Legendborn Moving Forward

Tracy Deonn released the second book in the series, Bloodmarked, on November 8th, 2022. I have yet to read the sequel; therefore, much of my research focuses on the first book and its scenes. She announced the third book in the series entitled Oathbound. While writing this paper, she announced the release date for the third book in the series to come out early 2025, over two years after the second one. In an Instagram post on November 13th, she mentions Legendborn 4, meaning that the series will continue for at least two more books and likely at least four more years. Beyond the book series, she has signed on to create a television series about Legendborn, and many are excited to see their favorite book on screen. She will be continuing the series, and many within the community remain excited for the continuation of their favorite characters and the magical story around them. 

Besides the series continuing, her fame and success have brought attention to the need for proper representation and lack of people-of-color authors. Many online have started sharing their lists of fiction books written by people of color or with diverse characters. By increasing sales of these books, many publishers can start to see these writers and diverse characters as sellable and important additions to the world of fiction. Legendborn has begun a collective on different social media platforms as people beg to see more books like it: a powerful woman of color main character whose race is not just there but a vital part of the story as the character faces racism and grapples with her ancestors' history. 

There is no numerical way of knowing at this point if Legendborn increased speculative fiction books written by people of color. However, from a reader's perspective, Legendborn has drawn more attention to books representing people of color, even if it is subconscious. As more publishers release books, we can realize if Deonn started an increase in diverse publications. As more sales occur, we may see the numbers behind how many books including diverse characters are selling and if there are more than pre-2020. For now, Legendborn remains a phenomenon that will continue to amaze people for years to come.