Legendborn (1) (The Legendborn Cycle) Hardcover – September 15, 2020

Legendborn blew me away! The story follows Bree Matthews, a 16-year-old who joins an early college program at UNC Chapel Hill, where she uncovers her own magical powers and a secret world rooted in King Arthur lore. The plot balances so many elements—grief, family, and self-discovery—while keeping the stakes high and the tension palpable.The setting, grounded in an urban fantasy version of Chapel Hill, feels fresh and immersive, and the magic system woven into Arthurian legend is both intricate and fascinating. There's so much going on, but it never feels overwhelming; instead, it all adds to the intensity and depth of the story.The romance, (in typical YA fashion is complete with a love triangle) felt fitting for a 16-year-old girl growing up. Bree’s journey hit me on a personal level, especially as she grapples with the loss of her mother—a pain I deeply relate to. Some scenes had me in tears, feeling as though Bree’s emotional journey mirrored my own.The ending left me absolutely needing to pick up the next book—I have to see what happens next! This is hands down my new favorite YA fantasy series, and it means so much to see a protagonist who looks like me in this genre. Legendborn is a must read for anyone who loves rich, emotional, and high stakes fantasy.

On the surface Legendborn is a modern take on the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - but for me that was just the foundation, and all of the stories and characters Tracy Deonn built upon that legend are what make this such an intriguing tale and one I highly recommend.We follow Bree, a very smart 16 year old girl getting ready to enter the early college program at UNC Chapel Hill with her best friend Alice. Her mother died in a car accident the day after she and Bree fought, casting a pall over everything as Bree dissociates into ‘after Bree’ with walls she puts up to protect herself.From the first night things take an unexpected turn - joining an older friend in a forbidden trip off campus, Bree stumbles upon lights and images and things she cannot explain, and an older teen who is able to do things and produce objects that make no sense to her. That teen powerfully suggests everyone leave, and they do until Bree feels the suggestive fog clear and returns to see the rest of an unbelievable battle. She finds herself in a police car, before the dean, and forced to take on a peer mentor to help her keep on the right track.Along the way she deals with the racism you would expect for the ‘good old boy’ North Carolina establishment. She also meets characters you will love or hate - Sel, Tor, Nick, William, Davis, Isaac, Fitz, Sarah, Greer, Vaughn, Witty, Patricia, Mariah, and others.The characters and their relationships - and the way the Arthurian legend is told and wrapped around 21st century life - makes for a fast paced and intriguing read. There are a number of things you simply wouldn’t have seen coming but fall into line perfectly once you know.A specific goal for me has been improving the diversity of authors and experiences I enjoy, and I love how the book doesn’t shy away from racism in many blunt and nuanced forms, and also shows people as fully formed individuals regardless of background, gender or sexual identity or preference. It celebrates the differences without pretending those differences don’t exist - and I loved that!My only criticism has to do with ages - Bree is 16 and feels mature for that age but not unreasonable, but some of the other characters who are supposedly juniors or seniors at the university are only 18 while others talk about helping the ‘under 21s’ get served. I feel this was done to not have 16 year olds romantically involved with 22 year olds, but it still took me out of the story a couple of times.I only found out about Legendborn as people were getting ready for the sequel, and for me that is exciting as I got to finish the first book and dive right into the next one! And Legendborn certainly leaves things wide open for a sequel while closing up many threads. Not a low-stakes book, so definitely be aware of potential triggers, but it is one of the better books I’ve read in the past year.

Let me start with what I enjoyed about this book and **many spoilers! warning**I really loved this modern take on Arthurian legend. The legendborn class system, Aether bloodcraft, Root, Bree's families special take on magic, the American history and cultural anthropology of the South in SC, and the inclusion of Modern Welsh! How fun! I really enjoyed discovering a magical world from a perspective that is entirely different from my own background and experiences growing up in LA, and that there was no way to guess the plotline or 'who did it' because there wasn't much foreshadowing.However...Bree is definitely a manipulative, rude, prejudiced, narcissist. Which made her not much better that her enemies. This made it really hard to like her character. I think Tracy was going for sassy but overshot the mark. I constantly wanted to reach into the book and smack Bree across the back of the head. She has so many great, supportive friends around her, but I don't see reciprocation. The fact that Bree would have found so many good, loyal friends when she isn't a good, loyal friend herself is unrealistic. Be kind, and do nice things for the people around you too chica!Also, when you're dating someone stop flirting with other guys just because you like the attention they're giving you. And stop acting like you don't know what's really going on...And seriously... if I was in that same world I would have been treated the same way by the legendborn community as an outsider not because of my skin color, but because I was in fact an outsider to that world... the victim mentality and constant offense while assuming it was all based on race is wild. Sure, it plays a part but let's be real...White people like every other race aren't one dimensional or have a single culture. A lot of different factors that have nothing to do with race come into play when being accepted by anyone. Religion, political ties, dress, how you treat people, education, diction, hobbies, lifestyle, food, where you grew up, how you are taught to socialize as a child with what behaviors are acceptable... the list is endless.I was happy that Tracy included the aspect of Bree jumping the line by becoming a Page to Nick when she's clearly unqualified from an insiders perspective. That much more realistically portrayed why people in the legendborn community would be angry with her. She's taking opportunities for wealth, prestige, and power away from kids and families that have worked hard and died for centuries to get to where they are. And she did it in a sneaky, selfish, and not cool way through Nick. Glad she felt some remorse for her actions (after developing feelings for Nick) or she would be downright sociopathic!Overall, even though I didn't like it, the fact that the main character is hard to like and selfish is refreshing. Great job Tracy making a very realistic, self-absorbed teenager! I hope Bree has some serious redeeming character growth in the future but if not that's fine. Some people never change.Key side characters could use more development. I felt the focus of the side characters was what Bree was receiving from them and no other real character background or development. Having so many LGBT+ individuals in one book who's setting was a very conservative setting was hard to believe. Very stereotypical tropes for Alice being Asian and Southern White men/frat boys being annoying partiers or racists. While Bree has scathing things to say about the latter, ironically, she falls for the southern frat boy. I found that delightfully hilarious! Maybe it's character development? Maybe it was an oversight in character beliefs by Tracy Deonn? Maybe it's fetishizing the blonde hair, blue eyed, tall, muscular, Southern boy stereotype? Whatever the case... I'm still amused. And the fact that the other love insterest was the tall, handsome, pale, emo, misunderstood type that wants to kill her was equally funny! Edward? Is that you? Tracy. You knew what you were doing with that Twilight reference ahahahaThe white people are racist trope was definitely over done. Especially considering the majority of Bree's friends and supporters in the book were white... maybe they weren't grouped with the other evil white conservative rich racists because they were clearly portrayed as minority, liberal, or LGBT+? With the exception of Tor, of course. It makes me wonder if Tracy Deonn knows many white people who don't share her same beliefs. Or if she's ever given them a chance? Or maybe it was done this way to highlight Bree's stereotyped belief system and not necessarily the authors own? I'd love to pick her brain. If it is the authors own beliefs, I hope she finds healing so person by person we can create a better future for our children by changing our mindsets.Tracy Deonn, thank you for the wild emotional roller coster that is this book! I look forward to reading the next two and anything you write in the future! ✌