Legendborn by Tracy Deonn: Book Review

Legendborn is the best-selling urban fantasy young adult novel by Tracy Deonn. It was released in September 2020 by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Last year it was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction. It has continued to earn nominations in 2021, including the Lodestar Award and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book.

I was drawn to this book by all of the hype it received when it was released. The cover art also drew me in. I was sold when I found out the book was set at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Go Heels!). After that, I knew I was going to read this book. And I have to say, and I am so glad that I did!

Synopsis

Bree Matthews is sixteen, recently lost her mother, and finds herself living on campus at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. On her first night on campus, she sees things she can’t explain. The next afternoon, she sees even more. She finds herself remembering the night her mother died and seeing something then that she couldn’t explain. And it was similar to what she saw at school. What was it? Could it all be related?

Positives

Bree Matthews is quite possibly my favorite female character in recent memory. While she is only sixteen, she has the strength and mental fortitude of someone twice her age. Sure she has her moments where she isn’t mentally and emotionally strong, but again, she is only sixteen! Alice, Bree’s best friend, is also a strong female character.

The pacing of the story doesn’t suffer in the least. It is a quick-paced story, and while it is around 500 pages, it doesn’t feel like it. I did listen to the audiobook, and it is 19 hours long. The story drew me in so much that I didn’t see the time pass.

Negatives

Some parts at the end of the story were easy to see coming; I don’t want to say which bits because that would be a spoiler. But once Bree met Vera, you almost knew what the end would be.

My only other negative is the fact I have to wait until 2022 for the next book! My question, though, is this going to be a duology, a trilogy, or a series? I guess we will have to wait and see what Deonn has to say.

My Opinions

I found myself caught up in the hype surrounding this book. And I am glad that I did. Honestly, fantasy is not a genre I turn to very often. I find world-building a bit complicated. Yes, I have read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, but I don’t consider those high fantasies. Okay, maybe Harry Potter is. But, fantasy is not something I generally read. So, I was surprised that I was drawn to this book so much. I feel that because Legendborn is an urban fantasy, it makes it that much more accessible to people.

Bree is a typical teenager, and she wants to go against her parent’s wishes. And she does, then she gets into a huge fight with her mom. When her mom dies, she regrets the fight and what was left unsaid. I have been there, not with a parent, but with a close friend. It’s not easy, but as time passes, the pain and regret ease.

That said, my dad recently died unexpectedly, and there is so much I wish I had said to him. Much like Bree, I wonder what was left unsaid between us. The difference is we didn’t fight the last time we spoke, and I’m not sixteen. But I know that he loved me and did what he thought was best for me when he did it. I have a feeling in the next book, and we will see Bree grow some and come to a similar realization with her own situation.

While this is a young adult book, I am willing to say that anyone who would be of age to read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would be old enough to read this. That said, there is some violence and, sadly, some deaths in the book. Those two parts may be troubling for readers that are too young. If this were a movie, it would probably get a PG-13 rating because of the violence and deaths.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.