Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)

by Tracy Deonn

The powerful sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling and award-winning Legendborn—perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Margaret Rogerson!

The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

Reviewed by lessthelonely on

5 of 5 stars

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4.5/5 stars - rounded up.

Well... This might've just taken me out of my reading funk, it just didn't cure my depression, sad.

Bloodmarked is a great sequel. I've heard Twitter hype this book and I don't feel the least bit cheated. I don't think I was as invested in Sel and Bree being together as I was in Legendborn - the romance, while satisfying, definitely, felt a little bit sidelined by a lot of plot... and I know these books are anything but only romance.

I really enjoyed this book. It is both satisfying as a progression from book 1 and provides a bit more depth and its own story. The themes are still here and as fresh as ever, the writing is incredibly sharp and, for me, fast to read. Bree is still my baby, Sel, Nick and William are still my boys and I'm glad I got to see a lot more of Alice!

My one complaint is that the romance (which is one of the biggest selling points for me) felt a little bit sidetracked - Bree and Nick got an incredible romantic arc... While Sel and Bree got some incredible scenes, the progression wasn't as satisfying, but that's just my opinion. I'm still hoping this ends up as a poly couple because Nick, Sel and Bree? What a power couple.

I also hope William gets some love too. I felt like he suffered a lot this book, and while he's strong as fuck, I honestly felt sorry for him.

Along with that: I do think there was a spot (mainly, Valec's introduction) that felt a little bit disjointed with the rest of the book. Too much like a "we're going to the club" scene in a book where the main characters are constantly fleeing. And because it introduced something that I definitely was like... "Oh" for Sel and Bree's progression, I admit it felt like it dragged just a little bit.

Not really saying that it was out of character, but that when you start that section of the book you don't realize that's what you're getting at... and it gave just a little bit of whiplash, in my opinion.

Other than that: stellar.

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  • Started reading
  • 25 December, 2022: Finished reading
  • 25 December, 2022: Reviewed