Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via Nerd Daily in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Legendborn released in 2020 and took the world by storm, packing a punch that nobody foresaw. Everyone who entered the world created by Tracy Deonn for the story, surfaced with an experience. The sequel, Bloodmarked, is everything that Legendborn is, but fifty times over.

Bloodmarked picks up just after Legendborn and the book hits the ground running. The pace is absolutely brutal and readers will reach the halfway point before they are aware of it as the speed and nature of the events unfolding magnify the intensity of every single moment. Every word in this book is crafted efficiently; any inconsequential scene or unnecessary occurrence is edited out or was perhaps not written at all. The book is tight and it remains so, despite the length being 576 pages.

The plot is intricate and layered with the secrets in this book even having secrets of their own and nothing is as it seems. As a reader we tend to categorise authors and their styles in our mind and create general ideas or predictions about how a story will grow and which direction it might bend. These might not even be conscious conclusions we arrive at, but subconscious calculations. None of this works with anything that Deonn writes. Her writing and the book’s plot are in cahoots and they redirect, allure and intrigue the reader to see exactly what they’re supposed to when they’re supposed to.

Deonn does with Bloodmarked what she did with its predecessor with the emotional ingredient in the story. Legendbornwas not just about the larger mission that could seem to be the most important aspect of the book. This book, this series, is also about the destiny that Briana Matthews writes for herself. Her journey of understanding her past, the influence it has on her choices in her present and her decisions for the future are all a big part of Bloodmarked. Briana is a young, brave, scared, powerful teenager with a heavy destiny on her shoulders and Deonn does right by her. She upends the narrative to reflect the truth we never thought to exist and those are moments I’ll always remember reading.

Legendborn laid a strong foundation for the worldbuilding and Bloodmarked builds on it, further strengthening the story and deepening the connection the readers have to it. Deonn has clearly planned this out to the last word and her imagination to create this world with all its layered complexities is awe inspiring.

The friendships in Bloodmarked are some of the most heartwarming parts of the book. Friendships forged over decades and those that are lifetimes old all hold a special and sacred place in this story (the extent to which is astounding and emotional). Sel and Nick too have large presences in both, Briana’s life and the book, and revelations about the relationship between the three of them play out before our eyes. For readers who have never been fond of a love triangle, Deonn somehow manages to skate by the typical pitfalls that come with the category. You see past these tropes, past the words, past everything, to the heart of the story.

If as a reader your heart clenched and your tear ducts were jerked at the injustice and racism the protagonist and her friend are subjected to in Legendborn, prepare to be inflamed. This book, just like its predecessor, isn’t here to dull the truth. It’s a knife, sharp to our ribs to truly see the truth of how beautiful differences are perceived in the most abhorrent and unapologetically cruel ways. Deonn reminds you with every word just how deeply racism has sunk into the actions and thoughts of people; so much so that they don’t even perceive it as what it is in themselves and neglect to perceive or recognise it in others as well.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn was a five star read for me. Expect betrayal, love, unending adventure, plot twists, sacrifice, magic, chaos, and balance. You should most definitely expect to forget everything you’re expecting because the book is an adventure no one can be ready for. Happy reading!

SOMEONE CALL MISS AVA DUVERNAY AND TELL HER TO SHOOT THIS SERIES. QUICKLY.

This book...I am seriously contemplating writing Miss. Tracy a strongly worded letter because how dare she give me this with no third in sight.

When I say I devoured this book, I DEVOURED this book.

I laughed, I cried, I cursed - a lot. Let me just say, as a late 20-something, I never had real representation in book as a kid, 10-15 years ago, I could not tell you a single fantasy book that had a supporting character that looked like me - let alone a MAIN character? And for that character to be witty, strong, charismatic - to wear her natural hair and openly talk about things like braids, cornrows, and blackness. When I say I have been crying, please know I mean that SINCERELY.

The magic system. The blackness. The nuggets of her ancestors, the microagressions and challenges she faces - this book resonated with me SO hard. The weight of the world being on your shoulder and struggling to let those around you help, even if they offer? Oof.

