(Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

The Good
– THAT COVER
– Deonn is a fantastic storyteller
– Bree is a compelling, likeable and sympathetic main character
– Readable writing, beautiful descriptions
– Not only tackles hard topics like slavery and grief, but weaves them into the core of the story
– Diverse cast
– Deonn convinces me to love Selwyn, who I am genetically programmed to loath

The Bad
– Painfully awkward, amateur set-up (which takes FOREVER)
– Information / world-building happens in awkward order
– Timeline hell
– Instalove
– Beginnings of a love triangle

Legendborn is an emotional, epic powerhouse of a story that starts with a slow and awkward beginning. 

Story—★★★★☆
A few pages past the prologue, and I was worried I'd need to write a critical review of Legendborn I didn't want to write. The prologue itself? Quick, useful, meaningful. Drops a couple details we need before the story starts: Bree's mother died two months ago, they argued the last time they spoke, and Bree notices a few odd details when she speaks to the officer but passes them off as shock or grief. It's perfect. It accomplishes the job it sets out to accomplish.

The next 15% to 20% is a bumpy road.

First, Bree encounters two Legendborn at an illicit off-campus campfire. Bree hides and watches them fight a demon while terms like "mage" and "Merlin" are thrown around. She mentally exclaims about and questions every little detail: A bow?? Mage?? Merlin?? Magic?? What could it all mean?? It's excruciatingly awkward to read through. Worse, the order Deonn gives this information is counterintuitive. We should receive information in an order in which we can build on what exists already.  Rather, after not one but two encounters with shadowborn where terms are thrown around willynilly, Nick infodumps nearly EVERYTHING in a rushed few pages. At ~159,000, Legendborn is longer than your average YA, so that rough ~15%+ hits particularly hard. Authors need to capture the attention of YA readers in particular immediately, so this set-up puts Legendborn at a disadvantage.

I hate saying, "You just need to push through until this part...." because I'm a staunch believer in that a good book should be good all the way through. But dang, once Bree is initiated as a Page and someone explains all the round table lineages to her? From here on out Legendborn is utterly compulsive and magnetic as Deonn alternates between Bree's exploration of her history, grief, and own new abilities and high-octane Page Trials and fights against the shadowborn.

Legendborn contains so much and Deonn balances it all out SO WELL. Late night scuffles with monsters; intrigue about the Order; intrigue about Bree's magic; secrets upon secrets; moments of pure joy; moments of grief; parts I genuinely laughed aloud at and giddily reread.


Characters—★★★★☆
Let's talk BREE: she is an AMAZING character and AMAZING protagonist.

There is so much to love about Bree. Both my experience with her as a character and a protagonist was great. Deonn is clear in Bree's grief, trauma and drive but never hits the reader over the head with it. She's enjoyable to read about and easy to empasize with as a protagonist. Despite some hiccups, Deonn makes it easy to root for her from page one. Deonn's also done an EXCELLENT job with her as a protagonist: Bree gets shit done and Bree gets shit done well.

But here's where Deonn has done something special: she's convinced me to love rude, arrogant, holier-than-thou Selwyn. When he's introduced, Selwyn is the archetype of every male character I hate. All the talk of how unusually attractive he is, how he treats Bree at first, his borderline cruelty etc. I am genetically programmed to hate this guy. And YET, somewhere in the middle I stopped hating him and started loving his interactions with Bree. He stars in what is the funniest moment in the book—and possibly one of the funniest moments I've read in ages.

Nick is... well, he's basically one of those human versions of Golden Retrievers. Blonde, sweet, goodhearted, valiant, etc. I liked him enough to root for him when he was on the page, but I wasn't particularly dedicated to him.

I should note one of my least favourite things with Legendborn. Legendborn only takes place over the course of a few weeks, but Bree and Nick get close ridiculously fast. It's not instalove and the length of the book makes it feel more natural, but the two are ready to make some pretty big sacrifices for each other in a very short span of time, and I was not crazy on that.

It's also looking like there's a love triangle on the horizon, but oddly enough, I don't feel like I would hate it. It's going to come down to how Deonn handles it and Deonn has thus far handled most things with skill.


Writing Style—★★★★☆
Legendborn is written in first person, present tense from Bree's point of view.

The introductory chapters suffer from similar issues to the plotting: although Deonn has some really nice descriptions, she doesn't know what to focus on at first.

