LEGENDBORN, where King Arthur meets a YA University Student

It’s the year 2020 when Tracy Deonn published Legendborn, the first book in The Legendborn Cycle. The book, followed by Bloodmarked and the upcoming Oathbound.

WHAT IS LEGENDBORN?

Legendborn follows sixteen-years-old Bree Matthews, student in a residential program for bright student, after her mother’s death in an accident. Enrolled with her best friend Alice, the program at UNC seems like the perfect escape, all until Bree witness a magical attack during her first night at the campus. Call it spending a normal time as a student, right?

Demons feeding on humans, a secrets society hidden under everyone’s nose, magic energy that she seems to see while her friends can’t. And then Sel, a “Merlin” as he calls himself, able to wipe everyone’s memory, or at least so he thinks.

But Sel’s failure in wiping Bree’s memories actually manage to do something completely different: giving her the memories from her mother’s death. At this point, Bree is sure there was another Merlin at the hospital controlling both her and her father’s memories. The police officers she saw was all but a simple human, and all Bree wishes now is uncover the truth about her death. Joining the Legendborn? It might just be the right idea.

Nick, fellow students, probably even the Dean’s favourite and talented member of the Legendborn seems to be the perfect person to let her in. Pushing for a partnership with the young student, Bree learns about the real identity of the Legendborns: heir of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Training for a war that might — will — come in the future, Bree will have to choose between joining the fight, or bringing their society down.

DO I LIKE THE BOOK?

What a silly question, of course I do. Tracy Deonn has made a fantastic job in writing this ya book bringing forward Magic, Arthurian Legends and characters with a multitude of personalities. I moved from liking, to loving, to disliking and hating characters. Each of them will surely capture your attention for one way or another.

Bree’s character, her story and magic, has captured my full attention. She does have her trouble, but after all as a teenager who just lost her mum, discovering of a magic world is all but simple. Her taking everything lightly and without an inch of discussion with people would have actually felt worst, with all she had to think at such a young age. Almost also losing her best friend is another reason that would break anyone, and so I actually found myself hoping to see Bree having just five minutes for herself. Hoping she would just have enough time to seat, Bree, eat something and stop thinking about everything else. That’s obviously impossible, I understand that, and I am sure the sequel will have the same amount of chaos. There’s so much to shoulder for someone so young, and the hate from the Legendborn surely does not make her life much easier.

Bloodmarked, the sequel, is obviously on my to read list. I am waiting first, reading Finale (from Caraval first) so that I can free my brain and start anew. But I fully cannot wait to open the book, especially as the third will be out in March and I need to be read for it.

You might be surprised — probably not, but you will have a reaction for sure — about the ending. Personally, I feel the multiple reactions will depend on what you will discover with your reading, but also with the painful reactions from other characters. Some of those will go from the “normal list” to your “hating list” pretty quickly. Time to say two words and you will switch against them. Others instead will make you chance your mind without too much of a thought. Hi Sel, I knew we would have end up being friends, that’s how it always goes.

Please do give this book a chance, you won’t regret it.
Happy reading!
Marianna