Legacy

By Cayla Kluver

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

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Mar 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781460804520

Cayla Kluver

Cayla Kluver was born on October 2, 1992, in Wisconsin. She has cats, dogs and horses, and watches more crime shows than is probably healthy. Her office is filled with twinkly lights, candles, and fun colors. She loves Robert Louis Stevenson and the Beatles. Legacy is her first novel. Visit Cayla at www.caylakluver.com, friend her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @CaylaKL.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

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.

Across the land of Hytanica, in the villages, infant boys continued to vanish. King Adrik turned a blind eye foolishly, seeking no explanation, for he needed to refortify his kingdom’s defenses in case Cokyri resumed its brutal onslaught. But when children inside the city’s walls began to disappear, he was forced to take notice. A count was made of the number missing, but before he could determine what action should be taken, the disappearances stopped. The last Hytanican child to vanish was the newborn son of a wealthy baron and baroness.

Within the week, as the bleeding moon waned, the bodies of the infants were found outside the gates of the city, a final word from the greatest enemy Hytanica had ever known. Grieving parents collected the rotting remains of their sons, but there was one mystery that would for many years remain unsolved. Forty-nine babies were taken, but only forty-eight bodies were returned.

No one knew why the Cokyrians had withdrawn from the land or why they had not been able to destroy Hytanica and her people. The Cokyrians were superior to the Hytanicans as fighters and strategists and did not adhere to any code of honor in war, but still Hytanica had not fallen. Some thought they had abandoned the effort out of frustration, for they had many times been poised to win only to once again lose ground; others thought the Cokyrian rulers had finally accepted the ancient story of Hytanica’s conception.

According to lore, the first King of Hytanica, seeking to protect his foundling home, had been advised by his priests that a sacrifice of blood both royal and innocent would hallow the ground and make his kingdom invincible. After much soul-searching, the King had taken the life of his own infant son and placed drops of the boy’s blood at each corner of the land to forever shield the people he loved.

I was born shortly before the end of the war, a Princess of Hytanica, my parents’ first heir. As my people settled into a long-awaited time of peace, learning to lead normal lives once more, I was brought before them and grew to be a young woman, living with a freedom the war-torn generations before me had never known. All such things must come to an end, however, and that is where my story begins.

CHAPTER 1

THE OBVIOUS CHOICE

I THINK I’M GOING TO VOMIT.

I paced in front of the barren fireplace that spanned most of one wall in my parlor, clasping and unclasping my hands. My younger sister, Princess Miranna, had retired to her quarters after breathlessly assuring me I would have a lovely evening, but then, she was much more enamored with the man I would be meeting for dinner tonight than I was. Now it was only London, my bodyguard and a member of the King’s Elite Guard, waiting with me in the richly furnished room.

You’re not going to vomit, Alera. Just try to relax, London advised, one eyebrow raised in bemusement. He picked up a book from the table beside the burgundy velvet sofa and began to leaf through it.

How can I possibly eat? I asked, my voice sounding shrill even to my own ears. I don’t think I can go through with this.

"It’s going to be fine. He’s just another suitor, and like the rest of them, he has to impress you, not the other way around. Besides, as far as I can tell, you have no real interest in him, so I don’t know why you’re working yourself into such a state."

You don’t understand! If something goes wrong tonight, Father is going to be so disappointed.

Well, unless you’ve made plans to marry Steldor that I don’t know about, you’re going to disappoint your father in the long run no matter what.

I stopped pacing and faced London, who had set the book back on the table and was now leaning against the tapestried wall by the door, arms crossed over his muscular frame. Unruly silver bangs fell across his forehead, contrasting sharply with his deep-set indigo eyes, which were fixed upon me in anticipation of a response. I fumbled for one; every moment I could feel the noose of my impending marriage growing tighter. With my seventeenth birthday just around the corner, a betrothal would soon be arranged, with or without my approval of the gentleman. The idea that Steldor might be that gentleman …

But I can’t stand him. How can I spend the whole evening with him?

It’s just one evening. You can survive one evening. London hesitated, then teasingly added, Besides, he may just win you over. I’m not one to underestimate the power of a romantic stroll in the garden.

Please say he won’t expect that of me!

I stared at him, unable to find humor in such an awful possibility, and he tried to alleviate the worry he had inadvertently created.

If he does, tell him you’re feeling ill and that you must return to your quarters at once. He can’t argue with that.

I sank into one of the plush armchairs that stood near the hearth, buried my head in my hands, and moaned. My father, King Adrik, had arranged for this dinner between Lord Steldor and me, for he felt Steldor was better suited to be his successor than anyone else in the kingdom. As the heir to the throne, I was to marry on that basis alone, for it was my husband, not I, who would come to rule Hytanica.

Even I had to admit that Steldor was the obvious choice. Three and a half years older than I, he was the son of Cannan, the Captain of the Guard, and had one year ago become a military field commander at the young age of nineteen. He was charming, intelligent and strong, with stunning good looks, but I had disliked him from the moment we had met.

A rap on the door interrupted my thoughts, and London stepped into the corridor while I fretfully plucked strands of my brown hair free of its upswept style.

We’d better go, he said upon reentering, and I slowly rose from the chair. I have just been informed that Steldor is waiting for you in the Grand Entry.

London opened the door for me, and we left my parlor to walk through the second-floor corridors of the Royal Residence toward the spiral staircase at the rear of the palace. In addition to my quarters and those of my sister and parents, the residence included a library, a family dining room, a kitchen and a visitor’s parlor. The Royal Ballroom and the King’s Dining Hall were the only areas on the second floor that were used for public events.

We descended the stairs, emerging into a lantern-lit corridor, and London offered his arm to escort me toward the palace’s main entrance. As we walked, I hardly glanced at the intricate tapestries that adorned the walls, for my attention was drawn to the end of the hall where Steldor awaited me. Supporting himself with his left hand on the wall, he was flipping a dagger over and over in his right, impeccably positioned for maximum visual effect.