Some truths only tragedy can teach. The first one I learned is that when people acknowledge your pain, they want your pain to acknowledge them back.

Deonn has a few weak points in her style, and one of the most standout is her use of filter and weak words: a sight makes Bree's heart ache, an isel makes a sniffing sound, thinking about something makes her heart pound. These words are unnecessary, and can either be removed or replaced with something stronger. However, her overall storytelling and keen pacing of events more than make up for it. Deonn is a great storyteller, a hard ability to learn and one that encompasses much more than my prose nitpicks. Even during the awkward beginning phases, she moves from scene to scene with ease. More importantly: she knows how to write some genuinely hilarious moments.

Themes and Representation—★★★★★
Legendborn is book brimming with casual, intelligent representation. Bree is a Black girl in the American South, daughter of two Black parents. In the supporting cast, Deonn includes a Taiwanese-American character and a white-passing half-Venezuelan character; as well as multiple LGBT+ characters, including nonbinary, lesbian, bisexual, and gay characters.

Legendborn tackles a lot of issues and themes and handles them well: Bree's grief over her mother's death; generations of grief of girls losing their mothers too young; identity; discovering and reclaiming heritage; the inherent cruelty of racist and patriarchal power structures.

But here's the thing: Legendborn is not just a well-written book, or just an Arthurian retelling, or just a book about grief, or just a book about a Black girl discovering and reclaiming her heritage. Nor is it the sum of these elements. Deonn has written something truly special with Legendborn—something truly more—because she not only juggles all these elements with grace, she has also written a powerhouse of a novel.

Overall—★★★★☆

Recommended For...
Fans of Arthurian retellings; readers looking for an emotionally intelligent and compelling read; readers who want more substance from a YA Fantasy; fans of dynamic and engaging reads. Although Nick is a pretty decent guy, I think the speed of their relationship might put more readers off. Likewise, I think readers hoping for a more romance-centric read might feel unsatisfied.

I was so excited about this and with good reason too! I was given this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is action-packed, with demons and a whole society - the Legendborn.
This book really deals well with LGBTQIA+ representation and racism (in my personal opinion, keep in mind this is coming from a straight South Asian). None of the representations felt forced.
The premise was really cool and if you were ever a fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, it gives off that vibe in the beginning and just dives head on into this amazing story. I am truly so mesmerized by this world, and I adored it. There is heavy grief mentioned in this book, and loss of a mother (or multiple mothers).

One of my favorites of this year.

Between the perfect representation of POC and LGBTQ ANDDDD the legend of King Arthur tying into this amazing fantasy, this book deserves all the hype. I have never been the biggest fantasy geek but from start to finish there was not a boring moment in the story. Bree was an amazing main character and I could not have asked for a better story.

I can’t fully remember how I felt going into this book. I was pretty excited seeing as this was my first ever arc, but the reviews before me were positive enough that I was anticipating a good book: I was not wrong, they were not wrong. This is a great young adult fantasy book.

If this book doesn’t gain a huge following and become one of the next big series to look forward to with each sequel, I’ll be very, very upset. Get on it, young adult fans, this is exactly what we need in this genre.

Legendborn follows our main character Brianna Matthews as she heads to a residential program for bright high-school students following the death of her mother. Once there, Bree witnesses a magical attack of demonic origins on her first night. When someone called a Merlin attempts to take her memories of the attack, Bree is drawn into the world of Legendborn, discovering a secret society of individuals who hunt down demons and are descendants of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

If that description didn’t draw you in, maybe these descriptors will: a black main character who takes zero shits, too many queer individuals to count -(bisexual, lesbian, non-binary individual, and more) all of whom wield bad-ass magical weapons, a love triangle that doesn’t make you roll your eyes and groan (trust me, I often despise the love triangle), friendships that matter, a supportive and loving father, therapy, a competition, and to top it all off, a tantalizing mix of demons, root magic, and legend – this book has it all.

This book doesn’t pull it’s punches and it displays grief in some of its least talked about but most raw forms. Deonn does a great job at pulling the audience in and entertaining them all while reminding them of the reality of living as a young black woman in America.

Bree Matthews is everything the young adult fantasy genre needs in a main character and this book was everything I needed and more.

I highly recommend this book and If I don’t find people to talk to about this book I’m going to be very, very upset. Come talk to me about it ASAP please. PLEASE.

