This is a wonderful 4.5 star rating kind of book. I don’t know why it took me so long to read Legendborn but I completely understand the hype it has been given. I was truly locked in and loving this novel all the way through.
About:
Legendborn is a fantasy novel about Bree Mathews, a young Black girl who needs to work through her mothers death. While attending an early college program Bree learns that there might be more to her mothers death than meets the eye. This launches Bree on a quest to discover the truth about her mom’s death and along the way she uncovers a world of magic.
Review:
This novel is loosely based on Arthurian legend. But, don’t expect it to follow the typical storyline. Tracey Deonn writes a new and fresh perspective to the traditional King Arthur tale. Lgenedborn eloquently incorporates a diverse tone to the writing that acknowledges aspects of race, class, and gender. I really appreciated the way Deonn recognized diversity in her writing in such a seamless way. The importance of race, class, and gender truly elevated the story.
Set in four parts this novel perfectly introduces readers to a new and fantastical world. In part one, Order, you realize that nothing in Bree’s, the main characters, life is in order. After her mothers death, Bree is understandably struggling to move on. In an attempt to regain order in her life Bree joins an early college program that allows her to attend classes at her moms alma mater. As Bree starts the early college program she is thrust into a magical secret society,The Order of the Round Table.
Part two, Discord, Bree learns not to take things at face value. The secret society claims that they are about protecting humans from demons but Bree witnesses how there might be more to the Order of the Round Table that isn’t too great. The Order of the Round Table has a long history of excluding people who don’t fit their mold or idea of what it takes to protect humanty.
Part three ,Root, Bree really gets the chance to connect with her ancestors. Bree discovers new information about her own family history when she starts therapy. Her therapist shares information about Bree’s mom and shares how Black people have practiced root magic for centuries. Tracey Deonn uses the history of American slavery to introduce root magic, a form of magic that was passed down to the descendents of enslaved people. They learned a completely different type of magic that is deeply connected to honoring ancestors.
Part four, Splinter, so much has been introduced to the reader between different types of magic, history, and monsters to keep up with. In addition, Bree continues to surprise everyone around her by channeling great power instead of being a damsel in distress. In the end, we are left with a cliffhanger but it’s a cliffhanger that I am content with.
This was such a great read! I can’t stop thinking about this novel and the world Tracey has created. It has elements of Arthurian legend but it included so much more. This goes beyond a young adult novel; it encompasses so many creative pieces mixed with rich history. In addition Deonn writes about the power within family, community, and oneself . I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series and hope you read it too.
The Bootleg Book Club 