Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I think there’s such a bittersweet feeling to receiving an ARC (advance reader copy) of a book because on the one hand, you get to read a book that you’ve been waiting to read for a long time, and on the other hand, you have to wait longer for the release of the new book, not of the one you just read—but of the one that comes after (if it applies).
And even though I’m about to write a full essay on how this book made me feel—I fear that there are not enough words to make me express the way I felt while reading this book. Please be aware that there will be spoilers for the first book because I can’t truly review the second book in a series without mentioning the events of the first one. This will probably also be a long review so buckle up.
In this book, we follow the story of Brianna a month after Nick’s disappearance. The war between the Legendborn and Shadowborn still remains a threat. Brianna still struggles to understand her past and her abilities with her ancestors on her mom’s side. Bree understands the responsibility she has as Crown Scion but feels at a crossroads when the Order won’t let her fight. Between trying to find Nick, worrying about the Order’s true purpose, and fighting demons left and right, Bree has no choice but to trust her gut and learn to harness the power of those who came before, all without hopefully losing herself.
I believe one of the first ways to start this review is by telling you how this book made me feel. Tracy Deonn has grown so much in her writing. I didn’t think it was possible to make your writing better after already writing the perfect book, but she has managed to do it again. I was raptured from the first chapter all the way to the end. I was so excited to continue Bree’s story because I can deeply relate to her character. Deonn takes this story and without preambles gives you a swift taste of her world in a way that it’s mostly inexplicable. And I will try to do her world justice in my review.
Even though only a month has passed since the last book, you can immediately tell the growth that Bree has undergone throughout the story. More importantly, the way her character keeps growing as the story develops is one of the aspects that won’t let you go off the book. As many of us know, women of color, especially Black women, have always grown at an inexplicable rate. That’s to say, many of them seem older than the years they have (mentally, and emotionally) because of the circumstances that surround them every day. Bree is no different. Not only is she Black and dealing with racism in her normal everyday life, she now has to face racism in a world that she didn’t know about. A world she didn’t have an option to choose. Part of what I loved about the story was her little outburst and displays of emotions—sometimes without thinking. She made choices that put others at risk because she didn’t stop to think before her feelings took the best of her. And some may find that annoying, I know I did at points, but honestly, what did I expect? Bree is a sixteen-year-old girl, for God’s sake. She has every reason to react that way. The boy she loves was taken away from her and her whole world is crumbling down as she knows it. I can’t blame her for acting rashly in certain situations. That said, she learns her lessons as the book progresses, and it is wonderful to see her growth. I say all this to say that while Black women have been conditioned to grow up faster than any other women, Tracy took her time building Bree up. She didn’t make her act like a full-grown adult—when she really isn’t. She gave her character room to grow, to make her mistakes (as all of us do at that age), and learn from them.
As we all know, Bree struggles with her grief. Losing her mother was something she didn’t process fully in the first book and it’s not something I think the author can fully solve by the end of the series. On top of that, as she struggles to understand her heritage’s power, she also carries the weight of the grief of her ancestors. The lives that were taken from them. The choices they didn’t make. Bree is her grief and her grief is part of who she is and you can see how much it affects her throughout the story. To not only learn that her ancestors had no choice but to be brought onto this world with the Order and Legendborn, but also to learn that many sacrifices had to be made in order for her to stop running and face her destiny.
The story in and of itself it’s beautifully written as mentioned above. The wording gets complicated at times so it may be easier to get lost on this one. Deonn brings more Welsh words to this story too making the story a lot more intricate and beautiful. The world building although confusing at times still manages to flow perfectly with the world we once knew from the first book and even though we are introduced to more characters and more elements in this story it still holds together nicely.
Besides grief, racism is still a great threat in Bree’s life. She deals with it almost every day in this book. The grief she suffers in this book in part is due to the racist abuse that her ancestors went through. And now, living in a world she didn’t choose to be in, racism is still part of it and Bree feels helpless as the odds seem to be against her. Whether it is subtle microaggressions, like comments against her hair, or more direct comments about the color of her skin, Bree can’t seem to escape the segregation of her people. And yet, the way this story is written makes me believe that Bree is a superhero. Because no sixteen-year-old should go through what Bree is going through and even then, she does handle all of these issues with her chin held high. But just as an FYI, you will cry for her during this book.
Now, Selwyn, my beautiful baby. I can’t say too much because I’m afraid I’ll give too much away but— my baby. I love him to death. Not as much as I love Bree and her story—but you should know that I ship them together. With that being said, Bree is trying to find Nick. Her heart is still with him even though she fights her growing attraction toward Sel every day. I just wish it was him, you know? I can see myself in him so much. I don’t think I’ve ever related more to a male main character before. But something I want to make very clear, Bree’s story does not shrink to her decision to choose between him and Nick. That’s not what this story is about so if you’re reading it for those purposes only then you’re not worthy of this story. Yes, she’s clearly attracted to both boys but don’t try to reduce this story to only mean that. Also yes, you are allowed to enjoy the story because of that, but that doesn’t mean that other parts of this story aren’t more important.
With all that being said, read this story if you enjoy authors like Ayana Gray, Nicola Yoon, Adam Silvera, Jordan Ifueko, Roseanne Brown, Kalynn Bayron, etc. I hope you enjoyed this review and thank you for sticking to the end, I know it’s a long one. As far as trigger warning goes, there are many racist elements in this book so beware of that. The book is for those 14 and older. Until the next one.