Wow! Just finished reading this book and I am already anticipating the second book in this series, next year is too long to wait!

I loved the whole concept of this story and how Tracy was able to weave a modern day telling of 'The Knights of the Round Table' while including real life situations, like dealing with the death of a parent and never having met or known your grandparents, struggling to fit in when you aren't welcome, mental health issues, and of course just a little angsty teen romance.

Super excited to read more books from Tracy in the future and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

<b><I>Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All quotes in this review are subject to change upon release date.</i></b>

<b>Hold up.</b>
Did it seriously just end like <b><I>that</i></b>?!?!?😤
<img src="https://im5.ezgif.com/tmp/ezgif-5-3cd3810e3818.gif"/>
It seems that I'm on a streak of <b>cliffhangers</b> and it's <I><b>not</b></i> fun.😢

But wow, <B>[book:Legendborn|50892338]</b> was an amazing <b>Arthurian retelling</b>. There's no doubt that I absolutely love the tv show, <B><I>Merlin</i></b>, and seeing that this book was based off of the legend......well, I just <B>HAD</b> to read it.😏
<img src="https://im5.ezgif.com/tmp/ezgif-5-3a94c7530b84.gif"/>
I loved the <B>Black representation</b> that was shown here and I think this might be my first book with a Black MC. I know, I know, shame on me.🤦‍♀️
But at least I was lucky enough to have <B>[book:Legendborn|50892338]</b> being my first book with one and it was <B>soooo good😍</b>

We have our MC, 16-year old <B>Bree Matthews</b>, who has just recently dealt with the passing of her mother. To escape her hometown and it's memories of her mother, <B>Bree</b> and her best friend, <B>Alice</b>, go off to an early college program for bright high schoolers at the <b>University of North Carolina</b> located in <B>Chapel Hill</b>.

The plan seems perfect—that is, until Bree discovers something <B><I>abnormal</b> her first day there. More specifically, she witnesses demons attacking and a boy in her school, <B>Selwyn Kane</b>, use.......

<B>✨Magic✨</B>
<img src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/ZXlaCCmz4XY5QgUEhw/giphy.gif?cid=8b2aafc89a7faf43784a7b9ad6e7bdfeffe04eac72e1ff67&rid=giphy.gif"/>
From there, she learns that that particular magic is called <B>aether</b> and there's a whole other race of people called <B>Legendborns</b> who protect humanity by eliminating the <B>Shadowborn</B> (basically demons) and are descendants of <B>King Arthur</b> & <b>his knights.</b>

And then of course, there's the <B>Knights of the Round Table</b>⚔️
<img src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/masks-west-marches/images/f/f7/The-Knights-of-the-Round-Table-2-arthur-and-gwen-31689592-498-283.gif/revision/latest?cb=20190301015640"/>
<B>Bree</b> was a really cool character. I loved how she always stood up to the bullies she had to deal with and the insults that were directed at her. Bree always said whatever came to mind haha something I can't imagine doing xD. She was such a funny character, too and her her friendship was Alice was really too although she didn't appear as much as I thought she would.🤔

Still, their conversations were pretty funny.😂
<blockquote><b>"Nick says I've got to keep it secret, keep it safe."
"Did you just <I>Lord of the Rings</i> me?"
"Nope." I grin. "I just <I>Fellowship of the Ring</i>ed you."</b></blockquote>
Then there's <b>Nick</B>, the handsome and perfect student, that is lives nearby on campus.
Hmmmm. It's not that there's anything wrong with him, but I just don't really like him.🤷‍♀️

Instead, I have my eyes on a certain <b>dark haired and golden eyed boy.</b>😏 <B>Sel</b> was such an intriguing character and I really want to know more about him in the next book. (Hehe I've always had a thing for those tall, dark, and broody characters xD)

Ooo and another thing I loved was how close to reality this book was. <B>Legendborn</b> have to worry about leading their normal lives all while making sure they do their job and keeping everything in the <B>Order</b> a secret from their loved ones. If they <B>dare</b> reveal any secrets......well, I'll let you find out for yourselves once you read this.😉
<img src="https://im7.ezgif.com/tmp/ezgif-7-01bd67c7a328.gif"/>
Also, <B>Bree</b> had to deal with racist comments and people, but still kept her head held high and in defiance to those who dared trying to insult her. I love that girl ~ such an inspiration to others.💕

<B>[book:Legendborn|50892338]</b> was so captivating, I didn't even realize I was on the last page until I reached a blank.😢 The only reason it lost a star was because there was the <B>insta-love</b> and it felt pretty slow in the beginning, but eventually I got really into it.