Have fun, London said glibly, stopping midway down the passage, for my handsome dinner companion had noticed my approach.

You’re not going far, are you?

No, I would wager you’ll need more protection tonight than on most occasions. Besides, I’d be a pretty poor chaperone if I did, although I will try to give you two lovebirds some privacy.

Go ahead and enjoy yourself at my expense, won’t you? I complained, irritated by the tease that had once more crept into his voice.

Steldor had returned his dagger to its sheath and was striding toward me. Although he was dressed more informally than was usual for him, his deportment would have made any clothing appear elegant. He was tall, broad shouldered and well muscled, with dark brown hair that fell in a perfectly careless manner to just below his prominent cheekbones. His brown eyes were guaranteed to make most girls swoon, and his smile was irresistible, given his straight and even, white teeth.

My lady.

Steldor bowed and kissed my hand. His eyes swept my form approvingly, taking in my shimmering gray gown and the silver locket that graced my neck. Allow me to escort you to the dining room, Princess Alera.

With an uncomfortable glance at my bodyguard, Steldor drew me to his side, and I was certain London’s demeanor had given warning of how closely he intended to monitor the captain’s son. Suppressing a smile, I walked with Steldor through the remainder of the corridor, the savory smells from the kitchen arousing my appetite. At least I would be getting a delicious meal out of the evening.

The first-floor dining room was designed to accommodate intimate gatherings. There were twin marble fireplaces, one on each side of the room, with an oblong table that could seat forty-five centered in between. Three candlelit chandeliers were suspended above the table, and oil-burning lanterns were attached at intervals along the walls. A small, round table draped with white linen had been prepared for us at the far end of the room in front of the bay window. On it, two flickering candles provided subtle illumination, aided by the last glimmer of the day’s sun. I sat across from Steldor and he offered me a glass of wine, which I accepted with some trepidation, having no more liking for wine than I did for the man extending the goblet.

I have to say, Steldor observed, you look exceptionally beautiful tonight, Alera.

He paused as if permitting me an opportunity to extend my flustered thanks. When none were forthcoming, he smiled.

You seem a little overwhelmed … perchance from hunger, although it’s not unusual for my company to have this effect upon women. Some food may restore you. With a flick of his hand he indicated to a servant that we were ready to receive our meal. Some sustenance may enable you to find your voice as well.

I stared at the man my father desired me to wed, feeling ill-equipped to deal with his overly familiar attitude. The arrival of the kitchen staff with vegetable-laden platters, warm bread and roast grouse saved me from having to reply.

Steldor nodded curtly to dismiss the servants, then placed a slice of the sizzling game bird on each of our plates, permitting me to select my own vegetables and bread. We ate in silence for a time, although I found it difficult to do more than nibble, for his eyes continued to shamelessly peruse me.

I hope we shall come to spend a great deal of time together, he finally said, his voice a practiced blend of honey and conceit, velvety smooth but with an undertone of boredom that not even he could conceal. Clearly this was not how he would have chosen to spend his evening free of duties. Although I should caution you that the military demands much of me. I am well suited for such a life, of course—when I was at the Military Academy, my combat instructors had nothing but praise for me. As you probably know, I was allowed to graduate a year early due to my abilities.

Finished with his meal, he pushed his plate forward to rest his left forearm on the table’s edge.

After fifteen months as a foot soldier, I went into officer training and became the youngest field commander in Hytanican history. But despite the demands of my position, I find time to help train the students at the academy in hand-to-hand fighting. The instructors at the military school continue to hold me in high esteem and readily welcome my assistance.

I found myself paying more attention to his gestures than to his words as he droned on, for his movements were so fluid they seemed almost rehearsed. He paused to settle back in his chair, slowly swirling the wine in his goblet, once more perfectly posed.

Of course, I didn’t do anything special to win such admiration, he continued. I was simply born with enviable talents. It was natural that I would become the favored one. You can understand that, can’t you, Alera? It’s much the same with you.

And how is that like me at all? I challenged, his arrogance at last goading me to reply.

She speaks, he gently mocked, then elaborated. "Well, you didn’t ask to be born into the royal family, did you? I likewise didn’t ask to be the most admired man in the kingdom."

More admired than my father? Well, then, I suppose I should feel honored just to be here with you.

Alera, admiration isn’t about wearing a crown. Your father is revered. But I have the eyes of an entire citizenry on me at every moment. That you cannot deny.

The churning in my stomach could no longer be attributed to nervousness. Just being in Steldor’s company was making me physically ill. When I did not converse further, he glanced to the other side of the room where London was sitting in a chair, booted feet resting on the oblong table.

It’s a shame London has to be here, isn’t it?

"Perhaps from your point of view. I believe it’s important that he diligently carry out his duties."

Don’t take offense, Princess, he said with a chuckle. I only meant that, if we were alone, things could be a bit more … intimate.

He leaned closer and reached for my hand, dark eyes lazily scanning me as if I were a gift for him to unwrap.

That would be improper, would it not? I reproached, picking up my napkin to spoil his attempt.

And have you never done anything improper, Princess? he drawled, wearing an insufferably indulgent expression. He stood when my only response was a deep blush. As you don’t seem to be particularly hungry, I suggest we forgo dessert in favor of a stroll in the moonlight.

I tried to think of an excuse, or to remember London’s advice, but my brain had stopped working. In combination with my dry mouth, I found myself speechless.

I’ll take that as a yes, he said, slipping a hand under my elbow to direct me to my feet. To the garden, shall we?

Steldor’s arm snaked its way around my waist as he escorted me from the dining room, and London let his feet drop loudly to the floor, drawing our attention. He rose, his eyes connecting with mine.

No need to keep such close watch, Steldor told him with a dismissive wave. She’s in good hands.

That’s an interesting assertion, considering your reputation, London replied, not about to let the young man out of his sight.

We walked down the corridor that London and I had earlier traversed, toward the rear of the palace and the garden that extended to the northern section of the walled city. Beyond the high stone wall stretched the forest that climbed into the foothills of the rugged Niñeyre Mountains.

