The most important thing you can do in this world, the most necessary thing, is to survive it. You can't do anything for anyone else if you don't take care of yourself first.

I did not want this book to end. I truly did not because it is everything I wanted in a story I wish I had access to as a teenager: magic, King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, fighting, parties and, of course, really cute boys. But Legendborn, the instant New York Times bestselling hit, also captures the everyday feelings and challenges Black women and girls encounter. Being seen as less than, not good enough, not worthy. Being told to be smaller because our entire selves are too much for insecure people to handle.

Bree, a sixteen-year-old who is grieving the death of her mother, is trying to enjoy her first night on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. She’s there with her best friend, Alice as early acceptees of the college’s special program for gifted teens. Unfortunately, the night goes beyond sideways for Bree when she sees an extraordinary takedown of a demon trying to come into our world. The problem is, Bree isn’t supposed to see it or anything like it. She’s intercepted by a strange guy who turns out to be a Merlin, a descendant of Merlin himself, who tries to wipe her mind clean of the events. But Bree is not an ordinary sixteen-year-old. Bree has magic, and has no idea how or where it came from. What she does know, is that the mind-wipe unlocks a memory from the night her mother died. And it is this memory that takes Bree on a spectacular, and dangerous, ride to find the truth. She infiltrates a secret society called the Legendborn, a society that was never meant for her, didn’t even have her in its trajectory. She is an outsider with a power inside of herself that too many try to crush. She is a Black woman in a world built for white men.

I am usually pretty animated when I read a good book, but this one had me on E for Extra. Most of the time, I wanted Bree to stand up and fight but had to remember that she is a teenager who is grieving. She is thrust into a world no one would ever think to be in. So her fear is justified. Her anger is justified. Her imposter syndrome is justified. Bree is every Black woman and girl who has to navigate themselves safely in a racist world. Bree is all of us.

But it ain’t all doom and gloom because Ms. Bree is surrounded by hot boys. Nick, the handsome and funny one who joins Bree on her search for the truth. But Nick has his own secrets and when revealed, puts him in a completely different light. And then there’s Selwyn, Sel for short. He is the brooding, mostly angry Merlin who tried to wipe Bree’s mind. Selwyn is the one I would have skipped school for (more than once) had he existed in my world. The relationship between Bree, Nick and Sel is intertwined and complicated, just how it should be when you’re young, hot and full of emotions (minus the magic and demons). A side note for the future casting director who will be in charge of choosing Bree, Nick and Selwyn for the inevitable film or television series that will be adapted: DON’T. EFF. THIS. UP. You’ve got one job. Do it well.

The author made this book so personal by adding touches only Black women and girls would relate to, like the perils of sleeping without a bonnet or scarf, meeting other Black people while living on a predominantly white campus, and interracial dating. The cast of characters in the book are some of the most diverse I’ve seen, which made me happy because that diversity is what real life looks like.

I am PSYCHED for the next book in the series. I am excited to see what is next for Bree, Nick and Sel. And I am now a fan of Tracy Deonn. I’m looking forward to more of her work.

Legendborn is out now.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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