Ahhh I can't wait for the next book! If this isn't on your TBR already, then I must tell you to do it <B>NOW</b>. You won't regret it. (At least, I'm mostly sure you won't xD)

<B>I can't wait too see what Tracy Deonn writes next.</b>
(Although I do feel a love triangle brewing up in the next book, but maybe I'm wrong <spoiler>If there is, I'm definitely on <B>Team Sel</b>😍</spoiler>)
<pre><b>"Where do we begin?"
"At the beginning."</b></pre>

I knew when I first heard of Legendborn that I would like it, but I had no idea I would be so completely drawn into the world from the first pages. Legendborn takes often traversed ground in YA fantasy and gives it a fresh, compelling, and powerful spin, one that will leave you racing to the end of the book and longing for more once you finish the final page. Personal delights for me were the impeccable writing, the intricately crafted worldbuilding, the 500+ page length that gave me everything I wanted, the relationships between the characters, and the abundance of LGBT rep (bi MC, lesbian/gay/nonbinary side characters).

In the case of this book, saying much more than the synopsis would be verging into spoiler territory, but if the idea of Southern Black Girl Magic with underpinnings of Arthurian myth appeals to you, I guarantee you won’t want to miss this one. Hands down one of the best YA fantasy books I have read in years.

Whoa.
This was everything I wanted and more!
Amazing world building, great storyline, and fun characters with well developed backgrounds are just some of what Tracy Deonn serves up here.
I am sooo on board for the next book!!!
Much love to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my DRC.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for granting me access to an ARC of Legendborn in exchange for an honest review.

Legendborn is a modern take on Arthurian legend and elemental magic with an infusion of Black American history. After losing her mother in a car accident, Bree Matthews is conflicted. The loss has changed her in more ways than she can express or understand, and she wants nothing more than to throw up a wall and move on as if nothing has changed. Bree and her best friend Alice are accepted into an Early College (EC) program at the Chapel Hill campus of UNC at just 16, and as it turns out, this is exactly where Bree needs to be in order to understand the changes she's gone through since her mother's passing.

She quickly becomes entangled in a secret society of students called Legendborn, descendants of King Arthur and his knights and their various squires and supporters, who defend the campus and surrounding area from unseen demonic threats. But Bree can see them. Is it possible that her mom saw them, too? Did she see something she wasn't supposed to? With the help of a Legendborn named Nick, Bree is determined to find out what really happened to her mother and what it all has to do with this secret society.

I've been doing a lot of ARC and beta reading of Arthurian lore stories lately, but this is by far the best one! It's a fresh take on the legend that was desperately needed with very compelling characters. It also confronts racism and xenophobia. As the only black page in this year's page class, Bree has single-handedly made this year's page class "the most diverse" the chapter has ever seen. She's mistaken for "the help" on multiple occasions and always corrects that assumption with cutting whit. In the beginning, there is a police officer who assumes she's made it into UNC on a "needs-based" admission and he reports that she "had an attitude" for telling him she got in on merit. The importance and prevalence of slave history intertwined with the history of both the campus and the Legendborns are integral in this book. These things are presented frequently enough to continuously remind the reader what the Black experience is like in the American south today and through history without making it the one and only plot point. This book has a lot to say about racism and a Black girl's experience in today's world, and this is handled well in a way that can be felt and understood by readers of all backgrounds.

Bree is not the only diverse character, either! We have a whole range of sexualities on campus, there are other black women teaching Bree about their own understanding of this magic she's inherited, and her best friend Alice is a lesbian of Asian descent. This book also perfectly illustrates the very real reality that some (most?) people experience an abrupt disruption and distancing with their high school friends upon graduating and entering post-secondary education.

The magic system in this book is very well thought out and we get explanations of how it works as Bree learns what's going on. Getting different explanations of the same magic from different perspectives (the Legenborn's aether, the Rootcrafters' root, etc.) is also fascinating and ties into the black experience in a white world storyline.

