Bree Matthews, sixteen, has nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home after her mother is killed in an accident. A residential program for gifted high school students at UNC-Chapel Hill appears to be the ideal getaway—until Bree sees a supernatural attack on her first night on campus. 

 

A winged monster that feeds on human energy. A hidden club of "Legendborn" pupils that seek down the beasts. And a strange adolescent mage who calls himself a "Merlin" and tries (but fails) to erase Bree's memory of all she witnessed. 

 

Bree's own unique magic and a buried memory with a secret connection are unlocked by the mage's failure: another Merlin was at the hospital the night her mother died. Bree believes there's more to her mother's death than what's on the police report, and she'll go to any length to find out what happened, even if it means entering the Legendborn as one of their initiates. 

 

She enlists Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the organization, and their hesitant alliance draws them further into the society's secrets—and closer together. But when the Legendborn expose themselves to be the descendants of King Arthur's knights and announce that a magical battle is on the way, Bree must decide how far she'll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to bring down the society—or join the fight. 

 

I'm punishing myself for not reading this book sooner since I learned there would be a love triangle—jokes on me, I loved this book so much. It took me a while to get into the book, but once I was absorbed in its universe, I couldn't put it down. This book discusses hereditary trauma, racism, white supremacy, and grief in a completely different universe. 

 

I loved how the characters are three-dimensional. Even if the entire novel is narrated from Bree's point of view, you are aware of what is going on with the characters and everything. Needless to say, the writing was excellent. Even if it isn't lyrical or ethereal, it is simple to grasp and avoids becoming boring or repetitive. And that climax? I was terrified for my life.