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Legendborn Review

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Title: Legendborn
Author: Tracy Deonn
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publish Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Retelling (Arthurian)
Pages: 501
Format: Paperback

Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy reinvents the King Arthur legend and “braids together Southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power, and self-discovery” (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles ).

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

I’ve never read an Arthurian retelling before, but Legendborn did a phenomenal job of implementing what Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable was in a modern twist and feat of storytelling. I read this book back in February of this year (2024), and my only regret is I didn’t read it sooner. This story really captivated me and captured my heart in a way I wasn’t expecting.

This story follows a teenager named Bree who just went through one of the worst things to happen to someone so young (or anyone, depending on your relationship): losing her mother. Though the circumstances around her mother’s death doesn’t sit right with her, and so once she is able to enroll in a college program that allows high schoolers to take college level classes alongside her best friend, she begins her search for answers into her mother’s death. All the while, she’s put aside her grief, which is sad in the way that she’s not feeling what she needs to feel about it. She doesn’t allow herself that because she hates the way it makes her feel (understandably – I’ve been there with my own mom, though a very different situation).

In this story we see Bree begin to see and experience things she doesn’t have an answer for. Creatures that shouldn’t exist; people using magic or fighting skills that are beyond what a “normal” teenager should be able to do. And so she is thrust into a secret society on campus that revolves around the myth of King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable. Bree infiltrates the society because she believes they hold clues to her mother’s death, though she’s in for a lot more than she bargained for. She trains and joins the society, getting closer to those involved while also dealing with school, racism, and pushing her grief to the side.

Alongside this, Bree learns more about her mother and her maternal lineage. This part of the story really grabbed me because she learned so much about what it is to be a young black woman in the world, as well as what her ancestors had to go through – as well as their ties to this Arthurian society. In this, she also learned what her grief was, and though grief is a never ending thing and comes and goes in ways that you might not even imagine, it was something that she needed to feel in those moments to be able to process that her mother is gone, and that she is strong enough to get through it.

There’s also a bit of a side plot following a romance with Bree and one of the boys in this society – the one believed to be Arthur’s descendant – and I found their romance to be very cute and sweet. The two were often very kind to each other, and very drawn to each other in a way that couldn’t be explained.

And then, of course, there’s another character who is the descendent of Merlin who I’m honestly rooting for lol The two are sassy with each other, honestly kind of hate each other at the beginning, but warm up (mostly) over time.

The plot was layered, fast-paced, and each chapter had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were twists I wasn’t expecting, moments that made me cry actual tears, made me cheer or laugh out loud, and more. It’s been one of my top reads of the year, if not THE top. I can’t wait to dive into book two. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast-paced read filled with action, inner turmoil, magic, and learning to accept things that otherwise can’t be changed.

★★★★★

Barbarian Alien Review

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Title: Barbarian Alien
Author: Ruby Dixon
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: January 25, 2022
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback

Liz Cramer swears she’ll find a way off of this alien planet she’s stuck on–then she meets Raahosh, the surliest and stubbornest alien, who won’t leave her alone, and she just might be okay with that…

Twelve humans are left stranded on a wintry alien planet. I’m one of them. Yay, me.
In order to survive, we have to take on a symbiont that wants to rewire our bodies to live in this brutal place. I like to call it a “cootie.” And my cootie’s a jerk, because it also thinks I’m the mate to the biggest, grumpiest alien of the group. Raahosh believes the cootie’s right, so he steals me away from the group, determined to make me fall for him–or else.

He has no idea who he’s up against.

And if I didn’t want his insufferable self so much (thanks, cootie), I’d let him know exactly what I’m thinking. As it is, I’m doing my best to fight this instant attraction. Just because the symbiont thinks we’re supposed to be together doesn’t mean I have to go along with it. And if we fool around a little, it’s merely biology. It doesn’t mean I’m in love–or that I’m destined to be his.

(I read this back in January, so this is a bit late lol) The second book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series follows a different girl and alien pair with Liz, a speak-your-mind kind of girl who’s very up front about what she thinks and feels, as well as Raahosh, an alien man who’s quiet and brutish in ways. This series is very much a guilty pleasure, and it introduces more plot from the first, but the focus is very heavy on the two who are secluded for a large portion of the book that’s separate from the plot thread throughout.

