Oathbound Quiz: 20 Questions on Tracy Deonn's Legendborn Cycle Book 3

Test your knowledge of the third book in the Legendborn Cycle. This quiz covers the entire novel, from Briana's capture by the Shadow King to the final confrontation at Penumbra.

Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

1. (Multiple Choice) At the beginning of Oathbound, the Shadow King transports Briana to a specific location to demand a legendary artifact. What does he demand, and where does he take her?

A) The Crown of Arawn, taken to the Penumbra Estate
B) Excalibur, taken to the British Museum
C) The Heart of a Grand Dame, taken to the Crossroads Lounge
D) A soul fragment, taken to the Shadowhold

2. (Multiple Choice) After the Shadow King takes Briana, Nick Davis invokes an ancient ritual to protect himself and further his goals. What is this ritual, and what does it grant him?

A) A curia conventus, granting him a single boon from the Regents
B) A formal duel, granting him the right to challenge a Regent
C) A trial by combat, granting him temporary freedom
D) A blood oath, granting him the power of a Scion

3. (Multiple Choice) During her training, the Shadow King forces Briana to confront a significant loss. What does she discover she has lost when she wakes up after a day of unconsciousness?

A) Her ability to forge constructs
B) Her memories of the people she loves
C) Her connection to her ancestral stream
D) Her control over her root magic

4. (Multiple Choice) Mariah uses her Medium abilities to enter a dreamlike state to help Alice Chen. What does she find Alice trapped in?

A) A prison cell in the Shadow King's domain
B) A time loop, reliving her injury at the Volition battle
C) A deep sleep from which she cannot be woken
D) A bargain with a demon that has claimed her soul

5. (Multiple Choice) To infiltrate Mikael's Collectors' Gala, Bree and Zoe use false identities. What is Bree's cover identity?

A) A wealthy art gallery buyer
B) The fiancée of Benedict Pierce, a resort heir
C) A Rootcrafter seeking refuge
D) A demon hunter from a rival faction

6. (Multiple Choice) At the auction, the Shadow King's crown is sold to a bidder. Who wins the bidding for the crown?

A) Gabriel, a Regent
B) Ava, the Morgaine leader
C) Nick, the Scion of Lancelot
D) Erebus, the Shadow King in disguise

7. (Multiple Choice) After the auction, the group is imprisoned. Who tunnels in to rescue them?

A) William and Lark
B) Valec and Emil
C) Hazel and Lucille
D) Natasia and Edwin

8. (Multiple Choice) In the final confrontation, Selwyn attempts to take the crown. What happens when he touches it?

A) He is destroyed by its power
B) He is transformed and claims it as the Shadow King's son
C) He is trapped inside it, becoming a new prison
D) He uses it to sever his Kingsmage bond with Nick

Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

9. (Short Answer) Why does Briana agree to leave with the Shadow King at the beginning of the novel?

10. (Multiple Choice) What is Nick's primary motivation for calling the curia and confessing to the murder of Maxwell Zhao?

A) To be punished for his crime
B) To gain a sanctioned quest to hunt the Morgaines and escape assassination
C) To expose the Regents' corruption to the Council
D) To be banished from the Order so he can search for Bree freely

11. (Multiple Choice) Why does Erebus keep Elijah as collateral when he sends Bree and Zoe to the auction?

A) To ensure Elijah does not interfere with the plan
B) To guarantee Bree returns safely to him
C) To use Elijah as a bargaining chip with Daeza
D) To punish Elijah for revealing the lead about the crown

12. (Multiple Choice) What motivates Mariah to impersonate the Grand Dame and visit the Nightshade's club?

A) She wants to prove her power to her aunts
B) She believes Bree would take the risk to help her friends
C) She is forced to by Valec
D) She wants to find the missing Rootcrafter girls

13. (Multiple Choice) Why does Nick have a shard of the Shadow King's crown embedded in his chest?

A) To gain the power to defeat the Shadow King
B) To be able to take Arthur's spirit from Bree if he ever possesses her again
C) To track the crown's location at all times
D) To protect himself from the Morgaines' magic

Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

14. (Multiple Choice) The concept of an incomplete bargain is central to the plot. What does the Shadow King reveal about Briana's bargain with him?

A) It is void because she made it under duress
B) It is incomplete because she made two demands but he only fulfilled one
C) It is complete because she fulfilled her end of the deal
D) It is transferable to another demon

15. (Multiple Choice) Briana's memory loss is a key plot device. What does her loss of memories of people, but not of herself, symbolize?

A) The unreliability of memory
B) The cost of her quest for control and self-possession
C) The Shadow King's cruelty
D) The fragility of human relationships

16. (Multiple Choice) The Shadow King's crown is a powerful symbol throughout the novel. What does it primarily represent?

A) The Shadow King's rightful rule over demons
B) A weapon of immense destructive power
C) The key to the Shadow King's freedom and his connection to his true identity
D) The legacy of King Arthur and the Pendragon line

17. (Multiple Choice) The theme of sacrifice is explored through many characters. What does Bree ultimately sacrifice to restore her soul and full memories?

