Get Nerdy With Me
Annotating Strength, Power, and Control in Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
The Five Part Structure of Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn is So Poetic
Tracy Deonn is a very poetic writer. So poetic, in fact, you can close read the Table of Contents page of Bloodmarked. I’m not kidding.
Let me show you.
For most of Legendborn and Bloodmarked, Bree tries to figure out how she belongs inside The Order, first as a lowly Page and then as its King. The Order, however, contorts itself when Bree emerges as its rightful leader. Instead of embracing her, this predominately white organization defies 15 centuries of tradition and its own precious system of names, titles, and numerical order, all to avoid recognizing a Black girl as the Scion of Arthur, first-ranked, and as king.
It’s a journey, but eventually Bree casts The Order to the wayside. She relinquishes her title—BUT NOT HER MAGNIFICENT POWER—and walks away. She strikes out on her own terms in a true act of volition.
The very structure of the novel mirrors Bree’s journey. You can infer her entire trajectory from the Table of Contents.
Bloodmarked has five parts. Notably, the first four are numbered and fall into a tidy numerically ordered and titled system. It’s a hierarchal system (re: like The Order).
Part I: Strength
Part II: Power
Part III: Control
Part IV: Volition
Yet, the final part of Bloodmarked is unnumbered. It’s simply titled Only A King. Like Bree in this section of the book, Only a King defies the numerical, hierarchal structure that precedes it. When Bree strikes out alone, this section of the novel goes with her.
Holy shit, right?! Tracy Deonn is such a cool writer.
But wait, there’s a little more.
Strength, Power, and Control appear in Bree’s bargain with The Shadow King
The titles of parts I, II, and III (Strength, Power, and Control, respectively) echo in the text of the novel a few times.
If you’d like to annotate this, I recommend using three tabs of the same color. Put one on the Table of Contents page and the other on the passages I quote below. Make some margin notes too!
Strength, power, and control is a saying that originates with Arthur first:
"And because I can help you know strength, power, and control."
Bloodmarked, Chapter 13, page 140
Bree immediately claims these words for herself:
Strength. Power. Control. Enough to fight back and defend myself. To face my enemies. To bring Nick home, save Sel, keep the Rootcrafters safe. No more running away, ever. The point of our arrow. The tip of our spear. Strength. Power. Control. Those three words ring deep inside me, make my mouth water. My voice is hoarse with want. "Tell me.”
Bloodmarked, Chapter 13, page 140
Hundreds of pages later, look how Bree metamorphoses these words. Strength, power, and control become part of her bargain with The Shadow King:
"And what do you wish to know?"
"Strength, power, control. Over my own destiny." I look up at him. "Only a king may teach a king."
"You do realize that the second you reach your magical peak, I will ensure that you die, and devour all of that strength and power you currently seek to gain."
"All the more reason for you to teach me," I say, shrugging. "The more powerful I am, the more powerful you will be when you consume me."
Bloodmarked Chapter 60, page 549
Suggested additional quote to annotate:
(You would need a fourth tab for this.) Even though this sentence is missing “strength,” it’s very adjacent to all the strength, power, and control language I highlighted above.
“All that power—Arthur’s aether armor, Vera’s Bloodcraft root—was out of my control. Just like now.”
Bloodmarked, Chapter 1, page 22
This is my 17th installment of Get Nerdy With Me, a series where I have been deep diving Legendborn and Bloodmarked in anticipation of Oathbound’s release on March 4th. That’s in just 4 days!