Review #472
This is a looooong book so settle in. I’m reading it for a bookclub so I’m excited to share thoughts with others.
I give this YA (modern) fantasy a 4.6/5 stars. The plot was exciting and fast, the main character had depth and real issues, & the prose were appropriate for YA. (I didn’t feel like the scenery felt poetic, but that’s fine since it was action based.) My biggest issue is the world building was almost too unnecessarily complex and confusing at times. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel immediately.
Here are my random comments and notes I wrote while reading. Yes, there are spoilers below.
If this book is as good as the prologue then I’ll be golden. In such a short amount of words, Tracy Deonn has me caring about the main heroine, and I feel like I’m there, by her side, in that terrible room hearing that awful news.
Carolina shout out!
Local Eno Quarry, Durham County are mentioned already too!
Bree lost her mom in a sudden tragic car accident three months ago. She’s attending college classes early with her best friend, but feeling like a different person, an “After-Bree” compared to before her mother’s untimely death.
What is the magical light she sees? Why can only one other guy see it? And does he control minds?
I’m already invested in the potential and can’t wait to see where it goes. The prose are fluid, easy to read and they make the setting visceral, which is awesome!
So who is Selwyn? A Kingsmage? What is that? What creature did they capture? Why are they hunting it? What is the Gate? Does the creature feed off human aggression? How? Why does Bree’s awareness of the magical light just start now?
Is Legendborn one person or many? Are they/it good or evil?
I love that it’s set in modern day/real life locations with magic, but I’m not sure if that’s considered magical realism genre or not.
The argument with her best friend is feeling very YA, but also relatable. Does this mean I’m a 16 year old at heart?
After Part 1 I’m worried about 2 things for my personal preference- 1. It’ll be too academia setting genre 2. The magic system will be too unnecessarily complicated and confusing with all these border systems in place.
The racism theme involved in this southern setting is a new take within fantasy since ai haven’t read many modern fantasy. Sometimes it’s laid on a bit “on the nose” obvious but still sucks to see the examples of what Bree has to go through so often.
There’s a LOT going on and I have many questions so hopefully things become more clear as it progresses.
Why was Felicity Called by Lamorak early?
Who is Lamorak?
Why does the ranking matter?
Who is the actual bad guy here?
Is it a religious group?
How has a Hellbound (AKA Shadowborn) penetrated their safe Lodge?
Does this mean Bree will be immortal later?
What do all these words mean:
Scion
Awake
Page
Squire
Oaths
the Order of
The Sight
Vassal
Merlins
Regents
Mesmer
Uchel
Then apparently there’s the hint earlier that they also hunted witches in the Trials… it feels a bit too complex and unfocused.
I’m getting tired of new things being thrown in before anything previously is resolved. Now we have the Order of the Rose and The Line of Morgaine
At the end of Part 2 I know I like the book because I keep thinking about it while not reading. Is she in the lineage of the Order’s rivals?
At the halfway mark what I care most about is if Sel is the true romantic interest
At the end of Part 3 I’m wondering why Bree isn’t questioning the legitimacy to the documentation written in the reports.
Also, I KNEW Sel would end up being the love interest!
At the grandma cemetery part in chapter 43 she has gained yet another power. I know we will eventually get answers but she has way too many abilities.
Omg the grandma is hilarious but the comic relief feels to be at awkward timing
I wanted to care more about the friends that died.
All done! The grief was shown well. Black history and abuse and trauma was done better than most books I’ve read, tying into the present. The magic system was a lot at first but I got the hang of it eventually. I loved how it was set 3 minutes from where I live. Honestly I don’t know much about King Arthur so I have no idea how much is accurate but the story was better than I expected!