Seeing her commune with her ancestors and being able to touch their pain, their fear, their determination - JESUS CHRIST.

I loved loved loved this book. I will be singing from mountaintops. A prophet of Bree, if you will. I'm so grateful this book exists.



That being said - SELWYN KANE? Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. I'm a Selly apologist and proud of it.

That's my man. And I'm gonna stand by him.

10/10. And on behalf of black girls everywhere, thank you for writing this. Truly.

Holy moly. The intricacies of this plot. All the characters. Deonn knocked it out off the park. Very impressed with this fable retelling.

Another excellent novel by Tracy Deonn. Bloodmarked picks up exactly where Legendborn left off and introduces the new shadowy Regents and their darkly loyal Merlins.

This was probably my #1 most anticipated book of the year and it exceeded my expectations. Action packed and propulsive, you’ll be staying up way past your bedtime to keep reading. As with Legendborn, I love the way the Arthur legend is used to illustrate how chattel slavery has stolen from Black folx their own histories. And while I am not typically a fan of love triangles, they’re a must in any Arthurian story. And Sel is bae. (Dibs!) I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment!! Thank you to @simonteen and @fantasyfrenemies for the gifted galley!

Bloodmarked is the second installment in the Legendborn series and was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. I loved this book and how the plot is developing including the development of Bree's powers. However, at times I really just wanted to shake or yell at Bree because she was just out here making dumb decisions and being over annoying (still love her but COME ON). This book picks up directly where Legendborn leaves off and leaves us with a lot of moving pieces to keep up with. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see where the series goes. This series is a unique spin on the King Arthur legends, and I love that Tracy Deonn unapologetically addresses hard topics such as how systemic racism is still very much present in our current world as much as it was in the past, it just wears a different mask. I love the writing in this book and the twists and turns that the plot took us on along the way. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

I was very excited for this installment of the Legendborn Cycle. Unfortunately I think I read this at a time I was not in the mood for it. It seemed to me that the book was suffering from being middle book syndrome with not a lot of direction other than saving a character that needed rescuing from the last book. There was a lot of infodumping in regards to the worldbuilding, and relationships between characters felt off. They were in a place after the ending of the first book, and it felt like there was a sudden shift to them being something else. I also was forced to read this on my phone which I've learned is a miserable experience for me.

I have purchased a special edition of the book that will be sent to me next year, and I think I'll give the book another try then. Likely I will give books 1 and 2 a full reread before the next book comes out, or at least I'm making a note to do that with hopes that I don't give up on the series. I did really enjoy the first book, and the blend of King Arthur myth, root magic, and current day people is a combo I love. I just don't want so much info-dumps.

[SPOILERS]

Wow. Wow. Wow. Thank you for the opportunity to receive an ARC of Bloodmarked. I was so looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint. I loved learning more about Bree and the exploration of her powers. I love every new person she met and the relationships built. I think my favorite portion of the book was their time at Volition. It was so incredibly powerful and brought me to tears. I loved Valec, Lu, Miss Hazel, and being reunited with Mariah. Her connection with the ancestors was so beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. Additionally, I LOVED the relationship development between her and Sel. I NEED SEL TO BE OK AND BE REUNITED WITH BREE IMMEDIATELY. The ending? Wow. I had a feeling Erebus was The Shadow King and when it was confirmed? Woof. I cannot wait for book 3. Thank you so much Tracey! Another hit!

Notes:
-Planning to post on Goodreads separately without spoilers.
-For future ARCs, would you consider providing a Kindle version? While I was incredibly grateful to receive one, reading it on my phone was really difficult and negatively impacted my experience. I wasn't as eager to pick up my phone to read, which resulted in me reading it much slower. Thank you!

Bloodmarked, the second installment in the Legendborn series, did not disappoint! I enjoyed this book as much or more than the first. Deonn has a way of opening your imagination while taking a deep look at real problems. I love the way she boldly and unapologetically uses the King Arthur story to offer a new understanding of the far-reaching ramifications of racism and slavery. This is one of my favorite reads of the year.

