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Legacy #1
Legacy
A CROWN PRINCESS A SCANDALOUS SECRET CRUSH A KINGDOM ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER In her seventeenth year, Princess Alera of Hytanica faces one 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. “A thoroughly entertaining read, Legacy shows a lot of promise, for Kluver and her princess.”—Miami Herald
464 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2008
163 people are currently reading
12375 people want to read
About the author
Cayla Kluver
10 books850 followersCayla Kluver is the author of the Legacy Series (LEGACY, 2011; ALLEGIANCE, 2012; SACRIFICE, 2012). Her new book THE QUEEN'S CHOICE will be published by HarlequinTEEN in winter 2013/spring 2014.
Cayla spends her free time singing, reading, dancing, and horseback riding. Her office is filled with twinkly lights. She travels frequently to speak at middle and high schools, libraries, and book conventions. New York City is one of her favorite places on the planet.
Cayla spends her free time singing, reading, dancing, and horseback riding. Her office is filled with twinkly lights. She travels frequently to speak at middle and high schools, libraries, and book conventions. New York City is one of her favorite places on the planet.
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June 22, 2011
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So I woke up this morning, and I used a red rubberband to tie up my brown hair with gold highlights. Then I made my bed by folding my quilt, and squaring the corners. After that, I squeezed my fresh, minty-smelling green toothpaste onto my blue-and-white toothbrush and brushed my teeth. Then I went into the kitchen where I used my favourite 1 litre saucepan to make tea. I brewed my tea for about two minutes before straining it and adding milk. Then I added sugar and drank my tea slowly, flicking through the morning paper. I was wearing blue and yellow striped pajamas, and pink bunny slippers.
....ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Cayla Kluver is a debut author with little to no experience, and it shows. For some unfathomable reason, Harlequin Teen appears to have picked up a self-pubbed teen author and given her a book contract, subsequently releasing an ARC, all without ever editing the book!!! I don't get it. This is very clearly a book written by a novice, and one that has never been edited. Why, oh why, would you put it out into the world?
So, the story. To be honest, I read about a quarter of the book and then just sort of skimmed. Nothing I read later led me to believe the book got any better, so I feel no guilt about my speed-reading. I'm going to give you the synopsis of the book, and someone who actually reads the book can tell me if I've gotten any part of it wrong.
Alera, Princess of Hytanica, is a very boring seventeen year old who can't stop moaning about how her father expects her to choose her husband within the next year. Her troubles are compounded by the fact that her only suitable "suitor" is Steldor, a caricature of a narcissist who can't stop talking about himself. As a Princess she is taught to wander around the palace aimlessly for the most part, occassionally relieving the tedium by attending birthday and tea parties.
Then an enemy from the neighbouring kingdom of Cokyria attacks her, and suddenly she discovers that- yes!- there is more to life than marital troubles! Oh wait, no that was a minor manuscript malfunction, let's go back to agonizing about marriage.
Then ANOTHER Cokyrian gets caught (they must all go to spy school, obs!) and of course Alera falls for him and then of course some very borin angst happens and of course she ends up starcrossed and awaiting the rest of her boring story in a sequel. The End.
The writing. Oh the poor words, they were writhing in pain on the page, overflowing with abundant sorrow. Like every rookie, Kluver feels the need to describe Every.Single.Thing. (Of course, this is not necessarily a failure unique to rookies. *cough Cassandra Clare cough*) Everything is described in excruciating detail, from what every single person in every single scene is wearing, to the exact sequence of actions. For example, no one ever walks from the ballroom to the garden, oh no! They always have to leave the ballroom, turn right at the corridor, which will then bring them to the main corridor which bisects the East and West Wing; the East wing contains the Throne Room, while the West Wing is the royal family's private rooms. Then they go through the gates guarded by two Palace Guards, who announce them to the other palace guards in the garden, and finally you are out in the garden, filled with the scent of jasmine and rose.
The characters are flat and uni-dimensional, for the most part. There's no life to them, with the possible exception of London, Alera's bodyguard and the only person who seems to be less of a caricature and more of a human being.
The plot has more holes that Swiss cheese. Firstly, there is a completely unnecessary prologue that sort of smacks you in the face with all the info required to read the book. Forget working the backstory into the plot, you can just dump it all into two pages of prologue- easy peasy! Then there's the fact that the heroine is a snooze-fest rolled in a sleeping pill. Also, stupid and pretty selfish.
The language is stilted and unnatural, struggling to balance an archaic turn of phrase with relatably-modern idioms. It's all just one big holy mess.
To be honest, I cannot blame the author for this book; I'm fairly sure my writing wasn't much better when I was fifteen. The problem, however, is that Harlequin Teen seems to think this creative writing school project is something people ought to spend their money on- Sorry Cayla, but my response to that is an equivocal 'Hell No'. Someday, with time, and effort and maturity, this will be a book worthy of being published. As it stands, it is obviously the product of a young, unformed mind with neither the technical skills nor the life experience required to write a largely palatable book. I think it's beyond time the publishing industry stopped enabling the Adornetto-wannabes of the world!
So I woke up this morning, and I used a red rubberband to tie up my brown hair with gold highlights. Then I made my bed by folding my quilt, and squaring the corners. After that, I squeezed my fresh, minty-smelling green toothpaste onto my blue-and-white toothbrush and brushed my teeth. Then I went into the kitchen where I used my favourite 1 litre saucepan to make tea. I brewed my tea for about two minutes before straining it and adding milk. Then I added sugar and drank my tea slowly, flicking through the morning paper. I was wearing blue and yellow striped pajamas, and pink bunny slippers.
....ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
Cayla Kluver is a debut author with little to no experience, and it shows. For some unfathomable reason, Harlequin Teen appears to have picked up a self-pubbed teen author and given her a book contract, subsequently releasing an ARC, all without ever editing the book!!! I don't get it. This is very clearly a book written by a novice, and one that has never been edited. Why, oh why, would you put it out into the world?
So, the story. To be honest, I read about a quarter of the book and then just sort of skimmed. Nothing I read later led me to believe the book got any better, so I feel no guilt about my speed-reading. I'm going to give you the synopsis of the book, and someone who actually reads the book can tell me if I've gotten any part of it wrong.
Alera, Princess of Hytanica, is a very boring seventeen year old who can't stop moaning about how her father expects her to choose her husband within the next year. Her troubles are compounded by the fact that her only suitable "suitor" is Steldor, a caricature of a narcissist who can't stop talking about himself. As a Princess she is taught to wander around the palace aimlessly for the most part, occassionally relieving the tedium by attending birthday and tea parties.
Then an enemy from the neighbouring kingdom of Cokyria attacks her, and suddenly she discovers that- yes!- there is more to life than marital troubles! Oh wait, no that was a minor manuscript malfunction, let's go back to agonizing about marriage.
Then ANOTHER Cokyrian gets caught (they must all go to spy school, obs!) and of course Alera falls for him and then of course some very borin angst happens and of course she ends up starcrossed and awaiting the rest of her boring story in a sequel. The End.
The writing. Oh the poor words, they were writhing in pain on the page, overflowing with abundant sorrow. Like every rookie, Kluver feels the need to describe Every.Single.Thing. (Of course, this is not necessarily a failure unique to rookies. *cough Cassandra Clare cough*) Everything is described in excruciating detail, from what every single person in every single scene is wearing, to the exact sequence of actions. For example, no one ever walks from the ballroom to the garden, oh no! They always have to leave the ballroom, turn right at the corridor, which will then bring them to the main corridor which bisects the East and West Wing; the East wing contains the Throne Room, while the West Wing is the royal family's private rooms. Then they go through the gates guarded by two Palace Guards, who announce them to the other palace guards in the garden, and finally you are out in the garden, filled with the scent of jasmine and rose.
The characters are flat and uni-dimensional, for the most part. There's no life to them, with the possible exception of London, Alera's bodyguard and the only person who seems to be less of a caricature and more of a human being.
The plot has more holes that Swiss cheese. Firstly, there is a completely unnecessary prologue that sort of smacks you in the face with all the info required to read the book. Forget working the backstory into the plot, you can just dump it all into two pages of prologue- easy peasy! Then there's the fact that the heroine is a snooze-fest rolled in a sleeping pill. Also, stupid and pretty selfish.
The language is stilted and unnatural, struggling to balance an archaic turn of phrase with relatably-modern idioms. It's all just one big holy mess.
To be honest, I cannot blame the author for this book; I'm fairly sure my writing wasn't much better when I was fifteen. The problem, however, is that Harlequin Teen seems to think this creative writing school project is something people ought to spend their money on- Sorry Cayla, but my response to that is an equivocal 'Hell No'. Someday, with time, and effort and maturity, this will be a book worthy of being published. As it stands, it is obviously the product of a young, unformed mind with neither the technical skills nor the life experience required to write a largely palatable book. I think it's beyond time the publishing industry stopped enabling the Adornetto-wannabes of the world!
August 3, 2011
I’ll admit it, when I was fourteen my writing sucked and when I read it over I cringe in embarrassment. And this book produced the same reaction. After reading this book I understand how awesome editors are and damn, did this book need it.
I love me some description, beautiful, lyrical stuff that’ll make you turn green in fits of raging jealousy but shit, man, when they fail, oh boy do they fail. Frick, if I wanted to read paragraphs and paragraphs of technical descriptions about the color of someone’s dress, their facial features, their place in royal lineage, the rooms, and freaking everything like that in some boring, dry prose, I’d read a freaking textbook!
I don’t know how I survived this book. I skimmed through the whole thing a lot! As soon as I started reading a description my eyeballs just raced over the words like I was having a brand being burned on my ass, but even then I could not escape its evil clutches! It felt like my brain was leaking out through my face and I had the biggest headache you could ever imagine!
In fact, I was so FED up and annoyed with it that it’s turned me into a description hating machine! I want to go into my manuscript and rip out every description I can find because ugh, I don’t want to even CONTEMPLATE the possibility of it turning into such an eyesore of epic proportions like this book has.
The only reason I persevered and forced myself to read this thing was because I liked one character. The only who was decent and had any semblance of depth.London. Landon. I’m going to call him that because London draws up giant mental images of Big Ben and it just sounds strange. Landon fits the whole soldier in a royal setting thing I have going on. Anyway, he’s sarcastic, cautious, and just a teensy bit damaged.
Alera is a whiny, selfish, immature bitch and I hate her! God! If I had to hear her complaining about how much she has to choose a husband for the kingdom I think I would have smacked her in the face. She does the dumbest things and she treats other people like such a jerk bag when they didn’t deserve it. I really hated how she ratted out one of the characters when she should have just ASKED them about it first. She totally should not have been forgiven! I wouldn’t! UGH.
Steldor was such a cardboard cutout, it was plain to see that the author was intending him to be the DISLIKEABLE character but it’s pretty bad if you end up liking him more than the real person of the love triangle. He’s the obnoxious, pretentious, and self-absorbed suitor she’s supposed to marry but he’s a lot more tolerable than Alera is, at any day of the freaking week. He can be generally nice (unlike her) and witty despite his childish behavior and I really hated the heavy handed way the author showed him bullying someone just to drive it home that he’s someone we’re not supposed to like.
Narian. Ugh. I hate him too! Everything about him is YUCK. I swear, every time he came into the scene I thought he was a condescending, pompous jerk who thought himself too good for the place. The way he talks, acts, and what not is just annoying to the max. I see no special attraction to his character and why he’d want to put with such a bratty princess like Alera. But then they both have superiority complexes so maybe they’re perfect for each other. Damn, I hope he gets shot in the face with his own poison darts! When he ran off at the end, I was so excited.
This book needed a shit ton more editing. Especially with those unnecessary scenes that did nothing for the story, like the whole deal with Alera’s sister being sick or pretending to be sick. Plus all that description this book could have been a HUNDRED PAGES SHORTER, maybe two hundred, but any amount of cutting would have made this a lot better.
Whoever supposedly helped her edit/beta this book were terrible critiquers. Maybe if I was a twelve-year-old without a (now) more critical view of writing, I would have enjoyed this. But for me, at my age, this book makes me want to rip it up into a million shreds.
The premise of this book is so awesome. Props to whoever wrote it. And the cover is gorgeous. Shame. There are very faint glimmers of talent and potential but this is so few and far in between. I'm sure with a lot, lot more practice the author could be a good writer.
I love me some description, beautiful, lyrical stuff that’ll make you turn green in fits of raging jealousy but shit, man, when they fail, oh boy do they fail. Frick, if I wanted to read paragraphs and paragraphs of technical descriptions about the color of someone’s dress, their facial features, their place in royal lineage, the rooms, and freaking everything like that in some boring, dry prose, I’d read a freaking textbook!
I don’t know how I survived this book. I skimmed through the whole thing a lot! As soon as I started reading a description my eyeballs just raced over the words like I was having a brand being burned on my ass, but even then I could not escape its evil clutches! It felt like my brain was leaking out through my face and I had the biggest headache you could ever imagine!
