were doing it all at the same time. It was also hard to keep up with all of the character’s ages but I personally don’t mind that too much.
As a side note: read this book and then try and imagine Selwyn Kane giving a presentation in class. It will be really hard not to laugh.
Trigger Warnings
Be aware this book deals with grief, racism, and mentions of sexual violence among other things. You can visit the author’s website here to read the full content warning.
Overall Thoughts
Totally recommend this book. It was a really great YA fantasy read and I cannot get enough of this world. If you have read and enjoyed any of the shadowhunter books by Cassandra Clare then I recommend you give this book a try as there were a lot of similar vibes. Even if it’s not the type of book you would normally read I would consider reading it because it’s just that good.