This book was everything that I needed it to be and more!! Loved it! This book was also one of most anticipated reads for 2022.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this arc in exchange for an honest review -

She did it again! Tracy Deonn blew me away with this gorgeous, heartbreaking, show-stopping sequel. Without a doubt it’s the best YA book I’ve read this year.

In Bloodmarked we get find out more about Bree's ancestors, and her newfound powers. I don't want to say too much since everyone should go into this just knowing the events of last book, but I will say that Tracy Deonn has risen the bar for YA fantasy.

Legendborn released in 2020 and took the world by storm, packing a punch that nobody foresaw. Everyone who entered the world created by Tracy Deonn for the story, surfaced with an experience. The sequel, Bloodmarked, is everything that Legendborn is, but fifty times over.

Bloodmarked picks up just after Legendborn and the book hits the ground running. The pace is absolutely brutal and readers will reach the halfway point before they are aware of it as the speed and nature of the events unfolding magnify the intensity of every single moment. Every word in this book is crafted efficiently; any inconsequential scene or unnecessary occurrence is edited out or was perhaps not written at all. The book is tight and it remains so, despite the length being 576 pages.

The plot is intricate and layered with the secrets in this book even having secrets of their own and nothing is as it seems. As a reader we tend to categorise authors and their styles in our mind and create general ideas or predictions about how a story will grow and which direction it might bend. These might not even be conscious conclusions we arrive at, but subconscious calculations. None of this works with anything that Deonn writes. Her writing and the book’s plot are in cahoots and they redirect, allure and intrigue the reader to see exactly what they’re supposed to when they’re supposed to.

Deonn does with Bloodmarked what she did with its predecessor with the emotional ingredient in the story. Legendborn was not just about the larger mission that could seem to be the most important aspect of the book. This book, this series, is also about the destiny that Briana Matthews writes for herself. Her journey of understanding her past, the influence it has on her choices in her present and her decisions for the future are all a big part of Bloodmarked. Briana is a young, brave, scared, powerful teenager with a heavy destiny on her shoulders and Deonn does right by her. She upends the narrative to reflect the truth we never thought to exist and those are moments I’ll always remember reading.

Legendborn laid a strong foundation for the worldbuilding and Bloodmarked builds on it, further strengthening the story and deepening the connection the readers have to it. Deonn has clearly planned this out to the last word and her imagination to create this world with all its layered complexities is awe inspiring.

The friendships in Bloodmarked are some of the most heartwarming parts of the book. Friendships forged over decades and those that are lifetimes old all hold a special and sacred place in this story (the extent to which is astounding and emotional). Sel and Nick too have large presences in both, Briana’s life and the book, and revelations about the relationship between the three of them play out before our eyes. For readers who have never been fond of a love triangle, Deonn somehow manages to skate by the typical pitfalls that come with the category. You see past these tropes, past the words, past everything, to the heart of the story.

If as a reader your heart clenched and your tear ducts were jerked at the injustice and racism the protagonist and her friend are subjected to in Legendborn, prepare to be inflamed. This book, just like its predecessor, isn’t here to dull the truth. It’s a knife, sharp to our ribs to truly see the truth of how beautiful differences are perceived in the most abhorrent and unapologetically cruel ways. Deonn reminds you with every word just how deeply racism has sunk into the actions and thoughts of people; so much so that they don’t even perceive it as what it is in themselves and neglect to perceive or recognise it in others as well.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn was a 10 for me. Expect betrayal, love, unending adventure, plot twists, sacrifice, magic, chaos, and balance. You should most definitely expect to forget everything you’re expecting because the book is an adventure no one can be ready for.

I've been putting off this review because it pains me that this isn't a 5 star book for me. Bloodmarked has been a highly anticipated release for me all year. When I got approved for the arc I squealed and danced circles around my home. But once I actually dived into the book I ran into several issues. Some of the biggest issues I struggled with while reading was: pacing, characters felt very out of character, so much info dumping/info repeating. I will still continue the series.

I read Bloodmarked the same way I read Legendborn: all at once. (Trust me, start on a weekend morning so you can read without interruption.) The story is so riveting and complex, with a cast of endlessly fascinating characters. This is one of the rare books where I truly can't tell what's coming next, and that is what kept me reading.