In fact, I was so FED up and annoyed with it that it’s turned me into a description hating machine! I want to go into my manuscript and rip out every description I can find because ugh, I don’t want to even CONTEMPLATE the possibility of it turning into such an eyesore of epic proportions like this book has.
The only reason I persevered and forced myself to read this thing was because I liked one character. The only who was decent and had any semblance of depth.
Alera is a whiny, selfish, immature bitch and I hate her! God! If I had to hear her complaining about how much she has to choose a husband for the kingdom I think I would have smacked her in the face. She does the dumbest things and she treats other people like such a jerk bag when they didn’t deserve it. I really hated how she ratted out one of the characters when she should have just ASKED them about it first. She totally should not have been forgiven! I wouldn’t! UGH.
Steldor was such a cardboard cutout, it was plain to see that the author was intending him to be the DISLIKEABLE character but it’s pretty bad if you end up liking him more than the real person of the love triangle. He’s the obnoxious, pretentious, and self-absorbed suitor she’s supposed to marry but he’s a lot more tolerable than Alera is, at any day of the freaking week. He can be generally nice (unlike her) and witty despite his childish behavior and I really hated the heavy handed way the author showed him bullying someone just to drive it home that he’s someone we’re not supposed to like.
Narian. Ugh. I hate him too! Everything about him is YUCK. I swear, every time he came into the scene I thought he was a condescending, pompous jerk who thought himself too good for the place. The way he talks, acts, and what not is just annoying to the max. I see no special attraction to his character and why he’d want to put with such a bratty princess like Alera. But then they both have superiority complexes so maybe they’re perfect for each other. Damn, I hope he gets shot in the face with his own poison darts! When he ran off at the end, I was so excited.
This book needed a shit ton more editing. Especially with those unnecessary scenes that did nothing for the story, like the whole deal with Alera’s sister being sick or pretending to be sick. Plus all that description this book could have been a HUNDRED PAGES SHORTER, maybe two hundred, but any amount of cutting would have made this a lot better.
Whoever supposedly helped her edit/beta this book were terrible critiquers. Maybe if I was a twelve-year-old without a (now) more critical view of writing, I would have enjoyed this. But for me, at my age, this book makes me want to rip it up into a million shreds.
The premise of this book is so awesome. Props to whoever wrote it. And the cover is gorgeous. Shame. There are very faint glimmers of talent and potential but this is so few and far in between. I'm sure with a lot, lot more practice the author could be a good writer.
April 12, 2021
Alera ist Prinzessin von Hytanica. Ihr Vater ist der König, und er möchte Alera an ihrem 18. Geburtstag traditionsgemäß verheiraten. Mit der Hochzeit wird er selbst abdanken und Aleras Ehemann den Thron überlassen. Er hat auch bereits einen Mann für seine Tochter im Auge: Stendor. Stendor ist der Sohn seines Wachhauptmannes und erfüllt sämtliche Kriterien, die der König an seinen Nachfolger stellt. Alera ist mit der Wahl gar nicht einverstanden, denn obwohl Stendor unglaublich gut aussieht, ist er ihr unsympathisch. Er ist arrogant und überheblich. Eines Tages taucht Narian im Königreich auf. Er ist der als Baby entführte Sohn eines hytanischen Lords, der im verfeindeten Königreich Cokyri aufgewachsen ist. Man ist ihm gegenüber misstrauisch. Kann man Narian wirklich trauen, oder spioniert er für den Feind? Oder ist er womöglich sogar das Kind, das der Legende zufolge den Untergang für Hytanica bringen kann? Alera verliebt sich in Narian, und er scheint ihre Gefühle zu erwidern. Gegen den ausdrücklichen Wunsch ihres Vaters trifft sie sich heimlich mit Narian, bis er eines Tages plötzlich verschwindet…
Mir hat dieser Roman im Großen und Ganzen gut gefallen. Die Geschichte wird schön erzählt und erinnert mich ein wenig an die Märchen, die ich früher als Kind so gerne gelesen habe. Man kann beim Lesen erkennen, dass die Autorin selbst noch sehr jung ist. Für ein paar schöne unbeschwerte Lesestunden eignet sich dieser Roman bestens.
Mir hat dieser Roman im Großen und Ganzen gut gefallen. Die Geschichte wird schön erzählt und erinnert mich ein wenig an die Märchen, die ich früher als Kind so gerne gelesen habe. Man kann beim Lesen erkennen, dass die Autorin selbst noch sehr jung ist. Für ein paar schöne unbeschwerte Lesestunden eignet sich dieser Roman bestens.
January 10, 2013
Could not get through this one--needed a lot more editing.
April 27, 2012
WOW! This book was amazing! I loved everything about it, the characters were well developed, the storyline was intriguing, the romance was great, descriptions of surroundings were wonderful. It was the perfect book for me. I love fairy tales and fantasy books and this just became my favorite. I am trying to think were to begin it was all so good,and I don't want to give anything away. Princess Alera of Hytanica Kingdom is coming of age to marry. Her father is ready to relinquish his title to whom ever Alera marries. However who ever Alera chooses to marry must be approved by her father, and their is thus far only one man that he feels can take his place, Steldor. Steldor is handsome and full of chivalry but.... he is also full of himself and rightly so. Steldor is amazing he is the best of the best. Best Knight, best in his class,he is charming, all the women adore him, and he drives Alera crazy with his arrogance. Then enters Narian a handsome and mysteries young man. He has arrived from a rival kingdom, many questions are raised about him, is he a threat, why is he their, what does he want? On top of all of this there are secrets of ancient origins that threaten to tear Hytanica apart and bring her to war. This book is a wonderful romantic, intriguing, adventures, mysterious gem of a book.
I loved Alera, she was the perfect 17 year old, she was strong, witty, knew what she wanted but wasn't sure how to get it. I liked this aspect of Alera, to often books of this kind the lead woman character is so strong and things just happen because they can. With Alera we see her coming of age and trying to over come some of her immaturity, and naivety. Her father is king and she shows him the respect he deserves, even when she doesn't want too. At times this frustrated me, but if I looked at it from a 17 year old living in her time period, it was very real her emotions and reactions. I really appreciated that Ms. Kluver kept Alera true to who she was. Alera wasn't wimpy she stood up to her father and others, but she was respectful of protocol,and her kingdom. Steldor is gorgeous and swoon worthy, and utterly irritating. Yet at the same time he does try to be good to Alera and win her over. so I do have respect for the guy. I developed a love hate relationship with Steldor. Narian is handsome to but not quite as much as Steldor. He is smart and witty full of chivalry and good to Alera. Another of my favorite characters was London, he is Alera's bodyguard and he is tuff, sensitive, and just amazing with Alera, he was one of my favorites. There are many other wonderful characters in this story that I will save for you to explore. The ending of this book was just unbelievable, I am in aw, I don't even know what to say, with out giving to much a way. I am still shaking my head and have re-read the ending over a few times already wow! As you can tell I really loved and enjoyed this book. If you haven't read it go get it! I can hardly wait for book two and three, please hurry and release them!!
Clean language
Clean romance
Audio version fun to listen to. Still my favorite ever series:D
I loved Alera, she was the perfect 17 year old, she was strong, witty, knew what she wanted but wasn't sure how to get it. I liked this aspect of Alera, to often books of this kind the lead woman character is so strong and things just happen because they can. With Alera we see her coming of age and trying to over come some of her immaturity, and naivety. Her father is king and she shows him the respect he deserves, even when she doesn't want too. At times this frustrated me, but if I looked at it from a 17 year old living in her time period, it was very real her emotions and reactions. I really appreciated that Ms. Kluver kept Alera true to who she was. Alera wasn't wimpy she stood up to her father and others, but she was respectful of protocol,and her kingdom. Steldor is gorgeous and swoon worthy, and utterly irritating. Yet at the same time he does try to be good to Alera and win her over. so I do have respect for the guy. I developed a love hate relationship with Steldor. Narian is handsome to but not quite as much as Steldor. He is smart and witty full of chivalry and good to Alera. Another of my favorite characters was London, he is Alera's bodyguard and he is tuff, sensitive, and just amazing with Alera, he was one of my favorites. There are many other wonderful characters in this story that I will save for you to explore. The ending of this book was just unbelievable, I am in aw, I don't even know what to say, with out giving to much a way. I am still shaking my head and have re-read the ending over a few times already wow! As you can tell I really loved and enjoyed this book. If you haven't read it go get it! I can hardly wait for book two and three, please hurry and release them!!
Clean language
Clean romance
Audio version fun to listen to. Still my favorite ever series:D
July 28, 2009
First let me just say wow. I am in love with this book and with Cayla's beautiful writing. Cayla wrote this book when she was only 14 years old! I know, can you believe it? I am so impressed with the storyline, it kept me at the edge of my seat. I loved the descriptive details which helped me imagine the life of Princess Alera. I enjoyed most of the characters, with the exception of one, Steldor, which was her father's choice for suitor, he was an arrogant son of a gun. I don't want to say a lot about the story since I want everyone to experience it for themselves. Legacy is a mix of King Arthur and Romeo and Juliet in a way. I honestly will say it's now on my top five favorite books with Twilight and The Hunger Games. The ending left me wanting more and I can't wait to continue the story with book 2, Allegiance. So, as you can all see I thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it to everyone.
June 13, 2011
Legacy follows Princess Alera as she goes about her daily life. Her father is determined for her to marry by the age of eighteen so he can step down and Alera can rule along side her husband. The problem is the only male in the kingdom who seems suitable for Alera, by her father’s standards, is the unbearable and egotistical Steldor. Meanwhile, there is still a great deal of tension between Alera’s kingdom, Hytancia, and the nearby kingdom of Cokryi. The last act Cokryi took against Hytancia was to steal a bunch of babies and leave their dead bodies at the front gates, except one baby was unaccounted for. Cokryi had stopped the battle against Hytancia abruptly and none have ever stepped foot in Alera’s kingdom since. But the tension and distrust between both kingdoms grow as Narian, the mysterious boy who had been captured by Alera’s guards, is discovered to be the unaccounted for baby and now Alera finds herself developing feelings for him. A love that may be the downfall to her kingdom.
I had been pretty excited to read this novel. The book sounded as if it would offer a wonderful plot and rich characters but after a few chapters I found myself completely bored with the story. I started skimming through pages then skipping ahead because I honestly could not get into it.
The main character, Alera, spends soooo much time talking about frivolous and superficial stuff. Constantly describing what she was wearing, what her sister, Miranna, was wearing, how wealthy she was, how her hair was done etc. She also spends a great deal whining. Her sister, Miranna, is just as annoying. She is younger and I do know how bothersome younger siblings can be but Alera and her sister were just too boring to care about. I can understand that Alera and her sister were raised very sheltered and there are many restrictions on women in the kingdom but I just didn’t see anything really interesting about either girls.
Steldor was probably one of the well written characters. He is extremely arrogant, driven, and a total play boy. He never tries to pretend what he isn’t. He is also very clever and cunning. Steldor was one of the characters that really shined in the novel even though he was most of the time, a total jerk. But I respect him for the fact that he never tried to convince anyone was anything else than what he is. London, Alera’s bodyguard, is also one of the only good characters in the book. He is agile, sexy, and mysterious. He also has a good sense of humor. He isn’t afraid to be honest with Alera, even if it means hurting her feelings.
The characters really were never well developed. Alera never changes nor does her sister. They also make INCREDIBLY stupid decisions. I had no respect for Alera. The plot was drawn out slowly but, in truth, was pretty much nonexistent. The novel consists of a constant mass of descriptions for every little thing and Alera whining she would have no choice but to marry Steldor. I never understood what Narian saw in her. Steldor, I figured, just wanted to marry her because he wants to be king but what either man sees in her eludes me. There was never any real chemistry between Alera and Narian or Alera and Steldor. Steldor never seemed to be attracted to her.
The descriptions in the novel are endless. Descriptions of what people were wearing, what everyone was eating, how the kingdom looked. I enjoy reading descriptions. You can’t write a novel without it but there’s a difference between just enough and too much. In Legacy, the descriptions were WAY too much creating a yawn fest most of the time.
Legacy failed to leave a good impression on me. The dialogue is forced. The characters are cliché and stereotypical. The plot is lack luster. Maybe the fact that the novel was written by a fourteen year old has something to do with it, not sure. But then again, Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Chronicles was wonderful and he started them when he was a teenager.
There are two more books in the trilogy, and in case you want to give the book a try for yourself, check out the author’s site at: http://www.caylakluver.com/
I had been pretty excited to read this novel. The book sounded as if it would offer a wonderful plot and rich characters but after a few chapters I found myself completely bored with the story. I started skimming through pages then skipping ahead because I honestly could not get into it.