Steldor acknowledged the Palace Guards who were stationed at the rear entrance, then held one of the double doors open for me, but I vacillated, reluctant to go into the dusky grounds with him.

I’m not sure this is a good idea, I fussed, still struggling for words, aware that my periodic lapses in speech might be attributed to girlish excitement, when in reality all I wanted was for the evening to be over.

Of course it is—it’s a beautiful night.

I’m a bit cold, and I neglected to bring a wrap, I said lamely. The temperature was still comfortable, but since it was the beginning of May, a chill would advance as night settled over the land.

Just stay near to me, Princess. I assure you I’ll be able to keep you warm.

I nodded, and Steldor again draped his arm about my waist to guide me onward, one of the Palace Guards alerting the others who patrolled the area that I had entered the grounds.

Stars were beginning to glimmer in the clear nighttime sky as we strolled along the stone footpaths that wove through the walled garden, dividing it into sections. Although torches burned around its perimeter, their flickering light did not penetrate the garden’s depths, and we depended on the moon for guidance. Steldor led me toward one of four double-tiered white marble fountains located on the paths, and I was certain he viewed our surroundings as spectacularly romantic, even while I dreaded every impending second.

Steldor stopped at a bench near the fountain, dragging me down to sit beside him. Taking my hands in his, he gazed into my eyes as if silently telling me that he had laid claim to me long before I had been aware of his pursuit, and my heart began to hammer in apprehension of what he might do.

You enchant me, Alera, he whispered, leaning in close to me, and my senses reeled from his rich and alluring scent. It was deep and musky, but with the warmth of nutmeg and cinnamon, woven with a wistful hint of violet. As the fragrance washed over me, he played with a strand of my hair, then slid his hand to the base of my neck and pressed his lips against mine in a firm and entirely unwelcome kiss.

I pulled away, eyes widening, appalled that he would make such a presumptuous move. For an instant he seemed angry, but then he dropped his hand with a wicked grin.

I didn’t know that would be your first kiss, he chided. Not that I mind, of course. It’s just that you are more inexperienced than I anticipated.

He reached out to touch my necklace, letting his fingertips rest against the hollow of my throat.

Of course, this does mean many other firsts will follow.

I glared at him in outrage, floundering for words. Just when it looked like he might try to kiss me again, a voice cut through my humiliation, disbelief and detestation, interrupting his advance.

Princess! London called, striding into sight. I’m afraid there’s an emergency in the palace and I must return you to your quarters. You’ll have to come with me now.

I sprang up from the bench and almost ran to my guard, warm relief spreading through me. Steldor came to his feet with a scowl, intending to accompany me, but London held up a hand.

You’ll have to go. This is not your business.

Steldor glowered at London, but my bodyguard steadily met his stare. Other than the fact that London was slightly shorter than my escort, the two men were a physical match. They even had the same youthful appearance, although, in truth, London was nearly twice Steldor’s age, just one of the things that made the man in whose protective shadow I had lived for sixteen years a mystery to me.

Knowing that London, a deputy captain in the Elite Guard, held rank, Steldor backed down. I left the garden with my bodyguard, imagining my jilted dinner companion reentering the palace shortly after us and stalking down the corridor.

Well, you were right about the level of protection I would need tonight, I admitted while London and I climbed the spiral staircase that was reserved for my family’s use.

Indeed.

He had evidently lost his good humor about the evening and seemed to be fuming, although at himself or at Steldor, I couldn’t tell.

"And your father expects you to marry that pig," he muttered.

So it would seem.

While I was grateful for someone with whom I could share my feelings, I was surprised by London’s forwardness in expressing his opinion of Steldor. I had only known him to listen to my complaints and never articulate his own, although having worked closely under Cannan for years, London would know the vagaries of Steldor’s personality where my father did not.

As my thoughts returned to Steldor and his kiss, I wiped at my mouth in disgust. London took note of what I was doing and raised a sardonic eyebrow.

I don’t suppose that was the way you envisioned your first kiss.

Why does everyone think that was my first kiss? I demanded, dismayed that my life was so transparent.

Don’t forget you’re talking to me, he replied with a knowing smirk.

I averted my eyes, willing myself not to blush. Well, in any case, I’m glad you stepped in. Who knows what else Steldor had in mind.

What happened to telling him you felt ill if you wanted to make a hasty exit?

When we were sitting on the bench, I couldn’t think straight. He has this amazing … I lost the battle to stem the color rushing into my face, and my voice trailed away.

Amazing what?

Scent, amazing scent, I finished, cheeks now aflame.

"He smells good? London teased, breaking into a laugh. As if he needs another way to attract women. On top of everything else, he smells better than the rest of us!"

Returning to my quarters, I closed the parlor door behind me, murmuring good-night to London. I knew he would be headed for the East Wing, to the first-floor rooms where most of the unmarried guards chose to live. As my primary bodyguard, he was on duty from the time I awoke until the time I retired. At night, Palace Guards patrolled the corridors to provide security.

I dragged myself through the parlor toward my bedroom, my limbs heavy. Upon entering the room that had been my refuge since I was a little girl, I sank into the chair that stood before my dressing table, removing the pins from my hair and shaking my head so that my thick locks tumbled about my shoulders. I looked into the mirror, letting my eyes wander over the familiar furnishings reflected therein: a generously sized canopy bed, topped by a cream-colored spread and deliciously soft, overstuffed feather pillows; a pair of velvet lounging chairs that beckoned from in front of the fireplace; a dollhouse and a few other toys from my childhood, including a top and a skipping rope; and an overflowing bookcase. These were the things that would never change; the things to which I clung, knowing the events of the coming year could not be predicted.

I stood and crossed the room to pull open one of the double wooden doors that led onto my balcony, my feet sinking into the thick rug that lay on the floor. Despite a cool breeze that sent a shiver through me, I stepped outside to await the arrival of Sahdienne, my golden-haired, round-faced personal maid. During daylight hours, I had a clear view of the rolling terrain that spread toward the lake marking the western border of our kingdom. At this time of night, I could see only what the moonlight permitted—the looming shapes of the buildings in the city.

Knowing from the creak of my bedroom door that Sahdienne had entered, I retreated inside. She unlaced the back of my gown and drew the drapes across the window to the right of the balcony while I donned my nightdress. Then I slipped under the covers that topped my bed, nestling my head amongst the pillows, and fell asleep before she had finished tidying the room.

I was a princess of Hytanica, protected and sheltered from all the world’s horrors, except those of my nightmares. They were rife this night with visions of a future with Steldor: I was a meaningless ornament to an arrogant king, as quickly forgotten as a leaf blown past by the wind.

Perhaps my birthday would alter more than my age. Perhaps, this year, I would at last be able to resist the places nature wanted me to go.

CHAPTER 2

AN UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER

IT WAS DUSK, MY FAVORITE TIME OF DAY. I cherished the moments when I could stand on the balcony off the ballroom and gaze beyond the courtyard gates of our palace into the walled city, watching for the points of lantern light that would appear to ward off the darkness. Beyond the city, farm fields sloped gradually toward the untamed Recorah River, which flowed out of the mountains and defined our eastern and southern boundaries.

It was the occasion of my seventeenth birthday, and the upper society of Hytanica had gathered to honor me on this tenth of May. There was an added air of excitement to this celebration, for it was custom that at eighteen, a female heir would marry the man who would become the next king, and I was therefore expected to choose a husband within the upcoming year. When the whispers and speculation about who was in my favor had at last gotten the best of me, I had retreated to the balcony, hoping that the fresh air would provide relief from the conversation as well as the stuffiness of the room.

Though arguably I should have been allowed to rule—it was not unheard of for women to reign in many of the texts and stories I had read—Hytanican tradition steered my father’s and the kingdom’s views on leadership, dictating that they put their trust into the hands of a man and not those of a woman. My father having no male heir, I would be crowned Queen, but not ruler, and would play no role in actually governing the kingdom. The function of the Queen was to supervise the household, plan and execute social events and raise the children. While the line of descent would continue to flow through my blood, the man I married would reign in my stead.

Hearing footsteps from behind, I turned, expecting that one of the young men who sought my attention had followed me. Instead, Miranna glided to the railing, radiant in a sky-blue dress, her strawberry-blond hair falling in waves and curls down her back. With her porcelain skin and delicately sculpted features, she was destined to break the heart of many a suitor.

Are the celebrations too much for you, sister? she asked, her blue eyes sparkling, for she knew I rarely enjoyed festivities that cast me in a starring role.

I confess I find myself struggling to breathe in that ballroom.

We stood in silence while I inhaled the refreshing air, then Miranna lightly touched my hand. Tell me, has anyone managed to draw your interest this evening?

No one who would meet Father’s approval, I said, trying to keep from sounding bitter. And I cannot marry without his approval.

True, but there are so many intriguing possibilities! My sister’s face shone with enthusiasm, for she had, since turning fifteen, developed quite an interest in the male population. I know Father can be a bit demanding, but he is not unreasonable. He has many times proven himself to be a good judge of character.

"He may very well be, but this time he seems to have his sights set on judging only one man. My halfhearted attempt at humor fell flat, for unlike Miranna, I saw no pleasure in the task before me. Let’s review a few of the candidates, shall we? Lord Thane is kind and witty, but he has chosen to study medicine. This disqualifies him, for Father insists a military background is necessary for a king. Then there is Lord Mauston, who is in the cavalry, but his family has fallen on hard times, so he wouldn’t bring enough wealth to the marriage. Baron Galen is a field commander who inherited his father’s title, lands and holdings, which ought to make him acceptable, but he is Lord Steldor’s best friend and not the Captain of the Guard’s son, so is relegated to second choice at best. And Father wants me to marry someone older than me, someone with the maturity to ascend to the throne at once, which eliminates all the noblemen of my age. With forced pleasantness, I concluded, So, you see, the problem is not a lack of interest on my part, but Father’s rather extensive list of qualifications."

And what of Lord Steldor? I don’t know if you’ve spoken with him tonight, but he is looking very fine indeed.

Miranna, like my father, had a preference for the Captain of the Guard’s son, although I suspected it was for quite a different reason.

"I have never seen an occasion when he did not look fine. Since he has attracted your notice, have no misgivings on my account about pursuing him, Mira."

What is it that makes you dislike him so?

It’s his ego. Steldor doesn’t walk, he struts. He doesn’t converse with someone, he blesses them with his presence. And word amongst the observant members of the nobility is always about his temper. That notion frightens me more than I care to say.

Miranna twirled a strand of hair around the fingers of her left hand, and I knew she understood my point, at least with respect to Steldor’s temper. A Hytanican woman was the property of her husband, and he could deal with her as he saw fit. This alone made me a poor match for the captain’s son, for I was, at times, more outspoken than was wise. I suspected that Steldor’s reaction to such behavior might prove unpleasant.

Still, he has many exceptional qualities, she finally countered. And though the issues you’ve raised may make him a less appealing husband for you, they hardly affect his ability to rule. Besides, he will be guided by both our father and his. He will make a good king, Alera. Everyone sees it. Why can’t you?

I think it’s time we return to the festivities, I said. Father and Mother will be making their entrance soon and will be expecting me to join them.

I turned from her and reentered the ballroom, sweeping my long hair over my shoulders and forcing a genial expression, the ball gown that had been commissioned especially for this occasion swishing around my ankles. Made of white silk chiffon that followed the curves of my body, it had lace-accented bell sleeves that almost touched the floor. Upon my head I wore a silver tiara, its delicate diamond flowers offset by tiny leaves forming three gentle arches that crested in the middle. The ensemble had looked regal in my mirror, but now it seemed to press on me as if the weight of the world rested on my head. Miranna walked at my side, no doubt hoping to resume our discussion, but I prevented her from doing so by greeting everyone we passed.

