Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Dear Books Lovers,
A few months ago Fazi publisher decided to bring to Italy a book that had instant success abroad, the first of a fantasy trilogy with Arcturian settings. I read it thanks also to the reading group organized together with Francelovebooks and I devoured / loved it. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
Let’s talk about the writing, I found it very smooth and, when a book has more than 500 pages, smoothness is a very important fact. During the reading then nothing was left to chance, I did not find any plot holes and the story was developed, in my opinion, in the best way.
After all, even if we are in our world, in college, many things were invented by the author. It is not easy to mix fantasy with the real world, especially if you are taking a cue from a legend known to all that is that of King Arthur and the round table. But the author managed to insert as many truthful references to the legend, together with a lot of originality in the history and events.
There was also an insertion of truth in terms of actuality, in terms of diversity. There are LGBT elements, and there is a lot of talk about ethnicity and how, if you are dark skinned, you are seen very differently than white people. Especially in the world of the Order where there is not even a black member. The arrival of Bree is immediately noticed, she is often mistaken for a waitress because, although it may seem a stretch, in reality the Order still sees things in an ancient way. Their ancestors used to have black slaves, and on seeing Bree all that comes to mind is that she certainly can’t be a page but someone from the caterer.
One element that I really liked was the characterization of the characters. Nick, Bree and Sel are three completely different characters. Nick is the good guy who makes friends with everyone and would like not to disappoint anyone, and he gets attached quickly. Sel is a dark character, who never talks about himself, doubtful and reserved. Bree, on the other hand, is the one who is suffering from the loss of her mother which occurred only two months earlier, she is a tenacious and curious person but also very reserved.
The plot is very intricate, but as I said before, smooth. Bree has been accepted into a pre-college course, but here she will find herself discovering a lot more than she could ever have thought. She will uncover details about her mother’s past that had always been hidden from her, discover that she has skills, and discover that The Order is not just one of the university’s secret clubs but has a much older and more important foundation.
I can’t wait to read the second book because the first ends with a twist that left me with bated breath. There are still many things to discover but the way this story was created gives me hope that the second book will be a bomb of information and twists. I look forward to it. Initially I thought this would be a duology, I only later discovered it to be a trilogy, I hope the author is able to assert herself also with the third book because from the events of the first, the second could very well be a conclusion.
We just have to wait and hope. Have you read it?