The main character, Alera, spends soooo much time talking about frivolous and superficial stuff. Constantly describing what she was wearing, what her sister, Miranna, was wearing, how wealthy she was, how her hair was done etc. She also spends a great deal whining. Her sister, Miranna, is just as annoying. She is younger and I do know how bothersome younger siblings can be but Alera and her sister were just too boring to care about. I can understand that Alera and her sister were raised very sheltered and there are many restrictions on women in the kingdom but I just didn’t see anything really interesting about either girls.
Steldor was probably one of the well written characters. He is extremely arrogant, driven, and a total play boy. He never tries to pretend what he isn’t. He is also very clever and cunning. Steldor was one of the characters that really shined in the novel even though he was most of the time, a total jerk. But I respect him for the fact that he never tried to convince anyone was anything else than what he is. London, Alera’s bodyguard, is also one of the only good characters in the book. He is agile, sexy, and mysterious. He also has a good sense of humor. He isn’t afraid to be honest with Alera, even if it means hurting her feelings.
The characters really were never well developed. Alera never changes nor does her sister. They also make INCREDIBLY stupid decisions. I had no respect for Alera. The plot was drawn out slowly but, in truth, was pretty much nonexistent. The novel consists of a constant mass of descriptions for every little thing and Alera whining she would have no choice but to marry Steldor. I never understood what Narian saw in her. Steldor, I figured, just wanted to marry her because he wants to be king but what either man sees in her eludes me. There was never any real chemistry between Alera and Narian or Alera and Steldor. Steldor never seemed to be attracted to her.
The descriptions in the novel are endless. Descriptions of what people were wearing, what everyone was eating, how the kingdom looked. I enjoy reading descriptions. You can’t write a novel without it but there’s a difference between just enough and too much. In Legacy, the descriptions were WAY too much creating a yawn fest most of the time.
Legacy failed to leave a good impression on me. The dialogue is forced. The characters are cliché and stereotypical. The plot is lack luster. Maybe the fact that the novel was written by a fourteen year old has something to do with it, not sure. But then again, Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Chronicles was wonderful and he started them when he was a teenager.
There are two more books in the trilogy, and in case you want to give the book a try for yourself, check out the author’s site at: http://www.caylakluver.com/
June 14, 2011
I really should have seen it coming. After reading for about 150 pages with the nagging thought of "Jeez, it's like a teenager wrote this"... Surprise! A teenager *did* write it!
Cayla Kluver evidently wrote Legacy when she was 14/15... and it shows. Don't get me wrong, she would have been a wildly talented and creative 14-year-old, but that doesn't mean we need to publish it. The world she creates is inconsistent and patchy, but its scale is large and there are certain plotpoints that aren't bad at all, even if the details and the characters fail.
Alera is the eldest princess of Hytanica, a deeply misogynistic land where the King only has two daughters, so obviously whoever marries Alera will be the next king. The time/setting appears to be kind of pseudo-Rennaissance era, where Christianity is the only religion and the monarchy presides over a relatively small country. Hytanica's other defining feature (besides the belief that women are weak and useless, I mean) is fear of its mysterious neighbor, Cokyri. Hytanica should have been demolished sixteen years prior in a war with Cokyri, but the enemy mysteriously withdrew from their advantage (after kidnapping and then leaving the corpses of nearly fifty Hytanican male babies at the gates the day they left). Only one child's body was never recovered -- so I think we can all guess what's coming with this little tidbit. Everyone seems to know this much about the war, but that's about the extent of Alera's knowledge (beyond wildly "feminine" things like embroidery, dancing, and household management). But that's all politics that Alera has obviously never been interested in before, or else she might know even a single fact about all that. Instead, Alera's biggest problem is that her eighteenth birthday is, traditionally, when the princess is supposed to marry and her only real option (or the only real option her father is gunning for) is Steldor, who resembles Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. After Alera blunders along for a while, doing things like turning in her best friend/trusted guard for knowing a wee bit too much about Cokyri than he lets on after a Cokyrian prisoner goes missing, we eventually get to the point where another Cokyrian named Narian is captured -- but no! It's actually the missing Hytanican child, son to nobles, who grew up to be Alera's romantic counterpart, though obviously he cannot be trusted and Dad's still pushing for Steldor and what's what you say? A war might begin unless Narian is returned to them because he's the key to a prophesy for bringing about the downfall of Hytanica? Mm-hmm.
Seriously, guys, I think the publishing world has only done Kluver a disservice by publishing this work. Legacy could have been something excellent had she spent a few more years living/revising. As I understand it, Legacy was originally self-published and now Harlequin Teen is picking it up, but apparently, they didn't want to waste money on an editor (or Kluver had enough pull to be able to reject every rational change). It feels like no work was done on this manuscript to help Kluver patch up the inconsistencies or guide her to add some depth to her characters -- even if she couldn't create characters that you don't want to punch in the face. Repeatedly. Alera is boring and rather slow on the uptake -- a painful example of a heroine that we're supposed to like just because we're told to, without any reasons. She's not very smart and she has no hobbies, wit, sparkle, or emotional depth. She makes poor decisions, going along with whatever others propose, and seems to have lived her entire life without an ounce of curiosity -- prior to now (else how can we explain her total lack of knowledge of her own country's history or its conflict with Cokyri?). Steldor comes off as self-absorbed and cruel, but Kluver wants you to think he's more than that, and so she tosses in enough contradictory behavior (which only succeeds in making him look bi-polar). Though I will say that while the ending of the novel moved in obvious directions, for Steldor and Alera, I didn't expect Kluver to let things go so far. Narian's appeal rests in his mystery, which is relatively maintained by his mostly mute state. The only semi-likeable character in the entire book is London, Alera's bodyguard who was once a prisoner of the Cokyrians -- and I think I only liked him because he seemed like a bit of an ass, but a slightly likable ass with honor and a brain (aka the only character in the book that seemed to possess an ounce of intelligence). At first, one wonders if Alera is supposed to fall for him, as he's not *so* very much older and Kluver has difficulty in differentiating the affection one feels for a romantic interest versus a father-figure, but no, we're just supposed to question his motives and then all-too-conveniently bring him back when his expertise is needed. The most annoying figure of all, however, is a young bodyguard whose behavior would easily have earned him a beheading after one or two scenes, and yet he was peristently judged a decent figure to protect the princess. Personally, I would have been delighted if London killed them all in a post-traumatic-stress fit.
I know this might seem harsh, but I'm really disappointed in the general group of adults who didn't do enough to help Kluver develop this manuscript more and instead pushed it out in this state, as there's the potential for semi-decent fantasy/romance YA in all this mess, but it's just not ready. There's a lot of description of clothing that's supposed to pass as interesting detail, so it's not like Kluver didn't try where she could, but this is a highly disappointing novel and I can't even hope that Kluver will get better, as attention like this to work at such a young age could only stunt her growth by suggesting she doesn't need to work harder at her craft. Readers, if all you're looking for is to be impressed by a 14-year-old's writing, then go ahead and check out Legacy (or get a job as a high school English teacher and hunt down the nerds who scribble in their notebooks all day), but if you're looking for good historical YA, treat Legacy like the scene of a terrible accident. Keep moving along, folks, there's nothing to see here.
Please note that I received an advanced egalley of this novel courtesy of NetGalley for the purpose of review.
Cayla Kluver evidently wrote Legacy when she was 14/15... and it shows. Don't get me wrong, she would have been a wildly talented and creative 14-year-old, but that doesn't mean we need to publish it. The world she creates is inconsistent and patchy, but its scale is large and there are certain plotpoints that aren't bad at all, even if the details and the characters fail.
Alera is the eldest princess of Hytanica, a deeply misogynistic land where the King only has two daughters, so obviously whoever marries Alera will be the next king. The time/setting appears to be kind of pseudo-Rennaissance era, where Christianity is the only religion and the monarchy presides over a relatively small country. Hytanica's other defining feature (besides the belief that women are weak and useless, I mean) is fear of its mysterious neighbor, Cokyri. Hytanica should have been demolished sixteen years prior in a war with Cokyri, but the enemy mysteriously withdrew from their advantage (after kidnapping and then leaving the corpses of nearly fifty Hytanican male babies at the gates the day they left). Only one child's body was never recovered -- so I think we can all guess what's coming with this little tidbit. Everyone seems to know this much about the war, but that's about the extent of Alera's knowledge (beyond wildly "feminine" things like embroidery, dancing, and household management). But that's all politics that Alera has obviously never been interested in before, or else she might know even a single fact about all that. Instead, Alera's biggest problem is that her eighteenth birthday is, traditionally, when the princess is supposed to marry and her only real option (or the only real option her father is gunning for) is Steldor, who resembles Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. After Alera blunders along for a while, doing things like turning in her best friend/trusted guard for knowing a wee bit too much about Cokyri than he lets on after a Cokyrian prisoner goes missing, we eventually get to the point where another Cokyrian named Narian is captured -- but no! It's actually the missing Hytanican child, son to nobles, who grew up to be Alera's romantic counterpart, though obviously he cannot be trusted and Dad's still pushing for Steldor and what's what you say? A war might begin unless Narian is returned to them because he's the key to a prophesy for bringing about the downfall of Hytanica? Mm-hmm.
Seriously, guys, I think the publishing world has only done Kluver a disservice by publishing this work. Legacy could have been something excellent had she spent a few more years living/revising. As I understand it, Legacy was originally self-published and now Harlequin Teen is picking it up, but apparently, they didn't want to waste money on an editor (or Kluver had enough pull to be able to reject every rational change). It feels like no work was done on this manuscript to help Kluver patch up the inconsistencies or guide her to add some depth to her characters -- even if she couldn't create characters that you don't want to punch in the face. Repeatedly. Alera is boring and rather slow on the uptake -- a painful example of a heroine that we're supposed to like just because we're told to, without any reasons. She's not very smart and she has no hobbies, wit, sparkle, or emotional depth. She makes poor decisions, going along with whatever others propose, and seems to have lived her entire life without an ounce of curiosity -- prior to now (else how can we explain her total lack of knowledge of her own country's history or its conflict with Cokyri?). Steldor comes off as self-absorbed and cruel, but Kluver wants you to think he's more than that, and so she tosses in enough contradictory behavior (which only succeeds in making him look bi-polar). Though I will say that while the ending of the novel moved in obvious directions, for Steldor and Alera, I didn't expect Kluver to let things go so far. Narian's appeal rests in his mystery, which is relatively maintained by his mostly mute state. The only semi-likeable character in the entire book is London, Alera's bodyguard who was once a prisoner of the Cokyrians -- and I think I only liked him because he seemed like a bit of an ass, but a slightly likable ass with honor and a brain (aka the only character in the book that seemed to possess an ounce of intelligence). At first, one wonders if Alera is supposed to fall for him, as he's not *so* very much older and Kluver has difficulty in differentiating the affection one feels for a romantic interest versus a father-figure, but no, we're just supposed to question his motives and then all-too-conveniently bring him back when his expertise is needed. The most annoying figure of all, however, is a young bodyguard whose behavior would easily have earned him a beheading after one or two scenes, and yet he was peristently judged a decent figure to protect the princess. Personally, I would have been delighted if London killed them all in a post-traumatic-stress fit.
I know this might seem harsh, but I'm really disappointed in the general group of adults who didn't do enough to help Kluver develop this manuscript more and instead pushed it out in this state, as there's the potential for semi-decent fantasy/romance YA in all this mess, but it's just not ready. There's a lot of description of clothing that's supposed to pass as interesting detail, so it's not like Kluver didn't try where she could, but this is a highly disappointing novel and I can't even hope that Kluver will get better, as attention like this to work at such a young age could only stunt her growth by suggesting she doesn't need to work harder at her craft. Readers, if all you're looking for is to be impressed by a 14-year-old's writing, then go ahead and check out Legacy (or get a job as a high school English teacher and hunt down the nerds who scribble in their notebooks all day), but if you're looking for good historical YA, treat Legacy like the scene of a terrible accident. Keep moving along, folks, there's nothing to see here.
Please note that I received an advanced egalley of this novel courtesy of NetGalley for the purpose of review.
August 7, 2019
Konu ancak bu kadar saçmalanabilirdi. Yıldızın bir tanesi London için digeride Narian için çünkü kitap boyunca Alerayi yolasım geldi.
November 26, 2010
Another reviewer on amazon said something about this book that made a lot of sense to me- that if the author hadn't been 16 that she wouldn't have gotten nearly as much attention as she already has. I have to agree with that- the book is "ok" but other than that I sort of don't see what all the fuss is about.
The story follows Princess Alera as she goes about her daily life. She is told that she must choose a husband before she turns 18, but unfortunately the only suitor her father will really allow is the egotistical Steldor. Meanwhile there's still tensions between her kingdom & the nearby Cokryi kingdom, especially since their last act against her people was to steal a bunch of babies & leave their dead bodies at the front gates. Only one baby was unaccounted for. The tensions seem to increase as the mysterious Narian was caught & discovered to be the unaccounted for baby.