We do get some familiar YA tropes that may or may not be everyone's favourite thing to read, such as instalove (remember the timeline of this book is only a couple of weeks), a surprise love triangle situation that adds little to the story, and the whole "chosen one" aspect. (To be fair, can you avoid the chosen one in an Arthurian story? I don't think so.)

This book is advertised as YA and since the main characters are just 16 years old that does seem to fit. With that said, being that it takes place on a college campus, it also feels NA (New Adult) and feels more relatable to older readers like me (32) than a high school story. I think this book will appeal to a much wider audience than most YA titles.

I can't wait for more from this author, and I hope I'm correct in assuming that this book is setting up a series. It certainly feels like it! I rate this title 5 stars out of 5, and I will be singing it from the rooftops for quite some time! I recommend this book to everyone, and I even think it would be a good introduction to fantasy as a genre for those who are looking to break into reading fantasy.

Video review (The Westveil Archives on YouTube) and full blog post feature (westveilpublishing.com) coming soon!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC and a huge thank you to Tracey Deonn for writing a book that altered me to my core.

This book is utterly incredible. From the very start I wanted to know more about Bree and her history. I wanted to hold her in her grief, I wanted to fight racism standing beside her and I wanted battle the Shadowborn bonded to her. The Arthurian legend, the magic, the storytelling, the love triangle, it’s all encompassing. It makes Legendborn a book impossible to put down.

Deonn wrote 3 lines in this book that moved me to tears. No matter your colour or sexual identity these words will resonate and empower you.

“Two faults. My race and my colour.
But they are not faults. They are strengths.
I am more than this man can comprehend.”

No human deserves to feel faults in who they are. We are more than anyone can comprehend. We are strong, capable and free to be our true selves. And Tracey Deonn, thank you for reminding me of this.

Truly exceptional, I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I loooooved this book. I didn't expect to, truly, considering I tend to have extremely low standards for YA fiction; I tend to find some YA authors will read a bit childish, but I never got that feeling from this book. It trusted its audience, and told an extremely compelling story.

This book was phenomenal. Intriguing storytelling full of twists and turns, Black girl magic, interesting and well rounded characters, interesting world building. There were moments where I tripped at the beginning; there is so much to learn about the setting and magic mechanics, it took time to fully understand it all. There were diverse characters, and themes of ancestral reverence, slavery and anti-slavery, colonialism and anti-colonialism, overcoming trauma. The storytelling was emotional and powerful. I am so excited for future installments!

This is THE book of the year. It’s everything we all need. The hard truths we don’t want to face, history, and how lines become blurred. Bree is the heroine and is strong, intelligent, capable and flawed. She faces many hurdles in her short life starting with the loss of her mother and then the old boys club and racism in a predominantly white college. As she races to find the truth about herself and her history she is drawn into the old Arthurian legends, finding that it is real and still very much alive. There is magic, King Arthur and his knights of the round table, black history, root magic, demons, and one very broken girl facing down her own personal sorrows to be who she was meant to be.
I love this book. Love it. That ending left me struggling not to toss the book across the room. I did not see that ending coming but I am so glad that it was the ending we got because it was amazing and perfect. I can’t wait to see what happens next as we follow Bree, Nick, Sel and the rest of our characters. Read this. You will NOT be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tracy Deonn, and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am not sure what I was expecting this one, but not what it was! A fun and, at times, fast paced YA fantasy, I found myself very intrigued by the magic, the different groups of people associated with magic, and where the story was going to go. It definitely made me gasp at times as I am not a veteran fantasy reader, so I have not figured out the typical things that happen haha.

The main character, Bree, is a great one! She is a strong, Black young woman, and I feel that a lot of the issues we have been hearing about over the last few months (white people wanting to touch a Black person's hair, comments made showing white privilege, racism, etc) were all in here and it made me wonder how many times I had read a story and glossed right over certain comments and those comments not sinking in as wrong or racist or prejudiced. I think it is a great story to learn from in that sense.

Along with the fun of the magic and fantasy, this story is also one of grief and the different layers of it. I definitely felt for some of the characters who had been through some really hard times and could not imagine living what some of them have been through. The author wrote the emotion of these scenes very well and I could feel what the characters were feeling.

If you are a fantasy reader give this one a shot! I am looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-Arc of Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.

