It’s going to be difficult waiting on the third book to come out! Tracy Deonn is a master at character development and keeping the reader guessing and in suspense. I knew the second book would most likely end in a cliffhanger, and was not wrong. Looking forward to reading the third installment and hoping for the best. Awesome read! ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/hugos-2023-lodestar-award-for-best-ya-book/

I thought that the notion of the Round Table turning up in Chapel Hill as a phenomenon among university students was a load of rubbish when I read the first volume in 2021, and I think so still. I gave this 50 pages before tossing it aside. ( )

This book is so well done. I loved the first book but this one simply builds on this world so well and is so compelling ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
From the author's website:

Death of a parent and traumatic grief, combat/battle flashbacks, alcohol consumption, mind control/memory manipulation, drugging/medical abuse, forced captivity, racist macro and microaggressions, emesis (vomiting), blood, ritual magic self-harm to access blood (via hands with safety pin and sword), mild gore, torture, combat/interpersonal violence, murder, death, and mention(s) of: physical abuse, racist violence, sexual violence.

Legendborn was an incredible read, and here I am attempting to put into words how I feel about its sequel Bloodmarked months after reading it. To be quite frank, I still don’t have a clue where to begin. Tracy Deonn has written another exceptional book that will rip your heart out multiple times, fix it up a bit and then tear it into shreds all over again.

The stakes get even higher in this book, and it shows Bree who her friends and allies truly are as the Regents reveal how they plan to handle everything that happened in Legendborn. Bree has to fight with everything she has, and to do that she needs to learn to use her powers. The problem is that her Scion powers don’t want to play ball, and too many people are taking that as a sign of weakness. With her back against the wall Bree accepts help from the last place she wants to, putting her in more danger than she ever imagined.

In Bloodmarked Deonn takes Bree’s story down a much darker path, continuing to highlight real world issues through a fantasy narrative. Once again Deonn forces the reader to look their biases right in the eye and acknowledge them. I wasn’t even aware of one that had been with me since my own youth and was still causing me harm until a massive light was shone on it in Bloodmarked. That is how powerful Deonn’s writing is, and The Legendborn Cycle is a must-read for all ages.

The character development in Bloodmarked is some of the best I have ever seen, and there are too many beautiful scenes to mention. The ending of the book is a cliffhanger, but in a way I don’t consider it a bad one. I’m putting my final thought under a spoiler tag due to a spoiler:

After everything Bree goes through, all the choices taken from her and how she is used and abused, it is good to see her take the control back. It’s her power now and she is shaping her destiny.

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Bloodmarked is book two, with Legendborn being book one. I always hate saying much with sequels, so this review will be short.

Bree joins the Legendborn in order to discover the truth about her mother and the power Bree inherited from her. She discovers much more. She descends from eight women who tell Bree how they survived being annihilated by an evil. She's the female who has inherited all of the powers. As Bree descends from slavery, she learns the ramifications of the evils of that time. She, however, has trouble handling the power--she can't form armor or ether very well. Sel tries to help her in lieu of going "monster." They must constantly move in order to stay ahead of those trying to control her.
Nick has left to hide, leaving Sel without the person he is supposed to protect. Without Nick, Sel can lose his humanity. Helping Bree and William helps Sel.

The novel has length to it. Bree travels A LOT in her journey to self. She must discover so much about her ancestors and the legendborn. She discovers that she is also a medium, which allows her to get first accounts from her ancestors. Handy. She also has William and her best friend to help.

That's all I want to say. I will say that I really enjoyed listening to the novel. There's a lot of information and a lot happens. When I thought we were at the cliffhanger, I saw that I had two hours left! Yes, there was still a cliffhanger and a major revelation at the end. I eagerly await book three. ( )