By Tracy Deonn
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2020. 501 pages. Young Adult Fiction
After her mother dies in an accident, 16-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her previous life, family memories, or her childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at a local university seems like the perfect escape, until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
This is a unique extension of the King Arthur legend. I felt like the pacing was excellent, keeping me enthralled for all 501 pages. Bree is a strong character, and many of the secondary characters also felt three dimensional with their own backstories and desires. Not only is this book culturally and LGBTQIA diverse, all the characters naturally fit in the story. Nearly all the interactions, situations, and character arcs felt realistic. The world-building in this story is excellent, but doesn’t bog the reader down with explanations. Overall, this was really well done and I would recommend it to any fans of magical realism, especially for young adults.
If you liked Legendborn, you might also like:
Seventeen-year-old Kira Fujikawa has never had it easy. She's bullied by the popular girls in school. Her parents ignore her. And she's also plagued with a secret: She can see yokai, the ghosts and demons that haunt the streets of Kyoto. But things accelerate from bad to worse when she learns that Shuten-doji, the demon king, will rise at the next blood moon to hunt down an ancient relic and bring the world to a catastrophic end.
By Marie Lu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020. 313 pages. Young Adult Fiction
Desperate to be forever remembered for her music, Nannerl Mozart makes a dangerous pact with a mysterious stranger from a magical land, which may cost her everything.
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