A) Her life
B) Alice Chen's safety, leaving her trapped in purgatory
C) Her relationship with Nick
D) Her root magic

Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

18. (Short Answer) How does the revelation that Selwyn is the Shadow King's son reframe his character arc and his actions throughout the novel?

19. (Short Answer) Compare the Shadow King's methods of control over Briana with the Order's methods of control over its members. How are they similar or different?

20. (Short Answer) The novel ends with Bree becoming 'ruthless.' Based on her journey, what do you think this means for her future as the Scion of Arthur?

Answer Key

Plot & Sequence

1. B) Excalibur, taken to the British Museum

The Shadow King transports Briana to a windowless corridor in the British Museum and demands Excalibur, which she surrenders to a goruchel named Agaraz.

2. A) A curia conventus, granting him a single boon from the Regents

Nick invokes the curia, an ancient ritual that binds the Council to grant a Legendborn's formal request. He uses it to demand a knight's quest to hunt the Morgaines.

3. B) Her memories of the people she loves

After waking, Briana realizes she cannot remember the names or faces of people from her past, including her father, a boy she kissed, and a best friend.

4. B) A time loop, reliving her injury at the Volition battle

Mariah finds Alice frozen in a scene from the Volition battle, which replays multiple times as Alice tries to change the outcome.

5. B) The fiancée of Benedict Pierce, a resort heir

Nick, under the alias Benedict Pierce, introduces Bree as his fiancée, Iris Bauer, to security captain Bianca.

6. A) Gabriel, a Regent

Gabriel wins the bidding for the crown at 9.8 million, but the auction is interrupted by a brawl.

7. B) Valec and Emil

Valec and Emil tunnel into the dungeon cell to rescue Bree, Nick, Zoe, and Mariah.

8. B) He is transformed and claims it as the Shadow King's son

Instead of destroying him, the crown recognizes Selwyn as its rightful heir, transforming him and allowing him to claim it.

Character Motivation

9. Briana agrees to leave with the Shadow King because he offers to take Selwyn to his mother, Natasia, and to train her in strength, power, and control. She believes this is the only way to save Sel and gain the power she needs.

10. B) To gain a sanctioned quest to hunt the Morgaines and escape assassination

Nick engineers his own arrest and uses the curia to force the Council to grant him a formal quest, which gives him a sanctioned, unsupervised mission and protects him from assassination attempts.

11. B) To guarantee Bree returns safely to him

Erebus keeps Elijah as collateral, threatening to end his life if Bree does not return safely from the auction.

12. B) She believes Bree would take the risk to help her friends

Mariah decides to impersonate the Grand Dame because she argues that Bree would take the risk to help her friends, and she wants to find answers about Bree's whereabouts.

13. B) To be able to take Arthur's spirit from Bree if he ever possesses her again

Nick asked Ava to embed the shard in his chest so he could gain the ability to take Arthur's spirit from Bree, even at the cost of his own life.

Theme & Symbol

14. B) It is incomplete because she made two demands but he only fulfilled one

The Shadow King explains that Briana made two demands—training and taking Sel to his mother—but he only fulfilled one, leaving her with an open, unfulfilled debt.

15. B) The cost of her quest for control and self-possession

Her memory loss is a direct result of her desire to become untouchable and to have her power and pain belong only to her. It symbolizes the price of her quest for absolute control.

16. C) The key to the Shadow King's freedom and his connection to his true identity

The crown is the Shadow King's key to returning to the demon dimension and is tied to his true identity as Arawn of Annwfyn.

17. B) Alice Chen's safety, leaving her trapped in purgatory

When Bree chooses to restore her soul, she sacrifices Alice's safety, as the Shadow King threatens that Alice will never wake, trapped in purgatory and hunted by his hounds.

Synthesis

18. The revelation reframes Selwyn's entire arc as a tragic inevitability. His descent into demonia, his hunger for Bree's power, and his final actions are not just a result of his choices but are also tied to his demonic heritage. It complicates his character, making him both a victim of his lineage and a dangerous predator. His claim to the crown positions him as a new, unpredictable power, potentially becoming a greater threat than his father.

19. Both the Shadow King and the Order use control to achieve their ends. The Shadow King uses direct, personal control through the bloodmark, memory erasure, and psychological manipulation. The Order uses systemic control through tradition, law, and the suppression of dissent. Both are willing to sacrifice individuals for their goals, but the Shadow King's control is more intimate and overt, while the Order's is institutional and insidious.

20. Bree's ruthlessness suggests she will be a more decisive and uncompromising leader. She has learned to make hard choices, like sacrificing Alice's safety for her own soul. This could mean she will be more willing to challenge the Order's corruption directly and dismantle its oppressive structures, even if it means using methods that are morally ambiguous. Her journey suggests she will prioritize her own agency and the protection of those she loves, even if it means becoming a figure of fear.