Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsNew Favourite Fantasy Novel
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2021
(Copied from Goodreads)
This is honestly one of the most amazing novels I've read, fantasy or otherwise. Every single character, even minor ones that only appear in the background, feel so dynamic and flawed, yet entirely loveable anyway. This is too rare a thing - especially in first person novels, where the protagonist's voice can often be unreliable (not the case here at all. I don't normally enjoy this perspective, but Tracy Deonn is so talented I forgot right away as the story unfolded). The banter in this book is phenomenal too; meaning any relationship you're meant to care about sinks in right away, and of course emotional moments ensue.
Getting to the story, the fantasy elements are so well built and thought out. There wasn't a fragment of info-dumping in sight. In fact, we were kept in the unawares for so long as characters around our protagonist (naturally) didn't tend to explain world building fragments so common to them. When we do get answers, though, they are always satisfying. There were also plenty of open-ended threads leading to the sequel.
The fact that it's loosely inspired by the King Arthur mythos only made it more fascinating to me - and it's the reason I picked this up in the first place. The main cast belong to 'The Order of the Round Table,' and are, to put it simply, reincarnations of sorts of Arthur and his knights. This worked super well, as it wasn't the simple 'guess-who' that many of these end up being. Each character is allowed to have their own personality despite being a knight's scion, and the ties back to the original Merlin and Arthur makes this feel almost a natural progression of that story - like of course this is what would happen a thousand years later.
This book's core strength, in my opinion, though, is the balance of the mundane and the fantastical that truly ground this narrative and characters - making them and their sacrifices feel inexplicably real. Sure, these are warriors who fight magical creatures on the regular. But they also have to study for exams. They're still teenagers living away from home for the first time. And that makes them so much more endearing than indestructible heroes. (Relating to this; there are also costs for everything, which I'm always a fan of. Every action or choice our heroes or villains make impacts everything around them - and the fallout is never ignored).
All of this is to say nothing about our following and amazing black protagonist, and getting to witness her struggles, triumphs, and just simple lifestyle, as well as exploring themes of racism and grief with her. This isn't something I can fully sing the praises of without digging into the plot - but it's obviously the most important thing this book achieves.
Honestly, the only "flaw", or issue I had with this book was that I just wasn't a fan of how a secondary magic system worked (called 'root'), as it felt like a side road to the main story, but I will admit that was entirely based on personal preference, and no fault of the novel.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book of complex morality, strong protagonist(s), and immersive magic enough. These characters are so incredibly written - and I cannot wait for the sequel.