I read this book in one day.

I never read that fast but I could not put this book down. A wonderful read and sequel.

It took me a while to get into the first book but with the second it purposely picked up flawlessly from book one. I truly enjoyed this read. Tracy is an unmatched talent!

Like anyone who read Legendborn, I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel, and oh boy it did not disappoint. I loved getting to dive even further into the world Deonn has built and learning more about the characters and the lore.
The major draw of this series for me is the characters. Each character is dynamic and well-rounded. Bree is a brilliant main character, and each side character has my whole heart (William is my favorite).
Truly a brilliant sequel from a brilliant author.

This is probably my hardest review to write of the year so far. I am truly actually very…sad not to give this 4+ stars, but for me this is honestly 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Legendborn was an incredibly strong debut and one of my favorite books of 2020 without question. I thought the incorporation of the Arthurian elements with the history of chattel slavery in the U.S. was so powerful and well done. Bree was a strong, compelling character, committed to doing good in the world while still battling inner demons.

In Bloodmarked, I hoped for much more of the same, and I wanted expansion of a lot of the magical elements, as well as perhaps more depth to the Arthurian retelling element. I also was excited for the complex love triangle dynamic combined with the shifting allegiances and understandings that formed at the end of Legendborn.

Tracy continues to write some compelling action sequences, and she’s good at keeping her writing moving quickly. I also enjoyed getting way more depth from Alice and William as characters.

Unfortunately what stands out to me most after reading this is how confusing the plot was and how little it ultimately served the underlying themes of the story or Bree’s characterization. Characters are separated without much justification, seemingly just to present obstacles that add drama but not depth to the story. Nick is barely present in the story which seemed like a his gap since he is Lancelot to Bree’s Arthur, and his relationship with Selwyn is complex and layered. Selwyn’s angst and…choices grew tiring and weren’t well-explained. Bree herself is the most lacking in depth in this storyline. To me, most of the book felt like a wild goose chase for the characters, overcoming obstacles popping up like whack-a-moles while more and more plot elements are thrown in.

I also just felt confused as to why the Arthurian elements were even in the story in this one. I’m not a stickler for adaptions sticking directly to source material and in this case the source material itself is shifting. I love updated adaptations. But the dynamics of the original legends, the character dynamics, the elements of “dark magic” as some kind of dark feminine presence, the conflict between order and chaos…these things weren’t really present in this story.

Finally, I LOVED the tie in of Root magic to Legendborn, and that Tracy gave Bree a direct line to her ancestors, especially given the way that family lines were disrupted and cut off by the genocide of chattel slavery. I thought this was one of the best elements of Legendborn and part of what really stuck with me. So, I have to say, I was…flabbergasted by Bree’s choices regarding her ancestral ties and magic at the end of the book. I could understand her not being happy with the consequences of Vera’s pact, but her overall reaction seemed…wildly disproportionate, out of character, and out of line with the plot and themes of Book 1. If others have a different take on this, I’m really interested in discussing because it was hard for me to understand the reason for this choice.

Ultimately I’m going to continue this series and I support everyone’s love for it, but I’m also trying to explain this rating as best I can. Nobody is more surprised than me, as I loved Legendborn even more on reread.

Thank you to the Fantasy Frenemies group and Simon Teen for an egalley of this book.

My most awaited book of the year! Legendborn was a standout for me and Bloodmarked did not let me down.

<b>“You are the point of our arrow […] the tip of our spear. The bow of our ship. The flame of our long-simmering heat. You are the living embodiment of our resistance. The revelation after centuries of hiding. The pain-welded blade. Wound turned weapon.” </b>

I have been waiting for <i>Bloodmarked</i> with baited breath since first blowing through <i>Legendborn</i> last year. That excitement only (somehow) grew upon completing my reread of Legendborn last week where I was again reminded of all the many things Deonn not only got right, but hit out of the park, alongside all the crumbs and threads left that I was eager to see fleshed out.

