Get Nerdy With Me No. 1
One of the repeating details in the plots of Legendborn and Bloodmarked.
Tracy Deonn creates repeating cycles for us to notice within the storylines of Legendborn and Bloodmarked, and it’s so freaking cool.
For example, did you notice how Legendborn and Bloodmarked both open very similarly?
with Bree thinking about making a risky, thrilling jump.
with Bree is in a very similar emotional state, feeling trapped.
with Bree, in these awful moments, having a devoted friend at her side.1
Bree at the beginning of Legendborn:
At the beginning of Legendborn, Bree thinks about jumping into the quarry lake at a college party in the woods. It’s what first year EC2 students do traditionally. She’s tempted to take part because she feels trapped by her grief. Could the adrenaline rush of a thrilling jump free her for a moment? She deeply considered it. Alice is with her.
Bree at the beginning of Bloodmarked:
At the beginning of Bloodmarked, the story is almost the same. The difference is Bree is physically—not emotionally—trapped. For her safety, she’s confined to the Legendborn Lodge. She can’t stand the confinement, so she jumps out of her window to go train in the woods. William follows her, so she’s not alone.
Deonn’s plot parallels run deeper than just action & circumstance:
Tracy Deonn repeats actual phrases in these Bree-jumping moments. In Legendborn, the quarry party crowd holds its “collective breath” (page 9). In Bloodmarked, the Legendborn are in a holding pattern, waiting for orders, holding their “collective breath” (page 11).
The Legendborn Cycle series has such a multifaceted exploration of cycles—of life, tradition, history, memory, magic power, and more. Repeating cycles in the actual narrative is just the cherry on top of this incredible series, an intricate thematic emphasis that is fun to observe.
I cannot wait to see if Oathbound opens with Bree jumping too.
My prediction is, if Tracy Deonn poises Bree for a jump in book 3, it will be related to Bree taking flight.🤞🏻
This post is part of my new series where I plan to deep dive Legendborn and Bloodmarked over the next 22 days—until Oathbound’s release on March 4.
I love Alice and William!!!!!!!!!
“Early College.” Bree and Alice are both in UNC Chapel Hill’s Early College Program, a (fictional) highly competitive early admissions program for gifted high school students.
I like your points about repetition, often seen as a bad thing in books (counting the number of times an author uses a certain phrase, for example). But when used appropriately, it can be effective!