Review: The Legendborn Cycle By Tracy Deonn
The Legenborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn is a tale of history, power and, in many ways, race. It’s a series loosely based on the King Arthur legend and has a lot of roots in the history of black slavery. Dhonielle Clayton, the New York Times bestselling author of The Belles describes it aptly- “...[the book] braids together Southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power, and self-discovery”.
After her mother's death in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews is distraught and wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. She hides most of her grief behind her anger and her only goal was to learn the truth about her mother's passing. So she decided to infiltrate the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights which led her to discover the powers she never dreamed she could possess.
Bree learned she was a Medium, a Bloodcrafter and a Scion. This news came with some benefits but also a lot of disadvantages, including a war she wanted no part in. However, she didn’t have much of a choice. An ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak and Bree found herself right in the middle.
Book 1: Legendborn
I couldn't wait to read this. Before I found the time to buy it, I already knew it was about a black girl and magic. Those two things alone had me sold. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. When I finally did, I started reading, practically at the edge of my seat anddd… 50 pages in I was- not disappointed exactly, but not satisfied. I felt like the foundation wasn't strong enough. I felt like the protagonist didn't get a strong enough background. We should have seen and experienced the grief she was enduring a bit more before the magic bits started creeping in. I also felt that her responses to the magic she's seeing for the first time were iffy at best. It gets loads better as you keep reading but for me beginnings are everything. If it's botched, it ruins the rest for me.
I absolutely adored the black girl magic and black girl power themes. I think the author did a damn good job incorporating black history, the slave trade, and the reality of what thousands of black people born in a land their ancestors don't originate from are experiencing today. She explored themes that had to do with not being able to trace your family line because of the slave trade, a black girl being angry through her grief, and specific things that are unique to black women like getting demon goo in her curls and panicking cause she knows the work it’ll take to get that out or how she worries about her head wrap whenever she spends the night somewhere that isn’t home. It was very little things but at the same time, it gave the story the authenticity it needed.
I feel this book falls right down the middle on a scale of good or bad. There are parts of it I adored and parts I hated, but I love it less than I hate it because I felt the first half could have been done better. I, however, adored the ending bits. It put a smile on my face. I would give this book 6/10. It’s perfect for people who want to read about black culture and history, magic surrounding black people and grief so intense, it shakes you to your core.
Book 2: Bloodmarked
Though the start of the first book wasn’t what I thought it would be, it ended so well that I had to begin the second one immediately. I felt the foundation of this book was a lot better. It had a smoother flow, but that could have been credited to the foundational first book. I also loved that we got to delve deeper into the magical world Bree stumbled upon. A lot of questions we had from the first book were answered in this one but this book came with so much information and lack thereof that I ended up having more questions at the end of it.
Every black girl magic and power theme in the first book was intensified in this book and I was here for every second of it. We saw Bree interact with more black people and specifically her ancestors through root magic. We also saw the power of pain and trauma through generations and how much it can do. There was so much anger and feelings of injustice from the slave trade that lingered in the black people that exist in their world today and it is such a real thing in our lives; Deonn did a tremendous job showcasing that.
Although friendship was explored in the first book, we delved deeper into it in this one. I loved that we got to see more bonding moments between Bree and her best friend Alice. Bree would do anything for Alice and we see Alice doing the exact same back for Bree. It was such a soft, beautiful and platonic love. They both deserved each other. Alice was the family Bree needed. I also loved the little queer romance arc Deonn tried to wiggle in with Alice. It was cute but it wasn't really the focus because of the war they were all trying to win. Another little queer romance that was touched on was when Sel, one of Bree’s love interests admits certain things about his sexuality. It was really juicy information that would make anyone start imagining all the possibilities.
I would recommend this book to any lover of queer romance, friendship, unbreakable bonds, the legend of King Arthur of the round table and the power in ancestry and being black. I also give this book a solid 8/10.