All that excitement and optimism to say that I felt more than ready to tackle Bloodmarked. I’ll start with the positives before going through some of the critiques that I feel held this back. First, as in Legendborn, Deonn doesn’t shy away from putting slavery and the theme of racism front and center, demonstrating in micro and macro ways the ways racism continues to run rampant and power current structures and systems. The racism Bree experiences from those within the Order meant to protect and uphold her manifest in many ways, some shocking, some, sadly, familiar. Deonn deftly puts these on the page and Bree has many memorable moments where she refuses to let the Order ignore what circumstances and systems of power put her in her current position as Arthur’s scion. The challenge of what is acceptable, palatable, better left unsaid so as not to make white people uncomfortable is what continues to make this series so incredibly important.

<b>“They will still find a way to claim my power as their own. Ignore its origins, because those origins discomfort them. And expect my humility for surviving the violence of a system they helped build, maintain, and benefit from.” </b>

Another aspect I liked, though one that I think contradicts some plot points made in Legendborn, was the diversity included of several new characters, many in positions of power within the Order. From lieges to mageguards, we find a cast of characters that starts to look a lot more like our society than just the very old white money of an old southern institution. I say this contradicts from Legendborn plot points because we find that Bree as a black squire is not actually the first, and that other minorities are embedded in the Order in other positions of power. It may be just that the racism may be more pronounced or felt in the southern chapter than some of the others, but I’m not totally sure it checks out. it’s a minor quibble in continuity I’m willing to overlook because I think the representation is itself more important.

Now for some aspects that weren’t successful for me. Diving into this one felt daunting because it felt somehow like there was an immediate reset on the characters from where we find them at the end of Legendborn. The connection between Bree and Sel seems unnaturally frayed and fraught with tension — and not in the teen pining way, and Bree herself felt a bit disconnected. After everything that’s revealed at the end of Legendborn, it doesn’t seem that the months between that and the beginning of Bloodmarked (~3 months) find Bree adjusting any better to her circumstances or having come to any processing of it all. But nonetheless, the action immediately picks up with new factions involved. Quickly on, the Legendborn world is expanded significantly with more layers to the Order revealed. While the expansion was creative and interesting, I’m not convinced it was cleanly done. Despite entire paragraphs of info dumps, I don’t quite understand each Regent’s position or motivations and the Order system and hierarchy felt muddled and confusing. Within the first 100 pages, there’s almost too much introduced information wise, but not enough character wise.

Bree feels like a mere shadow of herself, which is saying something as I didn’t leave Legendborn with a solid grasp on who Bree is as a a character outside her trauma and grief. Despite being so connected and in love with Nick (or whatever emotions), Nick often felt like an afterthought in Bree’s thoughts, instead of up front and center as an emotional driver. Bree also doesn’t seem keen to look into mastering or understanding her powers for 300+ pages, despite wanting to keep throwing herself into danger unprepared, and knowing that such actions could cause the death of all those connected to her through the Lines. Bree simply just felt wooden and flat. In Legendborn we got to see clever aspects to her - we’re told she’s academically gifted and smart, putting clues together about the Order on her own, manipulating Nick into making her a page…but here, all that seems to vanish. She’s just a figurehead - and while that’s fine for other’s to see her as, I expected more of a reaction from Bree about this than just doing nothing.

Sel as a partner to Bree during Nick’s absences felt like a squandered opportunity to begin these two even closer and leverage the ~feelings~ developing and hinted at in the end of Legendborn. It’s not clear why their relationship backtracks so starkly in the beginning, but this persists for several hundred pages. Sel also goes off on other things that further removes him and Bree from connecting on any level and because it all happens away from the eyes of the readers, we really have no sense for what’s going on with his character. Where his angsty attitude in Legendborn was starting to come together and make sense, here it felt forced and too drawn out. I also expected Sel to have stronger feelings about Nick’s kidnapping, given the bond and oath that keeps them so intricately tied together. There are moments of….something with Sel and Bree that I think are meant to keep the love triangle aspect alive, but they felt cringey and inauthentic because these two would immediately go back to being cold and combative. It’s not the push and pull of opposites attract, it’s like they literally resent the other, so the romance just felt toxic and unhealthy, especially with what we know about Sel’s background and how he’s always been used.

