Book Review: Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
Where do I even begin?? This book by Tracy Deonn is the second book in the Legendborn cycle and follows up with the main character from Legendborn, Bree Matthews, as she unlocks key parts of her family’s history as a Rootcrafter and Bloodcrafter, and also as she comes to terms with being the Scion of Arthur. That’s a lot for a 16-year-old.
Synopsis:
The shadows have risen, and the line is law.
All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother's death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur's knights--only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:
A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.
But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.
Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won't let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.
When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree's powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can't escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.
If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first--without losing herself in the process.
My Review:
Sequels, for me at least, don’t always live up to the hype. I’ve gotta be honest and tell you here, I thought High School Musical was better than High School Musical 2. However, that’s not the case with this series, the fantastic fantasy series called Legendborn. Both books are equally great with their own qualities standing out on their own. While the first book sets up the world building and premise of the Legendborn and Rootcraft, the second book flows right into the war of Shadowborn and unpacking more of Bree’s family history and introducing some intriguing new characters while at it.
I loved some of the new characters, including Lark, Valec, and Lucille. I also really loved that Alice was made more into of a main supporting character, or she had more scenes than the first book. I like Alice and Bree’s friendship and their unbreakable bond.
I will forever love Selwyn Kane. Maybe it’s because he reminds me of Rhysand from ACOMAF, and he’s got the bad boy vibe going for him and I totally don’t picture him wearing a black leather jacket the entire book, but I genuinely like Selwyn. I also really, really want a third book to hear about his mother. I feel like that’s one tiny plot point that wasn’t fleshed out in the second book.
Overall, I am obsessed with this series. I am not a fantasy reader (as you can tell from my many romance book reviews), but this book definitely has got me hooked.
Rating: 5/5
Shop on Amazon and Bookshop.org.