The voice of Lanek, the palace herald and my father’s personal secretary, rang out from the front of the ballroom in his traditional announcement. Although he had incredible lung capacity, Lanek was rather short and stocky and bore a marked resemblance to an overfed and contented cat.

All hail the King, King Adrik of Hytanica, and his queen, the Lady Elissia!

Everyone, including Miranna and I, bowed or curtseyed before my parents as they entered the Royal Ballroom from the Dignitary’s Room onto a raised platform. The Dignitary’s Room was adjacent to my parents’ quarters and was a waiting area for the King and Queen, and occasionally for special guests, prior to their formal appearances.

My parents were accompanied by the Captain of the Guard, Cannan, a tall and imposing man with dark hair and eyes who rarely smiled. Similar in age to my father, he was a member of the nobility and the commander of the Hytanican Military, having assumed that position during the Cokyrian War shortly before my father had become king. In the years since then, he had earned my father’s respect and friendship, and he often accompanied the King as an adviser and bodyguard.

My father and mother were dressed in similar colors this evening, in accordance with tradition governing formal occasions. My mother wore a golden gown with red stitching on the bodice; a crown set with rubies adorned her upswept honey-blond hair. My father, whose hair and eye color matched my own, was likewise clothed and crowned in gold, and he shouldered a floor-length red robe with thick cording on the sleeves and at the neckline. While my mother was demure and dignified, my father was jovial in nature, with laugh lines around his brown eyes and a little extra weight padding his girth.

Welcome! my father proclaimed, inclining his head toward the crowd. This celebration is not to honor me or my queen, but in honor of our daughter, Princess Alera. By the end of her next year, she will marry, and the man who becomes her husband will be my successor. When the day comes for him to ascend the throne, I trust that you will grant the new king the same loyalty and respect you have shown me throughout my reign. Until then, long live Princess Alera!

My father motioned to me with his hand, beaming broadly, and our guests repeated his petition, shifting their attention to me. As I curtseyed, I saw my father look to Steldor, who had conveniently located himself close to the platform upon which my parents stood. Baron Galen, Steldor’s counterpart, was with him and a few feet away stood the rest of Steldor’s entourage—two burly soldiers of aristocratic birth called Barid and Devant.

A little shorter and less handsome than Steldor, Galen had wavy ash-brown hair and warm brown eyes. His father had died in the war when Galen was three years old, and Cannan had been as much a father to him as he had been to Steldor. The young men had both become field commanders upon graduation from the Military Academy and were practically inseparable, though Galen was noticeably less cocky and more levelheaded than his friend. I sometimes wondered if it was solely Steldor’s influence that brought out the reckless side of Galen’s personality.

Barid and Devant had become Steldor’s tagalongs during military school. They seemed less intelligent than their leaders, though they had to add value to Steldor in some way or he would never have allowed them to remain among his comrades.

I had not had many encounters with Steldor and his associates as a group, but their rowdy reputation preceded them. They relished making life unpleasant for the people they considered beneath them (which, for Steldor, seemed to be just about everyone), though they primarily concentrated on terrorizing the young cadets at the Military Academy. They never did anything truly harmful, but I was certain the students were tired of having their horses untethered, their boots filled with mud or rocks and their water salted so it was undrinkable.

Steldor and company also had a reputation for making the rounds of all the taverns in Hytanica in a single night, growing a little louder with each drink and pulling some fairly outrageous stunts. It was both amusing and irritating to me that regardless of how quickly the rumors about Steldor’s behavior circulated, as long as he acted the perfect gentleman around my parents, they were content to judge his unseemly conduct as the antics of youth.

My father and mother stepped down from the stage and approached me, accompanied by Cannan, with the King’s personal guards falling in behind. The guests resumed their conversations, and Galen gave his best friend a good-natured shove in my direction, though I doubted Steldor, who was quite accustomed to conquering the ladies, needed any such encouragement.

Alera, my father said cheerily, arriving before me with my mother at his side, how do you like the decor? Do you find it tasteful for this occasion?

I scanned the torch-lit hall, noting the glorious flower arrangements set against its walls and the white chiffon and lace that draped the edges of the refreshment tables in the same way it draped my body.

Yes, the decorations are splendid, Your Majesty.

Now, now, my father chortled. You know I don’t stand on ceremony.

But how can I help myself when you look so majestic? I teased.

You are just as deserving of that title as I am, my dear. He reached out a hand to brush my cheek. I would like to speak to you later this evening about the selection of your husband. I know you understand the importance of this decision, but all the same … He trailed off as Steldor, with impeccable timing, came to stand beside me.

Your Majesty, My Queen, Steldor said with a bow before turning to face me. Princess Alera.

He kissed my hand, a self-assured grin touching his lips, and my father, looking immensely happy, gave me a wink.

Lord Steldor. I acknowledged him coolly, and I had the feeling my father would have taken back his approving wink if such a thing were possible.

Steldor crossed his arms, a trace of a pout tainting his features, and I stole a glance at the Captain of the Guard, who stood as impassively as always. His job was to protect the royal family, not to become emotionally involved in its dealings, but I thought I could detect the faintest urge within him to roll his eyes at his son’s behavior.

Conversation resumed, with surprisingly little input from Steldor, for he was watching me intently. Displeasure at his manner flared within me, for I had the feeling he was plotting his next move. I shifted farther away from him as Miranna, clasping the hand of her good friend, Semari, floated into our midst.

Semari’s parents, Baron Koranis and Baroness Alantonya, were among those who had suffered the loss of a child toward the end of the Cokyrian War. Their lives had always been clouded by tragedy and mystery, for their firstborn had been taken in the night from his cradle a week after his birth, and his body was the sole one that had not been returned by the Cokyrians. The family had moved on as best they could, and two years later, Semari had been born, followed over the next five years by two more daughters and another all-important son, for only a male could inherit titles and property.