Really & truthfully, I just couldn't get into this book. Initially I'd liked the first few chapters but after a while the book's charm just seemed to dissipate. I couldn't really get to really liking Alera- she spends a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing & then whining about it. I understand that she's hindered by how she was raised & the restrictions of how the kingdom views women, but she just seems really annoying to me. I certainly can't understand why two guys are chasing after her, although I'm assuming that Steldor's affection is more because he wants to be king. There's really no chemistry between her & either guy, to be honest. The book drags on & on so much that after a while I could feel my eyes begin to glaze over.
And then there's the descriptions. Endless descriptions of what people were wearing, what they were eating... I was willing to put up with it because I do like some description, but the descriptions would take a good chunk of the book. I finally lost my patience when I was treated to an overly detailed description of a tiara... that the character had worn earlier in the novel. Rather than just say that she'd worn it earlier, we're given another description of it. A description that took up an entire paragraph. After a while the descriptions just become irritating.
I really wanted to like this book, really I did. As it was, the book seemed to be more of a chore to slog through than anything else. Maybe others may like it, but offhand this book just doesn't appeal to me. The book is "ok" but overall it just didn't seem to stand out to me like Paolini's Eragon series did. Kluver just doesn't have what it takes at this point in time to carry off such a long & weighty novel. In a year or so after she gets more used to writing, but right now? Less would have been far more with this novel.
(ARC provided by amazon vine)
The story follows Princess Alera as she goes about her daily life. She is told that she must choose a husband before she turns 18, but unfortunately the only suitor her father will really allow is the egotistical Steldor. Meanwhile there's still tensions between her kingdom & the nearby Cokryi kingdom, especially since their last act against her people was to steal a bunch of babies & leave their dead bodies at the front gates. Only one baby was unaccounted for. The tensions seem to increase as the mysterious Narian was caught & discovered to be the unaccounted for baby.
Really & truthfully, I just couldn't get into this book. Initially I'd liked the first few chapters but after a while the book's charm just seemed to dissipate. I couldn't really get to really liking Alera- she spends a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing & then whining about it. I understand that she's hindered by how she was raised & the restrictions of how the kingdom views women, but she just seems really annoying to me. I certainly can't understand why two guys are chasing after her, although I'm assuming that Steldor's affection is more because he wants to be king. There's really no chemistry between her & either guy, to be honest. The book drags on & on so much that after a while I could feel my eyes begin to glaze over.
And then there's the descriptions. Endless descriptions of what people were wearing, what they were eating... I was willing to put up with it because I do like some description, but the descriptions would take a good chunk of the book. I finally lost my patience when I was treated to an overly detailed description of a tiara... that the character had worn earlier in the novel. Rather than just say that she'd worn it earlier, we're given another description of it. A description that took up an entire paragraph. After a while the descriptions just become irritating.
I really wanted to like this book, really I did. As it was, the book seemed to be more of a chore to slog through than anything else. Maybe others may like it, but offhand this book just doesn't appeal to me. The book is "ok" but overall it just didn't seem to stand out to me like Paolini's Eragon series did. Kluver just doesn't have what it takes at this point in time to carry off such a long & weighty novel. In a year or so after she gets more used to writing, but right now? Less would have been far more with this novel.
(ARC provided by amazon vine)
November 14, 2012
Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
Seventeen years ago, a bloody war waged by the Kingdom of Cokyri on the Hytanicans ended abruptly when the Cokyri stole away forty-nine newborn males...and only returned the bodies of forty-eight. Hytanica has managed to rebuild from the war, but the anger felt towards the warriors of the mountains--not to mention anxiety that the war could resume at any time--has never completely ceased.
Alera, crowned princess of Hytanica, now celebrates her seventeenth birthday, and must prepare to wed in exactly one year. In a land where men hold complete dominion over women, Alera may not take her father's place as ruler, but must seek a husband who will fulfill the role as king. Unfortunately, no suitor matches her father's strict qualifications aside from Lord Steldor, the egotistical son of the Captain of the Guard whose very breathing manages to annoy Alera.
All of this grows less important to Alera once the Cokyrians manage to infiltrate the palace, and word is whispered that there is a traitor among the Elite Guard. Even Alera's beloved bodyguard begins behaving strangely, and Alera finds herself having to make a difficult choice. Her budding interest in the political affairs of her kingdom come to head when another Cokyrian, a young man named Narian, is captured, and Alera finds herself probing him for information that she, as a woman, is not allowed to know.
As she grows closer with Narian, who was raised in a society where woman often hold power over men, Alera learns that she is capable of much she would never have imagined...even of finding love. But the intriguing circumstances surrounding Narian's life will throw everything into jeopardy, for Alera as well as for the entire kingdom of Hytanica.
This brilliant story by a young new author captured my heart, and I am eager to read the tale's conclusion in the following book.
Seventeen years ago, a bloody war waged by the Kingdom of Cokyri on the Hytanicans ended abruptly when the Cokyri stole away forty-nine newborn males...and only returned the bodies of forty-eight. Hytanica has managed to rebuild from the war, but the anger felt towards the warriors of the mountains--not to mention anxiety that the war could resume at any time--has never completely ceased.
Alera, crowned princess of Hytanica, now celebrates her seventeenth birthday, and must prepare to wed in exactly one year. In a land where men hold complete dominion over women, Alera may not take her father's place as ruler, but must seek a husband who will fulfill the role as king. Unfortunately, no suitor matches her father's strict qualifications aside from Lord Steldor, the egotistical son of the Captain of the Guard whose very breathing manages to annoy Alera.
All of this grows less important to Alera once the Cokyrians manage to infiltrate the palace, and word is whispered that there is a traitor among the Elite Guard. Even Alera's beloved bodyguard begins behaving strangely, and Alera finds herself having to make a difficult choice. Her budding interest in the political affairs of her kingdom come to head when another Cokyrian, a young man named Narian, is captured, and Alera finds herself probing him for information that she, as a woman, is not allowed to know.
As she grows closer with Narian, who was raised in a society where woman often hold power over men, Alera learns that she is capable of much she would never have imagined...even of finding love. But the intriguing circumstances surrounding Narian's life will throw everything into jeopardy, for Alera as well as for the entire kingdom of Hytanica.
This brilliant story by a young new author captured my heart, and I am eager to read the tale's conclusion in the following book.
April 8, 2012
5 STARS!!! This is definetly my new TOP FAVORITE!!!! I ADORED this story and felt like I knew and loved SOMETHING about every single character! The characters' descriptions and depth was everything I love in a story! There was never a moment where I felt like skimming. I don't have a single complaint about this book! It has the love-triangle aspect that I love, but even if you hate love-triangles, this is done in a way that makes total sense without being annoying, because one man she MUST love/have, but doesn't want(even though he is very handsome, and everything a good King should be, he's also a bit arrogant), and the other man she DOES love/want, but SHOULDN'T or CAN'T because he's a possible threat/enemy to the kingdom. Even when one of the love interests weren't the subject at the time, I LOVED whichever character WAS the subject! I so completely loved Alera's relationship with her bodyguard, London! There were so many times I found my hand nervously/excitedly up by my mouth or on my chest, as I got so absorbed in enjoying the story and descriptions of the characters. Everything just moved at a nice constant pace. Nothing was revealed too soon to give things away. It was just SO PERFECT!!
CONTENT: Clean, No language
Here's a book trailer I made with character representations and theme songs.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf9UXD...
CONTENT: Clean, No language
Here's a book trailer I made with character representations and theme songs.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf9UXD...
February 4, 2010
One of our TAB members recommended this to me, and I really loved that it's printed in blue ink with nifty illuminated letters to start each chapter. I was a little hesitant when I learned it was written by a 14 year old, mostly because the other books I've read (or tried to read) by teens (Eragon and Truancy) weren't really my cup of tea.
I made it to page 16 and gave up. It SOUNDS like a 14 year old wrote it. Which is fine, and if that doesn't bother you perhaps you'll like the story, but it drove me crazy. I distinctly recall writing stories that sounded EXACTLY like this in little memo notebooks in junior high. True, they weren't 400+ pages, but the language that sounds like a thesaurus vomited on the page and the lovingly detailed description of everything from eye color to tapestry patterns were completely familiar. There might be a beautiful story in these pages, I just don't have the patience to read it.
I think I should probably just avoid all books written by teens. Three strikes, you're out, yeah?
I made it to page 16 and gave up. It SOUNDS like a 14 year old wrote it. Which is fine, and if that doesn't bother you perhaps you'll like the story, but it drove me crazy. I distinctly recall writing stories that sounded EXACTLY like this in little memo notebooks in junior high. True, they weren't 400+ pages, but the language that sounds like a thesaurus vomited on the page and the lovingly detailed description of everything from eye color to tapestry patterns were completely familiar. There might be a beautiful story in these pages, I just don't have the patience to read it.
I think I should probably just avoid all books written by teens. Three strikes, you're out, yeah?
June 28, 2011
I have a weakness for princess stories and with a gorgeous cover like that on Cayla Kluver’s Legacy; I knew I had to read the book. The writing was nicely paced and with elements of action, duty, betrayal, love and family, the story kept me engaged until the end.
One of the things I noted though was that there is a lot of description about the food, setting, clothes, etc. As someone who is bad at visualization, this made it easier for me to imagine stuff, but at times even I found all the descriptive passages bothersome.
In terms of the characters, I felt like I only knew them in a superficial way. Alera, as crown princess, wishes that she could have more input but is hindered by her patriarchal society. She spends little time with her mother so readers don’t really get to know the queen, and although Alera and her sister Miranna are close, Miranna seemed friendly but kind of shallow to me. As for Alera’s dad, I disliked him because he was putting immense pressure on his daughter to marry Steldor just because he wants to abdicate.
While Alera doesn’t like Steldor as a person, she thinks he is handsome and so in a way there is a love triangle. Her romance with Narian – he and Alera’s bodyguard London were the two people I thought were really interesting – is sweet and I liked that they got to know each other a little bit before hooking up. I’m interested to see what’s going to happen with Alera’s (romantic) life considering the ending.
Legacy is a little raw but it’s obvious that Kluver is talented. With some editing, I think the Legacy series has the potential to become great.
One of the things I noted though was that there is a lot of description about the food, setting, clothes, etc. As someone who is bad at visualization, this made it easier for me to imagine stuff, but at times even I found all the descriptive passages bothersome.
In terms of the characters, I felt like I only knew them in a superficial way. Alera, as crown princess, wishes that she could have more input but is hindered by her patriarchal society. She spends little time with her mother so readers don’t really get to know the queen, and although Alera and her sister Miranna are close, Miranna seemed friendly but kind of shallow to me. As for Alera’s dad, I disliked him because he was putting immense pressure on his daughter to marry Steldor just because he wants to abdicate.
While Alera doesn’t like Steldor as a person, she thinks he is handsome and so in a way there is a love triangle. Her romance with Narian – he and Alera’s bodyguard London were the two people I thought were really interesting – is sweet and I liked that they got to know each other a little bit before hooking up. I’m interested to see what’s going to happen with Alera’s (romantic) life considering the ending.
Legacy is a little raw but it’s obvious that Kluver is talented. With some editing, I think the Legacy series has the potential to become great.
January 29, 2015
Legacy by Cayla Kluver is the first in the Legacy trilogy. Seventeen year old Princess Alera of Hytanica is supposed to marry a man who will become king and her father's choice is not one she wants. What does catch her eye, though, is an intruder with steel-blue eyes and her kingdom's greatest enemy.
The cover was pretty and it drew me in, which should have been a sign. Whenever there's a pretty cover, chances are, it's a horrible book. But, Cayla was only fifteen when she wrote this, so I figured, why not? But the thing is, I'm still wondering how this book was published.
So, it starts out with a prologue, which pretty much tells everything you need to know about the book. In fact, you can read that and not have to read more because you know what's going to happen. A bunch of boys were taken from the enemy, all but one were returned dead. Guess where that one is? Yeah, if you guess he's with the enemy and suddenly comes back and is the intruder mentioned in the description, you guessed right. If you didn't guess that... there's something wrong with you, like missing common sense.
Once you get past the prologue, you have to deal with the encyclopedia, I mean the story. Which consists of Alera telling the reader everything about everything. I don't mean explaining it or showing it, like you know, good writers do, but telling the story. TELLING it. Which makes it drag on even more. Honestly, it felt like I was reading an encyclopedia with random conversations in the middle.
One of the big plot points for this story is just so ridiculously stupid that it would never ever happen. Once Alera turns eighteen, she has to marry and her husband will take over the kingdom as King right away and her father will step away. What kingdom EVER has EVER done that? What kingdom that you can think of has ever done that? NONE. Why? Because it's stupid and no King would ever be good enough because they wouldn't have any training whatsoever. It takes time to learn. If you just get some random guy off the street to be King once he's married, the kingdom is going to go downhill within a year or two.
Add in the fact that Alera's kingdom is on the brink of war and you're really screwed. Why in the world would any king step down as soon as his daughter married when there's a war brewing? Does that make any sense whatsoever? In Cayla's world it does. -_-
So, the guy that Alera's dad chooses is this stuck up guy who Alera doesn't want to marry. And instead of actually saying anything to her father, she'd rather whine and complain about the fact that she has to spend time with him. By that, I mean whine and complain to the reader or her guard who can do nothing about it.
And why is it that he's the ONLY guy in the kingdom that's eligible to marry? Is this kingdom so small and tiny that there's only a few people? Or so overpopulated with women, that there's not many guys there? WHY? Why is this creep the only one there?
Then... there's the adverbs. The horrible, horrible adverbs. Adverbs are the tool of the lazy writer. Adverbs tell the story when you want to show your story. Cayla doesn't show a thing. All she does is tell us boring information after boring information. That's why this book is so thick - it's filled with boring encyclopedia information that no one cares about, like how a room is so splendidly decorated or what fine details are in someone's outfit. And adverbs. Tons of adverbs. I think there's one, if not more, in every sentence. Too many adverbs!!
After so much of this, I had to call it quits. I couldn't finish it. There is only so much encyclopedia reading, bad writing, horrible flat characters I can take before I want to knock someone out with the book. I honestly wanted to burn this book, but I got it from the library and I was not paying the fine for not returning it.
I have always said it doesn't matter how old you are - be it sixteen or sixty - when you write and/or publish a book. I won't judge on that, I judge on the writing and the writing in this book was horrible. It's not even "good for fifteen". It's obvious Cayla doesn't know much about writing or what she's talking about. Maybe if this was a MG book or for younger audiences and Cayla had a different plot, or she waited until she knew more about writing to write this, it wouldn't have been so bad. But as it stands, it's horrible. I didn't finish and I'm not reading more of this series or from this author ever. I'm not recommending this book to anyone. Unless you want to fall asleep, that is.
The cover was pretty and it drew me in, which should have been a sign. Whenever there's a pretty cover, chances are, it's a horrible book. But, Cayla was only fifteen when she wrote this, so I figured, why not? But the thing is, I'm still wondering how this book was published.
So, it starts out with a prologue, which pretty much tells everything you need to know about the book. In fact, you can read that and not have to read more because you know what's going to happen. A bunch of boys were taken from the enemy, all but one were returned dead. Guess where that one is? Yeah, if you guess he's with the enemy and suddenly comes back and is the intruder mentioned in the description, you guessed right. If you didn't guess that... there's something wrong with you, like missing common sense.
Once you get past the prologue, you have to deal with the encyclopedia, I mean the story. Which consists of Alera telling the reader everything about everything. I don't mean explaining it or showing it, like you know, good writers do, but telling the story. TELLING it. Which makes it drag on even more. Honestly, it felt like I was reading an encyclopedia with random conversations in the middle.
One of the big plot points for this story is just so ridiculously stupid that it would never ever happen. Once Alera turns eighteen, she has to marry and her husband will take over the kingdom as King right away and her father will step away. What kingdom EVER has EVER done that? What kingdom that you can think of has ever done that? NONE. Why? Because it's stupid and no King would ever be good enough because they wouldn't have any training whatsoever. It takes time to learn. If you just get some random guy off the street to be King once he's married, the kingdom is going to go downhill within a year or two.
Add in the fact that Alera's kingdom is on the brink of war and you're really screwed. Why in the world would any king step down as soon as his daughter married when there's a war brewing? Does that make any sense whatsoever? In Cayla's world it does. -_-
So, the guy that Alera's dad chooses is this stuck up guy who Alera doesn't want to marry. And instead of actually saying anything to her father, she'd rather whine and complain about the fact that she has to spend time with him. By that, I mean whine and complain to the reader or her guard who can do nothing about it.
And why is it that he's the ONLY guy in the kingdom that's eligible to marry? Is this kingdom so small and tiny that there's only a few people? Or so overpopulated with women, that there's not many guys there? WHY? Why is this creep the only one there?
Then... there's the adverbs. The horrible, horrible adverbs. Adverbs are the tool of the lazy writer. Adverbs tell the story when you want to show your story. Cayla doesn't show a thing. All she does is tell us boring information after boring information. That's why this book is so thick - it's filled with boring encyclopedia information that no one cares about, like how a room is so splendidly decorated or what fine details are in someone's outfit. And adverbs. Tons of adverbs. I think there's one, if not more, in every sentence. Too many adverbs!!
After so much of this, I had to call it quits. I couldn't finish it. There is only so much encyclopedia reading, bad writing, horrible flat characters I can take before I want to knock someone out with the book. I honestly wanted to burn this book, but I got it from the library and I was not paying the fine for not returning it.
I have always said it doesn't matter how old you are - be it sixteen or sixty - when you write and/or publish a book. I won't judge on that, I judge on the writing and the writing in this book was horrible. It's not even "good for fifteen". It's obvious Cayla doesn't know much about writing or what she's talking about. Maybe if this was a MG book or for younger audiences and Cayla had a different plot, or she waited until she knew more about writing to write this, it wouldn't have been so bad. But as it stands, it's horrible. I didn't finish and I'm not reading more of this series or from this author ever. I'm not recommending this book to anyone. Unless you want to fall asleep, that is.
June 13, 2011
From reading other GR reviews I found out this was written by a 16 year old (or 14 or 18 year old) I'm too lazy to find out the author's age tbh. All I can say is that I'm not surprised it does read like a (some) teenager's idea princess adventure. I think it's great she managed to write a book, at 16 the only thing I was writing were love notes to Pancho (he was cute ok?) and it's easy to read and more organized than other adult writers I've read recently I'm looking at you Possession BUT the only way I could finish this one was by skimming. The author goes in great detail about the rose-colored seats, tapestries, the Queen's drawing room, the windows and so on. The dialogue is practically non-existent unless is something necessary like "good evening majesty" etc. The Elite Guards calling Princess Alera (and future queen) "childish" and "ridiculous" to her face makes no sense even if women aren't as important as men in Hytanica.
December 6, 2013
Τι ομορφη ιστορια!!! Ποιος το περιμενε οτι την εχει συλλαβει και δημιουργησει μια εφηβη. Οι χαρακτηρες ειναι αυτοι που με αγγιξαν περισσοτερο. Ολοκληρωμενοι, πολυσυνθετοι, κανουν λαθη, μετανιωνουν, μαθαινουν, ωριμαζουν και προχωρουν. Αξιζει να διαβαστει απο τους φαν του ειδους. Να σημειωθει οτι το ελληνικο εξωφυλλο δεν αναδυκνυει το βιβλιο καθολου! Κριμα...
May 24, 2020
İlginç bir kitaptı. Prenses kitaplarını aşırı seviyorum romantik ruhum sağ olsun. Ama bu kitaptaki tüm eksiklere rağmen, gidişatı beni şaşırttı.
December 7, 2012
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Legacy of a nation filled with duty and honor plays an important role in this fantastic tale.
Opening Sentence: The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon that ruled the sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, the same night the Empire of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack.
The Review:
Legacy was on my short list of books that I wanted to read when I visited the library recently. Of course, that list usually goes out the window when you’re in the mecca of books. Legacy was not one of those books.
Looking at the cover alone you are drawn into the story. The original cover of Legacy looks like it belongs in the royal archives. It’s genius really. It set a tone for me. Also, having the hardcover in my hand while reading this great story, just added to the whole effect. It made me love this book more.
Legacy is about Princess Alera of Hytanica, destined to marry the future king. She is surrounded by her family, the royal court, and her personal bodyguards who dutifully protect her from harms way. After many years of peace with the Cokyri kingdom, everything seems well in the princess’ world. Even though the ghastly war is over, tensions between the two kingdoms still exists. One night, a foreign visitor turns up and changes everything. What could one Cokyrian do that disrupts the peace? What does this all mean?
Kluver introduces Alera in this fantastic tale. She is headstrong, curious, and not interested in any of her current suitors. Her upbringing has instilled in her duty, honor, and loyalty. Before she turns eighteen, she needs to choose a proper suitor to marry, one who is blessed by her father. Throughout the book, she questions the Hytanican culture and traditions that she was raised with. In Hytanica, men hold dominant rule over the women. For Alera, as queen, she can not be involved in the rulings of the kingdom. It is simply not her place. She finds herself with the help of some surprising characters. She finds self-worth as a person first, and as a woman next.
Other characters play fantastic supporting roles, like London and Narian.
London is a personal bodyguard whom I felt was an older brother to Alera. He seemed to have guided her when she seemed lost. She inexplicably trusts him, even if that trust is questioned from time to time. He has been very loyal to the Kingdom of Hytanica, and has proven it time and time again.
Narian is a Hytanican child who was kidnapped during the Cokyrian war. He was raised as a Cokyrian with their beliefs, their culture, and their outlook on life. Upon discovering his heritage, he journeys back to meet his family and experience the culture in the kingdom. He is a helpful aid in Alera’s life, allowing for the friendship to grow.
Kluver’s writing was not only beautiful, but moving. Her descriptive details really painted a picture in my mind. She worded everything so the words just came to life, allowing my imagination to organically create these vivid visualizations. It was like a movie played in my mind. And what’s more impressive is that Kluver wrote this at such a young age! Is that talent or what?
Legacy has several meanings to me when I think about it in respect to this story. Legacy of a princess expected to marry the next King. Legacy fulfilled of duty and honor. Legacy of the culture of the two kingdoms. And finally, legacy of a girl becoming a woman.
This book is the start of a series, so of course there were cliffhangers! There are some questions that will most likely be answered in the upcoming books, but I personally see the potential for the characters to be developed even more than they already are.
Notable Scene:
“I am not a traitor,” he declared. The air thrummed with tension for a moment, then he continued, his heart obviously heavy. “If you truly trust someone, then you trust their words and actions, even without explanation. You apparently don’t have that level of trust in me.”
I felt for a moment as if I were drowning. The only thing I found harder to endure than London’s anger was his disappointment. I looked pleadingly at him, but his expression did not change.
“If there is nothing further you want of me, I will take my leave.”
I grudgingly dismissed him, stepping into the corridor after him. As he and the guard assigned to remove him from the palace strode away, I was gripped by genuine sorrow instead of guilt, regret or denial. I did not know when I would next see him, and it felt like my heart was trying to follow him. With each step he took, it pressed more painfully against my chest, trying to escape. I wanted to run after him and somehow erase the events of the past day, but there was no way to fix what I had done.
FTC Advisory: I purchased this copy of Legacy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Legacy of a nation filled with duty and honor plays an important role in this fantastic tale.
Opening Sentence: The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon that ruled the sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, the same night the Empire of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack.
The Review:
Legacy was on my short list of books that I wanted to read when I visited the library recently. Of course, that list usually goes out the window when you’re in the mecca of books. Legacy was not one of those books.
Looking at the cover alone you are drawn into the story. The original cover of Legacy looks like it belongs in the royal archives. It’s genius really. It set a tone for me. Also, having the hardcover in my hand while reading this great story, just added to the whole effect. It made me love this book more.
Legacy is about Princess Alera of Hytanica, destined to marry the future king. She is surrounded by her family, the royal court, and her personal bodyguards who dutifully protect her from harms way. After many years of peace with the Cokyri kingdom, everything seems well in the princess’ world. Even though the ghastly war is over, tensions between the two kingdoms still exists. One night, a foreign visitor turns up and changes everything. What could one Cokyrian do that disrupts the peace? What does this all mean?
Kluver introduces Alera in this fantastic tale. She is headstrong, curious, and not interested in any of her current suitors. Her upbringing has instilled in her duty, honor, and loyalty. Before she turns eighteen, she needs to choose a proper suitor to marry, one who is blessed by her father. Throughout the book, she questions the Hytanican culture and traditions that she was raised with. In Hytanica, men hold dominant rule over the women. For Alera, as queen, she can not be involved in the rulings of the kingdom. It is simply not her place. She finds herself with the help of some surprising characters. She finds self-worth as a person first, and as a woman next.
Other characters play fantastic supporting roles, like London and Narian.
London is a personal bodyguard whom I felt was an older brother to Alera. He seemed to have guided her when she seemed lost. She inexplicably trusts him, even if that trust is questioned from time to time. He has been very loyal to the Kingdom of Hytanica, and has proven it time and time again.
Narian is a Hytanican child who was kidnapped during the Cokyrian war. He was raised as a Cokyrian with their beliefs, their culture, and their outlook on life. Upon discovering his heritage, he journeys back to meet his family and experience the culture in the kingdom. He is a helpful aid in Alera’s life, allowing for the friendship to grow.
Kluver’s writing was not only beautiful, but moving. Her descriptive details really painted a picture in my mind. She worded everything so the words just came to life, allowing my imagination to organically create these vivid visualizations. It was like a movie played in my mind. And what’s more impressive is that Kluver wrote this at such a young age! Is that talent or what?
Legacy has several meanings to me when I think about it in respect to this story. Legacy of a princess expected to marry the next King. Legacy fulfilled of duty and honor. Legacy of the culture of the two kingdoms. And finally, legacy of a girl becoming a woman.
This book is the start of a series, so of course there were cliffhangers! There are some questions that will most likely be answered in the upcoming books, but I personally see the potential for the characters to be developed even more than they already are.
Notable Scene:
“I am not a traitor,” he declared. The air thrummed with tension for a moment, then he continued, his heart obviously heavy. “If you truly trust someone, then you trust their words and actions, even without explanation. You apparently don’t have that level of trust in me.”
I felt for a moment as if I were drowning. The only thing I found harder to endure than London’s anger was his disappointment. I looked pleadingly at him, but his expression did not change.
“If there is nothing further you want of me, I will take my leave.”
I grudgingly dismissed him, stepping into the corridor after him. As he and the guard assigned to remove him from the palace strode away, I was gripped by genuine sorrow instead of guilt, regret or denial. I did not know when I would next see him, and it felt like my heart was trying to follow him. With each step he took, it pressed more painfully against my chest, trying to escape. I wanted to run after him and somehow erase the events of the past day, but there was no way to fix what I had done.
FTC Advisory: I purchased this copy of Legacy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
June 24, 2011
Legacy is definitely a classic story of two fundamentally differing societies. My take while reading this novel was that while on the surface Hytanica seemed to be the more civilized of the two, their sometimes barbaric views of how females should behave made them not as progressive as the Cokyri.
The story is told from the perspective of Alera a Hytanica princess. Sadly, I didn't like Alera (maybe cause I was never sure how to say her name nor remembered how to spell is. Me simple.). I just never got a handle on her and didn't understand why she would do and say the things she did. Also... and I loath to say this, I thought she was a bit weak. I just wanted her to truly stand up for herself instead of doing what was expected of her. I also felt that the story's action always took place without her and we had to wait for a secondary character to explain to Alera what was going on. I wanted her to be in the middle of it all, but instead I felt like she was merely along for the ride.
Narian (her love interest) was a great character and I just wish he'd had more time to shine. His "face time" in the book was so limited for me. I wanted to understand more about him, the curse, the lost boys, and what the heckles was going on!! But instead we learned about who was wearing what and how things smelled. Hopefully, these things will be addressed in the sequel, because frankly I just feel absolutely no resolution right now and I'm more confused then when I knew nothing about this book!
I believe this is a great first offering from a debuting writer who is so young. However.... *takes a deep breath for courage* I did find the story to be bloated with useless information, which frankly bored me and made me impatient. For example, a chapter on Alera and her sister hunting down pants was unnecessary, just say: I got pants from so and so. Also, it felt like many things were explained to death. Long-winded descriptions of ballrooms, clothing, foods, textures, and more can slow down a story to a screeching halt. Again, things could have been made more simplified from a writing stance. For example, when a footman is announcing the arrival of the royal family to a ballroom, I really don't care what he say- just tell me he did it and I'm cool beans. All that cringe worthy nit picking apart (really, I'm not a know it all I SWEAR!!).... Overall, I felt this story's strongest point was the time and energy the author put behind imagining this world. And I think it is a strong debut for some one in their late teens. I just wish her editor, first readers, family, someone (!!) would have taken more time to explain that the reader doesn't truly need to know every single detail. Less truly can be oh.so.much more. And if something (be it a description, conversation, whathaveyou) really truly doesn't progress the storyline, then maybe... just maybe, it doesn't really need to be included. The over explaining, lack of resolution, and a muddy ending hurt this story for me. I just couldn't get over the long winded descriptions. They were too much and took away soooo much from this beautiful story. If 200 pages had been cut and a more clear ending had been established this would be a 5 hands down, but instead I'm torn between a 2 and a 2 1/2 and because at heart I'm a push over I'm giving this puppy a 3... Don't try and do the math on this one, my friend, it doesn't even make sense to me. *hangs head*
The story is told from the perspective of Alera a Hytanica princess. Sadly, I didn't like Alera (maybe cause I was never sure how to say her name nor remembered how to spell is. Me simple.). I just never got a handle on her and didn't understand why she would do and say the things she did. Also... and I loath to say this, I thought she was a bit weak. I just wanted her to truly stand up for herself instead of doing what was expected of her. I also felt that the story's action always took place without her and we had to wait for a secondary character to explain to Alera what was going on. I wanted her to be in the middle of it all, but instead I felt like she was merely along for the ride.
Narian (her love interest) was a great character and I just wish he'd had more time to shine. His "face time" in the book was so limited for me. I wanted to understand more about him, the curse, the lost boys, and what the heckles was going on!! But instead we learned about who was wearing what and how things smelled. Hopefully, these things will be addressed in the sequel, because frankly I just feel absolutely no resolution right now and I'm more confused then when I knew nothing about this book!
I believe this is a great first offering from a debuting writer who is so young. However.... *takes a deep breath for courage* I did find the story to be bloated with useless information, which frankly bored me and made me impatient. For example, a chapter on Alera and her sister hunting down pants was unnecessary, just say: I got pants from so and so. Also, it felt like many things were explained to death. Long-winded descriptions of ballrooms, clothing, foods, textures, and more can slow down a story to a screeching halt. Again, things could have been made more simplified from a writing stance. For example, when a footman is announcing the arrival of the royal family to a ballroom, I really don't care what he say- just tell me he did it and I'm cool beans. All that cringe worthy nit picking apart (really, I'm not a know it all I SWEAR!!).... Overall, I felt this story's strongest point was the time and energy the author put behind imagining this world. And I think it is a strong debut for some one in their late teens. I just wish her editor, first readers, family, someone (!!) would have taken more time to explain that the reader doesn't truly need to know every single detail. Less truly can be oh.so.much more. And if something (be it a description, conversation, whathaveyou) really truly doesn't progress the storyline, then maybe... just maybe, it doesn't really need to be included. The over explaining, lack of resolution, and a muddy ending hurt this story for me. I just couldn't get over the long winded descriptions. They were too much and took away soooo much from this beautiful story. If 200 pages had been cut and a more clear ending had been established this would be a 5 hands down, but instead I'm torn between a 2 and a 2 1/2 and because at heart I'm a push over I'm giving this puppy a 3... Don't try and do the math on this one, my friend, it doesn't even make sense to me. *hangs head*
June 8, 2011
Alera is the princess and heir to the throne of Hytanica, and now at age of seventeen, she has one year to find a suitable husband who meets her father's standards to rule the kingdom at her side. Unfortunately, there is only one such man that meets his standards, and Alera can't stand the mere sight of him. With her days of freedom numbered, Alera finds herself concentrating on political affairs once the Cokyrians begin infiltrating the palace. But there's a rumour floating around - there is a mole, and nobody is sure who they can trust anymore. Alera finds the one person who can tell her what she needs to know, Narian, and he's a Cokyrian. Though he's the enemy, and she's just a woman, she finds herself discovering a world that she's never known...and she was never supposed know.
I was, I must admit, first intrigued by Legacy based on the cover because I'm a huge cover slut. That said though, this book was so much more than the cover. Written by author, Cayla Kluver, when she was just fifteen years old, Legacy defies the author's age and fits well into the realm of historical fantasy - a difficult genre to write. With lyrical and poetic prose, a relatable and heartening protagonist and a world of adventure far more vast than the world we live in, Legacy has all the makings of a fantastic fictitious world. This coming-of-age tale is one filled from start to finish with mysteries, lies, intrigue and a touch of romance that blooms throughout.
Alera was a fabulous protagonist for Legacy. She was the perfect balance between snarky and tempestuous and quirky teen on the verge of adulthood. Because she was living in a world where women are inferior to men, Alera's struggle was that much more harrowing because you could sense her inner struggle to live up to her potential while trying to reconcile it with the values and beliefs under which she was raised. The introduction of Narian in Legacy was perfect to complement Alera's struggle. He was, technically, the enemy, but as a prisoner, Alera was given a unique upper hand that allowed her to sense the power she might have had if she'd been born into the Cokyrian society. Narian is making Alera grow up in the wake of the prophecy that could destroy Hytanica, and while Cokyri was supposed to be the enemy, I couldn't help but love them for what they did for women. From start to finish, the secondary characters in Legacy like Steldor, Alera's suitor, kept me guessing and longing desperately for book two. It's also important to note how thorough the world-building was. Clearly defined and illustrated, I felt like I was able to step into Alera's world, which is quite a feat.
I was a bit worried about the length of Legacy, but I didn't get bored on a single page, and it never felt tedious. All in all, I think Legacy was a beautiful read that deserves far more credit than it's received thus far. With two more books to come in the series, I'm eagerly anticipating what's next. I give this book a 5 out of 5, and I highly recommend this book to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, as well as fans of books like Graceling.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
I was, I must admit, first intrigued by Legacy based on the cover because I'm a huge cover slut. That said though, this book was so much more than the cover. Written by author, Cayla Kluver, when she was just fifteen years old, Legacy defies the author's age and fits well into the realm of historical fantasy - a difficult genre to write. With lyrical and poetic prose, a relatable and heartening protagonist and a world of adventure far more vast than the world we live in, Legacy has all the makings of a fantastic fictitious world. This coming-of-age tale is one filled from start to finish with mysteries, lies, intrigue and a touch of romance that blooms throughout.
Alera was a fabulous protagonist for Legacy. She was the perfect balance between snarky and tempestuous and quirky teen on the verge of adulthood. Because she was living in a world where women are inferior to men, Alera's struggle was that much more harrowing because you could sense her inner struggle to live up to her potential while trying to reconcile it with the values and beliefs under which she was raised. The introduction of Narian in Legacy was perfect to complement Alera's struggle. He was, technically, the enemy, but as a prisoner, Alera was given a unique upper hand that allowed her to sense the power she might have had if she'd been born into the Cokyrian society. Narian is making Alera grow up in the wake of the prophecy that could destroy Hytanica, and while Cokyri was supposed to be the enemy, I couldn't help but love them for what they did for women. From start to finish, the secondary characters in Legacy like Steldor, Alera's suitor, kept me guessing and longing desperately for book two. It's also important to note how thorough the world-building was. Clearly defined and illustrated, I felt like I was able to step into Alera's world, which is quite a feat.
I was a bit worried about the length of Legacy, but I didn't get bored on a single page, and it never felt tedious. All in all, I think Legacy was a beautiful read that deserves far more credit than it's received thus far. With two more books to come in the series, I'm eagerly anticipating what's next. I give this book a 5 out of 5, and I highly recommend this book to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, as well as fans of books like Graceling.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
April 5, 2016
Princess Alera is in line for the throne and her father desperately wants her to marry the Captain’s son. When a rightful son of Hytanica is found alive and well and is brought to the palace as a prisoner she finds herself mysteriously drawn to him, like no other boy has.
Alera is one of those characters that stays inside of her box but when she ventures out of it, that’s where she figures out who she is and finally takes hold of her fate.
This book felt a lot like the story line of Romeo and Juliet with as much intrigue as there was romance. For the most part I was a tad bored. The story slows by and I just desperately wanted to read more about their forbidden love. The writing style is similar to a historical fiction filled with so many descriptions, details and character’s thoughts that I had to skip a few pages because it tended to drone on and on and on. I enjoyed it but not to the extent that I loved it. I’m an impatient person do when things get dragged on and there’s no plot to be found well I tend to get bored to skip to the good parts.
Read this if you’re a big historical fiction fan other than that you can definitely skip it.
Alera is one of those characters that stays inside of her box but when she ventures out of it, that’s where she figures out who she is and finally takes hold of her fate.
This book felt a lot like the story line of Romeo and Juliet with as much intrigue as there was romance. For the most part I was a tad bored. The story slows by and I just desperately wanted to read more about their forbidden love. The writing style is similar to a historical fiction filled with so many descriptions, details and character’s thoughts that I had to skip a few pages because it tended to drone on and on and on. I enjoyed it but not to the extent that I loved it. I’m an impatient person do when things get dragged on and there’s no plot to be found well I tend to get bored to skip to the good parts.
Read this if you’re a big historical fiction fan other than that you can definitely skip it.
December 6, 2009
I've been trying to read this off and on and today I realized I just won't be able to finish it. A cliche storyline (lost princes, princesses wanting their own will, arranged marriages, etc.) I can deal with--if it's well done. And I'm sorry to say but Legacy's writing is not. While I am quite impressed that Ms. Kluver had the tenacity to complete an entire 200+ page book, the fact that she was so young when she wrote it is glaringly obvious. In the first 50 or so pages, every little thing is mentioned from the exact color of the girls' gowns to their eyes to the layout of the hallways and everything!
The characters, too, were flat; you had the jolly but strict father King, the air-headed younger sister, the mothering Queen who doesn't do anything else, the protective father-figure bodyguard and, of course, the headstrong princess who wants more in life than to be the bearer of the kingdom's next heir. Oh yes, and the handsome foreigner who has different ideas about women's roles.
An impressive attempt, but much too tedious to keep me interested very long.