Liz’s character grated on me a bit as one of her flaws was overreacting to many things that were said or done throughout the story. In many ways she was creating her own chaos and I was like, “Girl, please, stop it.” She was very strong willed, and though the circumstances all of the girls find themselves in is strenuous, Liz always tries to find a way to cheer the others up, which is a trait I liked, even if her ways were oftentimes kind of out there with how she would say things. I sometimes found myself confused by the way she would say something, but the meaning behind it, especially toward the other girls, came from a good place.

Raahosh was the better part of this particular pair in my opinion. Though the way he went about bringing him and Liz together wasn’t the best choice in the moment, it turned into a strong bond between the two. He was a skilled hunter and wouldn’t hold Liz back from doing what she wanted (mostly because he wouldn’t be able to lol). I thought he was overall sweet yet desperate in a way that showed how much the symbiote makes those who pair up resonate with another are really made for one another. The two balance each other out, which is something I think Dixon really strived for in these stories.

The plot focused heavily around the pair secluded from the rest of the group, and, much like the other books, was filled with varying sex scenes that were steamy. It seemed like this one was more about the beginning of what it would be like when true winter comes to the ice planet, but it was really just about those two learning about themselves and each other, and respecting one another.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite so far because I did find Liz’s character to be… annoying, frankly. But if you’re reading the series, obviously since this is only the second book, I’d still read it in order to see where the threads of plot are going – though those really take off in book three.

★★★☆☆

Vox Machina: Kith & Kin | Book Review

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Title: Vox Machina: Kith & Kin
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: November 30, 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Explore the past of Critical Role’s daring half-elf twins, Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan, in this original prequel novel to their adventures with Vox Machina.
 
Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn’s elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria. 
 
The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex’s quick wit and Vax’s quicker dagger, they’ve always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves’ guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex’s faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate. 
 
As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years.
 
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role: Vox Machina—Kith & Kin follows a brand-new adventure that delves into the twins’ unexplored history, and returns to some of the iconic moments that forged Vox Machina’s most unbreakable bond.

Following another book from one of my favorite shows, Critical Role, we follow the twins from campaign one, Vex and Vax, on a journey before their time with Vox Machina. This story takes place over their lifetime, jumping from the present day to moments in the past where events would reflect each other in ways that made you understand why they were happening or give more insight into how things came to be the way they are.

As I stated in my The Nine Eyes of Lucien review, I love to read about character backstories, especially of ones that I care about. As of writing this review, I haven’t finished campaign one yet, but I know the twins and that they’re a chaotic duo who are thick as thieves and would do anything to protect the other. Which, we love to see such a strong family dynamic, but it’s also a dynamic that can and will be used against them time and time again throughout their lives.

In this book, though, we switch between alternating points of view, following either Vex’ahlia through her actions and thoughts, or from Vax’ildan’s thoughts and actions, and I think that it was a delicate balance of the two that was woven well into the story. Though, I also feel like we definitely saw more of Vex’s point of view than that of her brother, but in ways it made sense, especially for the scenes that were playing out before us.

The parts of the book that takes place in the present follows them over just a short series of a couple of weeks, where Vex finds herself in trouble and being targeted by someone who was paid by a noble to have her caught and brought to him, but Vax is never far behind his sister and ends up apprehending the person following her – which causes him to be caught himself and get himself into a situation that he doesn’t have much choice of getting out of if it means protecting his sister.

The parts that take part in the past flow over a time period of about five or six years, following the twins from the time they were about ten years old until they were sixteen and showed the cruelness that can come from growing up unwanted by a singular parent – and their entire community around them – while also showing the softer moments of learning about the self and discovering that there’s more to the world that what’s been shown to them so far.

I found the pacing of the book to be stunted in ways. I found myself not completely drawn into the story, but I chock that up to not being as attached to these characters as I am The Mighty Nein characters. However, there were moments where the plot was fast paced and full of action, bringing you into the moments and wanting to see how it played out, and moments that were slower and calmer that allowed you to be able to soak in the moment in question.

Vex is a strong willed woman who is always seeking approval from those around her, and always has her walls up as a result because there is more than one occasion where she was put down by those she tried to make proud. I liked that we got to see her in the early stages of becoming a ranger (D&D class) and how she learned how to track, hide objects, and befriend Trinket – her bear companion.

Vax is an impulsive man who acts on a whim and tries to blend in with the shadows, always going against the grain of what’s expected of him. He’s cunning and smart, though he puts himself down in ways that compare him to his sister, whom he holds in such high regard.