<b>“You invoke grief now so that death will never surprise you again. You imagine how it could happen, so that you can imagine how it cannot. You wish to destroy it before it destroys you.” </b>

As I mentioned above, it takes Bree 300+ pages to decide she’s going to learn how to master her powers — this did not make any sense to me. It did not make sense given how clever and eager she was to learn weaponry and fighting for the tournament in book 1, and especially now that people have died and betrayals are afoot. I can understand not feeling worthy enough of being king, or not even wanting to, but the emotional drivers of Nick and wanting to save her friends should have been enough to spark….something. Time and again, Bree just makes matters worse, knowing she can’t help in battle.

<b>“This world wants my suffering, and I cannot keep giving it to them.” </b>

While the middle suffered from pacing issues, the ending introduced so many elements and Plotinus without really seizing any of them that it makes me confused about the direction of the series. There are the Morgaines, the Shadowborn, Sel and his demonic, Nick, and all the truths that Bree uncovers about herself. None of these is fleshed out and many of them are left conveniently on pause. You might say this is so that they’ll be picked up in the next book, but without going into spoilers, I jus don’t see how they can all be connected well and without making things feel so convoluted. There were opportunities to stick the landing with introducing these elements, the Morgaines especially, that didn’t happen, so I wonder if they shouldn’t have just been left out and saved for the next book. Too many new things at once — you don’t know where your attention should be going and it doesn’t feel satisfying. ANd if you’re wondering where Nick is in all this — so am I. He was a non-starter throughout and an afterthought repeatedly, which was surprising given his role in Bree’s life in book 1. I suspect Deonn is still figuring out what to do with him now that we all know how he and Bree are connected, not just through the Order, but by family histories.

The ending itself is where I feel the most unmoored and letdown. I’ll put spoiler tags.

<spoiler> When Bree refuses her oaths to Arthur, that made sense, though it’s just not clear how she can do this and this requires much more explanation of the magic system rules. However, when Bree renounces her family line, Vero and all her ancestors, I just….I have to say, I feel like that was disrespectful and the antithesis of the themes presented in the book and ethos of Root, how its taught, used, passed down, borrowed by those who need it from ancestors. It felt like Bree was spitting at her family line because she couldn’t make both fit and it felt like such a spoiled position. It felt like Ike it sent a message that they were weak, that they just ran while Bree would be stronger, without acknowledging what they had to sacrifice and live through just for her to exist and have these privileges. It just felt harsh, abrupt, and so out of character.

I have hope subsequent books will have Bree realizing she’s acting like a petulant ungrateful child and that the real work is finding a balance between her family history and trauma and who she is as a person today. It’s hard to carry the mantle and trauma of our families and their history, as a child of immigrants I get that it feels like we’re weighed down by things we had no voice in inheriting, but cutting it all out isn’t, to me, the answer, because all of that still makes us who we are. Volition may be intention, but there’s a reason Volition is so powerful and a place of safety, because the ancestors made it so, because they remember and they provide safe passage, learning and knowledge, and comfort to those that come after.” </spoiler>

Overall I highly respect what Deonn is trying to do with the story and her voice is incredibly powerful, but I feel that Bloodmarked was too much at once without a clear direction and without deference to the characters. I’m still committed to the next book and series (I suspect it will be more than a trilogy, or I hope so given all that was introduced), but I do hope we see much more of Bree as a fleshed out character, get more from the supporting cast, and explore Nick and Sel each more deeply, and get a clearer picture of all the magical elements and players circling around. Despite all my thoughts, I still recommend this series, there’s more to come and I will be eager to see where Deonn takes this.

Thank you Simon Teen and Fantasy Frenemies co-hosts for my galley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5 /5, rounding up to 3.

After reading Legendborn, I was chomping at the bit to find out what happened next. The sequel kept up the fast paced plot with all the twists and turns. I loved watching Bree's story continue and I know my students will be as well. I will be purchasing for my library.