Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1) opens Goodreads in a new tab

My thoughts

3.75 rounded up to 4/5stars Don't make your life about the loss. Make it about the love. Was pleasantly surprised by this YA fantasy book. I'd recommend going into it blind (I did) and let the story unfurl as you go through it. It is a complex and layered story with a lot to experience. For a debut YA novel, this was surprisingly intense and packed. And even if you have read a ton of Arthurian legends, you most probably will end up liking it for its modern twist, urban setting, and enormous gay rep :P What I absolutely loved was the portrayal of grief and the way it connected to Bree's history. The writing style was engaging and compelling and Bree as the main character was thoroughly enjoyable to read about. Her grief was so well written. Her pain was raw and it really hit home. The rest of the writing was good as well, and for a debut novel, I think it was incredible. A lot of people have been calling this a mix of Mortal instruments by Cassie Claire and Hunger Games, and well, that is one way to put it I suppose. I do enjoy myself a good YA fantasy every once in a while and I'd say this did the job really well! Book Trigger Warnings: Alcohol consumption, Car accidents, Death of a parent, Death, Demons, Emesis, Gore (mild), Grief, Hospitals, Memory manipulation, Mind control, Physical abuse (mentioned), Racism, Rape (on-page, not explicit/graphic), Sexual violence (mentioned), Slavery, Trauma, Violence