LITERATURE
September Book Club This month, Charlotte Griffiths enters the vivid worlds of young adult fiction
TRACY DEONN Legendborn Sixteen-year-old Bree is getting a taste of life at the University of North Carolina on an early-access programme for gifted students: it has only been three months since her mother’s death but – encouraged by her heartbroken father – she’s pushing on towards the future she deserves. On the first night at college, she and her friend Alice are caught sneaking out to a party, which is very out of character for these studious teenagers. She’s assigned an older student called Nick to oversee the rest of her experience and keep her on track, but when he inexplicably draws out a sword and slays a demon, she begins to get the sense that it’s not just her time at college that’s going to be different – her entire life will never be the same again. Bree is thrown into a secret world ruled by Arthurian legend, where magic and monsters are all too real and her fellow students carry the burden of ancestral legacy on their young shoulders. But despite the Welsh history that controls this society, it’s still the American Deep South; as a young black woman navigating a predominantly white community, Bree finds herself confronting racist prejudice at all corners – and she can’t stop thinking that this hidden world is associated with her mother’s untimely death. This is the first instalment of a superb fantasy series where young wizards and knights wrestle with centuries- old expectations on top of the many challenges of modern adolescence. The worldbuilding is exceptional, effortlessly weaving ancient British legend with black culture, and you’ll be rooting for Bree as she discovers the truth about her past – and decides whether she wants the future that lies before her.
Tart BECKI JAYNE CROSSLEY
return, and Neha’s feelings for her new friend become something more than friendship, it’s clear that life will only get more complicated before it gets better – whether or not Dan wakes up. The book is packed with beautifully visual moments of detail: rustling bags of sugar-dusted hot doughnuts on Bonfire Night, Libby’s brilliant red curls and light brown freckles, damp school jumpers after Libby and Neha get caught in a downpour. It’s evocative writing that transports you straight into the kitchen, sitting beside Neha as she bakes her way through an emotional crisis.
This excellent debut is a sweet-and-sour, friends- to-lovers queer romance that’s gentle, yet also gripping from the very first page. Libby’s boyfriend Dan is universally loved – but he now lies in a coma, following a motorcycle accident which happened on the same night that a grainy video of Libby kissing another boy went viral among the young people of Chipping Hollow. Now, the only person who’ll even acknowledge Libby is the new girl Neha, who’s just moved to the sleepy village to live with her aunt. But as Libby’s memories of that night slowly begin to
26 SEPTEMBER 2025 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
Powered by FlippingBook