Premise- (5/5) A few of my friends had already read Legendborn by the time I got to it, and they both loved it. Plus, I'm a huge retellings fan. Though I haven't actually read any of the original Arthur texts, I know the very basics, and I always like seeing classic stories (especially those of myth or magic!) retold. Especially by marginalized authors, who can often bring fresher takes and new perspectives to these stories. (In a very related vein, see also Once and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta.) So I was way excited. Of course, a little nervous about overhype, but I generally trust the reading taste of my friends so not too worried.

Characters- (4.5/5) Bree was a fantastic protagonist and narrator. She was relatable and likable, but far from perfect, which made her deeply realistic. Her grief and trauma from her mother's death was incredibly powerful, especially because I really felt like we could see the way it was impacting her decisions and even her character. The building love triangle was...I have some mixed feelings. I do, first and foremost, appreciate that Deonn created a love triangle that wasn't just "I, a poor attractive young woman, must choose between two equally attractive men who are desperately in love with me". And the relationship between Nick and Sel adds a fascinating dimension to the whole situation. The trickiness for me arises in the vastly different ways their characters developed. Nick had steady development for the first half of the book, but then he sort of disappeared for a pretty substantial chunk of the second half while Sel's character became much more heavily developed. The balance didn't quite do it for me--it ended up making both of them a bit flatter: Nick seemed a bit bland and lost a lot of his agency once he disappeared and the likability of Sel's character leaned a little too hard on his tragic backstory. Still, Bree's relationship with each of them was complex and creates lots of interesting potential for the sequel. Deonn was working with a pretty large supporting cast and did a nice job of bringing in a lot of diversity and a wide range of character types (well-intentioned-but-accidentally-harmful, has-good-qualities-but-ultimately-can't-get-over-their-bigotry, blatantly-terrible-people, trying-hard-but-doing-a-bad-job).

Plot- (5/5) Legendborn is a reasonably hefty book, but you would never know it based on how quickly the pace moves. And I mean that in the best way. Deonn had a lot of ground to cover, from protagonist induction into the world of magic through trials of worth all the way to final battle. But she handled it all masterfully, moving briskly without anything feeling skipped or rushed. Like Bree herself, Deonn was juggling a lot at once between Bree's home life and the new magical world she'd discovered, and Deonn did a great job. The twist at the end was excellent--I didn't exactly see it coming, but I wasn't shocked when it happened because it make total sense. The big twist at the very end, that is--there were a number of twists in the last chunk of the book and they were all a lot of fun! 

World- (5/5) The hardest thing about the world was definitely how extensive it was. A lot of terminology and world-building was being thrown at readers in rapid succession, but it helped a lot that we were learning along with Bree. It made her journey even more sympathetic while keeping readers in the loop. I'm honestly in awe of Deonn's world building abilities. She's created such a rich world, and the detail and thought she put in to the different types of magic, how each one works, and how each one interacts with the others was mind-boggling. And the way she was able to weave the magical world-building with the historical themes and discussions about Black culture and identity in the face of slavery and continued discrimination was incredibly well done. 

Writing- (4.5/5) Deonn's writing style itself was strong, though not especially standout to me. But really, her ability to bring together all the elements discussed above sets her above many YA authors. I'm also scoring her writing quite high because of how well she handled a lot of difficult themes. Personal grief, intergeneral trauma, the racism inlaid in America's foundation and present, family legacies and expectations. Deonn hits on all these and more with nuance and emotion. Those discussions are always difficult, and I think can be especially hard in YA so huge credit to Deonn for doing such an excellent job. 

Overall- (4.8/5) I devoured Legendborn voraciously. The quick hook and speedy pacing of the novel made it easy to fall into a dangerous, magical new world with Bree. Learning alongside Bree made it that much easier to root for her--not that she needed it. A realistic, likable but flawed protagonist, Bree grappled with an impressive array of issues: her deep grief and the challenges of adjusting to a new lifestyle; the discovery of wizards, demons, and magic; the devastating legacy and impacts of racism and slavery on our country and within her own family. Deonn handled all those elements astoundingly well. In YA especially, it can be hard to fit compelling characters, a gripping plot, a well-designed world, and heavy themes into the same book. But that's exactly what Deonn did! Legendborn deserves all its positive hype and brings so much depth and life to a classic story.