The characters, too, were flat; you had the jolly but strict father King, the air-headed younger sister, the mothering Queen who doesn't do anything else, the protective father-figure bodyguard and, of course, the headstrong princess who wants more in life than to be the bearer of the kingdom's next heir. Oh yes, and the handsome foreigner who has different ideas about women's roles.
An impressive attempt, but much too tedious to keep me interested very long.
dnf
July 20, 2015DNF 48%
Andaba dando vueltas en mi pendientes, con muy buenas referencias, una portada hermosa y un precio de regalo. EPIC FAIL. Una lectura muy aburrida, vueltas y vueltas sobre nada, puras descripciones sobre vestidos y chicos apuestos, no pasaba NADA.
La protagonista una más del montón, la típica belleza, rica, privilegiada, con cero autoestima (CASUALMENTE). Un apio, sin personalidad ni profundidad. Se le ríen en la cara, la maltratan y la mina NO HACE NADA, ni un pelo se le mueve. Se la pasa de fiesta en fiesta, llorando y haciendo berrinches por chicos apuestos que no hacen más que mirarla con desprecio. Amor según ella, claro.
Mundo poco desarrollado, sociedad machista, personajes estereotipados, narración pésima, relaciones forzadas, amor a primera vista, interés romántico más importante que cualquier otra cosa. Patético. Decepcionante.
Andaba dando vueltas en mi pendientes, con muy buenas referencias, una portada hermosa y un precio de regalo. EPIC FAIL. Una lectura muy aburrida, vueltas y vueltas sobre nada, puras descripciones sobre vestidos y chicos apuestos, no pasaba NADA.
La protagonista una más del montón, la típica belleza, rica, privilegiada, con cero autoestima (CASUALMENTE). Un apio, sin personalidad ni profundidad. Se le ríen en la cara, la maltratan y la mina NO HACE NADA, ni un pelo se le mueve. Se la pasa de fiesta en fiesta, llorando y haciendo berrinches por chicos apuestos que no hacen más que mirarla con desprecio. Amor según ella, claro.
Mundo poco desarrollado, sociedad machista, personajes estereotipados, narración pésima, relaciones forzadas, amor a primera vista, interés romántico más importante que cualquier otra cosa. Patético. Decepcionante.
April 23, 2017
This was really terrible. The writing was incredibly tedious and overly descriptive, and the characters were all painfully ridiculous and unlikable. I can't believe it ended how it did - frustrating after persevering to get such a non-ending. But I honestly don't care what happens to any of these people next. If I'd known how it was going to end, I might not have bothered finishing it at all. I wish I could get the hours back.
October 21, 2019
A capa deste livro chamou-me logo a atenção, de uma forma bastante positiva. É um daqueles casos em que a capa convence com o seu aspecto e faz o que é pretendido; chamar a atenção ao leitor, e para mim, isso é uma salva de palmas para quem idealizou a capa, para a fotografia, a tipografia, para tudo.
Embora a capa seja qualquer coisa de cinematográfica e muitíssimo interessante, a história ficou muito aquém da minha expectativa , não entendam errado, a historia é má porque quer, pois tinha os ingredientes certos para dar certo.
Alera - a Princesa Herdeira, é uma fantasia que se enquadra perfeitamente num young adult, que levanta temas importantes como o empoderamento feminino, mas que se foca no destino da princesa herdeira deHytanica e na escolha de um pretendente para subir ao trono do seu reino.
Apesar do foco principal ser um triângulo amoroso e numa personagem principal que é dividida entre o dever e o coração, não é de todo, o grande problema da história. O problema recai em aguentar as inconsistências das atitudes da personagem principal. Pois é por conta disso que alguns capítulos são tão difíceis de digerir. Se num capítulo ela toma uma decisão, no momento a seguir arrepende-se de o ter feito, terminando capitulo após capítulo engasgada em lágrimas e arrependida das decisões que tomou.
Alera - a Princesa Herdeira, encontra os seus pontos fortes e atraentes nas personagens secundárias , pois conseguem entregar o carisma e a força que a personagem principal não tem, concedendo um ritmo satisfatório à narrativa.
A história consegue também dosar um bom desenvolvimento a estas personagens secundárias ( como a sua irmã ou até mesmo um dos pretendentes à sucessão do trono, Steldor), mesmo que haja uma sensação de que elas foram criadas apenas para ser um alívio e um suporte para os queixumes da princesa.
A história traz discussões e levanta problemas de uma forma muito rasa, mas mesmo assim é eficiente ao que se prepõe, que é divertir e entreter o leitor, com problemas palacianos, castelos lindos e jardins de luxo. Com corações divididos entre paixonetas proibidas, repleto de princesas à procura dos seus príncipes encantados.
Embora a capa seja qualquer coisa de cinematográfica e muitíssimo interessante, a história ficou muito aquém da minha expectativa , não entendam errado, a historia é má porque quer, pois tinha os ingredientes certos para dar certo.
Alera - a Princesa Herdeira, é uma fantasia que se enquadra perfeitamente num young adult, que levanta temas importantes como o empoderamento feminino, mas que se foca no destino da princesa herdeira deHytanica e na escolha de um pretendente para subir ao trono do seu reino.
Apesar do foco principal ser um triângulo amoroso e numa personagem principal que é dividida entre o dever e o coração, não é de todo, o grande problema da história. O problema recai em aguentar as inconsistências das atitudes da personagem principal. Pois é por conta disso que alguns capítulos são tão difíceis de digerir. Se num capítulo ela toma uma decisão, no momento a seguir arrepende-se de o ter feito, terminando capitulo após capítulo engasgada em lágrimas e arrependida das decisões que tomou.
Alera - a Princesa Herdeira, encontra os seus pontos fortes e atraentes nas personagens secundárias , pois conseguem entregar o carisma e a força que a personagem principal não tem, concedendo um ritmo satisfatório à narrativa.
A história consegue também dosar um bom desenvolvimento a estas personagens secundárias ( como a sua irmã ou até mesmo um dos pretendentes à sucessão do trono, Steldor), mesmo que haja uma sensação de que elas foram criadas apenas para ser um alívio e um suporte para os queixumes da princesa.
A história traz discussões e levanta problemas de uma forma muito rasa, mas mesmo assim é eficiente ao que se prepõe, que é divertir e entreter o leitor, com problemas palacianos, castelos lindos e jardins de luxo. Com corações divididos entre paixonetas proibidas, repleto de princesas à procura dos seus príncipes encantados.
June 20, 2011
*sigh* what an awesome book. Seriously, it was absolutely great! See, I love historical fiction. And, this one is even more special since it is set in a fictional fantasy historical world that is just incredibly imaginative. I love what Cayla Kluver developed her and I envie her talent in creating such a world.
Also, I have to mention that she was only 15 when she created this work of fantastic fiction, but one would never guess this when reading her book.
In Legacy we have two rival communities that are in war with each other since a very long time. Also, they can't be more different from each other. The Kingdom of Hytanica is like you would imagine a kingdom back in the middle ages. Very patriarchic, with a King and long beautiful gowns and Knight tournaments... The Kingdom of Cokyri however, is very mysterious and one doesn't know much about them. Apparently they are in contrast to Hytantica matriarchic, where women can rule and are bale to fight instead of just looking pretty.
The story is told from Alera's POV, she's the Crown Princess of Hytanica and is supposed to marry soon so that her father can retire from being king. Her father has already the perfect candidate for her, but... she despises him.
When Narian a long lost song of Hycantia comes in Alera's life, everything changes for her. The way she sees herself and her kingdom....
I loved loved loooooveeddddd the characters the most. I love Alera's voice, she is the perfect Crown Princess mature enough to know about her responsibilities but still young enough to break rules and be reckless. She seemed for me perfectly real and a very honest character. I could relate to all the decisions she made, which is very rare in literature for me. Often characters do things I have to shake me head. Alera stays true to her character the whole time. She is Crown Princess and this means sometimes she has to do what is best for her Kingdom not just best for her. I loved this!
Alera's bodyguard London is the most awesomnest secondary character ever. I think I have to beg Cayla for a book only about him!! I am in love with him!! My heart broke for him a few times in the book and I shed some tears on his behalf. Maybe we will get more of him in the next books? I sincerely hope so... and, don't get me wrong, he's not part of any Love Triangle here... he's just the bodyguard... and oh so awesome!
Stelton, the man Alera shall marry is a jerk. He's arrogant and I although can't like him, he's again perfectly portrayed and described. But he's also not easy to figure out which makes vey intriguing despite is jerky behavior.
Then there is Narian. The lost boy and ...*swooon* he's awesome and has everything I need in a boy to swoon over. Dark, mysterious, strong, determined and oh so sweet! Still, there is still so much to learn about him and I'm excited to find out more about him.
Legacy is epic! It is an epic tale of forbidden love, loss, responsibilities, war, dark mysterious legends and two kingdoms so different from each other! The cast of characters is incredible and very deeply portrayed, one can see that the author spend time with her characters and each of them got the same love from her. Each one stayed true during the book and I loved to see their development. I can't wait for more!
Also, I have to mention that she was only 15 when she created this work of fantastic fiction, but one would never guess this when reading her book.
In Legacy we have two rival communities that are in war with each other since a very long time. Also, they can't be more different from each other. The Kingdom of Hytanica is like you would imagine a kingdom back in the middle ages. Very patriarchic, with a King and long beautiful gowns and Knight tournaments... The Kingdom of Cokyri however, is very mysterious and one doesn't know much about them. Apparently they are in contrast to Hytantica matriarchic, where women can rule and are bale to fight instead of just looking pretty.
The story is told from Alera's POV, she's the Crown Princess of Hytanica and is supposed to marry soon so that her father can retire from being king. Her father has already the perfect candidate for her, but... she despises him.
When Narian a long lost song of Hycantia comes in Alera's life, everything changes for her. The way she sees herself and her kingdom....
I loved loved loooooveeddddd the characters the most. I love Alera's voice, she is the perfect Crown Princess mature enough to know about her responsibilities but still young enough to break rules and be reckless. She seemed for me perfectly real and a very honest character. I could relate to all the decisions she made, which is very rare in literature for me. Often characters do things I have to shake me head. Alera stays true to her character the whole time. She is Crown Princess and this means sometimes she has to do what is best for her Kingdom not just best for her. I loved this!
Alera's bodyguard London is the most awesomnest secondary character ever. I think I have to beg Cayla for a book only about him!! I am in love with him!! My heart broke for him a few times in the book and I shed some tears on his behalf. Maybe we will get more of him in the next books? I sincerely hope so... and, don't get me wrong, he's not part of any Love Triangle here... he's just the bodyguard... and oh so awesome!
Stelton, the man Alera shall marry is a jerk. He's arrogant and I although can't like him, he's again perfectly portrayed and described. But he's also not easy to figure out which makes vey intriguing despite is jerky behavior.
Then there is Narian. The lost boy and ...*swooon* he's awesome and has everything I need in a boy to swoon over. Dark, mysterious, strong, determined and oh so sweet! Still, there is still so much to learn about him and I'm excited to find out more about him.
Legacy is epic! It is an epic tale of forbidden love, loss, responsibilities, war, dark mysterious legends and two kingdoms so different from each other! The cast of characters is incredible and very deeply portrayed, one can see that the author spend time with her characters and each of them got the same love from her. Each one stayed true during the book and I loved to see their development. I can't wait for more!
February 3, 2017
Zur Aufmachung
Zum Cover: Sosehr ich es auch liebe... Ich hasse es! ich weiß, das macht keinen Sinn, ist aber so. Warum packen die da immer Mädchen auf die Cover drauf, die so gar nicht aussehen wie der Hauptcharakter? Alera hat KEINE blauen Augen und sie hat Locken!!!
Den Titel finde ich allerdings sehr schön, auch wenn "Legacy" natürlich noch viel besser klingt.
Zum Buch
Alera.
Ihr wisst ja gar nicht wie schwer das manchmal ist, ein Buch zu bewerten. Problem bei dem Buch ist, dass ich jetzt einiges bemängeln werde, das Buch aber trotzdem eine gute Bewertung bekommt, weil es trotz dieser Fehlerchen einfach genial war und ich mir für satte 15 (!!!) Euro direkt den zweiten Teil bestellt habe. So viel hab ich schon lange nicht mehr für ein Buch ausgegeben und dann auch noch ein olles Taschenbuch. Ich könnt' mich noch immer aufregen. Aber gut.
Also erst einmal entspricht das Buch so gar nicht dem, was ich erwartet hätte. Überhaupt nicht! Es geht vor allem viel um die Pflichten, die Alera als Prinzessin hat und Narian ist ganz anders als ich gedacht hätte. Überraschenderweise war er gar kein Spion und ich habe ihn auch keine Sekunde lang verdächtigt einer zu sein.
