SYNOPSIS

Bree and Alice are best friends who applied to be a part of a program for early entry into college. They are excited to learn they’re both accepted until Bree fights about it with her mom, who doesn’t want her to go. Soon after their fight, Bree’s mom dies due to a drunk driver. Regret haunts Bree because she didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye and make up with her mom. Now, she really wants to go through with the program because she can’t stand to live with her mother’s memories surrounding her.

At an off campus party she and Alice are not supposed to be at per the terms of the program, Bree sees a creature ensuing chaos above a group of people fighting. After being pushed away from the scene against her will, she breaks the spell and watches two people interrogating and killing the creature that dissolves into nothing. She realizes no one else but her and those two can see it, which leads to its own set of questions. What could possibly happen?

MY REVIEW AND RECAP

Legendborn’s cover is enticing and going in I wanted to like it. As with most books, I didn’t know what it was about when I started it. I kind of got spoiled while reading it and accidentally found out about the demons and the love triangle before I got into it.

It was hard for me to get through the first half of the book. The writing and story telling is great. I love a secret society and a friends to lovers/enemies to lovers situation. I even secretly enjoy love triangles. However, I don’t know much about Arthur and the Round Table. I did what I could to keep up with how the world worked and how the legend was reimagined in the story. The terms and their relation can be confusing, but the author does what she can to remind you of the meanings throughout the book.

I was also triggered, not expecting Bree to be the only black girl (she’s sixteen) in a space of whiteness. It’s a recent experience of mine and one I hope not to experience again. Tracy Deonn doesn’t shy away from portraying Bree’s place in this society as it would be in the real world. She experiences microagressions and blatant racism and discrimination. I felt seen reading her story but it was difficult to read at the same time.

There’s critiques that Alice isn’t in the book enough, but I think given the circumstances of demons constantly trying to kill everyone and Alice not being apart of the society or having Sight (being able to see demons and magic), it makes sense.

Before reading I couldn’t see how the love triangle develops, but after finishing this one and the second book, I have really come to enjoy it.

This book is heavy on death and grief. It shows two ways people try to move on after death: like Bree’s dad, who hurts but tries to keep going or like Bree, who creates a closed off version of herself. It explores how sometimes, death can show us parts of people we never knew existed. It displays generational trauma, in a literal and figurative sense.

The book really started going for me towards the middle. I couldn’t understand why Bree was so stubborn and putting herself in the positions she was in. It was interesting to see her infiltrate a society she knows nothing about and annoying how she was annoyed she didn’t have all the information. Like girl, you literally pushed your way in. How would there be time to explain?

I was surprised that she decided to stay after she learns all she does. By the end I could understand why she made her choices, to a point. It’s a place for her to get answers she wouldn’t get anywhere else.

The twist at the end was shocking, so shocking I don’t want to give anything away. I didn’t see it coming at all and it really makes everything ironic. It’s interesting how fate works and that’s all I’ll say about that. It made the story worth the read.

I will say this is the first time I’ve encountered a book where the main character is deemed special and I could see where everyone was coming from. That trope is annoying, but in this case, to me, she really is special. It is shown and expressed to her to remind you of her uniqueness in her abilities.

In terms of the romance, I like Nick. I think it started off instantly and wasn’t necessarily based on anything but physical attraction but it worked. Nick and Bree grow an emotional connection, and you can tell they both enjoy and care about each other. Based on this book alone, it seemed like it could develop into something real. Up until a certain point.

OVERALL

Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but I liked it and I was ready to hop into the second one to see what happens next.

It did make me pretty emotional for a majority of reasons, but the end really got to me. The end alone made me think about changing it to a 4 star rating, but it was a lot (of necessary) information to get through. It took a while before I was hooked. I’m glad I finished it because I really enjoyed the second book. I highly recommend this one because it is enjoyable but also so that you can move on to the second one.

Update 3/31/25: rerating and giving it 3.5 stars because rate with half stars now and I think I would’ve settled at 3.5 with how torn I was at the time.