#mariah legendborn

[fandom-witch]

Bree, Alice, and Mariah art commission! I've been wanting to get art of them all done. They took a break from Oathbound to come and serve for y'all for a sec.

The amazing artist who's done an old art piece of Bree and alice: @lestraade3

[the--last-great-american-dynasty]

OATHBOUND SPOILERS

I'M NOT KIDDING. I NEED TO GET OUT MY THOUGHTS SO THIS IS SERIOUS SPOILER TERRITORY. READ WITH CAUTION.

yeah, so Oathbound was... insane. and absolutely fucking incredible. Tracy somehow managed to exceed my very high expectations and left me wanting for the fourth book as quick as possible.

for one. literally the prologue made me cry. when Bree woke up without anyone left in her mind??? i was just devastated. i genuinely can't think of a much worse fate than to suddenly just lose the memory of the people you love.

and then suddenly we get a William pov. guys i SCREAMED when I saw we were getting that. William is legitimately one of my favorite characters and a whole fucking pov from him??? i could not have asked for more. i do wish we got more of his pov towards the end, but like, this book is already 640 pages so i get it. him and Lark are such a duo too. they spent basically this entire book together and i loved the conflict between them but also the very clear attraction. "and if Larkin Douglas happens to be the most alluring cambion i've ever met, well, that might just be due to our proximity." William. babe. and when Lark called William sweetheart??? i LOST it.

the Mariah pov took me utterly off guard. i could never have guessed we'd get to see her side but i LOVED it. her and Valec's relationship is the sweetest. Valec clearly cares for her so much and their family is just really sweet in general. i'm still so nervous for Alice and so so sad that she still isn't awake. that's a death that would hurt me. but Mariah honestly pulled through in so many ways this book and it was so good to see more of her. also my girl is POWERFUL. i knew when she put the heart on that some shit would go down, but DAMN. my girl held back Mikael himself. fucking POWERHOUSE.

i wasn't super shocked at the Natasia pov but it was so interesting. it was very interesting to see her as a mother above all else and how much love and guilt she feels towards Sel. she was also... not the personality i was expecting? i guess i thought she'd be more like Sel? i'm not really sure tbh. but i was just WAITING for her to find out that Bree was the real Scion of Arthur and it did not disappoint. i really want her and Faye's relationship to be expanded on. and, of course, more of her with Erebus and Sel.

speaking of Sel... well, i'm actually gonna wait till the end for him

Nick Davis again proved himself to be literally one of the best characters. dude... he's just so good. like he's so smart and so protective and just so so kind and loving the entire time. he's also an impulsive idiot with a savior complex, but it's neither here nor there. i had no idea what his game was for the curia and i fear he played everyone. i was also SO glad William and Lark both stepped up to join him. but my boy is just so impulsive and the thing with the Morgaines was, uh, not his best move, i gotta say. also his power. my god, he is immensely powerful. and it's so interesting to watch it play out. His ability to literally unwind aether is, like, insane. it's so interesting that Lancelot and Arthur had their own oath built in, binding Nick and Bree together even more. speaking of, i had thoroughly missed him and Bree's relationship in Bloodmarked and this book did NOT disappoint. when I realized that Bree and Zoe, Mariah, and Nick were all going to end up at Penumbra, I was on the edge of my fucking seat. i immediately knew that he was the other thief and when he finally realized it was Bree i almost cried. especially because he just immediately understood her loss. Erebus had held over Bree's head the threat that people would be angry that she'd forgotten them, but Nick just understood immediately. and he was just so good to her. the playing at fiancés thing was hilarious and Tracy gave us the one bed trope!!! one of my favorites!!!! the tension between then was so thick and i was just waiting for it to come to a head. and my god did it not disappoint. this definitely ended up being the steamiest of her books (nothing explicit but still steamy). then, of course, you can't really not mention the communions and Nick's confessions. his unending love for Bree is just so beautiful. he even knew about Bree and Sel for the most part and just still was never angry at her. the fucking shadow crown piece in his chest was dumb as hell, but he did still looking out for Bree and I just can't fault my guy for that.

