Legendborn

Magical Academia blended with King Arthur would've been enough for this book to register as a potential high mark. The way this book wove in ancestral magic and root lore was phenomenal. I love when history and legend get woven into the lore of a story, and Legendborn delivered, big time.

It definitely helped that Bree was such an out-of-bubblegum main character. (Yes, that's a 'They Live' reference.) She was dynamite incarnate and even when she was afraid, she embraced it. One of the strongest YA heroines I've read since Katniss.

Legendborn is a King Arthur tale set in modern-day Georgia. With that description, how could I not love this book?

Tracy Deonn is a master at blending Southern folk traditions and African lore with Arthurian legends. I fell in love with Bree, the typical Southern teenager starting out at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has magic, but it’s not the same magic as the mages who are gearing up for a magical war.

The tale is a clash of magical cultures topped off with a Romeo and Juliet romance. It grabbed me from the first page, and I haven’t stopped thinking about… show more.

I was just texting my friend, wishing for a solid YA fantasy romance that truly delivered on all the vibes...and I finally got it. And may I add that the cover for this novel is STUNNING! 🤩

I'm obsessed with this book. The lore, the secret societies, the historical fantasy/King Arther and the knights, the romance (Selwyn ~ aw, my heart), the page-turning mystery...I adore this series, and it will forever hold a dear place in my heart. It was the book that had me staying up until 3 am, sobbing, laughing–it broke me into a million pieces and then… show more.

Legendborn totally tricked me. I thought I had it figured out, so I didn’t foresee the plot twists, of which there were plenty.

Its protagonist, Briana Matthews, is a fascinating, multi-layered character—strong-willed, resilient, impulsive, and—underneath it all—deeply hurt and lost. She is devastated by the recent death of her mother. She feels out of place at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she reflects, “My dorm is an antebellum building. Not built for people that looked like me, but definitely built by them.”

By intertwining Arthurian legend and West African rootcraft with acute traumatic grief and systemic racism, Deonn smashes epic fantasy tropes.… show more.

One of my favourite YA books ever, and whilst not a gaming-inspired book, the action, love triangles, and twists and turns make it worthy to be added to the list.

After her mother dies in an accident, Bree just wants to get away from it all and ends up at a residential high school, which is far from normal. It's a modern-day twist on an Arthurian tale! Highly recommend.

Bree starts college and encounters a secret organization comprised of the heirs to King Arthur’s Round Table (the Legendborn). Thing is, they may be responsible for her mother’s death.

She has to hide the magic she’s inherited from her maternal line, because the Legendborn sees it as a threat. She goes through the trials to become a page in the organization to find out the secrets her mother was hiding about her lineage and her magic. Bree goes through a difficult time during the trials, not only because she’s the only Black member of the society, but because she doesn’t… show more.

Her series in progress is such a delightfully unexpected and unpredictable tale. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, the story pivoted.

I love the blend of a present-day setting in North Carolina and Arthurian legends, and then a primal addition of African American history.

Finding great fiction that features black leads set in America is hard enough. Finding fantasy fiction that features a black female lead is even harder.

I was thrilled, therefore, when I saw this book in stores. The cover is stunning and the story is even better.

This story featured everything I love in a good, urban, fantasy: secret societies, human warriors who must fight demonic beings, supernatural powers, and all of this happening outside the eyesight of regular human beings.

If you want a book that feature heart-pumping moments, twists and turns at every junction, a bit of romance, and… show more.

It’s no surprise that Legendborn by Tracy Deonn has become such a monumental novel for Black women and young Black girls everywhere. I can only imagine how differently I would have grown up if I were given Legendborn during my adolescent years. This novel deals with themes like grief, growing pains, self-discovery, reflection, familial ties, and the most important takeaway that I have from this novel is that I can see myself in Briana Matthews, whose own voice is Black and reminds me of myself in so many ways while navigating a predominantly white institution. I’m sure the sequel will… show more.

In this YA fantasy novel, sixteen-year-old Bree discovers a secret society whose members derive magic from their Arthurian heritage—and who might have played a role in her mother’s death. From racist microaggressions to the intergenerational trauma of enslaved people and their descendants, Bree‘s identity as a Black girl is central to the book‘s magic. Legendborn is perfect for readers who love YA but have grown tired of formulaic novels. As a writer of YA and NA fantasy, I consider this book a poster child for my genre done right, embracing some beloved tropes while delving into the reality of trauma… show more.