REVIEW: "Legendborn" by Tracey Deonn (3-stars)

This was my first Tracy Deonn book — I’m reading the series because the third one is a Hugo nominee — and Oathbound definitely gives me the context I needed. The worldbuilding is ambitious: grief, generational trauma, and a whole modern network of Arthurian descendants (apparently thousands of them, mostly in the U.S.) operating out of UNC like a magical Highlander chapter. There’s even a Hunger Games–style competition element, where the fate of the world hinges on getting the right supporters aligned with the right scions.

I alternated between audiobook and ebook, and the “Southern” accents in the audio were rough. I lived in the South for four years, and these sounded more like caricatures than actual regional voices.

The YA framing also feels strained. These are 16‑year‑olds in dorms with almost no adult oversight, navigating hazing, injuries, and adult‑coded emotional intensity. Bree’s grandmother “in her head” is meant to function as guidance, but it reads more like narrative neglect. The racialized “blood vs root” magic divide doesn’t hold up under scrutiny — both sides bind, both gatekeep, both hide their histories — so the binary feels more ideological than real.

There’s also a lot of focus on hair, clothes, and outfits. I know this is a common YA trope, but it doesn’t add much here. The scene where Bree tries on eleven dresses for a fancy secret‑society gala wasn’t tense — just personally terrifying to me. I’ve never understood why these books treat dress‑up moments as emotionally essential; it feels like padding rather than character insight.

As a GenX reader who grew up on The Mists of Avalon, I’m also tired of the default patriarchal trope where Morgaine/Morgana’s descendants are automatically coded as “evil.” Deonn didn’t have to perpetuate that. Given that the first book already revealed that people in power were lying — and were responsible for opening the hell gate — I’m hoping the Morgaine lineage is another place where the official story is false and we’re going to see that lie unravel in later books.

But overall, I did think this was an interesting Arthurian retelling. Making a young girl the “King” — and having Arthur literally possess her — adds a compelling gender‑transcendent angle to the myth. The way characters refer to Bree as their King is one of the more refreshing updates to the Arthurian canon.

I appreciate the way Deonn reimagines Arthurian power through Bree — not just in terms of gender, but perceived race. Having a young Black girl become “King,” and having Arthur literally possess her, reframes the myth in a way that acknowledges slavery, rape, escape, and generational trauma while also redefining who gets to inherit power. It’s one of the more interesting updates to the Arthurian world, and I’m curious to see how far the series pushes that idea.

Interesting world, uneven execution. I just hope the next books don’t repeat too much backstory (a la late‑series Harry Potter, which bloats with recap every volume).

REVIEW: "Legendborn" by Tracey Deonn

RATING: 3-stars