#they capture surrounding aether of the environment. this means both living and 'dead' aether

[sealrock]

febhyurary, day 20: divinity

22nd sun of the 6th umbral moon, 1577

"as I passed through the north shroud, I ran into an odd stranger on his way out—his name was 'deryk', a wanderer with no set destination. he appeared rather plain and unassuming, his words were vague and body language closed. attached to his shoulder was a baby opo-opo with no name, an orphan he claimed it was. what was meant to be idle chitchat turned into a night's worth of talk as we shared a meal. for someone so quiet, he was more than happy to share with me stories of his travels, he's been everywhere it seems. I fought off sleep to keep him company... it was as if he hadn't talked to anyone else in the entire world. I could tell he wanted to be left alone, but he seemed drawn to me—and my camera, but the thought of getting his aethograph taken made him flush a bright red. of course, me being me, I persuaded (more like pressured) him to at least sit for a minute for someone to take the aethograph for my collection. eager to show him how the camera worked, I felt my entire body seize up as I looked at what the device spat out. I stood there, gaping like a fish as the memories flooded back to me. this couldn't be happening again. deryk simply shrugged and said, softly but eerily: 'looks like your apparatus needs a bit of fine tuning.' by the time I gathered by bearings, deryk and his companion were gone."

[jessread-s]

✩❤️⚔️💙Review:

Tracy Deonn’s fantasy debut “Legendborn” empowers and inspires. 

The novel is told from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Briana “Bree” Matthews. Through Bree, Deonn broaches subjects like grief, trauma, racism, and sexism. She takes great care in capturing Bree’s wide range of emotions as she goes through different stages of grief after the loss of her mother. Additionally, Deonn addresses intergenerational trauma. As a descendent of enslaved people, Bree inherits the trauma that her ancestors experienced. She is reminded of their pain by unmarked graves and monuments celebrating their enslavers. I appreciate Deonn raising awareness about the historical harm experienced by the Black community and grief-related conditions. I also love how Deonn uses her characters to eradicate the stigma surrounding seeking help from professionals as a means of support. 

One way in which Bree initially tries to cope with her mother’s death before speaking with a therapist is by enrolling in a residential program for high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill. While she is there, she acquires the Sight and discovers the world of the Legendborn. I was blown away by the concept of bringing the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to life in our contemporary world through their living descendants. Deonn establishes a hierarchy within the Order of the Round Table starting with the Scions at the top of the pyramid followed by Merlins (sorcerers), Squires, and Pages. Each year, Pages are given an opportunity to compete to become a Squire for one of the Awakened Scions. As a a newly appointed Page, Bree immerses the reader in the high stakes environment of the trials and familiarizes us with the inner workings of the Order. She also exposes readers to the “double jeopardy” she experiences—racism and sexism—as a result of the Order’s heteropatriarchal structure.  

Deonn draws from Arthurian myth to create her complex magic system. Bloodcrafters, the Legendborn and Merlins, steal their magic from their descendants as part of their mission to hunt and kill Shadowborn (demons) to protect Onceborns (regular humans) and prevent Camlann from occurring. Depending on which knight of the round table they are related to and whether or not they have been called, the Legendborn can use their aether to create weapons, form armor, or heal others. Merlins use their aether for much of the same in addition to administering oaths, shapeshifting, and erasing memories. While the abilities of the Legendborn and Merlin are impressive, the former have to grapple with shortened lifespans and the latter are vulnerable to succumbing to their demon blood as a consequence of stealing from their bloodlines. 

Aside from the Legendborn, Rootcrafters exist in Deonn’s fictional world. Rootcrafters have magical abilities of their own that they borrow from their ancestors. They harness root to manipulate the growth of plant life (wildcrafter), see a person’s aura (reader), speak to the dead (medium), or walk the memories of their ancestors (memory walker). 

As a Page and Rootcrafter, Bree has to navigate both worlds that harbor animosity towards each other while still processing her grief and encountering discrimination. At her side is Nick Davis, the legendary Scion of Arthur. What starts out as a begrudging mentor/mentee partnership develops into a loving relationship. Nick is the epitome of a “golden retriever boy” and it is quite possible that I fell for him as hard as Bree did what with his protective and sunshine personality. 

If you have not read this book yet, this is me telling you to do so. It is one that demands to be read and absorbed. As Deonn so beautifully puts it in her author’s note, “Legendborn” “is an opportunity to reorient ourselves to the stories we preserve… and rediscover who gets to be legendary.” 

➤ 5 stars

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph