#195 Book Review: Legacy

Legacy (Night School #2)
Release Date: 3 January 2013
Author: C.J. Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia
More Info: Goodreads

Summary:

In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought dark-eyed Carter West into her life hasn't hurt either. But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could have imagined. The students and faculty are under threat, and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandmother to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart...

Cover:
Love the snowy theme of the cover and also the building that represents the academy! The red colour of Allie's hair and the font are also a good contrast to the white background.

Story:

Something dark is threatening Cimmeria Academy...

A year ago, I read Night School and absolutely loved it! The dark story about murders in an academy full of secrets was such an intriguing and exciting read I couldn't put the book down at all. When I heard that there was a sequel, I was ecstatic and after finishing Legacy, I believe that the sequel is even better than the first book!

In Legacy, Allie returns back to the academy and continues her life as a student. She is also in a relationship with the 'dreamy' Carter West. Everything sounds perfect, right? But the secrets surrounding Allie and the academy are still a threat and also endanger the students of the academy. The most interesting thing about this book is unravelling all these secrets and mysteries. I love how C.J. Daugherty brought us into some sort of treasure hunt to find all the clues to unlock the secrets and mysteries of the academy and by the end of the book, everything will finally make sense. The murders, the deaths, the betrayals, the romance, they are all pieces of puzzles that when finally assembled, create the 'bigger' picture. The romance in this book, shifts from Allie and Carter to Allie and Sylvain too. This shift is also a part of the secrets and mysteries. The ending left me breathless and I can't wait for the third book in the series!

Characters:
I still adored Allie in this book even though some of her actions and behaviours annoyed me. She is trying to adapt in the academy after all the murders and events in the first book, also trying to have a normal relationship with Carter but alas, the secrets and mysteries cannot stay hidden and become a threat to Allie. This in return, also strains her relationship with Carter who has his own secrets and makes Allie switch to Sylvain for protection, care and someone she can trust with no secrets. I loved Carter and disliked Sylvain in the first book but somehow, C.J. Daugherty manages to switch the situation around and I ended up hating Carter and starting to like Sylvain throughout Legacy. Carter becomes too over-protective of Allie which I hated because he was over-protective but never explained to Allie what was happening in the academy. Sylvain, on the other hand, started off as a friend to Allie (after their relationship was damaged in the first book) but their relationship became more. Sylvain became someone who Allie can rely on, someone she can trust, someone who would listen to her and support her decisions. I enjoyed reading about the other characters from the first book in Legacy but Allie, Carter and Sylvain are definitely the characters that stood out the most for me!

Overall:
Legacy is the amazing sequel to Night School, bringing you a story full of secrets, mysteries with a perfect amount of romance! C.J. Daugherty's writing will take you on a journey to unlock all these secrets, mysteries and the end will leave you breathless. Absolutely can't wait for the third book!

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Legacy!

Thank you Hachette Australia for the review copy!

#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!