Review: Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2)
5/5
For fans of: Black girl power, coming of age, Arthurian legend, dealing with trauma, African-based magic, challenging racist/patriarchal systems, mediums, complicated relationships, love triangles
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? YA fantasy, urban fantasy
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? We see a whole new side to Sel, quite devilish if you ask me.
Is it spicy? There are some sweltering looks and breathtaking kisses, but we are wholly in YA territory here.
Is it violent or gory? Sword-fighting, powers used to throw people across forests, blood and guts, but not gratuitous.
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you are a fan of Legendborn, buy it!
Synopsis: The shadows have risen, and the line is law. All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new: A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion. But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped. Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected. When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death. If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.
Review: Baby we are back in the Legendborn world and this time, this world is bigger, more brutal, and far more insidious than we all thought. The adults have come to ruin everyone’s day, especially Bree’s. I really loved how Tracy expanded the world with more Arthurian background and rootcrafter history, in addition to new characters outside of both worlds. There are more power players vying for control particularly of Bree and her new powers. It was rough seeing her and Sel being two steps behind for much of the book just running for their lives trying to find shelter and healing, but having William and Alice by their sides really helped. But let’s hone in on Bree and Sel because the TENSION was real. Yes, I know she loves Nick but I can’t deny there is something very real happening between Bree and Sel, being on the run together does that to people. The character growth for both throughout the book was immaculate and devastating as Bree tries to figure out how to control her powers, control Arthur’s spirit, and her own growing feelings towards Sel while he battles his literal inner demon, Oath to Nick, and his own growing feelings towards Bree. The plot and action do not let up, even in moments of quiet in the real world or in the world between the living and the dead. The worldbuilding really deepened with the history of the Round Table and the creation of the Legendborn world through Arthur’s memories as well as Bree’s own ancestral history as she embraced the magic of her own people. The political games, however, made my blood boil. But let me tell you, that cliffhanger ending is INSANE. This book was so much fun with so much tension between characters as well as crazy twists and turns. I am holding my breath for the final book in the trilogy.