Nur mal so ein Beispiel: Narian ist ein Jahr jünger als Alera. Wann ist das in letzter Zeit mal in einem Fantasybuch vorgekommen? Da ist die große Liebe immer mindestens gleichalt. Das IST einfach so. Aber ich frag mich, ob man den ersten Band wirklich als Fantasybuch bezeichnen kann, weil nämlich gar keine Fantasyelemente vorkommen. Ok, eine Prophezeiung ist schon dabei, aber das wars dann auch. Die erste magische Handlung findet erst im Prolog des zweiten Bandes statt.
Mir fällt es auch schwer das ganze als High-Fantasy einzustufen, weil es nämlich nicht wirklich in einer fiktiven Welt spielt. Das fand ich etwas schade. Wenn man schon neue Länder etc. kreiert, warum gibt es dann da das Weihnachtsfest und generell alles, was mit dem Christentum zu tun hat? Fand ich etwas blöd.
Der Schreibstil ist auch so gar nicht wie ich das erwartet hätte. Nicht schmachtend oder extrem auf Gefühle fixiert. Der Schreibstil würde gut zu einem Historienroman passen, wie ich finde.
Auf mich persönlich wirkte Alera im ersten Teil an vielen Stellen ziemlich naiv. Besonders zu Beginn des Buches. Aber das legte sich mit der Zeit und ich hoffe einfach mal, dass es im zweiten Band nicht mehr so sein wird.
Was mir auch nicht so ganz gefallen hat, war, dass eigentlich kaum Spannung aufkam. Also, ich habe das Buch trotzdem kaum aus der Hand legen können, aber wirkliche Action war da nicht gerade. Es ging hauptsächlich darum, dass Alera ihre Pflichten erfüllen muss, aber nicht will. Außerdem ist sie Steldor gegenüber echt manchmal extrem unfair und das Ende des Buches war einfach nur mega schlimm. Nicht wirklich offen, aber so entmutigend.
Fazit
Schreibstil: 4 Herzen
Charaktere: 4 Herzen
Spannung: 2,5 Herzen
Emotionale Tiefe: 3,5 Herzen
Humor: 4 Herzen
Originalität: 3,5 Herzen
So sehr man es auch versucht, man kann sich diesem Buch trotz einiger kleiner Fehler einfach nicht entziehen. Aber Band zwei soll ja sehr viel actionreicher sein, also sag ich nur: Die "Zeit der Rache" ist gekommen! Also wenn das jetzt mal keine gute Überleitung gewesen ist...
3,5 Sterne
Zum Cover: Sosehr ich es auch liebe... Ich hasse es! ich weiß, das macht keinen Sinn, ist aber so. Warum packen die da immer Mädchen auf die Cover drauf, die so gar nicht aussehen wie der Hauptcharakter? Alera hat KEINE blauen Augen und sie hat Locken!!!
Den Titel finde ich allerdings sehr schön, auch wenn "Legacy" natürlich noch viel besser klingt.
Zum Buch
Alera.
Ihr wisst ja gar nicht wie schwer das manchmal ist, ein Buch zu bewerten. Problem bei dem Buch ist, dass ich jetzt einiges bemängeln werde, das Buch aber trotzdem eine gute Bewertung bekommt, weil es trotz dieser Fehlerchen einfach genial war und ich mir für satte 15 (!!!) Euro direkt den zweiten Teil bestellt habe. So viel hab ich schon lange nicht mehr für ein Buch ausgegeben und dann auch noch ein olles Taschenbuch. Ich könnt' mich noch immer aufregen. Aber gut.
Also erst einmal entspricht das Buch so gar nicht dem, was ich erwartet hätte. Überhaupt nicht! Es geht vor allem viel um die Pflichten, die Alera als Prinzessin hat und Narian ist ganz anders als ich gedacht hätte. Überraschenderweise war er gar kein Spion und ich habe ihn auch keine Sekunde lang verdächtigt einer zu sein.
Nur mal so ein Beispiel: Narian ist ein Jahr jünger als Alera. Wann ist das in letzter Zeit mal in einem Fantasybuch vorgekommen? Da ist die große Liebe immer mindestens gleichalt. Das IST einfach so. Aber ich frag mich, ob man den ersten Band wirklich als Fantasybuch bezeichnen kann, weil nämlich gar keine Fantasyelemente vorkommen. Ok, eine Prophezeiung ist schon dabei, aber das wars dann auch. Die erste magische Handlung findet erst im Prolog des zweiten Bandes statt.
Mir fällt es auch schwer das ganze als High-Fantasy einzustufen, weil es nämlich nicht wirklich in einer fiktiven Welt spielt. Das fand ich etwas schade. Wenn man schon neue Länder etc. kreiert, warum gibt es dann da das Weihnachtsfest und generell alles, was mit dem Christentum zu tun hat? Fand ich etwas blöd.
Der Schreibstil ist auch so gar nicht wie ich das erwartet hätte. Nicht schmachtend oder extrem auf Gefühle fixiert. Der Schreibstil würde gut zu einem Historienroman passen, wie ich finde.
Auf mich persönlich wirkte Alera im ersten Teil an vielen Stellen ziemlich naiv. Besonders zu Beginn des Buches. Aber das legte sich mit der Zeit und ich hoffe einfach mal, dass es im zweiten Band nicht mehr so sein wird.
Was mir auch nicht so ganz gefallen hat, war, dass eigentlich kaum Spannung aufkam. Also, ich habe das Buch trotzdem kaum aus der Hand legen können, aber wirkliche Action war da nicht gerade. Es ging hauptsächlich darum, dass Alera ihre Pflichten erfüllen muss, aber nicht will. Außerdem ist sie Steldor gegenüber echt manchmal extrem unfair und das Ende des Buches war einfach nur mega schlimm. Nicht wirklich offen, aber so entmutigend.
Fazit
Schreibstil: 4 Herzen
Charaktere: 4 Herzen
Spannung: 2,5 Herzen
Emotionale Tiefe: 3,5 Herzen
Humor: 4 Herzen
Originalität: 3,5 Herzen
So sehr man es auch versucht, man kann sich diesem Buch trotz einiger kleiner Fehler einfach nicht entziehen. Aber Band zwei soll ja sehr viel actionreicher sein, also sag ich nur: Die "Zeit der Rache" ist gekommen! Also wenn das jetzt mal keine gute Überleitung gewesen ist...
3,5 Sterne
January 9, 2013
I'm trying to think of how to talk about this book without being mean. I'll try for blunt and hope it doesn't come across to badly.
Here's the story: Alera is stuck with the likelihood of marrying a guy she actively dislikes. She's muffled by rules that keep woman from holding power. But out there is something watching...... The country over holds a possibility of love but a huge possibility of her entire country getting wiped off the map.
The tone of this book was impossible to get through. It was stilted and, well, inane. I didn't come across any perceivable plot. Some of the character descriptions made me want to fork myself in the eye. Not everyone old can have "silver hair"!
On a more technical note, I used to be a slavish lover of eastern european history specifically in the late medieval through renaissance eras. I was going to major in it in college until I realized that it was just a one way ticket to being that bitter high school teacher that everyone rolls there eyes at. I'm giving you this background to make some sense of the upcoming rant.
If the fantasy Alera is going to be even remotely accurate it needs some HUGE adjustments. Her dad is hooking her up with a young, handsome guy that won't let her speak her mind and she's having kittens over it. In a medieval based culture she would just be relieved she's not marrying twice her age who has no teeth. She would be expecting an arranged marriage. That was the price that girls of the nobility paid for not being peasants. It was a social contract over land rights, power structures, and military alliances. Nothing else. Certainly not an exploration of feelings. Liking your spouse was a bonus, not a goal. Next Alera challenges her father over his decisions on how to handle and enemy captive. Yeah, no. Medieval woman had a lot more power then we gave them credit for, but the point of a nobleman wasn't to look pretty in those days. It was to be a military leader and protector. If any daughter got into a public throw down with her father she would have to lose, because she would be making her father look like a fool in front of the lesser nobility who owed him. In that case he would be ripe for being deposed. Life was harder in those days and no one could afford to be superfluous. Alera's country is a lifetime special masquerading as a fantasy world.
I've read over countless friends MS's that have reminded me of this book. I'm just surprised someone published it.
Here's the story: Alera is stuck with the likelihood of marrying a guy she actively dislikes. She's muffled by rules that keep woman from holding power. But out there is something watching...... The country over holds a possibility of love but a huge possibility of her entire country getting wiped off the map.
The tone of this book was impossible to get through. It was stilted and, well, inane. I didn't come across any perceivable plot. Some of the character descriptions made me want to fork myself in the eye. Not everyone old can have "silver hair"!
On a more technical note, I used to be a slavish lover of eastern european history specifically in the late medieval through renaissance eras. I was going to major in it in college until I realized that it was just a one way ticket to being that bitter high school teacher that everyone rolls there eyes at. I'm giving you this background to make some sense of the upcoming rant.
If the fantasy Alera is going to be even remotely accurate it needs some HUGE adjustments. Her dad is hooking her up with a young, handsome guy that won't let her speak her mind and she's having kittens over it. In a medieval based culture she would just be relieved she's not marrying twice her age who has no teeth. She would be expecting an arranged marriage. That was the price that girls of the nobility paid for not being peasants. It was a social contract over land rights, power structures, and military alliances. Nothing else. Certainly not an exploration of feelings. Liking your spouse was a bonus, not a goal. Next Alera challenges her father over his decisions on how to handle and enemy captive. Yeah, no. Medieval woman had a lot more power then we gave them credit for, but the point of a nobleman wasn't to look pretty in those days. It was to be a military leader and protector. If any daughter got into a public throw down with her father she would have to lose, because she would be making her father look like a fool in front of the lesser nobility who owed him. In that case he would be ripe for being deposed. Life was harder in those days and no one could afford to be superfluous. Alera's country is a lifetime special masquerading as a fantasy world.
I've read over countless friends MS's that have reminded me of this book. I'm just surprised someone published it.
May 30, 2011
I tried to finish this one, I really did. I just found that I couldn’t. The original plot was interesting enough, but that quickly declined after a few chapters and it descended into mediocrity.
I think the author was aiming for high or epic fantasy with writing this book, but it just didn’t hit the mark. As Alera’s story continues with her getting harrassed by her suitors right and left, I found it harder and harder to emotionally click with her. What happened to the awesome blood-soaked mystery that I read at the start of the book? All of this seemed to fly out the window and with it, all sense of continuity by the time I reached the third chapter.
Writing something that could be considered both YA and high fantasy is hard – I will definitely give Kluver that much. However, you don’t have to stuff romance into something to make it palatable to the YA audience. The (attempted, since neither guy seemed to click with her) romance here felt very forced, whereas in Cinda Williams Chima’s “Seven Realms” series, the romance there is far more gentle and more natural, coming very slowly but that’s what felt right about it. Here, had there been attempted no romance, I think the novel would have worked far better and would have landed itself into the “pretty good” realm of YA high fantasy.
Furthermore, I feel like Kluver didn’t really put enough into her attempted romance even though she did try to force it with the characters. She could have built chemistry if she’d been really determined to have a love triangle, but she didn’t. That’s another thing that really disappointed me about this book – Kluver seems like she’s a really promising writer, but everything fell short of the mark in almost every category. Alera didn’t feel real, I couldn’t connect to her, and not all YA books need a love triangle. In the end, that’s what did it for me.
This isn’t to say that I’m not averse to reading anything new of Kluver’s – bring it on! I would like to see more from her, and I hope that her next book is far better than this one.
(originally posted at witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com, crossposted to goodreads and shelfari)
I think the author was aiming for high or epic fantasy with writing this book, but it just didn’t hit the mark. As Alera’s story continues with her getting harrassed by her suitors right and left, I found it harder and harder to emotionally click with her. What happened to the awesome blood-soaked mystery that I read at the start of the book? All of this seemed to fly out the window and with it, all sense of continuity by the time I reached the third chapter.
Writing something that could be considered both YA and high fantasy is hard – I will definitely give Kluver that much. However, you don’t have to stuff romance into something to make it palatable to the YA audience. The (attempted, since neither guy seemed to click with her) romance here felt very forced, whereas in Cinda Williams Chima’s “Seven Realms” series, the romance there is far more gentle and more natural, coming very slowly but that’s what felt right about it. Here, had there been attempted no romance, I think the novel would have worked far better and would have landed itself into the “pretty good” realm of YA high fantasy.
Furthermore, I feel like Kluver didn’t really put enough into her attempted romance even though she did try to force it with the characters. She could have built chemistry if she’d been really determined to have a love triangle, but she didn’t. That’s another thing that really disappointed me about this book – Kluver seems like she’s a really promising writer, but everything fell short of the mark in almost every category. Alera didn’t feel real, I couldn’t connect to her, and not all YA books need a love triangle. In the end, that’s what did it for me.
This isn’t to say that I’m not averse to reading anything new of Kluver’s – bring it on! I would like to see more from her, and I hope that her next book is far better than this one.
(originally posted at witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com, crossposted to goodreads and shelfari)
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