Book Review of Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Read if you enjoy:

Supporting Black Authors!

Contemporary YA Fantasy

Magical Creatures

Magical Competition Plotlines

Secret Societies/Socialites

School/College-based Settings

Love Triangles (I’m looking at you ACOTAR)

I picked up Legendborn because a reviewer of Firekind compared the two books, and I was hoping it would be a good comp. The premise – an Arthurian retelling – did sound fascinating, and supporting black authors is a priority, so it wasn’t a difficult decision, and the cover is beautifully rendered.

This review is challenging for me to write, because so many people love this book. To be honest, I just don’t think it was my cup of tea. Looking at my read-if-you-love list, I don’t love or seek out a lot of those tropes, and might not have purchased the book had I realized they featured so heavily. I don’t seek out books that remind me of CW shows, and this (minus the black heroine) definitely had that vibe. I felt like the book was composed of the hottest market trends, mashed together under an Arthurian legend that felt barely there.

I think if there had been more focus on the plotline about root and Bree’s heritage, I would have enjoyed it much, much more. The magical sequences in which Bree explores the history embedded in the grounds of UC and in her past were the strongest, and I longed for more of that. 

As I read, I expected less focus on Bree breaking into an established old school magical group (The Order), and more discovering her heritage, and solving the mystery of her mother’s death. But those more interesting and rich plot lines felt secondary, tossed aside in favor of a magical competition to get positions in the Order, and the weird romance with Nick, who felt plastic and establishment. Ultimately, Bree’s focus was on infiltrating the Order, becoming a part of a southern socialite club that didn’t feel congruent with Bree’s cultural identity, although I understand her goal was to solve the mystery behind her mother’s death. Some of her internal motivations felt a little contradictory.

I had to rely heavily on the chart in back to keep all the Order terms straight, and that’s not something I normally struggle with (finally I just gave up and focused on the relationships and plot). Also, I felt like the Arthurian elements were overlaid onto the premise, as opposed to woven throughout and flavoring the mood of the actual story. Even though the quality of Deonn’s writing is good, the story would’ve benefited from some edits; it was longer than it needed to be. Some characters felt forgotten, like Alice, who I would’ve liked to have seen more of.

Overall, I gave Legendborn 3 stars. I’m glad I purchased because: supporting black authors is so important. Also, I appreciate that many of the tropes will make this a wonderful read for others, so please don’t let my review dissuade you from picking this one up, especially if the trope list appeals to you.