#88 Book Review: Legacy

Legacy
Release Date: March 1st 2012
Author: Cayla Kluver
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon & The Book Depository
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:
In her seventeenth year, Princess Alera of Hytanica faces one duty: to marry the man who will be king. But her father's choice of suitor fills her with despair. When the palace guard captures an intruder -- a boy her age with steel-blue eyes, hailing from her kingdom's greatest enemy -- Alera is alarmed…and intrigued. But she could not have guessed that their clandestine meetings would unveil the dark legacy shadowing both their lands.

In this mystical world of court conspiracies and blood magic, loyalties will be tested. Courage won't be enough. And as the battle begins for everything Alera holds dear, love may be the downfall of a kingdom.

My review:

Cover:
The Australian cover is quite gorgeous although I prefer the US cover because it portrays the story more. I like the background though, it's dark with red colours. I also like how the cream coloured dress stands out from the background.

3 Forget-Me-Not flowers for the cover!

Story:

A dark legacy...

Alera is a 17 years old Hytanican Princess. When she reaches 18, she will have to marry one of her suitors and her father wants her to marry Steldor. The King thinks that Steldor will be the right man to replace him but Alera dislikes Steldor. One day, a Cokyrian boy called Narian is captured and Alera is intrigued by him. He turns out to be a long lost family member of one of the lords in her kingdom. As Alera spends her time knowing Narian, she is faced with a choice. She can choose to marry Steldor and forfeit her happiness, or forfeit her throne as a Queen to marry Narian...

I'm really impressed with Cayla Kluver's writing. If I'm not mistaken, she wrote Legacy when she was 16! Her writing style is absolutely mature and she voices her characters really well. Her detailed descriptions of the kingdom's life makes me able to imagine life as a Hytanican Princess and what it feels like to be living in wealth while being pressured to marry at a very young age. The kingdom of Hytanica's enemy, Cokyria, is also very interesting. I'm really curious of what their kingdom is like and how its people live their lives. The ending made me want to read Allegiance, the sequel ASAP. I wanted to know what's going to happen with the characters after the ending. One thing I didn't quite like about this book was how the story felt repetitive throughout the 500 pages. When I first saw this book, I was surprised at how thick it was. I am not judging a book by its thickness because if it's really good, I might not even realize that I've read 500 pages. This book made me anxious as to what other things can happen within the 500 pages? I think the book could have been summed up in a 300 pages book better than a 500 pages book. There were too many details about the life of Kingdom while the facts about Cokyrian kingdom were barely addressed in the book. Although, I definitely am looking forward to the sequel to see how Cayla develops the story!

Characters:
Alera is a very enjoyable character to read about. I can completely connect with her and understand how it feels like to be pressured in marrying someone when you are not in love with any of them. I can feel her connection and attraction to Narian and even though some of her actions annoy me, she is quite a strong-willed and stubborn character. Narian is such a mysterious and intriguing character who I really want to know more about. He is not discussed a lot in this book, particularly near the end of the book and I kept on searching for scenes in the book with him. Alera's sister, mother, father are also great side characters who plays a big role in Alera's life. I definitely hated Steldor. Even though he is suit to be King, I dislike his behaviour, his arrogance, even his looks (although he is described as handsome) and I can imagine why Alera does not want to marry him.

Overall:
Legacy introduced me to a new of world with 2 Kingdoms in the brink of war and the life of a Hytanican Princess. Even though I think that some of the parts in the story felt repetitive, it was still an enjoyable read and I can't wait to read Allegiance!

4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Legacy!

Thank you Harlequin Teen Australia for the review copy!