Deonn’s phenomenal retelling of the Arthurian Legend is a must read of 2020! And, I am not just saying that as a huge fan of this treasured tale. I was completely unprepared for how this book would spin the proverbial “round table” and everything I thought I knew about Arthurian Legend would be redefined in the most phenomenal way.

Set in an urban backdrop, Deonn tells a story that brooches overwhelming grief, inherited trauma, the affects of colonization and slavery. The character development is beautifully showcased through the relationships and growth of our 16-years-old heroine.

I needed the sequel as of yesterday!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an ARC.

This book was phenomenal. I could not put it down. I managed to finish it in less than a day because it was just so good.

First of all, this is an own voice novel with amazing representation. Within the book, we see non-binary, LGBTQ and diverse representation. The main characters face many struggles that are faced by people of colour in America and handles them perfectly. She is proud of who she is, what she looks like, her heritage and she won’t let any tell her otherwise. The book showcases the present-day struggles of anyone who is “different” and brings light to a reality that we sometimes don’t like to acknowledge.

The world-building in this novel was very well done. I found it easy to understand, interesting and interwoven quite well.
I loved the concept of the Order and the incorporation of Arthurian legends and black history.

Lastly, I am a very character-driven person and the characters in this book were very easy to connect to a quite loveable. Bree, the main character is a strong-willed girl who feels her emotions deeply and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. I absolutely loved her character and her emotional development throughout the novel. Some of my other favourite characters include Nick, William and Sel.

Overall, an amazing book! A must-read. It comes out on September 15th, so make sure to pick it up!

Wow. I am blown away. This book was filled with mystery and magic, Arthurian legends, secret societies, themes of Black rights and oppression, a diverse cast of characters, and had me hooked from the start!
⠀
NON-SPOILERS:
The academic setting and secret society politics reminded me so much of Ninth House, but I actually liked this better! You don’t need to be an expert on King Arthur mythology to be able to enjoy this. The ancestry of the characters was complex, but incredibly intriguing and easy to follow. I thought it was really clever how the author referred to bloodcraft as “colonizer magic” that costs and takes, reinforcing parallels between the magic system and white colonization. There are three trials that Bree has to complete before she becomes a Legendborn initiate, so if anyone is into tournament style plots, you’ll like this!

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for sending me an advanced copy - this book has become one of my new faves and I’m already stoked for the sequel!

ARC from NetGalley

Well this was an excellent read. The magic system is fascinating, with people inheriting powers from heroes of old, demons, and all that fun stuff. This author has made sure to be very inclusive. You have a Black MC, her Asian best friend who is also a lesbian, gender neutral characters, differently abled characters, etc. This is the first in what I assume is a trilogy, so I imagine there will be even more of that good stuff to come.

I don't summarize, so yeah don't expect that here.

I need to touch on the romance a bit, because I fucking love that shit, and this was done well. There was so much tension and anticipation and swooning. *sigh* So good.

So, normally in a love triangle, I know 100% who I want to root for, but in this situation, I don't want anyone to be hurt. (view spoiler) I am a Selbree shipper though. Love the dark and wounded boys! Nick is just too good, you know? Too pure and shit. Blech. I mean he seems lovely, and I wouldn't be mad if they ended up together, but *sigh* Sel is life.

This book is well-plotted. The setting is incredibly easy to visualize. The pacing is good. The magic system is fascinating. The emotions are visceral. The writing is good. There were so many lines that I was like, damn, that was a good line! Well done Tracy! There are a lot of places in this book where readers might become uncomfortable, and that's a good thing.

I honestly don't have a single complaint, and trust me, I complain about everything. Most of my reviews are like, "this was a decent read, now I'm going to tell you 15 ways it sucked even though I mostly liked it." This is a remarkable start to a new series, the first of many, I hope, from Ms. Deonn. Looking forward to the next one!

I had a *lot* of fun reading this book and I recommend that people give it a shot :D

I will be honest and say that at first this book got off to a rough start for me, mostly because we’re thrown right into the story with a grieving Bree and we’re learning at the same time that she does. An author has to be careful to introduce this the right way, and there were times when I was a bit confused as to what was going on or trying to wrap my head around things.

