Black Girl Magic meets Arthurian legend in this action-packed fantasy, set in a fully-realized world
Disclaimer – I met Tracy Deonn. She came to my school thanks to a grant co-written by me and one of our science teachers. When she told us about the premise of her yet-to-be-released novel, I about flipped. It sounded like something up my alley – magic rooted in real, practiced tradition (as opposed to “magic”), a young black female protagonist, and a tie-in to a long-standing mythology.
But wait a second … King Arthur? It intrigued me, it made me want to brush up on my knowledge of Arthurian-legend, but mostly it set up a point of curiosity akin only to wondering how a cliffhanger in a well-beloved series will be resolved.
Suffice it to say I was not let-down. Set primarily on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tracy builds her world flawlessly and seamlessly. As someone who has visited the campus on a number of occasions, her descriptions resonated; still, the purpose behind the visit to each location was clear and impactful, never just straying to include a vista or site because it looks cool or happens to be striking. Instead, she weaves the natural beauty of the campus with the controversies and intricacies of the landmarks that have made the news recently in a way that suits the story and the characters.
Bree is my new favorite hero. Within the first few pages her voice stands out loud and clear. As a matter of fact, that’s true for all of the characters – from the major players to the ones you ache to hear more from in future books. I don’t want to tell you what her magic is rooted in, or explain the connection to Arthurian legend, because it’s a spoiler, or at least I won’t be able to stop talking about it once you get me going so I’ll probably spoil something if I keep talking okay shutting up now. 😉 Her hesitation to take up the mantle, along with her perseverance, remind me a bit of Buffy, but there’s nothing derivative here. This feels acutely like a real person who has learned of a “much larger world” – everything from how her hesitation to accept it all butts heads with her desire to solve the central mystery of the novel, to the slow build of the love triangle, to the attempts to keep it all hidden amid her pre-crossing-the-threshold world’s demands, feels authentic. There’s no forced drama, but naturally evolving drama that will keep readers who look for drama and those who only like it in small, plot-essential increments hooked.
Social commentary and race are also essential parts of the narrative. It’s impossible to ignore considering what most people think about when they think about Arthurian legend – a white, male king with his white, male knights – and the setting, a campus that has racist monuments and buildings named after racists, in a city . These elements, too, fit snugly within the narrative. To be honest, I think the story wouldn’t work without addressing race head-on the way Deonn is able to do. She doesn’t shy away, while maintaining a narrative where every detail matters. In addition to what I mentioned about the campus, Chapel Hill and Carrboro have a historically strong Black community that is facing the same struggles of large cities – namely gentrification and an erasure of history. My own middle school, RD and Euzelle Smith Middle, is named after Black civil rights heroes; the Northside district is facing problems with gentrification. These elements are very real and significant aspects of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and are often overlooked because of the perceived “liberal bubble” we live in. Legendborn faces this head on, as in one memorable instance when a well-meaning white friend tries to touch Bree’s hair. Bree addresses the problem directly, explaining to her friend why this is wrong. There are several other instances, but none more impactful than when addressing the cemetery on UNC’s campus. I can’t go into that more right now because it would spoil something I alluded to earlier.
In fact, this is going to be one of those books I need you to read so we can talk about it*. I’m going to be recommending this book a lot. I anticipate not being able to recommend this book enough.
Stray thoughts I don’t want to paragraph:
The magic. The description of magic is visceral and unique. From the onset, it’s clear that Deonn defined the rules of the world carefully and thoroughly. I want magic to feel like this.
The romance. Woooo. Not usually a fan of romance, but I found the romantic elements to fit the narrative without being overwhelming, while still providing what I think those who seek romance want out of their books. Also – can we talk about how adeptly and with what originality she handles the slow-build to the eventual triangle.
Sel. Ah. Give. Me. More.
#YAbutok4ms? Yes, absolutely. There’s some violence, but nothing gory. There’s some “language”, but not much. The love scenes never approach anything I could fathom would be “inappropriate” for MS kids.
July 17th was the original writing date. Whoa! Well, time to resume my writing.
El BiblioTECHario 