Called "a modern day twist on Arthurian legend",[1] it follows a black teenage girl who discovers a secret and historically white magic society.

Legendborn received the Coretta Scott King Award/John Steptoe Award for New Talent as well as a nomination for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

The novel's main character is 16-year-old Bree Matthews, a college student who attempts to infiltrate a historically white magical society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she finds out that some members may have been involved in her mother's recent death.

Through Nick, Bree discovers a secret organization that is full of Legendborn nobles -- descendants from fifteen of King Arthur's knights.

She gradually recovers her memory of her mother's death and is able to uncover the mage's organization enough to decide to infiltrate it as a page, which is a person training to defend the Legendborn nobles.

Publishers Weekly stated, "Though hazy exposition initially slows the narrative, Deonn adeptly employs the haunting history of the American South [...] to explore themes of ancestral pain, grief, and love, balancing them with stimulating worldbuilding and multiple thrilling plot twists."

"[6] Kirkus Reviews noted: "Representation of actualized, strong queer characters is organic, not forced, and so are textual conversations around emotional wellness and intergenerational trauma [...] Well-crafted allusions to established legends and other literary works are delightful easter eggs.