One of my favorite things about urban fantasy is how it inspires the reader to reimagine the mundane world around them. However, it’s rare for a book to directly integrate itself into my life, addressing broader national issues while feeling strangely personal. This is why reading “Legendborn,” Tracy Deonn’s UNC-based YA fantasy, was something special for me.
It follows Bree Matthews, a 16-year-old attending an imaginary early college program at the university while dealing with the recent death of her mother from a car crash. Upon arriving at UNC, Bree encounters a demon, and discovers the Order of the Round Table, a mysterious and powerful secret society that combats them. As she starts to get drawn into the Order, she realizes that they may have a connection with her mom’s death, and her family’s past.
Deonn spent her undergraduate years at UNC, and her love of the area shines through the pages of Legendborn. In the book, Chapel Hill is transformed. Filled with demons straight out of Celtic lore, centuries-old secret organizations and super-powered young adults, it shines a new light on the university I see practically every day. Reading “Legendborn” while living in Chapel Hill was like being in on an inside joke; it was packed with locations and references that only a native would know. From the Eno River State Park to Gimghoul Castle, it was amazing to see areas I am familiar with reinterpreted in new, magical ways.
The attempt to represent various different groups that haven’t traditionally been given the spotlight in fictional literature is also praiseworthy. Bree, a Black female, is a far cry from the usual white protagonist that is common in urban fantasies. People of different races, ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientations are all given a spotlight. Most importantly, this cast of characters isn’t just in there for diversity’s sake. The book doesn’t skirt around having conversations about race and showing how prejudice affects their lives. It communicates that discrimination doesn’t have to be explicit in order to be real and keenly felt by those affected. Racism in “Legendborn” is insidious, and most of the prejudice that Bree experiences comes from subtle assumptions made about her because of her skin color and background.
I do have a few critiques. “Legendborn” leans on some very common young adult tropes. Bree can be interpreted as a bit of a “chosen one” protagonist. She is able to do things that those in the magical world around her deem impossible, both for a regular human and one of their own. However, there are many worse series that do the same thing, and in “Legendborn” an explanation is offered that fits in not only with the plot but also the message the author is trying to convey. There is also—sigh—a love triangle with two boys, who, as luck would have it, are both extremely handsome. This can be a deal-breaker for some people and a selling point for others, so read it at your own peril.
Otherwise, I found “Legendborn” stunningly original, with characters that will stick with me. Bree in particular deserves praise for being one of the rare protagonists to reach the Goldilocks zone of being slightly awkward without having full-blown confidence issues, and having the guts to stand up for themselves without becoming unrelatably bad-ass. “Legendborn” was a pleasure to read, both for the reimaging of the place I call home and the diversity it introduces, and I can’t wait for the next installment.
Photo courtesy of tracydeonn.com
