Advice to those who haven’t read Oathbound yet:
Brush up on your knowledge of the characters in Legendborn and Bloodmarked! I reread Bloodmarked because I knew I’d struggle with remembering everything and I’m really glad I did. If you don’t have time to do all that, you can utilize this or my lil wrap-up below:
Who’s who:
Bree aka Briana Matthews
Our main character, of course!
Sel aka Selwyn Kane
The Kingsmage to Nick and a Merlin. He and Bree were hot and cold throughout book 2.
Nick aka Nicholas Davis
The scion of Lancelot though everyone originally thought he was the scion of Arthur. Bree and Nick have been in a situationship since book 1.
Will aka William Sitterson
The Scion of the Line of Gawain and friend of Bree’s. He often heals Bree and spend most of Book 2 trying to save her from the experimentation in The Institute.
Alice Chen
Bree’s bestie since childhood. At the end of book 1, Alice is made a Vassal to the Line of Gawain to help Bree. She stays by Bree’s side throughout book 2 but gets seriously injured when Arthur possesses Bree.
Dr. Patricia Hartwood
Bree’s therapist and a rootcrafter who introduces Bree to their world in book 1 through memory walks.
Mariah
A junior at UNC and a Rootcrafter. Lucille is her aunt and she helps her out on the weekends sometimes. She and Valec are cousins seven-times over, but not by blood. Bree meets her in book 1 during her sessions with Dr. Patricia Hartwood.
Valec aka Valechaz
A cambion and the proprietor of the Crossroads Lounge. Bree witnessed his birth in a memory walk through Dr. Hartwood. He is known for making deals between humans and demons and has been referred to as a "crossroads child." Lucille is his great-great niece.
Lucille
Mariah’s aunt and the Grand Dame of the territory in rural Georgia where the Crossroads Lounge is located. Valec introduces Bree, Alice, William, and Sel to Lucille in book 2. Her partner is Hazel.
Miss Hazel
Her house is a station used by Rootcrafters who need to avoid the attention of Merlins. Miss Hazel is the conductor for Bree and her friends to get to Volition.
Larkin Douglas
A Merlin who Erubus wants to be Bree’s Kingsmage. He begins guarding her in the beginning of book 2 and is loyal to Bree.
Natasia Kane
A Merlin and Sel’s mom who was supposedly dead in book 1. She was close friends with Bree’s mom, Faye Matthews. In actuality, Natasia was imprisoned for allegedly opening gates and “succumbing.” She escaped and Bree directed the Shadow King to bring Sel to Natasia at the end of book 2.
Erebus Varelian
A high rank merlin (Mage Seneschal at Arms in the High Council of Regents) who was close to Natasia Kane. In book 2, he helps The Order interrogate and study Bree in The Institute. At the end of book 2, it is revealed that he is actually The Shadow King aka The Great Devourer aka The Hunter.
Don't Read Any Further If You Haven't Read The Book Now!
Trust me, the author advised folks to go in with nothing but your knowledge from the last books and the book description for Oathbound.
With that said, Tracy Deonn is out here writing for her life!!!!
The book description on her website for Oathbound says:
Severed from the Legendborn. Oathbound to a monster.
Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.
But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.
Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war while their Round Table is fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to grant him an audience, the Order’s Merlins imprison him. No one knows what he will demand of the Regents...or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.
As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.
My thoughts
There comes a time when the hero realizes that fighting alone makes them more susceptible to mistakes and I thought Bree had learned that in book 2, but I hadn’t accounted for the new circumstances: her profound guilt, distrust of The Order, and emotional burnout. She was out there thinking that what Arthur did to Alice was all her fault for allowing him to take hold of her body again. That kind of pain is hard, generally, but add in that she’s a 17 year old girl who lost her mother not that long ago, found out that she was the scion of Arthur (unwillingly), met her ancestors through a memory walk, was imprisoned by The Order, and learned she was bloodmarked by the Shadow King and her reaction to it all is completely valid. In fact, most would say she deserves the time to flip out. Our girl, Bree, is traumatized to the MAX!
I love that this book brought us into the minds of William, Mariah, and Natasia in addition to Bree because it really helps to flesh out those characters and the folks with them. I think this adds even more depth to Bree’s story and hammers home that she is not alone in this fight. It seems like her friends are all fighting this notion that they could have done something differently and ultimately changed their circumstances and are suffering for it.
This book is undoubtedly one of the best books I’ve read in my life. Throughout this series, Deonn explores the ways in which white supremacy tries to suppress Black folks power when they can't use us or profit off of us.
The Order ignored Bree, denied her rights, and repeatedly claimed that she was unworthy of being a part of The Table, let alone being the scion of Arthur. Arthur manipulated Bree for his own gain and eventually convinced her to let him take possession of her body. He didn’t want it to protect her, he just wanted power again. Now, Bree knows that the Shadow King has branded the women in her family for generations. He protected them only because he wanted to eventually consume all of the power their heir possessed. After witnessing Bree’s powers, the rootcrafters at Volition hope that she will save them all from the Shadow King. So we see that, at almost every turn, someone is trying to use Bree. The rootcrafters are the only ones seeking protection and peace while the rest are re-enacting enslavement! I feel like Bloodmarked and Oathbound really nailed this in their storylines.
I don’t want to spoil this book for y’all because you really do need to experience it for yourselves, so I’m gonna stop here. Suffice it to say, I’ve reflected a lot while reading this series and the themes that have stuck with me are
We are deserving.
We need to give ourselves the space to grieve but need to keep moving forward.
Our ancestors did what they thought was best at the time in order to survive but their sacrifice should not overshadow your own hopes and dreams. They give context to the chaos that can help you make wise decisions.
Sometimes we have to trust that our friends can save the day with us.
Request this book at your local libraries!!!!
If you absolutely need a copy of this book (or the whole series), you can purchase them here:
