Bloodmarked /

Following the events of Legendborn (2020), Bree Matthews has just discovered that she is the awakened scion of King Arthur, and that she is the king meant to lead the legendborn during the fabled Camlann war. Although Bree is undeniably the awakened Arthur, the legendborn community is largely unaccepting of her, specifically because she is a Black scion. Bree must work together with old and new allies to harness not only Arthur's newly activated powers but her Bloodcraft powers as well. Deonn continues to captivate readers with her intricate, well-woven Arthurian universe. This second novel graduates from an examination of Bree's grief to an exploration of her identity. Bree is caught between two worlds, both metaphorically and physically, and she is trying to navigate these inherently racist and sexist spaces. Deonn expertly weaves together a universe that both shines a light on the pervasive nature of racism and also harnesses the complexity of Black identity within this space. Deonn writes so much more than simple fantasies or Arthurian retellings; she writes stories that humanize Black protagonists, like Bree, giving them agency and a place to both fail and, ultimately, to ascend.

Gr 9 Up--Bree has discovered she is the Scion of her ancestor, the legendary King Arthur. Bree is unique in the Pendragon Line, having both Welsh ancestry and the Bloodcraft that originated in the American South during chattel slavery. The blending of these has made her the most powerful person either side of her family tree has ever seen. Despite this, she isn't accepted by the other Legendborn, primarily because she is Black. Navigating her powers is the primary plotline, moving away from the examination of grief that was Legendborn to an exploration of identity. Deonn explores the insidiousness of racism and Bree's growing confidence in herself as she takes up the mantel of king of all Legendborn. VERDICT Readers will wish the story wasn't over. A must for all library collections.

After Awakening the dormant spirit of her ancestor King Arthur Pendragon, almost-17-year-old Briana Matthews must fight to learn and control her magical inheritances. As a Black person who also possesses the ability to use Root, a form of magic borrowed from deceased practitioners and passed down to her through her mother's family, Bree is unique in the Line of Pendragon. It is through blood and violence that Bree's magical abilities intertwined--both those from Arthur's Welsh origins and from her family's Bloodcraft originating during chattel slavery in the American South. Together they have turned her into one of the most powerful people either Line has ever known. The intricacies of her navigation of her new powers are at the heart of this sequel to Legendborn (2020), especially as Bree balances the knowledge that her Blackness creates a critical distance between her and the racist people she is sworn to protect as the king of all Legendborns. The plot is complex, and the morsels of information that help fill in the gaps of knowledge don't always feel fully formed, which may leave readers confused as they try to keep up with the new powers and beings that are presented. Still, there are important, if hard to read, references, for example, when Bree is kidnapped and experimented on by an all-White council, a turn of events that reflects Deonn's commitment to presenting unflinching truths about the cyclical insidiousness of racism. A worthy successor to an explosive debut. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.