Bree... my beautiful, powerful Bree. so much of her story is just so tragic but my girl just kept pulling through. i think it was Valec that said that so many people with fractured souls are led astray from their path, and yet Bree continued on. she continued to fight for the people she loved, even when she didn't remember them. she is so good and lovely and such a character. also i LOVED her with the twins. we obviously saw a lot more of Zoe than Elijah, but i really loved their relationship development. Bree and Zoe's relationship was so sweet and they cared so much for each other. (also Zoe is a trans femme cambion??? like slay???) their humanity really shown through above all else, and Zoe's care for Bree and the rootcrafters was so sweet. i really hope we see them again in the next book. i'm not ready to let them go. and Bree, in the words of Valec, is a fucking powerhouse. when she first made that barrier around her with Erebus, i knew we were entering a different level of power. she leveled up so hard. it was incredible watching gain power and when she fucking broke down Erebus' ward??? incredible. not to mention literally fucking chaining Daeza, like damn. she had some intense character development in this book and really came into herself. and as much as the loss of memory hurt me... i also know that Bree developed so much because of it. watching her just not know anyone was so painful for me though. speaking of, her reunion with her dad? i literally burst into tears. honestly, her reaction made me really miss my dad (i haven't seen him in a couple months). also her continued relationship with the rootcrafters was also incredibly important to me and i'm so glad that they had such a heavy play in this. they are also clearly a very important part of this story and i'm so glad that this continues to be acknowledged and used. i also did not see souls coming into play with this. the shattering of her soul, Valec's less than pleasant reaction, the scar tissue, the missing piece... god, there was just so many layers.

the end of this book was intense. like super duper intense. the confrontation with Erebus. the end of their bargain. and their entrapment of the fucking Shadow King (shout out to my girl Mariah, again pulling through). Bree basically forcibly getting back her missing piece of soul and the memories returning. Erebus crawling away like a baby. dude got fucked up.

and this, of course, brings me to Sel. oh, my boy, i mourn for him so much. i miss the character we had in Bloodmarked with ever inch of my being. this is not how i thought we would see his character go. i just assumed that we'd get him back from his demonia and god. his character was so interesting but so painful because of the loss of the Sel we know and love. and we just... never got him back. when i saw the line "...because Selwyn Kane is dead" i honestly almost had a mental breakdown. i sobbed so hard and couldn't believe it... and then, of course, he wasn't dead. but the Shadow King's son. and now the heir of Bree's bloodmark.... damnnnnn, i did not see that coming at all. granted, i did have my suspicions about the relationship between Erebus and Natasia. i kinda figured it was more. but i guess i never expected for that to mean that Sel was his son. which means that Sel is has much more demon blood than anyone expected. which changes so much. god.

i haven't given up on him. nor have i given up on the Sel-Bree-Nick relationship. there were still hints throughout, of Sel and Nick's relationship, of Bree and Sel's. i really want to have faith that the Sel we knew can return. but i honestly fear that we've lost him completely now because of his claim on the shadow crown.

this book was everything i could have wanted and more. i laughed and cried and was literally so stressed out for so much of it but i'm 100% going to be rereading it again soon to absorb more of it. and Tracy... not to like pressure you, but PLEASE, i am BEGGING for the fourth book to come out quickly. i'm not sure i'll survive another two years without more answers.

⚔️💙💜❤️⚔️

[hbhtasm]

This is what Bree's friends got her for her birthday (from Tracy's newsletter)

Two gifts? Love that! Alice is a swifte? Do you think Bree is one too? Also gift card for a bookstore is so cute!! What books would Bree get?

Such a dad thing to do lol. I hope it's super cute

Bree caught breaking the code of secrecy in 4K (Another parent to be mesmered by the order?🤫)

That's so sweet! so thoughtful! so helpful! He's done it again folks 😍 Love it! Did he make it himself? Bree why are we leaving Excalibur lying around that's so funny, Arthur would have a heart attack 😭

Also is this foreshadowing Bree getting Excalibur's sheath? Will Nick be the one to give it her? 👀

The public & private thing is taking me out lmao😭 But not one but 2 gifts! Love that

Piggyback rides sounds so cute and fun! Bree is gonna need a refund though because there's gonna be complaints of some kind idk

And an aether enchanted rose?? What?? So romantic! I love that! It better be a one of a kind rose

Awe I love this sm!! Bree desperately needs a spa day! When Bree had a wash day and she said she felt more herself after that? And Mariah got her a spa day omgg!! Mariah gets it 😭

Did Mariah and Alice get together to brainstorm what to get Bree and settle on giftcards? Or like did they run into eachother at the store while getting their giftcards? Great minds get their friends the same gifts

What?? Awe that's so sweet!! Baby's first training gear. They can be training buddies too! I love how Greer is always giving Bree clothes and stuff I hope they don't die

William taking Bree out!! For tea, treats, and Tea™!! That's so sweet! I love how William will take any excuse to give someone tea 😭

[proudchildlesscatlady]

You know Faye didn’t seem like knew Alice and sel were there with Bree. Or that were looking for sel mom. Or that Bree was using magic

***Bloodmarked Spoilers***

When Bree was in Volition, she was talking to her ancestors one by one spiritually. The first person she talked to was her mother.

While Faye's spirit was there, she first notices Alice and thanks her for looking after Bree. Then she looks at Sel, Will, Mariah, Lu, and Hazel and proceeds to thank all of them for looking after her baby girl 🥹

Before Faye leaves, Bree asked her mother if she knew where Natasia could be and Faye said she has no idea.

Faye, in her spirit form, knew Bree was with her friends and that she is using magic.

[pinkwhite]

mariah gives me taurus energy

[lovelymoonflower1]

Happy Oathbound day ⚔️💜⚔️❤️

Thank you so much mariartesz_doodles on instagram for creating this amazing art for me 💜 Commissioned by me ❤️ Characters belong to tracydeonn

[knightofthebluearms]

this was actually one of the funniest parts of oathbound

[worth-this-and-more]

thoughts and prayers on oathbound

[spoilers for legendborn, bloodmarked and oathbound, read at your own caution ;)]

this has been marinating for so long, but i was gathering my thoughts and also waiting that everybody would've blocked the spoiler tag by now. let's begin, shall we??

first things first, character wise;

bree- i love her. the whole journey was so fucking powerful and healing like woahhh she finally got control of her powers and that broken soul like can you imagine having a part of your soul just taken away from you, like valec said many broken souls never get formed back but bree?? she was missing so so much about herself and still didn't lose herself like that's why she's the best idc what anybody says she is so so strong and fearless and now ruthless, i love her!!

nick- this is one clever mf like damn bro had uno reverses for his uno reverses, and I'm glad we got to know more about what's in his head. one think i will say he became perfect to more perfect, not necessarily a bad thing but i really really wanna know what was he doing in those time when he was on the run alone like what were you doing buddy. we learned so much about him but at the same time so many questions too like he developed well. and his charisma stat just went up 9 points for me lool keep treating bree the way she deserves my boy.

sel- this idiot. absolute moron. he's gonna be the death of me what was that?? i went in thinking oh my lil patootie he's now a demon I'm gonna relieve my monsterfucker days uwu, this fucker scared me so bad?? what the actual fuck was that?? “Briana is mine. My Scion. My sovereign. My king.” what the fuck. so terrifying. so butterfly-worthy. so so possessive. he had less scenes but every scene filled me with terror wtff is he doing. the whistling?? the taunts?? the slow walk?? the threats?? his grin?? everytime he was mentioned i was so scared its not even a joke. what the fuck was that.

william- oh my sweet summer child. he was so so good. and the parallels omg?? the way he spat back at the regents?? just a few weeks ago he was the one who stopped bree from saying shit like that, and yes the situations and implications were different but oh boy did i love it. it was so dope. and he is so so clever and brave and just my sweetest scion of gawain like oh buddy lemme worship you.

lark- bro popped off i swear. he had the worst first day as a kingsmage and he still was so so concerned and scared in already bonded to bree in spirit, although ik he wont be allowed to be bonded because yk sel exists and sel would kill him is an understatement, but oh i lark as a kingsmage would be awesome. and the way he noticed william so much like broooooooo i love you and him being so fiercely protective of our boy like oof i live for it.

mariah- i fear she ate. she shined so bright in this book, she is so powerful?? and her inspo is bree we're the same gurll. she had the heart of the dame for like three days and she not only got used to it but also managed to hold out a whole horde of warlocks and arawn too like damn girlie this is the kinda female empowerment i love. and goshh her support and love and care like haaayeee my heartttt.

zoelle- she grew on me ngl. i already wanted them to have a sweet sweet friendship and she did not disappoint. she is so clever?? and the subtle trans rep?? and so so supportive of bree like gurl i love you. she is us frrr. and the way she defended bree about her lashing at vera?? like yes. was it rude?? yeah. should bree be dragged about it every fucking time?? hell no. i love her so much she is so so sweet.

elijah- i recently learned the correct pronunciation of his name so my bad buddy but yes i love him too. his growing trust and respect towards bree is admirable, and the love for his sister?? bro you are the epitome of sibling relationships. i want them to come back soon. sel will be handled by bree or if he lays a finger on them imma riot. shoutout to elijah and zoelle, gotta be my favorite twins frr.

alice- my heart breaks for her so much. her purgatory stasis?? her constant efforts to amend her "failure" which wasn't even your fault babe its that damn arthur bitch. i want her to come back pleaseeee ik bree chose her soul over her but i have full faith in bree and slice ik they will make it back please tracy don't kill her it will break bree and me in extension please alice deserves to see her bestie be the king pleaseee.

valec- we found a lot about him, like maybe not a lot but enough to make a lot of theories but brooooo his admiration and care and concern and trust for bree was so heartwarming i cried like really i did it was so sweet. like that is elder brother valec yall like comonn i need that elder brother in my life too pleaseee he's such a sweetie.

natasia- she was not like what i expected lmaoooo i thought she was more moody and edgy and emo but nooo she's so sweet?? and she didn't know shit lmaooo. she and sel have so much angst and i have no idea how are they gonna get over it. like her reasons to not reach out to him were justified imo, she was threatened that next time it would be sel whose hands will be ripped off so like the motherly love would never ever let her get back to him ofc. but still her knowledge seemed so... little. i feel like she spent all her time uncovering her demonia situation and took everything else at face value. i don't blame her but like someone give her a crash course 101 please. also i want her and bree to sit and have a long long chat she knew faye so so much i want bree to know everything.

these are the main ones ig?? now my thoughts??

sel is arawn's son. i feel like we all knew that but i kinda lost hope on it for like majority of the book yk, like only during the last chapter we get this bomb dropped and yall that was sick. the death?? the transformation?? the font change?? "what...shall...we...do" wthh bro chill.

we got so much willark!! they got so much time together!! i wanna see it go more william deserves that sweet corner and i want him to have a lil rest while bree catches them all up with the recent events.

natasia and edwin duo is so funny lmaoooo i want these awkward parents to kinda adopt all of them haha. and i want more of edwin's speeches i wanna frame every prep talk he gives can i please have him as my father too please adopt me sir.

imo poly is now more confirmed kind of because we saw so much breenick but at the same time he did delete all the cheating allegations and his feelings about breesel too so like yeah. poly could be endgame and I'm not even complaining lool their happiness is with each other.

I'm still pretty much breesel but breenick gave me so many butterflies yall I'm not even kidding. the fight?? the kiss?? the putting on her heels?? he banter?? the flirting?? "so drown"?? i be screaming and kicking my feet in the air frrr.

i want more of valec and zoelle-elijah because i feel like they will be more at ease together and we will see a demonic family situation haha. also, them collectively teasing bree on her boy drama, epic!!

arawn is a piece of shit but what a clever fucking piece of shit so fucking manipulative. i am still confused about him never trying to know sel, or arawn and natasia's relationship. nat thinks he is erebus, so we have a deception. but what does arawn gain from it?? so many questions opened up.

i haven't had much time to read about arthuriana so i was kinda relieved we didn't see much of it but we did get one mention of scion of mordred dabbling in demon experiments and now I'm curious do we have another mole in the order from mordred's side??

nick and ava definitely had something. it pissed me off so bad wdym "seduced me" wth was that greer and William are like me frrr glad to know I'm not the only one trynna read between the lines but yeah what the fuck was that i hated it.

ig this is it?? i might have more thoughts which i still have to organise but this is from the top of my head so it might be all over the place.

in conclusion, i loved oathbound and i can't wait for the next and final book I'm so excited but so sad like its coming to an end?? just like this?? why so soon?? i don't want this to end but i want bree to be happy and safe above everything so yeah, i could get through this.

this was so long lmaooo but okay peace out!!

[incorrect-legendborn-quotes]

Maria: As my great-something-uncle always used to say: If a cop handcuffs you to a bike rack, there’s always something to gnaw through.

Alice: Your uncle always said that?

[wizardteampod]

LOOK AT THEMMMMMMMMM

Official Legendborn art by @/mageofspace__ on IG!

[chiaseedlingwithlove]

my copy of oathbound just came in the mail and I have no will power so I’m pausing poppy war to read it

Predictions ig (I literally have no idea what’s gonna happen and I’d rather to anything else than reread bookmarked so yah)

- sel’s mom is overall useless to the main plot

- there’s gonna be a really good, heart to heart with Bree and her dad

- too much sel and I’m gonna get pissed off

- threeway kiss challengers style with breenicksel (I’m like 60% kidding)

- someone dies (probably William or Alice idk)

- more Welsh I don’t understand

- either Tracy disregards the other black characters in favor of the love triangle like she did in bloodmarked OR she centers blackness again like she did in legendborn

- Valec’s character is explored more and it’s gonna reveal very important and relevant information about how one of the main plots will climax

- not enough Mariah (I think that was the therapist’s name) and I’m gonna be sad about it

- recentering of Bree’s grief and her mom (pls pls pls pls)

- a war that I don’t care about break out and be resolved too quickly and it’ll be borderline unsatisfying

- more Bree & Alice friendship moments

- Alice and Nick team up of the century PLS GOD

- Sarah and Tor break up and Sarah dates Alice (I hate tor… also I hope her name was Sarah…)

As you can see I don’t remember much but alas I hope this book exceeds my expectations because I loved the first book so much it genuinely changed my life and I want to end this series on a good note 😊

[atiredblackwoman]

Oathbound chapter 3 spoilers

MARIAHHHHHHH VALLACCCCCCC YESSSSSS IM SO HAPPYYYYYY

[the-paper-furler]

I did fanart of these three, because I've never seen Lark or Mariah fanart, and Alice is just a fun character.

[proudchildlesscatlady]

Can do picture for Mariah zoelle Elijah sel

Zoelle and Elijah:

They look so cool!!! I'm so excited to learn more about them in Oathbound. I have a feeling they're going to be some of my favorite Legendborn characters.

Mariah:

10/10 ChatGPT did an amazing job creating an image of Mariah. She looks beautiful!!!

Bree and Sel 💜🖤

I already did one of Sel so I decided to ask ChatGPT to create an image of Bree and Sel holding each other near the waterfall. I should have added more details such as it was night time and fireflies.

[pinkwhite]

i really want to know the history between mariah and lucy

[shayminlucario07]

Okay y'all. The big Post-Oathbound Analysis/Thoughts/Critique(?). Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

(This was written over the course of two days in four separate sittings, and the entirety of it was written while I was out of ADHD medication. So this is probably going to be very disjointed and incomprehensible. Sorry!)

Of course, it would be criminal to start anywhere other than the center of it all- Bree. While I have some qualms about Bree's arc in Oathbound, they are small and few, and almost exclusively have nothing to do with Bree herself. Following Bloodmarked, it was very necessary for Bree to have the chance to make a clean break from the expectations put on her for her abilities- and to be able to define for herself, with the knowledge of why she has her abilities, what their purpose- and her purpose- will be. I do take some issue with the conceit of Bree losing the identities of the people she cares about, but ultimately it serves extremely well to show that Bree is not the way she is- is not WHO she is- due to their presence, nor their influence, but rather because that is who she is. And I think it's so telling that the first construct she is ever able to use her Root to construct is a shield- especially when she specifically sought out, from the whole line of Vera, a method to use it as a weapon. In order for Bree to be able to use her Root to attack, she must know how to use it to defend- first herself, and then others.

One moment of Bree's arc I particularly loved was when she, Zoe, and Elijah took the time to establish an environment where they could each safely, comfortably, and non-judgementally articulate their respective queerness, with the twins helping and encouraging Bree to put her own queer identity into words for the first time. (A brilliant moment regardless, but also an excellent example of my earlier note about Bree being able to define her own self.) I know from personal experience- on both the Bree side, as the one first articulating their identity, and on the twins' side, as the guiding figure- how meaningful and important that experience is, and I can only imagine how much more significant that experience is for Bree with everyone involved being Black.

And of course, how can I not talk about Bree and Nick, finally being able to reunite properly after Bloodmarked, and finally having the time to figure out their relationship beyond the new, tenuous thing it was at the end of Legendborn? In Bloodmarked, both Nick and Bree were broken down to their lowest, and had to build themselves back up from that- and they had to do that apart from each other. And after both of them worked on themselves, working through their own issues and reaching the point where they were able to stand on their own in confidence, they were able to come together on that shared new ground and figure out what they wanted from each other for themselves. Finally, after two-and-a-half books of others- Alice, Sel, William, Mariah, Valec, Zoe... basically everyone- calling Bree and Nick an item, defining their relationship before they had a chance to truly explore it for themselves... it was gratifying. After how little screentime (Can you use that term when talking about a book?) Nick- and by extension, Nick and Bree's relationship- got throughout Bloodmarked, it was lovely seeing the two together again.

And that, naturally, brings me to Bree and Selwyn. Bree and Sel's friendship began quite late into the events of Legendborn, but from almost the very start of the two learning respect and trust for each other, there was a distinct romantic and sexual tension- from Bree encountering Sel shirtless in one of their first interactions that wasn't explicitly antagonistic, to the iconic "Cariad" scene- and this tension carried forward into Bloodmarked. Due to Nick's absence throughout most of Bloodmarked, his and Bree's relationship becomes a major focus throughout the book, and the two- and their relationship, in turn- undergoes a great deal of development. However, throughout Oathbound, Selwyn is mostly absent, like Nick was in Bloodmarked. As such, there is similarly little relationship progression between him and Bree; I'll refrain from talking about their relationship in Oathbound until the discussion of Selwyn as a whole, as there isn't much development therein, but what is worth noting is that when Bree loses part of her soul, she forgets the tension between herself and Sel, where she doesn't for Nick. Personally, I interpreted this to be a result of her most prominent feeling being her feeling of responsibility for his Demonia, whereas her most prominent feeling for Nick being a result of having to leave him behind, when he was running for her.

Moving on to our secondary characters, we'll start how the book itself does- with William. Now, don't get me wrong- I love William. However. I... really don't know why he was a point-of-view character in this book? Beyond the scene where he tells Lark about the abuse Nick faced as a child, his only purpose as a POV character seems to be to obfuscate Nick, and this scene could easily be delivered through a flashback from Nick's own point-of-view. Alternately, William's point-of-view could have been used more through the latter half of the book- which would also serve as a way to check in with the rest of the Order, such as Greer, who are very absent throughout the majority of Oathbound. Seeing William and Lark's tension develop was quite nice, though.

Mariah, on the other hand, was quite a neat new perspective. While she is a medium like Bree, her own variation of Medium abilities are very interestingly different, and through the vehicle of Mariah's perspective, we get to see more of Valechaz and the Rootcrafter network, the two most interesting aspects of Bloodmarked, in my opinion. It was also lovely to see how utterly Mariah and her aunts were so devoted to helping Bree- she deserves that level of dedication, and it was absolutely heartening to see Bree get the love and respect she deserves, after two books of the Order- and frankly, most others- treating her like shit.

Elijah and Zoelle were absolute delights. The two gave so much context to Erebus. Also, Zoe being a badass trans cambion? Iconic. I loved how she joined in on Bree and Mariah's girltalk so seamlessly, and it was wonderful to see her shame Bree on keeping her boy drama secret.

Speaking of Bree's boy drama... Nick Davis. While he had a whole character arc off-page in Bloodmarked, it was entirely possible to fill in the blanks of what we didn't see with his presence in Oathbound. I am incredibly proud of how he stepped up to force the Order to face the dark truth of how Bree became the Scion of Arthur- especially considering how closely tied he himself is to that abhorrent history. Seeing Nick finally openly face, acknowledge, and denounce the disgusting and horrific nature of the Order was cathartic. His example is one that I hope to follow, no matter how inconvenient and uncomfortable it is.

And finally, one cannot talk about Selwyn Kane in Oathbound without simultaneously talking about Natasia Kane. Finally getting to see Natasia was immensely satisfying, given how much build-up she's had throughout the series, and seeing her wholehearted devotion to Faye- even without the knowledge that Faye was the Scion of Arthur- serves to highlight not only how genuinely wonderful the Matthews women are, but also to showcase how the Kingsmages feel the draw to serve and protect their king, even if they don't know who their king truly is. But that isn't to insinuate that the only thing drawing Natasia and Selwyn to Faye and Bree is their status as the Scion of Arthur- because truly, that's all their own. Bree, like her mother before her, earns that devotion on her own merit, and is not defined by her bloodline. Natasia's love for Faye was so beautifully true that it extended to her husband and daughter, too, and it was a delight to see how utterly willing she was to act in defense of Edwin and Bree. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit more to Natasia's devotion to Faye than mere friendship alone, but even if it is just platonic friendship, the strength of their relationship is one that I can only dream of achieving myself one day.

As for Sel... seeing his Demonia progress was painful to witness. At no point was he not himself throughout the book, it was horrifying to see how his worst characteristics were forced to the forefront above all else. The combination of his own personal dedication to Bree and his Demonia-induced craving for her Root twisted his affection for her into something that just felt sinister, even if he never explicitly took hostile action against Bree. Seeing him treat Nick and Bree as cruelly as he does- especially knowing the history he and Nick have of doing exactly that- was heartrending, but seeing the level of care that they still held for him, even in the wake of this treatment gives me faith for the future. The thing that must be remembered is that Sel willingly chose this for himself, because he decided Bree was worth it. I know for a fact that Nick feels exactly the same, and that shared absolute devotion to her is without a doubt going to help bridge the newly-widened gap between them. And of course, there's Bree herself- Bree, who can do anything she puts her mind to. If she wants to help bring Sel back to himself- and I wholeheartedly believe that she does- she will succeed. Those three care for each other so deeply that I cannot doubt they'll make it through this.

And finally, the reveal of reveals- that Selwyn Kane is the son of the Shadow King. What will this mean? Well... I have some ideas, I think. I have no doubt that this is going to cause some pretty damn sizeable relationship drama, to say the least, but I don't believe for a second that Sel is going to become a major antagonist- or even an antagonist at all, for that matter. Legendborn, as a series, is intrinsically tied to the past- specifically, to the pain within it, how that affects us in our current lives, and how we can and should carry that forward, letting it inform how we go about our lives and guide us onto a better path than we had been on before. This isn't a series with one antagonist, one enemy to overcome- the conflict is systemic, not individual. The efforts against Bree are not the result of actions by any one specific person, but the structural, systemic racism of the Legendborn Order. It is not the regents' plots to lock her away and usurp her, and experiment on her, and use her as a pawn in their games; it is not Vaughn and Tor and their overt racism towards her; it is not the widespread distrust that the Order has for her as an outsider, both an outsider of the Order and as a Black girl; it is all of this, together, compounding on itself. It is the structure as a whole being designed against not just her, but everyone not at the top of the ladder; it is the exploitation of the Scions, and the Legions; it is the Abatement, and throwing the lives of people of all kinds into the meat grinder, not to end the danger that the Shadowborn pose, but to prolong the war and preserve the position of power that the Regents and the highborn of the Order hold; it is the systematic hunting of Rootcrafters, Morgaines, and any users of magic not under the oppression of the Order; it is the meticulous, eugenicist controlling of "bloodline purity" to preserve the inheritance of the Lines, and produce stronger Merlins that will be more reliant on the Oaths, and controlling of every little facet of the Scions' lives up to, during, and after their awakening.

