Dear Reader,
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.
I was on the insanely long wait list on my library’s Overdrive, so when I saw it at our local bookstore, Old Town Books, I just had to buy it. I started reading it right after we got home and couldn’t put it down!
Summary:
Legendborn is about Bree, a black teen whose mother died recently in a car crash. She is still grieving her mother when she witnesses a magical attack at her early college.
A Merlin from a secret society of Legendborns tries and fails to wipe her memory, unburying a memory of another Merlin at the hospital. She then joins the Legendborns in order to find more information about her mother’s death.
What I Loved:
This book had so many plot twists. I loved how it made me question everything I thought I knew about the characters and the world.
There was so much complicated nuance surrounding the Legendborns and their history. A lot of times in fantasy, it is easy to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Not so with Legendborn. The “good guys” are fighting for a good cause, but they make a lot of mistakes along the way. This aspect made the world feel so much more real.
Another aspect of the book that made it feel real is that, when they weren’t fighting demons, the character’s faced real, complicated problems such as grief and generational trauma.
Alice and Bree had the absolute best friendship. Their banters were one of my favorite parts of the book.
Finally, I love how diverse the characters are and how the author made the experience of black women a centerpiece of the story. We need more books with representation like this.
What I Didn’t Love:
Umm… nothing? Ok, just kidding there was one. Nick. He and Bree are cute together, but that doesn’t excuse his weird possessiveness or Bree not having enough self-respect to tell him to back off. She can take care of herself just fine.
Quotes:
“Don’t make your life about the loss. Make it about the love.”
“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. They need to witness it in real-time, or else you’re not doing your part.”
I had others book-darted but my book is packed and these are the ones I found on Goodreads.
Have you read Legendborn? What did you think about the ending?
Thanks for reading friend! I look forward to chatting with you soon.
Yours,
Elizabeth Anne
Mary Catherine Andrews says
Great review! 😃
ElizabethAnne Andrews says
Thank you!