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Legacy of the Empress
A dark magic spreads through the kingdom of Taleria, feeding off its people. The queen is corrupted, seduced by its evil promise. Princess Astrid, held prisoner in the castle by her mother for years, discovers a book of magic, and uses its power to escape.
The only way to save Taleria is to free the Empress of legend who banished the same dark magic centuries before. Astrid doesn't know the first thing about being a hero, much less journeying to the Crystal Fortress where the old woman is imprisoned. She's never been outside her mother's grasp, and now the queen's spies are hot on her heels.
Beautiful creatures twisted into monsters, uncertain allies, and the deadly mystery of the book she possesses are the least of Astrid's concerns. As she faces the darkness before her, she discovers that saving the land she loves may ultimately mean watching it burn.
Legacy of the Empress is 95,000 words, or approximately 380 pages.
The only way to save Taleria is to free the Empress of legend who banished the same dark magic centuries before. Astrid doesn't know the first thing about being a hero, much less journeying to the Crystal Fortress where the old woman is imprisoned. She's never been outside her mother's grasp, and now the queen's spies are hot on her heels.
Beautiful creatures twisted into monsters, uncertain allies, and the deadly mystery of the book she possesses are the least of Astrid's concerns. As she faces the darkness before her, she discovers that saving the land she loves may ultimately mean watching it burn.
Legacy of the Empress is 95,000 words, or approximately 380 pages.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 13, 2011
Legacy of the Empress - A fantasy fairytale with a dark twist
The story follows Princess Astrid, imprisoned in a tower by her evil mother, Queen Leanore, who has apparently struck a deal with dark magic. Astrid, who has her own magical abilities and a book of magic, manages to escape and goes in search for someone to help defeat her mother and the darkness that is terrorizing the land.
With the exception of a gruesome prologue, the story starts in a sweet and innocent enough tone, in almost classic fairytale fashion. Somehow, there is always a feeling that something less pleasant is just around the corner as Astrid is fleeing her mother's henchmen and the encroaching darkness, with the horrors it holds.
Astrid goes in search of the Empress Orenda, who centuries ago managed to defeat the darkness. Astrid is joined by the young man Torin, who has some affinity with magic as well. Aided by the book of magic, they set off to find the Empress, in a classic quest.
The story is well-written, with decent pace, tension and character development. At first the sweet tone of the story baffled me a bit, but it lends such vivid contrast to the occasional dark, almost horror-like scenes of the novel and fits the theme of good against evil perfectly. This indie novel by Rebecca Knight is well edited, has good formatting and a pleasant writing style.
The one thing that did disappoint me is that the climax is a bit too rushed, and could have had more impact. But overall this is a very good read for those loving fantasy fairy-tales with a little dark twist and some notes of horror.
The story follows Princess Astrid, imprisoned in a tower by her evil mother, Queen Leanore, who has apparently struck a deal with dark magic. Astrid, who has her own magical abilities and a book of magic, manages to escape and goes in search for someone to help defeat her mother and the darkness that is terrorizing the land.
With the exception of a gruesome prologue, the story starts in a sweet and innocent enough tone, in almost classic fairytale fashion. Somehow, there is always a feeling that something less pleasant is just around the corner as Astrid is fleeing her mother's henchmen and the encroaching darkness, with the horrors it holds.
Astrid goes in search of the Empress Orenda, who centuries ago managed to defeat the darkness. Astrid is joined by the young man Torin, who has some affinity with magic as well. Aided by the book of magic, they set off to find the Empress, in a classic quest.
The story is well-written, with decent pace, tension and character development. At first the sweet tone of the story baffled me a bit, but it lends such vivid contrast to the occasional dark, almost horror-like scenes of the novel and fits the theme of good against evil perfectly. This indie novel by Rebecca Knight is well edited, has good formatting and a pleasant writing style.
The one thing that did disappoint me is that the climax is a bit too rushed, and could have had more impact. But overall this is a very good read for those loving fantasy fairy-tales with a little dark twist and some notes of horror.
July 6, 2011
Brief Summary: Legacy of the Empress follows the tale of Princess Astrid, a young woman who has been trapped in a tower by her mother for the last ten years. Around her eighteenth birthday, Astrid, who has a talent for magic, finds a way to free herself. At first, her only goal is to get as far away from her mother as possible. Then she meets an elemental who gives her a wonderful gift and tells her about the Empress. The Empress is the only person to ever meet and defeat the darkness that is plaguing the land. Astrid goes on a quest to find and save the Empress, whose imprisonment in the Crystal Fortress led to the return of the darkness. But in her quest to free her kingdom, she realizes the price might be higher than she imagined.
Why You Should Read It: Knight tells an amazing story. Simple as that. I've read a lot of wonderful work from indies, but this book makes it onto my absolute favorites. Right up there with Lord of the Rings and the Drizzt books (I'm not comparing it to those books, just saying I loved it as much as I loved them). There is a very good chance that I will read this novel again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the only reason it took me so long to finish is that real life kept popping up and bothering me. I've heard there is a sequel planned, and I'll definitely be one of the first in line for it.
Why You Should Read It: Knight tells an amazing story. Simple as that. I've read a lot of wonderful work from indies, but this book makes it onto my absolute favorites. Right up there with Lord of the Rings and the Drizzt books (I'm not comparing it to those books, just saying I loved it as much as I loved them). There is a very good chance that I will read this novel again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the only reason it took me so long to finish is that real life kept popping up and bothering me. I've heard there is a sequel planned, and I'll definitely be one of the first in line for it.
October 13, 2011
it has been a while since ive read such an engrossing fantasy story.the novel is dark but still manages to maintain a sense of innocence. i loved both astrid and torin as characters with their goodness and their flaws. the ending was satisfying though there was one or two loose ends i wish were answered. in the end i wished there was more and hope there will be a sequel because i would buy it immediately.
July 16, 2011
Okay, I'll be the first to admit, this is a little outside of the genre I typically read, so I was nervous about "getting into it." Wow. From the gripping (albeit a little gory!) :) prologue to the satisfying end, Rebecca Knight's writing is flawless and captivating. You won't be disappointed with this read, even if it's outside your norm!
Will write a more in-depth review shortly!
Will write a more in-depth review shortly!
April 2, 2012
Found the book rather boring through certain sections, and almost glazing over parts to get to something interesting. Situations not explained very well. Generally predictable, including what happens to Astrid at the end, and the prose felt somewhat amateurish. Was not terrible but wasn't particularly entertaining for the most part, unfortunately.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews