Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Boneswith a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.
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.
This book was absolutely incredible!! It's hard to believe that this is this author's debut novel! She definitely came out with a bang. In this modern and 100% original retelling of King Arthur and his court we meet an amazing cast of characters. In a world of demons, oaths, bloodlines, and magic, the author weaves her own personal stories, along with African American history and spiritual traditions into the legendary collections of reimagining of King Arthur and it makes for one of the best books I have read this summer. I don't want to give anything away but if you like tough female leads with some black girl magic sprinkled in then this book is definitely for you! The twist at the end had me shocked!! I can’t wait for this book to hit the shelves in September so I can add it to my collection. I hope to hear more from this author and these characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for approving my request to read this incredible novel!
When to buy: September 15, 2020 (available for pre-order now)
Where to buy:
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legendborn-tracy-deonn/1136314591?ean=9781534441606