Oathbound

Oathbound is the third book in The Legendborn Cycle, a contemporary young adult fantasy series by Tracy Deonn. The trilogy was inspired by Deonn’s personal history, as she belongs to a line of Black women who lost their mothers too young. The Legendborn Cycle addresses various themes of power and prejudice, as the young protagonist, a 16-year-old Black girl named Briana “Bree” Matthews, must contend with the racist and misogynist power structures at her Southern university while also contending with similar power structures that govern her newfound magic. Bree must acknowledge her past and her ancestry while coming into her own powers both as a person and as a member of two distinct magical communities. The series draws from the history of enslavement and the Confederacy of its North Carolina setting, as well as from Black spiritual traditions and Arthurian legend.

The first novel, Legendborn, follows Bree as she enrolls in UNC Chapel Hill’s Early College program shortly after her mother’s sudden death. Bree senses that there is something strange about her mother’s death, and her suspicions intensify when she starts to see monsters on campus. While her best friend Alice Chen cannot see the monsters, Bree notices that a mysterious boy named Selwyn “Sel” Kane, and her student mentor, Nick Davis, among others, can see and fight the monsters. While investigating these strange occurrences, which she believes have something to do with the death of her mother, Bree discovers the existence of the Lodge of the Order of the Round Table, a secret group linked to the stories of King Arthur and Camelot. Bree discovers that the “Legendborn” of the Order are divided into several groups: the Scions, who descend from Arthur and the knights of the Round Table; squires, who are normal humans (or Onceborn), usually from an elite group of families, who magically bond to and help their Scions; and Merlins, part-demons who magically assist the Order. Despite facing significant racism and sexism from the Southern chapter of the Order at UNC, Bree wins a tournament to become a squire to Nick, who she learns is the Scion of Arthur and will be the most powerful of the Legendborn once he is “Awakened.” Bree and Nick have feelings for one another, and the Order is skeptical of their relationship. Yet while competing to become a squire, Bree also learns that her mother was a practitioner of Rootcraft—a matrilineal Black spiritual tradition, from which Bree inherits the ability to contact her ancestors. She learns about her ancestor Vera, who escaped enslavement after a white man raped her. Nick’s father kidnaps and abuses Bree, forcing her to agree to leave the Order, but once free of him, Bree tells Alice about everything that has happened, and Alice agrees to help her fight the Order. Demons have been attacking the Legendborn at UNC, where they believe Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur is kept. When Vera guides Bree to the site of a Legendborn battle, she realizes that Vera was raped by a Scion of Arthur, making Bree the next Scion. Arthur “Awakens” in Bree, and all the other Legendborn bow before Bree as she holds Excalibur. Nick learns that he is actually the scion of Lancelot, Arthur’s right-hand man, but he is kidnapped by his father at the end of the first novel.

In Bloodmarked, the second novel of the series, Bree and Sel must rescue Nick from his evil father, Lord Davis. Bree has a difficult time using Arthur’s powers, but the Order has an even harder time accepting a Black girl as the rightful heir of their leader. The Regents of the Order—a group of powerful Legendborn who govern the chapters—arrive at UNC and discover exactly how Bree came to be the Scion of Arthur, but she tries to hide the truth about her Rootcraft from them. The Mage Seneschal, a powerful Merlin named Erebus, experiments on Bree to learn more about her powers. A group of Lieges—retired Legendborn—help Bree escape Erebus’s imprisonment and take her to meet Valec, a half-demon “cambion” who might help Bree learn to control her powers. Valec takes Bree to Volition, a former plantation taken over by Rootcrafters like Lucille, Miss Hazel, Patricia, and Mariah, who all help Bree to learn about her craft. They tell Bree that someone called “the Hunter” has been following Rootcrafters and killing them. Bree and Sel eventually find Nick as they contend with their feelings for one another. The Regents find Bree at Volition, and Arthur possesses her, defeating her enemies but greatly injuring Alice in the process. The Legendborn attack the Regents, forcing them to flee. They are assisted by the Morgaines, a line of Merlins who defected from the Order. They rescue Bree and oust Arthur from her body, though Sel sacrifices the last of his humanity to do so and becomes a full demon. No longer wanting to be possessed by anyone, Bree burns her attachments to her ancestral line (what she calls her ancestral plane) and gives up her powers to talk to her ancestors. Bree calls for the person her ancestors called the Hunter. She now knows he is also Arthur’s mortal enemy, the “Shadow King.” To Bree, he appeared as Erebus. Erebus “bloodmarked” and protected Vera’s line so that one day, an Awakened Scion, who was also a Bloodcrafted Rootcrafter, would die, thus providing the power he needed to regain his crown and return to the demon realm. Bree realizes Erebus is the only one who can teach her strength and control. She promises to go with Erebus in exchange for him taking Sel to Sel’s mother, Natasia, the only person capable of saving him from his demonia.