However in spite of this rocky beginning, the book really builds upon itself and constructs a fascinating world that’s based on famous legends but brings its own unique twist to it. What I really loved about this book is that this take is truly interesting on its own merit, it’s not just relying on the strength of the legend to carry the book and capture our attention and keep it. Retellings abound in fantasy and I love it when we get one that is well constructed and the author truly has their own voice and breathes new life into it. The familiar is there, but so is new stuff to be intrigued by!

Bree as a character is someone who I could instantly sympathize with. She’s lost her mother and she has so much rage and pain inside her, and a desire to do something that will somehow make up for her mother’s death. This sometimes means that her choices aren’t the best, but they’re still understandable and relatable. She's human and she's a teenager who has lost her mother, who happens to be dealing with some pretty crazy and weird stuff going on. She has her faults but she is also strong in a lot of ways and well rounded, which I really enjoyed.

This book also takes racism by the horns and I appreciated that. It’s not the forefront of the story but it is woven through it because it reflects how things actually are here and now for girls like Bree and POC in general. There may be all sorts of supernatural things in this book but she still lives in our world, and deals with our reality. And oh, I loved how strong Bree was and how she didn’t take shit from anyone. She’s not afraid to speak up for herself, and that bravery extends from calling out racist behaviour to fighting off creatures trying to kill her.

Some of the other characters fell a lot short for me (the best friend is kind of shitty, and we have the usual trope of 'all the guys are gorgeous', but nothing too bad. The cast is diverse and I'm looking forward to learning more!

Wow, I just utterly loved this book! The characters and their stories, the world and the magic and the myths, it was all just incredible to read, and the writing was so easy to read! I just devoured this book, and it's a pretty chunky book for YA! It was epic and it was wonderful, and it's going to be a top read of 2020! And it's a debut novel, so Tracy Deonn has a wonderful hit right at the start! I'm so excited to see where she goes from here!

I just loved reading about Bree, she's strong and stubborn and angry. And dealing with grief of the death of her mom. Not using the word loss, because she didn't lose her mom, it's not like she can find her again. And that's something that Bree thinks about, how the word loss doesn't apply. I just loved her and her story!

This world of the Legendborn was so interesting, because there's the whole King Arthur legend, and the magic and the details that were so fascinating. And the society and culture that's been built around it. Most of Europe, which includes Wales where King Arthur originates, is predominantly Caucasian. And this book brings in that fact, that Bree is Black, and very much an outsider to that society. I loved to hate that she was breaking boundaries-loved that she was, hated that she had to.

Just so much was going on in this book! From the world, to her grief, the magic, and the mystery of her mom's death, plus a bit of romance. Oh, the romance! I mean, it went one way, but I was picking up on some tension that might lean another in the future, and given the ending, it'd be pretty interesting to read!

Reading that ending, man! It just kept coming, it was totally unexpected but made perfect sense, it was so action packed and it was such a game changer! IT's so hard to talk about without spoiling it! I just utterly loved it, and where it left off has so many plot lines that I can't wait to see continued in the sequel!

Loved this book so much, and I'm so excited for more in this series!

10/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a free early copy to review! .This book was about as close to perfection as I can think of nothing I would change, other than combining the series into one massive book so I can have it all now!  I don't know how I am going to wait for release day to pick up my own copy let alone for book 2 to come out! I feel like this review is a bit dramatic but that's how much I loved this book!! The characters and their development was wonderful and believable and really well done for a first book in a series.  The plot twists and how everything came together was perfectly executed.  The romance was just right though I'm not sure how I feel about the love triangle being setup because I don't want to have to pick a side and I don't know which couple would be better.  I hope we get more of the supporting characters in book 2 especially Alice because I think fleshing them out could add a lot to the story.  I thought the author did a great job tieing in the history of the south in general and also at the university where the story takes place in relation to racism while also showing the present struggle today.  I also thought the author's note was really lovely.  There is also a non-binary character and the author handled their introduction really well by not making a big deal of it or addressing it beyond providing their appropriate pronouns.  I'm also pretty sure at least one of the characters is bi so I'm hoping we get to see more of that because this reviewer loves to see bi rep.  I would definitely recommend this to fans of The mortal Instruments, or fans of King Arthur retellings or just anyone out there because it was amazing.  I didn't want to put it down the whole time I was reading, my copy lagged at the start of each chapter and waiting for it to load every time felt like an absolute eternity.  
TW/CW death of mother and dealing with that, death of a friend, violence, bodily injury, racism, slavery, assault