#160 Book Review: Sacrifice [ARC]

Sacrifice (Legacy #3) [ARC]
Release Date: November 2012
Author: Cayla Kluver
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost.Alera

Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy.

Shaselle

Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause.

One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor's edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family's tragedy, following whispers of insurgency.

Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death—or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.

Cover:
I like how the red colour of the girl's dress stands out from the background. Although, I think I prefer the US cover because it reflects the story more, compared to the Aussie cover.

Story:

In war, for peace, sacrifice is always necessary...

If you remember reading my review of Legacy and Allegiance, then you'll know how much I enjoyed Cayla's books. This historical series, combined with a touch of fantasy is really entrancing and fascinating. I was really anxious to read the last book in the series and I'm glad it did not disappoint. Sacrifice is a satisfying conclusion to the whole series.

Unlike the previous two books in the series, Sacrfice is written from two POVs; Alera's and Shaselle's. Alera is now no longer the Queen of Hytanica. She has a new title; Grand Provost after Cokyri took over Hytanica. This book ventures the story of Alera as she tries to maintain the peace between Hytanica and Cokyri even though she is in love with 'the enemy'. The story also ventures Shaselle, the nice of the Captain of the Guards, Cannan as she deals with her changes in life. The new addition of Shaselle's POV adds to the depth of the story and gives a new insight into the life of a girl in Hytanica since Shaselle is not of royalty. The story plot is enjoyable, although like the previous two books, I still feel that the story could have been wrapped up in a 200-300 pages book instead of 400 pages. The romance is sweet and the ending satisfied me. It gives new hopes for the characters and also the readers!

Characters:
Alera truly has changed within the 3 books. She has grown from a spoiled girl who lives in luxury, to a Queen and a leader of her kingdom. She becomes more resolute, making strong decisions for the sake of her kingdom and is trying her best to be a good leader. Her love for Narian is as strong as ever and I really enjoyed her relationship with Narian. Narian is charming, sweet and really kind to Alera and I'm really glad that things are working out really well for both of them in this book.

As for Shaselle, sadly, I didn't actually liked her character. I found her annoying and quite selfish although luckily, she does get better as the book progressed. Cannan, Steldor, London and most of the characters from the first 2 books also appear constantly in this book and they are very enjoyable to read about!

Overall:
Is sacrifice necessary to end war and to create peace? In the last book of the Legacy series, Alera must try and maintain the peace between her kingdom and the 'enemy', proving herself as a good leader for her kingdom. Sacrifice is the enthralling conclusion to the series, one you definitely don't want to miss if you enjoyed the books in the series!

4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Sacrifice!

Thank you Harlequin Teen Australia for the review copy!