Don’t make your life about the loss. Make it about the love.
legendborn, tracy deonn
Author: Tracy Deonn
Publication Date: 15 September 2020
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Page Count: 512
Reading Method: Physical Book [Owlcrate Backlog]
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:
You know those books that are so hyped you think there is absolutely no way they could *actually* be that good? Legendborn was all over the place when it first came out and I was so hesitant to pick it up because I was nervous it wouldn’t live up to the hype.
Well I’m here to tell you to get that nonsense out of your head and pick up this dang book. It exceeded all expectations for me! An Arthurian re-telling set in modern times with a strong female lead… heck yes! This is one of my favorite books of the year and I am on the edge of my seat for the second book!
Plot:
I love – repeat, LOVE – an Arthurian retelling, and this one is pure magic. This is a truly unique take on the original story, full of darkness and light, complex and interesting magic systems, healing and self discovery. The story continues to grow and evolve the more we read and doesn’t fall stagnant for a single moment.
We start off at the beginning of the school year when Bree, our MC, sees something she isn’t supposed to. Something she shouldn’t be able to see at all. When the Merlin – Sel – tries to erase her memory, Bree finds she’s able to resist and everything unravels from there.
This story was action packed. All of the Arthurian magic and history of the lineages was fascinating and so fun to read. But there’s another element of magic as well and it was so beautifully done. There was one section in particular that I really enjoyed that showed us exactly how that magic worked and the roots from which is developed.
Characters:
Our main character is Bree. She has left everything behind to attend a different school with her best friend – the school her dead mother attended when she was young. With her mother’s recent passing and switching schools, Bree is obviously hurting and trying to figure out where to go from here. I loved Bree’s character. She is so strong and brave, curious, and doesn’t ever back down from a challenge. She also goes through so much transformation throughout the book it’s like she really comes into her own as the story progresses.
There are many supporting characters that contribute to the progression of the story – most notably Nick and Sel. Nick is kind of the golden boy who is trying to distance himself from the Legendborn. He is your typical “hero” type – brave, strong, kind. He takes Bree under his wing and is the ultimate protector. Then we Sel – the morally grey Merlin with a traumatic past. Guess which one I’m in love with. Sel’s character is a bit rocky, but we see quite a bit of development as the story progresses.
Writing:
From the very beginning I was sucked right into the story – and I love that! Deonn has an excellent, engaging voice and the ability to weave together a multi-faceted story in such a beautiful way. There is so much happening in this story and though it takes a second to get everything sorted, it never felt too overwhelming or confusing. Deonn also does a really wonderful job of writing about grief. Grief looks different for everyone, so there’s not really a right or wrong way to portray it, but I found myself resonating with Deonn’s portrayal of Bree’s grief.
Overall:
If you can’t already tell, I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Like – I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel. I need it now!!
