Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I give Legendborn an enthusiastic five stars. It’s been a while since I was this invested in a book. Everything about it spoke to me: the intricate plot, the well-developed characters, the glimpses of history mixed with fantasy and the legend of Arthur.
My own stories are mixes of different histories, different cultures so this one was just up my alley. Tracy Deonn was able to weave all these legends and lore from two very different cultures seamlessly, injecting new life into the old (and sometimes overused) stories.
As a lover of the underdog, this book didn’t disappoint me either. There was the protagonist, Bree, the only African American in a elitist Anglo-Saxon group, Sel who is viewed by all as a tool rather than a full-fledged member of the society (and who I totally fell in love with), and even Nick who seems helpless against his own fate and the will of his father.
The twist at the end was awesome too (no spoilers, lol).
Finally I must give the author kudos for not doing what some YA fiction writers do, which is water-down the language. The book is written in rich vocabulary, a reminder of the children’s books I read as a child that taught me language is a weapon with which the author either destroys or elevates you, feeding your heart and your soul.
And that cover! Perfection!
Author Natalina Reis 