The contrast between the two is apparent in the campaign setting as well as the book, and I highly appreciate that. They bounce off one another effortlessly, and they have a bond that almost transcends time itself. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book, even when the story itself wasn’t engaging me as much as I had wanted it to. There were moments I was full in on, and others I found myself pushing through to get to the next chapter.

Overall, though, I did enjoy the book, though less that I was imagining. I recommend this book if you’re a fan of Vox Machina or Critical Role, and I also recommend it to those who don’t know what the show is about but are looking for an adventure with siblings and high stakes involved.

★★★.5☆☆ (3.5 stars)

Critical Role: The Might Nein – The Nine Eyes of Lucien | Book Review

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Title: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein – The Nine Eyes of Lucien
Author: Madeleine Roux
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Publish Date: November 1, 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover

Delve into the mind of Critical Role’s most charming villain in this original novel that chronicles Lucien’s early life and his fateful meeting with the Mighty Nein.

Lucien has always been able to spin a bad situation to his advantage. From his childhood on the dangerous streets of Shadycreek Run to his years living off the grid and learning blood magic from the Claret Orders, the charismatic blood hunter will find a way to get the upper hand.

When Lucien is on a job in the frozen wastelands of Eiselcross with his fellow mercenaries, a rough-and-tumble crew called the Tombtakers, fate leads him to a mysterious journal in the ruins of an ancient city. The book speaks of the Somnovem, nine beings who can grant Lucien power beyond imagining—if he is able to find them and free them from captivity.

Intrigued by this opportunity, Lucien pores over the journal—but the more he reads, the stranger things become. The nine whisper to him in dreams and waking visions. Time slips away, along with Lucien’s grasp on reality. And tattoos of red eyes begin appearing on his skin. . . .

With the ability to reshape the world within his grasp, Lucien ignores all warning signs. He has always bent fortune to his will, and nothing—not even death—will stop him now.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux, Critical Role: The Mighty Nein—The Nine Eyes of Lucien explores the meteoric rise and fall of one of Critical Role’s most notorious and tragic figures.

I love Critical Role and the fun Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that they’ve run so far – and are still running – but my favorite campaign thus far has been campaign two about The Mighty Nein. In this novel in particular we follow Lucien, an eccentric tiefling man before the time he joined the group, from when he was a child into his early twenties. During this time we see the rough living he had growing up in Shadycreek Run, stealing to make a pretty penny, and the friend he had that stuck by him all the time, Cree.

I love being able to read about the backstories of characters, especially ones that I myself had grown attached to, so to be able to read about the varies trials and tribulations that Lucien underwent in his time before joining the Mighty Nein was exciting to me as it added an extra layer of depth to an already very mysterious character. In the campaign you learn that he had died previously and doesn’t remember his life before he died, so to actually be able to get a glimpse as to what that was? Yes, please and thank you.

Lucien is a fairly clever young man who knows how to flaunt himself in a way that could favor him, but there are always consequences to actions that could lead to a lot of trouble. I found that he wasn’t quite as eccentric as the version of him we meet in the campaign (Mollymauk), but that this was a much sharper, cunning version that strove to get what he wanted no matter the cost.

And it would cost him dearly.

Throughout the story we follow Lucien on his journey to helping an important member of the Cerberus Assembly, a university of mages of varying power, influence, and capabilities, along with Cree and a number of people he otherwise wouldn’t have ever teamed up to go on this journey to the frozen wastes of the north and find an ancient fallen technologically advanced city – Aeor.

I found the pacing to be fast, but not so fast that you miss out on important aspects of his life – even the parts in his earlier childhood into his teenage years. Even though they weren’t the focus, there was enough there to make you understand Lucien and to see his motivations just for surviving in the world. It kept me engaged and wanting to know what happened next, and boy was I in for a treat.

If you happened to follow campaign two of the show, then you know a lot of what happens already in this book, but the way leading up to it was vaguely mentioned in the show itself, so seeing it fleshed out on paper made it that much more interesting and devastating when reflecting back to the show itself. I found myself on more than one occasion wanting Lucien to succeed, yes, but as things progressed to slow down and think for himself for a minute. To really think about what it was he was reading and seeing and how it could affect him later on.

Though, that leads to a major catalyst in the Mighty Nein’s campaign, and it’s quite juicy.

