Review: Legendborn

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Legendborn #1)
Published: September 2020

“The most important thing you can do in this world, the most necessary thing, is to survive it. You can’t do anything for anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies. A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down. And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw. The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates. She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

Bree is a complex character, but she’s also incredibly realistic. We get to see her grief in the rawest form, the fact that she still struggles to come to terms with the loss of her mother. Her stubbornness to do things her own way, to create her own path, are so relatable that I just felt sucked in my her character. We also get to see her strong friendship with Alice, someone who supports her unwaveringly but also calls her out on her BS (as any good friend should!). The ending of the book really gears us up for the sequel and Bree is definitely in for a rollercoaster ride.
Nick is such a sweetheart. At times, his behaviour seemed a little questionable but oh lordy, I would NOT mind having a Nick by my side. I just wish we got to see a little more of him and Bree outside the Order setting. Just the two of them without the pressures of those around them.
Sel is definitely an interesting character. He’s dark and mysterious and definitely has more that we need to see. I really hope that he isn’t going to force a love triangle situation though because that is not something that will endear me to him. Nor is it something I really want to see…

My childhood consisted of a few things: performing, watching Doctor Who and being obsessed with Merlin. So this book was 10000% up my alley being based on and influenced by the Arthurian legends. I did find a few moments just a bit too cliche – instalove and the whole “Chosen One” vibe – but it didn’t massively take away from the impact of the story. I really appreciated the inclusion of racism and the discussions of white privilege – the fact that white people not only colonised Black people, but also their magic – because such themes are still prevalent now and it’s so important for that history to be shared accurately.

Overall, Legendborn is an amazing interpretation of a legend known across the lands. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5