Hello Readers!

Life has sure been a whirlwind! I’m trying to wrap up as much grad school coursework as I can while I’m off work. Speaking of which, it’s time for another book review!

This time I read Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1) by Tracy Deonn.

This book has been on my radar since its release years back, and while I was hesitant to give it a try, I just couldn’t resist temptation.

On to the book review!

Blurb

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

Bree Matthews is a smart girl. Attending early college at just 16, she’s grateful for the opportunity but torn at the recent mysterious loss of her mother. Before her semester starts, a night at a party goes haywire when something supernatural happens. But she seems to be one of the only ones who saw what happened. Determined to get to the bottom of this unsettling event, Bree embarks on a journey of self discovery, magic, and the dark histories surrounding her school and the secret societies that dwell within.

Urban fantasy? Magic? Secret societies with some mythology mixed in? Sign me up!

This was a fun read, and although I have some quips I felt this was a unique, magic-filled story that has some serious appeal to a lot of readers.

Let’s start with Bree. She’s young, smart, resourceful and spunky. I love that in a character, and I appreciate how the author portrayed her and other youth in a positive light. Bree has a pretty painful history, and her family trauma is understandable and made her feel more three dimensional.

I’m not a huge romance fan, but for the story I think it worked relatively well. Nick is the love interest, and he’s been raised in a secret society with some strict rules, so he is a little bland overall, but it makes sense given his upbringing. His attraction to Bree made sense given that he’s not completely blind to the inherent racism of the Order.

I loved the unique mix of Arthurian mythology and the different systems of magic. I do feel like a glossary at the beginning explaining the terms would have made it easier to understand things better in the beginning, but over time I adjusted.

The writing was done very well and in some spots I thought the metaphors were beautiful without slipping into purple prose. That’s a hard thing to balance.

The plot was really great, with tons of mystery in every chapter and plenty of action scenes for the die-hard fantasy fan. It made for a well-balanced journey that was very enjoyable. In the end, this is a fun read to try out if you love urban fantasy, magic, and a sweet romance along the way.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

Join My ARC Review Team | Subscribe

 Facebook | GoodReads | Bookbub | Tumblr | Instagram