Now that my effervescent sister and her friend were capturing everyone’s interest, I seized the opportunity to exit the ballroom. With a nod to the Palace Guards in the corridor, I stepped onto the landing of the open double staircase and peered over the railing to the floor twenty-five feet below. Seeing no signs of movement other than that of the guards stationed by the front doors, I descended the set of stairs to my left and stepped into the Grand Entry Hall, from which one could pass under the Grand Staircase and into the Throne Room, or proceed into either the West Wing or East Wing of the palace.

I headed into the West Wing, which contained, among other things, the King’s Drawing Room, the small dining room that had been the scene of my date with Steldor, the large Meeting Hall and the service areas of the palace. As I strolled, I listened to the scuffing of my leather-soled slippers against the stone beneath my feet. These floors had not been kind to me in my youth. Running up and down the halls barefooted had made my feet sore, and tripping had resulted in more than a few skinned knees and bloodied noses. My parents had at times been unable to tend to me when I was hurt, for my sister had been very sick when she was a child and had needed special care. They had also, of course, been trying to put the kingdom back together in the aftermath of the war. For these reasons, my personal bodyguard had stepped into the parental role during my early years.

I glanced around, but London was nowhere to be seen. A smile crept across my face at the thought that he might not have seen me leave the ballroom. He had not been at my side but had been moving among the

Reviews for Legacy

[jbarr5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Legacy by Jayne Ann KrentzHonor Mayfield has been taken by Con Landry. He owns Legacy and he's about to run in a race.Granger is in trouble as he is with the loan sharks and other gamblers,Wated to read this story because it deals with the elite race horse circuit and I like horses but have never ridden one, just fascinated by their storylines.Her father, now dead had owned the sire of Legacy along with another. She was there to pay off a $5k debet her sister had accumulated with her last boyfriend.Being the designer she is, she did notice some things had moved a little in her apartment. someone had been there.Hot steamy sex scenes add to this tale. He meets Adeena, her sister when he spends the night over.They have more than a physical attraction. Ethan, one of Con's workers gives her a warning about Con and Legacy.He informs her of who Con really is and he wants revenge for what happened in the past. He's not to know that she knows...He had no idea how she had found out but he was going to tell her in time.She intends to use her father's bungalow at the beach to get away from her troubles, when she realizes the stalker is following her again. She is in love with Richard Stoner's son, her father's partner.And now the horse's stall had green apples that a female had brought in. So many mysteries and they all tie together.He follows her and they do discover things from the pictures that lead to more clues...Loved learning about the horse racing circuit and all the treasures along the way that were uncovered.

[thewalkinggirl · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I spent the entire book hoping the hero and heroine would break up. (Spoiler: no such luck.)Conn was controlling, had serious anger issues, was consistently disrespectful to almost everyone, and was pushy as hell. Not to mention how he threw a temper tantrum every time Honor said no to him. I could have dealt with that if he'd shown any believable emotional growth or maturity over the course of the book, but no.Honor... I liked her, but I couldn't understand why she stayed with this guy who scared her and made her feel helpless.The whole thing just made me sad. Add in a near-complete absence of humor to the mix and... I really didn't enjoy this one at all.

[theepicrat · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Princess Alera is too young to recall a time when her kingdom had not been at peace, but when a Cokyrian breaches the castle grounds with questionable motives, she gets a quick history lesson about the horrific war 16 years ago that ended with the death of newborns. No sooner was the Cokyrian captured, however, did the enemy manage to escape! Alera wants to find more about it, but her father feels that she should focus her pretty, little head on deciding which suitor to marry and leave all the war concerns to him. Too bad all the suitors are either boring or full of themselves – and the only boy that Alera finds remotely interesting is the Narian who had been kidnapped by the Cokyrians during the war and recently escaped from their clutches.I have mixed feelings on Legacy – on the one hand, the story has much potential and piqued my curiosity for the world that Carla Kluver created; on the other hand, I did not particularly care for the characters themselves. Told from Princess Alera’s perspective, I did not connect with her and she came across as a little immature to expect herself able to run a kingdom, despite her father’s misgivings. If she had demonstrated more efforts to prove her worth as a ruler instead of simply resisting her father’s approved suitor, I would have seen more reason to her reluctance. I wish that we had more of Narian - the enemy who challenges Alera to fight against the norm of thinking women as the weaker sex. The ending is quite abrupt – I thought it was a rather awkward point of the story to end on - just when Alera's heart begins to break! I hope the characters kick it up a notch or two in time for the sequel because, if not, I don’t know if the story will be enough for me to continue on.

[absconditas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to love this. I sincerely did. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t my cup of tea. Despite the lush historical atmosphere, I felt like Legacy was very shallow, and I found Alera to be overly virginal, cosseted, and somewhat priggish. I’m willing to let this slide, because unfortunately, it fits in with the time period. I found myself way more upset than I should have been about the treatment of women in Hytanica. However, the language attracted me. Her thoughts sounded old, much older than her purported seventeen years. Despite this incongruence, I went with it. As a result I felt as she felt. Her confusion was mine; as was her frustration. That’s where the authenticity ended for me though because once her conscious interactions began, she started sounding typical YA heroine. (Daughter who had not rebelled but wants to. Friend in the middle… neither super pretty nor super smart… but wealthy enough. AND thankfully she didn’t always speak so “old” just serious at times.) I think that this may have been intended for a much younger audience, which is probably why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.. but the cover was pretty.

