Product Description
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
“Deonn writes…stories that humanize Black protagonists, like Bree, giving them agency and a place to both fail and, ultimately, to ascend.” —Booklist (starred review)
The “worthy successor to an explosive debut” (Kirkus Reviews)—the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Legendborn—perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Margaret Rogerson!
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.
Review
Sixteen-year-old Bree from Legendborn (BCCB 9/20) is back, and she’s got more power than she can control as the Scion of Arthur, a Medium, and a Bloodcrafter and Rootcrafter all in one. Unfortunately, she has to quickly learn her stuff when a sudden visit from the High Council means she will have to complete the Rite of Kings sooner than she thought. In truth, though, the High Council has other ideas: Bree is Black and doesn’t fit their model for what the Scion of Arthur should look like, so they are intent on stopping her from claiming her rightful place. In turns trapped and on the run, Bree and her friends, including the devastatingly broody, possibly-succumbing-to-his-demon-side Selwyn Kane, face unexpected enemies and a new opponent whose name is only whispered by Shadowborn. If the first novel was the buildup for Bree’s story, this sequel is the start of a spectacular payoff. Deonn continues to explore the tightly-woven politics of the Order of the Round Table, the intricate system following the bloodlines of King Arthur’s original knights, and this world’s complicated magic systems. Pacing is superb, giving readers action-packed scenes alongside breathable moments of emotional connection between Bree and her friends. Once more, plot twists are expertly foreshadowed but still shocking, and new characters and developments (including the satisfyingly even Bree-Nick-Sel love triangle) earn their places alongside those from the previous novel. Fans of Legendborn will likely find enough re-read potential in this sequel to hold themselves over until the next book, and fantasy readers looking for more Black Girl Magic or Arthurian legend should not hesitate to start this series. NB -- STAR**
The BCCB ― 12/1/2022
About the Author
Tracy Deonn is the New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award–winning author of Legendborn, and a second-generation fangirl. She grew up in central North Carolina, where she devoured fantasy books and Southern food in equal measure. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication and performance studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tracy worked in live theater, video game production, and K–12 education. When she’s not writing, Tracy speaks on panels at science fiction and fantasy conventions, reads fanfic, arranges puppy playdates, and keeps an
