Legendborn by Tracy Deonn - Review
Snapshot:
What mood is this right for: When you’re ready to go on a journey to fight demons, bring down systems of power, and overcome some (or a lot) of generational trauma.
Length: 490Pages
Genre: YA | Fantasy
Source: Purchased From Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh NC
Where to Buy:
Legendborn- Affiliate Link - Legendborn Cycle Books 1 -3 -Affiliate Link - Quail Ridge books - Free with a trial of audible
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ infinity
1 Sentence Summary: Bree Matthews stumbles upon a secret society that will change her life forever and unveil her own magical abilities and power to take down the systems that have propped up injustice.
My Thoughts:
Tracy Deon has not only woven together an Urban Fantasy with an Aurthurian retelling. She has layered in a fresh magic system we haven’t seen before packaged with the thoughts of a young black girl in The American South struggling to find her voice and dismantle the systems of oppressions institutions continue to uphold. It packs a punch.
We arrive in Bree Matthews world as she is setting out for a program at UNC Chapel Hill for bright and talented teens. Rather than classes she stumbles into a world of demons, secret societies, and he own unique magic. Through this she meets the mysterious Selwyn Kane and the golden retriever Nick Davis. Together they must decide to continue in the society’s footsteps and join in their oncoming war. Or dismantle the system altogether.
As always, before we get into any potential spoilers - here’s my quick recommendation. Yes, absolutely yes.
Even if you’re not a YA person or a Dark Academia junky, this story is too important and too unique to skip. It will take you on a journey like no other. I loved everything about this book and this series breaks the scales for me for so many reasons.
As a white woman it was eye-opening and necessary to be able to spend hundreds (over a thousand by the end of the current book in the series) of pages in the mind of a young Black girl just sharing her lived experience. While there are many quote that stuck with me, a specific instance to call out is this one.
I’ve always loved tracing my family history—following the branches back to the original boats from Norway and beyond. I consider myself an advocate, someone who cares deeply about social justice, and who stands firmly with the Black community. But I’ll admit: it never fully occurred to me that something as seemingly simple as knowing your ancestry is a privilege not afforded to everyone.
“To be able to trace one’s family back that far is something I have never fathomed. My family only knows back to the generation after Emancipation. Suddenly, it’s hard to stand here and take in the magnificence of the Wall and not feel an undeniable sense of ignorance and inadequacy. Then, a rush of frustration because someone probably wanted to record it all, but who could have written down my family’s history as far back as this? Who would have been able to, been taught to, been allowed to? Where is our Wall? A Wall that doesn’t make me feel lost, but found. A Wall that towers over anyone who lays eyes on it.
In stead of awe, I feel…cheated”
This moment reframed so much for me—not just about the story, but about the everyday privileges we don’t even realize we hold. It’s a powerful reminder that the most profound truths in books often aren’t in the plot twists or worldbuilding—they’re in the lived truths of the characters we're lucky enough to follow.
⚠️Light Spoilers Below ⚠️
I feel inadequately equipped to talk about this book. It’s been over a year since I first read Legendborn with a re-read this year in preparation for Oathbound and I still can’t quite articulate everything I feel and think about this book. That, alone, should speak to it’s impact. I live in the south only about 15 minutes away from UNC Chapel Hill, despite this world being filled with magic, demons, and Arthurian legend it felt real to me. I think that comes from the strength of Tracy Deonn’s character writing. That’s why the theme doesn’t feel heavy handed because she is just telling Bree’s story, it all comes out naturally through Bree’s lived experience. In addition to Bree, she also seamlessly tied in diverse cast of characters not just in race but in gender identity and sexuality as well.
As Bree discovers, the secret society of “Legendborn” are able to call on the original knights of the round table via their Bloodlines with magic called “Bloodcraft”. With our main man, Nick being the heir apparent and called pull Excalibur and be able to channel Arthur himself. Bree joins this society to learn more about her own magical abilities. She finds that not only is she able to pull on the magic of the round table but also her own ancestral magic called “Rootcraft” which borrows power from an ancestral pool. Steeped in real history, Deonn explains in the afterword that Rootcraft was inspired by the “Rootwork” (otherwise known as Hoodoo) which was developed by enslaved Africans in the United States. While rootcraft is a fictional magic system, she does go on to explain that the use of the word “root” was intentional to anchor the real experiences of the Black community and to the “blood, sweat, and tears of enslaved Africans and their descendants.” Her intentionality with every detail is so apparent and what really makes this entire series a stand out to me.
The one thing that may be a bit hard for non-fantasy readers just jumping into the series is the magic system. It’s complicated. For me, that was a plus as we’re rarely getting fresh new magic systems (outside of RF Kuang and Leigh Bardugo) but for someone new to fantasy it might be a bit to undertake. I promise if you just stick through feeling like you have no idea what’s going on, the payoff with be worth it.
Overall, if you couldn’t tell already, I highly recommend this story. It will stick with you far after you finish the final page.