When Bree asked Nick if he would stand with her if she wanted to burn it all to the ground, that was not a hypothetical. At least, that is what I believe. The Legendborn legacy is one of pain and suffering- and that is not just true for their own. The Rootcrafters suffer beneath the totalitarian oppression of the Order; even the Shadowborn themselves are impacted extremely negatively by the war's perpetuation! We have seen, with Valechaz and his brokering of contracts, with Zoe and Elijah and their willingness to aid Bree in saving Rootcrafters they don't even know from being harvested as fuel by Shadowborn, even the Shadow King that they are personal wards of, and more, that even those "On the wrong side" of the war are impacted negatively by the war, how they are harmed by it, and how they are denied the chance to thrive in harmony with the world, by those in power on all sides- by the Legendborn Order, by the Shadow King and his Nightshade court, and by every structure of power in place that perpetuates the cycle. This is the conflict of the series, and this is the obstacle that Bree and her allies work to overcome and defeat. Not any individual or individuals, but the systems that they participate in, perpetuate, and control. And even if this conflict can be fixated down to a few specific individuals, Selwyn Kane is not one of them, even as the son of the Shadow King.

Our main trio, Bree, Sel, and Nick, are three of the most powerful entities in the plot. Bree, the Scion of Arthur and the strongest Rootcrafter currently alive. Sel, the son of the Shadow King and of one of the strongest Merlins in history. Nick, the Scion of Lancelot, raised to be the heir of the entire Legendborn order. And of course, that's not even all of the players on the board- there's Valechaz, a balanced Cambion, son of a Nightshade, and major power player in the demonic world; there's Mariah, who very much seems to have been established as the heiress of the Grand Dame, who can use her medium abilities to restrict the Shadowborn and those in league with them; there's William, the Scion of Gawain, who for two hours every day is the most physically powerful person there is, and who is a master of aether healing; and of course, there is Alice Chen, who in her very brief appearance in Oathbound, is established to be actively defying death by sheer force of will alone, has seemingly developed her own supernatural abilities entirely independent of any established form of inheritance, and whose intelligence and stubbornness allowed her to overcome a mesmer from a master- because I don't believe that it was Bree's power alone that made Alice immune to mesmers. There is Natasia Kane, one of the most powerful Merlins in the history of the Order who was able to overcome being cast out from the Order and denied her Oaths, consigned to progressing in her Demonia beyond the point of any Merlin's recorded survival; and there is an entire new generation of Legendborn Scions and Squires, and past generations of Legendborn Lieges and even Vassals that could turn away from the Order and follow Bree- and I believe that several of them will. All of these people, all at different levels of power and influence, working in concert to overcome the structures set against them and create something new and better in its wake, are all but guaranteed to succeed.

When book four comes around, while I'm afraid for the future of the characters we love- including and especially Sel, for whom I have a very great affinity, and whose fate seems to be the most potentially tragic- I have both enough faith in Tracy Deonn's writing and understanding of the story she has written, and enough faith in the characters within it, to be truly afraid for the future of the series and its characters. I want what is best for these characters who I love, and I have full faith in both them and in Tracy Deonn to bring that about.

TL;DR, while I felt there were flaws in Oathbound, its story, and its structure, I am eager and excited for the future of the series and optimistic that things will end well for those involved, and I will be waiting very impatiently for the next book. I do not believe that Selwyn will become an antagonist, and still hold absolute faith that he, Nick, and Bree will all end up happily in the end, together, as they care far too much about each other to let any of them fall. There is far more in store for Alice Chen than any of us know, and of course, Bree Matthews will accomplish everything she puts her mind to- of that, I am certain, and I cannot wait to see it.