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Legendborn

TikTok made me buy it!

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Legendborn

By: Tracy Deonn
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
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About this listen

SOME LEGACIES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN.

"I love the feeling of a magical world existing just beneath the surface of our own and this story gave me everything I wanted: incredible characters, ancient lore and secret societies – all grounded in our very real, very flawed world . . ." –Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone

An explosive fantasy debut that is taking TikTok by storm. Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas and Cinderella is Dead!

Filled with mystery and Southern Black Girl Magic, Tracy Deonn’s New York Times bestselling Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend . . .

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants to escape. A residential programme for bright high-schoolers seems like the perfect opportunity – until she witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus . . .

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so-called “Legendborn” that hunt the creatures down.

A mysterious mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts – and fails – to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory about her mother. Now Bree will do whatever it takes to discover the truth, even infiltrate the Legendborn. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and foretell a magical war, Bree must decide how far she’ll go for the truth. Should she use her magic to take the society down – or join the fight?

Winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award, and a New York Times bestseller!
Fiction Literature & Fiction Magic Multicultural Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Arthurian Wizardry Magic Users

Critic reviews

A King Arthur reimagining that adds seats to the roundtable, inviting new readers to find themselves within its lore, Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn braids southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power and self-discovery. (Dhonielle Clayton)
Legendborn is an enthralling, standout modern fantasy about history and power, and Deonn is an author to watch. (Kiersten White)
Legendborn is intoxicating, electrifying, and resonates with a deep understanding and vulnerable adoration of what it is to be a Black girl searching for the magic of herself. Tracy Deonn captivates you from page one with her perfect pacing, exhilarating plotting, and a command of storytelling that cannot be ignored. This book will hold everything you are hostage until, page by page, you discover how it has actually set you free. (L. L. McKinney)
Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Kiersten White, Tracy Deonn's unique reimagining of Arthurian legend is full of magic and heart. A brilliant debut! (Ashley Poston)
It takes a special talent to breathe fresh life into Arthurian legend, but Deonn does it with ease in this fast-paced tale
This is the fantasy novel for all once and future fans of suspense-filled storytelling
A promising series debut perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones and Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys. This book underscores the movement for more inclusive versions of traditional Western narratives, and will be a favourite of contemporary fantasy readers. Highly recommended
explores themes of ancestral pain, grief and love, balancing them with stimulating world-building and multiple thrilling plot twists
An intoxicating mix of Southern Black traditions, the King Arthur mythos and teenage melodrama.
Legendborn is a thrilling and tense fantasy that weaves Arthurian adventure with southern Black culture into a story that had me shouting. It will hook readers from the very beginning and leave them breathless until the final, mind-blowing revelation (Kwame Mbalia)
Legendborn is a remarkable debut that should firmly place Tracy Deonn on every fantasy and contemporary YA reader's radar. Deft and insightful blending of Arthurian legend and Southern Black American history make for an engrossing tale of mystery, romance, and finding your place in the world? - an absolute must-read! (Alyssa Cole)
[R]ich and explosive debut.
Legendborn establishes Deonn as an important new voice in YA.
Deonn’s contemporary fantasy is a cultural gem that will connect readers with their roots in the most gut-punching, unapologetic of ways.
Legendborn is about to be your new favorite book.
I love the feeling of a magical world existing just beneath the surface of our own and this story gave me everything I wanted: incredible characters, ancient lore and secret societies – all grounded in our very real, very flawed world . . . (Leigh Bardugo)
All stars
Most relevant
loved the ending but it took too long to get there as if it was setting the scene for an epic series and great 2nd book but as a 1st book and standalone only the last quarter of it was great that I couldn't stop listening.

loved the ending

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I wasn't expecting much beyond another YA urban fantasy novel, but with a little more diversity and I've never been so pleased to be so wrong. The book doesn't shy away from difficult topics and tells a great story for the modern, feminist, anti-racist world.

Fantastic take on urban fantasy

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This was a great book to listen to but it was a little hard to get into.
a big part of the story is based on the girl's ethnicity and sometimes it feels like she's complaining and hates that's she's black and there is a clear division and quite a bit of racism, which I did not enjoy. this does become less frequent as the story progresses but she does come back to it quite frequently.
I might be bias in my view point as I live in UK, where racism isn't bad (or at least, where I haven't seen anyone really being bullied or picked on just because of their skin colour), so to me the ethnicity thing was overdone.

Great story

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A book that’s truly deserving of the hype. And the performance was spot on. I couldn’t stop listening

All the stars

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I enjoyed the story and the characters. The narrator was so good, she put me inside Brie’s world. Can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Brilliant fantasy story that brings you into their world

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