Legendborn was one of those books that was so hyped up, I kind of went into it expecting the story to fall short of my expectations. I cannot remember the last time I was so happy to be so wrong! For me, Legendborn absolutely lived up to the endorsements.

Bree is a beautifully written main character, who shows tremendous growth. She was an absolute joy to follow, even in her pain. And boy, was there pain. The pain of losing her mom, the pain of being constantly dismissed for being Black, the pain of not knowing where she fit in, the pain of ancestors who Bree wanted desperately to know... It was a lot of pain. And that's just Bree! There are also characters struggling with parental expectations, missing parents, and forced separation. Tracy Deonn approached difficult subjects with beautiful storytelling, and imbued her characters with incredible humanity (even characters who are not, strictly speaking, 100% human).

The magic system-- and, more specifically, Rootcraft-- was really interesting. Magic is inherited through bloodlines, and the way Deonn addressed Bree's fractured family history (how can she trace her family back dozens of generations when her ancestors were bought and traded as property?) was done really well. I really loved the mechanics of how that plot point was resolved through magic.

The romance aspect of the book was fantastic. I'm a reader who needs just a smidge of romance to really draw me in, and the end of the book has the whisper of a love triangle forming, which I am HERE FOR. That said, romantic love is not the main plot point here, if that's not your thing.

Overall, I thought Legendborn was amazing. The characters, the magic, the conflict, the twists... I loved it all and CANNOT WAIT for book #2!