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A review by luluwoohoo
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️This was my most anticipated book of 2022, so the stakes were high...and even then it did not disappoint!
▪️ World building in a story like this was always going to be difficult, particularly in regards to the warring varieties of magic that each demand a certain level of expansion, but Deonn walked that tightrope extremely well. Our knowledge of the Order and it's factions is as equally built upon as the Rootcrafting world and it's hold over Bree, and the historical throwbacks we're beautifully heartbreaking and totally necessary
▪️Bree's arc took many twists and turns, some more predictable than others, but she always felt authentically young and compelling to read. Her relationships with Sel, William and Alice are all fleshed out wonderfully, and my predicted endgame of a "why choose?" scenario between her love interests is still a potential on the horizon! Bring on the throuple!
▪️If I have one criticism, it is that the various villains throughout this story multiplied so quickly that it's difficult to discern what the direction of the series is going to take. That's not necessarily a bad thing this far in, but it definitely lacks the clear evil from Legendborn, muddying the waters by providing us with an array of enemies from all sides
▪️For a book that I binged in less than 24 hours, I'm sure a more nuanced review will be possible with time to consider the narrative with distance, but for now I'm blown away by the fact that a YA book did so much in less than 600 pages. Bree's decision at the end makes for a killer cliffhanger and I'm devastated I'll have to wait so long for the next installment! It's not perfect but this series still has my whole heart 💖
"The unsaid thing about funerals is that directly after the communal mourning for someone you love, after everyone is gone and the connected grief dispersed, comes a solitude beyond imagining. A great, gaping nothing where a whole person and life and future used to be. The other side of a funeral is abyss."
"Black folk don't need oaths to take care of each other. We never did."
"My hand reaches for his face before I can stop it, as if my fingers are compelled to touch the same features that have captured my eyes. Dangerous things draw you in like that, and he is a dangerous thing."
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️This was my most anticipated book of 2022, so the stakes were high...and even then it did not disappoint!
▪️ World building in a story like this was always going to be difficult, particularly in regards to the warring varieties of magic that each demand a certain level of expansion, but Deonn walked that tightrope extremely well. Our knowledge of the Order and it's factions is as equally built upon as the Rootcrafting world and it's hold over Bree, and the historical throwbacks we're beautifully heartbreaking and totally necessary
▪️Bree's arc took many twists and turns, some more predictable than others, but she always felt authentically young and compelling to read. Her relationships with Sel, William and Alice are all fleshed out wonderfully, and my predicted endgame of a "why choose?" scenario between her love interests is still a potential on the horizon! Bring on the throuple!
▪️If I have one criticism, it is that the various villains throughout this story multiplied so quickly that it's difficult to discern what the direction of the series is going to take. That's not necessarily a bad thing this far in, but it definitely lacks the clear evil from Legendborn, muddying the waters by providing us with an array of enemies from all sides
▪️For a book that I binged in less than 24 hours, I'm sure a more nuanced review will be possible with time to consider the narrative with distance, but for now I'm blown away by the fact that a YA book did so much in less than 600 pages. Bree's decision at the end makes for a killer cliffhanger and I'm devastated I'll have to wait so long for the next installment! It's not perfect but this series still has my whole heart 💖
"The unsaid thing about funerals is that directly after the communal mourning for someone you love, after everyone is gone and the connected grief dispersed, comes a solitude beyond imagining. A great, gaping nothing where a whole person and life and future used to be. The other side of a funeral is abyss."
"Black folk don't need oaths to take care of each other. We never did."
"My hand reaches for his face before I can stop it, as if my fingers are compelled to touch the same features that have captured my eyes. Dangerous things draw you in like that, and he is a dangerous thing."