LEGENDBORN BY TRACY DEONN
Legendborn is an Arthurian retelling. Not only is it a well written fantasy but it also explores heavy themes such as grief and racism. After Bree’s mother dies in an accident, she wants nothing more than to escape her hometown and a perfect chance arises, Bree leaves her home. After witnessing a magic incident everything changes for Bree. This novel follows Bree as she discover a whole another world of magic and how she might even be involved. Legendborn is unlike the usual retelling, instead of having characters who are reimaged or children of well-known tales they are ancestors of the characters of King Arthur. I loved this novel for several reasons, from the fantasy side, the many complex characters, the slow budding romance, the writing style, the BIPOC representation, the LGBTQIA+ rep and of course the overall storyline. I have to say a lot happened in the last couple chapters and it was left on an incredibly exciting cliff-hanger. The sequel, Bloodmarked, is coming out in July 2022. The author also explored grief of a loved one quite in depth and it feels as if many people were\could\have\can relate. It brought together a heavy theme and put it together with an unexpected fantasy which worked comfortably. Overall, a wonderful novel and am excited to see more of the characters again soon.
Trigger warning: Racism, grief, death, anxiety, car crash, attacks.
Enna Mari 