5/5

For fans of: Black girl power, coming of age, Arthurian legend, dealing with trauma, African-based magic, challenging racist/patriarchal systems

Synopsis: Months after her mother dies, Bree Matthews escapes to an early college program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Here, she wants a fresh start and to bury her broken heart. At UNC-Chapel Hill, she stumbles upon secret societies, their 1500 year war with the demons of this world, and her own magical connection to it all. The war is ramping up, but rather than flee, she throws herself in at a chance for answers about her own life and the women that came before her.

Review: I have been itching for a return to the mythos of Arthur and Merlin ever since the devastation of the BBC Merlin serious, so I was very curious about this iteration. This book has everything: magic influenced by different cultures, a modern setting, hot guys, an MC that I did not care for at all in the beginning but grew to love and root for, slow burn romance, themes of power and control, fast-paced, a climax that pays off as well as an ending begging me for more. I cannot recommend it enough!

For fans of: Black girl power, coming of age, Arthurian legend, dealing with trauma, African-based magic, challenging racist/patriarchal systems