One of my top reads from the last year has to be “Oathbound” by Tracy Deonn. The third installment in Deonn’s “Legendborn Cycle,” this title is a YA standout due to three things: 1) Deonn’s mastery over narrative voice, 2) the incredible complexity of her world building, and 3) how she’s presented this new chapter of her story to her readership.

In terms of 1) and 2), “Legendborn” is one of the most unique YA stories I’ve read in some time. It’s also one of the few that features such an intensely likable protagonist, Bree Matthews. Although Bree may one of the most powerful magic users in existence, a descendant of King Arthur Pendragon himself, she still comes across as a realistic teenager. Bree struggles with romantic relationships, academic pressures, and maintaining bonds with family and friends. She is constantly carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, between preventing demonic entities from taking over the planet, dealing with the dark past of the Legendborn society, and keeping up the façade of a semi-normal life. These are all factors that make Bree incredibly appealing to a YA readership, especially one on the older side who, while they still love YA books, are disillusioned by stories of near-perfect protagonists who always meet happy endings.

In “Oathbound,” Bree is forced to make a choice long coming– she gives up her normalcy, her friends, her family, all for a chance of controlling the powers gifted by her dual-bloodline, part Legendborn, part Rootcrafter. During Bree’s time away, we get to hear from the perspectives of the story’s other central characters, like William Setterson, Scion of Gawain, Mariah Rochelle, rootcrafter, and Selwyn Kane, ex Kingsmage, some of Bree’s closest confidants who will do anything to get her back (though not for the same reason). Listening to these character’s sides of the story, as they transform the “Legendborn Cycle” from a single-character-voice series into an ensemble cast, provides an even greater insight into the intricacies of Bree’s tale, and exactly how much she’s “chosen” to leave behind.

I think “Oathbound” presents an incredibly clever narrative change by Deonn, who has opened Bree’s world even wider by bringing in these new voices. Beyond this, I also think the presentation for “Oathbound” has been stronger than for its predecessors, the first two books in the “Legendborn Cycle.” Whereas the first “Legendborn” was marketed as a King Arthur retelling, and the second, “Bloodmarked,” as a “YA romance,” in “Oathbound” Deonn has leaned more into the genre of coming-of-age fantasy, which I feel better encapsulates the underlying themes of the series as a whole. This has also been the angle I’ve taken while selling this title to customers at the bookshop I work at, which our readers (parents and teens alike) have been very receptive to .

One last thing: the cover for this book…when I realized who’s actually standing behind Bree (spoilers) my mind was completely blown. Not only is the art beautiful, it also contains an unbelievable twist, one you’ll have to read the books to find out!