Do you hear me?!?!?!
In this book, we meet Bree Matthews as she is dealing with the death of her mother. To escape her grief, Bree enrolls in an early admission program, Early College, for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her first night on campus, Bree witnesses a magical attack...a demon feeding on human energies.
Soon she discovers a secret society called “Legendborns” students that hunt the demons and a mysterious young man who calls himself a “Merlin” and who tries to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw...but he fails. The Merlin’s failed attempt unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory connected to the night her mother dies. Now Bree wants to know the truth about her mother's accident and she will do whatever it takes to find out the truth, including infiltrating the Legendborns as one of their initiates.
Bree enlists the help of Nick Davis, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their shaky partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets...and closer to each other. Soon Bree learns the true nature of the Legendborns and now she has to decide how far she will go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down or join the fight.
This book showed up at the perfect time. It addressed many things that we as Americans have not discussed. Weaving the Arthurian legend with Black Southern folklore made this a magical and unique book on so many levels. All the emotions and experiences that Bree goes through is so relevant and timely. The themes of legacy, roots, heritage, and ancestors permeated this entire story and made for rich and gripping themes. I was totally transported and enthralled with this book. When I finished I was wanted more of the story. I'm praying that Ms. Deonn gives us another book. This book is going to make waves in the fantasy community. Much needed waves. Kudos to Ms. Deonn for writing such a fantastic piece of fiction.
Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖/5
As part of the Legendborn Book Tour hosted by Hear Our Voices Book Tours, I was asked to create a Book Aesthetic and a Playlist. A little explanation about both:
For the Book Aesthetic, I wanted the look and feel of the Aether which is so important in this story, as well as the earth and our ancestors. To see my book aesthetic, head over to my Instagram page www.instagram.com/novelsistah
For the Playlist, I treated it like a movie score. The songs follow the scenes in the book. I primarily chose Black women and songs with a southern feel. The whole list is a vibe and a mood for me. I hope people feel it too. Here's the link to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5g0srIuuZocUhi60wbeYdC?si=uND8DP94QYa9lN7eI0sSgw