I find that this book is definitely written for the fans of the show, and that if you followed The Mighty Nein then you’d definitely want to pick this book up just to get a further glimpse into the character we thought we knew. However, I think that anyone can still pick up the book and enjoy it, though you may not get the full nuance of the story without further knowledge of the campaign, which seems a shame, to be honest.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged throughout, wanting to see how everything would actually play out. To learn about Lucien’s harrowing past with his family was tragic (as many backstories are of characters in the D&D world), and to learn and see how aspects of his life that were important to him left him or changed him in ways that would be irreversible was tangible and consuming.

Definitely read this book if you enjoy CR, or if you’d like to dip your toes into a fantasy adventure set in a D&D world.

★★★★☆

Legends & Lattes | Book Review

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Title: Legends & Lattes
Series: Legends & Lattes #1
Author: Travis Baldree
Publisher: Tor
Publish Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

This cozy fantasy book was just that: cozy. It had an atmosphere weaved into the pages that allowed you to sit back with your own cup or coffee or tea or favorite beverage and just enjoy the story of this mercenary-gone-barista. I found myself laughing out loud a few times, captivated by the ups and downs of the hope that the coffee shop brought to this town, and wishing for Viv to succeed.

The characters were the heart of this story, driving it in a direction that makes you want to root for Viv, Trandri, Cal, and Thimble. Viv is our main protagonist, a retired mercenary for hire who, on her last battle with her team, found a stone in a creature that was said to bring great fortune to those who would have it. And so, with the stone in hand, she sets off to a place where no one has ever heard of coffee and begins her work setting up a place to call her own and share the delightfulness of the beverage with. Along the way, she makes friends and hires people that she believes in her gut to be the best fit for the job that they’re assigned to do.

I found Viv to be quite likable because as a half-orc she’s already looked at as “other” by many people, and there are many stereotypes around half-orcs, but she shows that those stereotypes aren’t the only things that make up who she is, and that after a lifetime of battle and surviving lived, she was ready to settle down and just share something that she found to be dazzling in its own right. Viv is the kind of character you want to succeed, and that you want the best for. She was kind and funny, but stern and knew how to negotiate.

Tandri is another person we see often throughout the book as she is hired by Viv to help serve customers and manage the store. She’s a succubus, and that alone comes with its own slew of stereotypes, who does her best to fit in and make herself as calm and collected as possible. Though, when she tastes things that are to her delight, everyone nearby can feel those effects and are charmed by her. I found Tandri to be a good balance to Viv, someone who was creative in her own right and who seemed to understand business in ways that Viv didn’t think of.

Cal and Thimble were two side characters that made their appearance quite frequently along the way, Cal more so in the beginning and Thimble more so in the second half, where they were personally scouted by Viv and Tandri to help make this coffee shop dream a reality. They are extremely different (not only in race, since one is – I believe – a gnome of sorts, while the other is a mouse person) in personalities: Cal is gruff around the edges, but he’s very handy as a carpenter and he gives recommendations and praise in short bursts and gestures rather than being vocal about it. Thimble is a baker who is extremely soft spoken but he has a passion for what he does and is honestly just extremely cute.

The plot follows Viv as she makes her dreams a reality, hoping that the stone she got from the belly of a beast is actually true to the legends that proclaim it as such. There are many times where she gets frustrated or worried that the shop won’t do as well as she hoped, but even as things begin to grow in abundance, everything must come down. I thought that the events leading up to the fall were so cozy and warm, that it almost felt like you could forget that there could be potential consequences for everything going along so well. There was an undercurrent of worry, however, from early on, but even that worry turned out to be not as worrisome as what actually occurred. I’ll leave that up to you to read about, however.

Also, yes, there is a romance but it’s extremely subtle in the best ways possible, and the moments that you do see are ones that you can easily find yourself giggling to or wanting more of.

There were a couple of points in the book where I felt like the plot was either too loose, or that a few moments fell flat, or that things felt too convenient. However, those moments were few and far in between and didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, this book was extremely enjoyable and one that was hard to put down. I believe I finished it in one sitting, and I just felt all sorts of warm and fuzzy by the end of it. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a short fantasy read as a palette cleanser for a lot of the beefier, heavier subject fantasy books that are out there. I also recommend it if you’re just looking for something cozy as this was my first cozy fantasy and I would definitely love to read more in these kinds of settings!

★★★★☆