[readingfanatic09 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I received this eARC, I was VERY excited to read the book. It sounds like such a captivating read--historical fantasy fiction filled with romance and political intrigue. Sign me up! My overall thoughts were that this was a worthwhile read but it definitely could use a little polishing. Cayla presents us with a heroine, Alera, who know her duties as the Crowned Princess of Hytanica--attend parties, learn good manners, and find a suitable husband to become the King. This last one is proving a bit of a struggle for Alera, for her father has basically chosen the next King despite Alera's disappointment with the match. Then Narian comes into the story. An intriguing captive from Hytanica's bitter enemy...who turns out to be so much more. The character development in Legacy was the best part for me. Alera really struggles with the decisions that she makes and she develops throughout the story from someone who blindly accepts her destiny to someone who questions authority and, in the end, makes difficult decisions. Narian was a very intriguing character and I thought that Cayla did a fabulous job slowing uncovering bits and pieces of him to the reader while still leaving you guessing about the "real" Narian. My favorite character really throughout, however, was London, Alera's bodyguard (at the beginning) and friend. London strikes me as a very complex character that we still have so much more to learn about. That boy definitely has secrets! The only complaint that I really had about this book was that the pacing was a tad slow for me. I felt like occasionally the story got bogged down in excessive details regarding the setting of each scene and the sharing of background information that didn't seem to have a purpose in the story. I felt that the story could have moved along a bit quicker without getting bogged down in such details as each thing that they ate and what they wore and the items in each room. Overall, I did enjoy the story that Cayla Kluver has started here and I won't hesitate to pick up the second book when it comes out. I must commend her on writing such an imaginative story at such a young age (as this story was first penned when the author was, I believe, 14/15). There is a lot of promise in the story and I can only hope that books two and three move along a bit more quickly than this one.

[jinnyc_10 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This review is cross-posted from SkyInk.net. I got this book off of NetGalley. At the time, I wasn’t aware that this was written by then-14 year old Miss Kluver. I’ve only read one other book by a teenager, and had a less-than-pleasant experience doing so. So understandably, I was a bit wary diving into Legacy. While I think Legacy also suffers from certain teenage writing patterns, this book is actually quite readable. I think it could have been better, for sure, but overall, it is quite okay. The story opens with a prologue explaining the two kingdoms that are prominently featured in the story, Cokyri and Hytanica. Sixteen years ago, they were at war, and Cokyri ended up kidnapping forty-nine babies. The Cokyri then returned forty-eight baby corpses. One was missing. The story then dives into the first person perspective of our main female character, Princess Alera of Hytanica. She’s turning eighteen soon, and her father says she must marry by her birthday. To be precise, there is a very specific person he wants her to marry — Lord Steldor, an arrogant young man. Naturally, Alera is trying to do all she can to get out of this arrangement. In the meantime, Hytanica captures who they believe to be a Cokyri spy, sixteen year old Narian. However, it is soon revealed that Narian is actually the missing boy from the war years ago. His family takes him back, but Narian seems too Cokyri to live amongst the Hytanican people, a possible security threat to the entire kingdom. Alera, on the other hand, finds Narian’s Cokyri ways interesting and mysterious, and falls in love with him — but there’s no way her father will let her marry a man whose loyalties are so questionable. So there we have it. It’s a pretty solid plot: nothing terribly original (the scene where Narian takes Alera on a moonlight horseback riding adventure through the silent city totally caused Disney’s Aladdin‘s ‘A Whole New World’ to play in my head) but it’s decent. The ending was interesting because it isn’t a happy ending, which I was surprised about; usually the heroine always gets what they want in the end in YA books. But I was surprised in a good way, not a bad way! However, on that note, the ending didn’t feel very conclusive. A lot of the conflicts in the book are left unresolved or just hanging. I always say this, but I’ll say it again: even if it’s a series, each independent book has to have some sort of resolution! While I found the plot more or less okay, my biggest problem was the narration. It’s in a first person perspective, and the writing style just didn’t seem to fit with it. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was mostly fine despite being a little too ‘flowery’ at times, and overly descriptive. My issue is that this is supposed to be a first person perspective, yet the writing felt like it was more suited for third person. Alera, our narrator, ended up sounding quite stiff, in my opinion, and as a result, she came off as having no personality of her own. She sounds like a third person narrator. And not just the narration, but the dialogue as well. It didn’t feel natural. You know, I kind of suspect this story might have originally been written in third person. There’s a couple scenes that threw me off as I was reading; for example, there is a scene where it is cold outside and Alera talks about her ears turning pink. As a reader, I was thrusted from watching the story unfold inside Alera’s point of view to suddenly being outside of Alera, in order to see her ears turning pink. There’s some more scenes, but you get the idea. (Though I could be wrong about the third person narration thing, in which case this example would be a blooper, I suppose). Because everything in the story is written with such formality, including all kinds of dialogue, the characters came off feeling kind of artificial. None of the characters felt particularly ‘real’ to me, although I inexplicably became quite fond of Steldor, for some odd reason. I know it’s weird because you’re not supposed to like him, but I think it’s just because he’s the only character that felt like he had any real sort of personality, even if it’s the cocky arrogant kind. I even started rooting for Steldor and Alera to get together (and (view spoiler)). With all that said and done though, I do think, for the author’s age at the time she was writing this book, that this is a remarkable feat and I see huge potential. I think with some more practice in writing stories, Miss Kluver will become an amazing story teller. Though I’m feeling kind of lukewarm towards Legacy, I’m still eager to read the next book in the series.

[summerskris_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book starts with Alera’s seventeenth birthday, at which time she has only one year in which to choose a suitor to wed. Her father’s choice is Steldor, an arrogant young man with an outstanding military background, one that Alera finds hard to match in another suitor. The pressure of choosing a suitor increases when a Cockyrian is caught infiltrating the palace and an impending war looms before the Hytanicans.Reading Legacy, I appreciate my life. I don’t have to worry about offending the wrong people, my dad can’t threaten to use the law against me (because he isn’t the law), and I don’t have to marry for the good of the people. That would be a big burden, and it’s understandable why Alera becomes rebellious.Alera is a wonderful character. She’s stubborn and independent, but she knows when to back off. I really hated to see her give in to her father’s demands, to see her allow Steldor to court her. At the same time, I have to appreciate her respect for social conventions even if she pushes it at other times because I can see how hard it is for her to do so. Because she realizes that as crown princess, her decisions affect other lives.Not to say that she isn’t the perfect princess. She meets Narian even when her most trusted bodyguard London warns her that he can’t be trusted. That she can’t grow attached to him when she must marry another. Alera also makes questionable decisions at times, such as risking her image and honor when sneaking out of the palace with Narian.At first, I really did hate Steldor. He appears cocky and indifferent to everyone but for himself, and he is cocky. But his lack of indifference soon becomes apparent. There’s one person he isn’t sure about: Alera. Towards the end of the novel, I grew fond of Steldor and began hoping that Alera would give him a chance.As for Narian, He’s an enigma. Having been raised by Cockyrians, Narian respects women, and he treats Alera as an equal. It’s only natural for her to be flattered and want to grow closer to Narian. However, it is apparent that Narian has his secrets. I honestly don’t know where the story’s going, making me anticipate Allegiance, the next installment in this series.I recommend Legacy to those who love medieval legends mixed with some fantasy elements and spiced with forbidden love.

[mrsboswellbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Legacy sports some beautifully scripted landscape and for the first half of the story, I feel that is all it is. Kluver's description and attention to detail of the characters looks, surroundings, etc is astounding. It is all wonderfully written and I can envision each and every little thing that Kluver is writing about. Setting aside though, I feel like there isn't much plot-wise or storyline movement until halfway through the book.Alera lived in a time and society where women did not hold important roles or play a part in politics. Alera wanted to burst out of this mold. She wanted to learn to defend herself, she wanted to learn to rule her kingdom... she did not want to depend on a husband to do these things for her. I really liked that about Alera and was glad to see that part of her personality. One character I really enjoyed was London, although he was not present as much as I thought he would be. He seemed to have such an important role, but he was only present for convenience... like when important information regarding Cokyri's history needed to be dropped. I think London had the best personality of the entire story. He was loyal, kind, strong, protective and funny. I was actually confused about his relationship with Alera throughout the story. I personally felt like there was quite a bit of attraction between the two. I did not quite like Steldor. His arrogance was unattractive and I didn't like how he pushed Alera around to get what he wanted, just because she was a woman and couldn't stand up to her father regarding the man he saw as absolutely fit to marry his daughter, occupy the throne and rule his kingdom. The one character I felt hardly any connection with was Narian. To begin, once he showed up he was really hardly there. He was not as active a participant in the storyline as I assumed he'd be. He rarely ever spoke and I could never quite tell if he was sincere in what he said. I would not have trusted him the way Alera did.While I did mention that the first half of the story was quite slow (plot-wise) for me, the second half of the book definitely made up for it. There was action, adventure romance and intrigue. The ending was quite a cliffhanger and not something I was expecting. After finishing Legacy, I am definitely looking forward to picking up Allegiance and finding out what happens to each of the characters and how the kingdoms handle things.Overall, a beautifully descriptive story with an ending that will leave readers desiring more from Cayla Kluver and her characters.

[dasuzuki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book, Allegiance, to come out I will say it took about 100 pages for me to get into it. The writing seemed a little child like in some areas and I found some of the actions of the characters to seem unbelievable. I don't want to give any spoilers but I think it will become obvious as you read where certain actions just didn't seem to fit.Once I did get drawn into the story I was anxious to find out not only what would happen between Alera and Narian but also other characters like Alera's personal body guard, London, and I am curious to see Alera's suitor, Steldor's, true character. London is probably the character that has me the most hooked right now and there are so many mysteries surrounding him that I can't wait to see them unraveled.One warning, I did not realize this was only book 1 in a series and there was a LOT of setup and just when it seemed like the action was going to start you are left hanging for book 2. So be prepared to be hooked and then left wanting more.

[kristacarmen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Legacy is a tale narrated by Princess Alera in the unbearable position of an arranged marriage by her father, King of Hytanica, to the egotistical and irascible man known as Steldor. Alera finds herself in the position to defy her father when Narnia, a secretive boy from Cokyri, is brought before her father as an enemy. While trying to find a way out of this potential marriage, a century old war erupts between Hytanica, her home land, and the kingdom of Cokyri. Heroine Alera now must chose between becoming Queen of her homeland, or her hearts true love.....Legacy is the first book in a trilogy written by the young author of 16, Cayla Kluver. This story is very much a romance with fun characters that all have their own unique personality's. Kluver has done a wonderful job with the plot of her story and keeps you engaged and wondering what will happen next. We are left with a cliffhanger ending, which leaves you stupefied and ready for book 2, Allegiance. While I really enjoyed Legacy there was one downside. Kluver's writing, while good, was lacking and over descriptive at times to where I found myself skimming over useless information. But as a first novel (not to mention her age) I think she did an exceptionally good job and has tons of room to grow into a wonderful author! I'll be looking froward to continuing this series.

[bookwormygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cayla Kluver wrote this when she was 14! Unbelievable... the world that she has created is very impressive. It is extensively detailed, to the point where you can actually envision castle life. Her descriptions of people, places, foods, and clothing give it the feel for the medieval time it is set in.Alera is a fantastic heroine - I liked that she is passionate, adventurous and opinionated - especially in a world where women must rely upon men. There were a few times where she did frustrate me, but she is only 17 and under the influence of her father.Cayla's writing is superb for such a young age. Her writing style is simple but enjoyable. Although the story itself left me with many unanswered questions and, I will forewarn, the ending is a cliff-hanger (gosh, I hate those), but never fear it seems there will be two more books in this trilogy which will hopefully remedy that.All in all, this was much better than I thought it would be. Obviously it is not perfect, but the flaws can be overlooked. The story has a little bit of everything including twists and turns that were unexpected. I truly enjoyed reading about Alera and her family and will be reading the upcoming sequels. Ms. Kluver is a rising star that I will definitely be on the lookout for.

[iris0boekenplank · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

*Originally Reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank*Reading his book had its moments. Some good, some not so quite. The story as such is quite captivating. We have a princess who has to marry a man she can’t stand. Unless she manages to find another suitable candidate. At the same time she gets involved in a mystery, that started sixteen years ago… When 48 babes were stolen and only 47 bodies could be found. Finally the last one is found, alive. A boy who has been raised by the enemy and actually is not as ugly as our princess thought he would be. But not suitable at all as a candidate…Sounds good doesn’t it? In reality, it was not that spectacular. The story was too lengthy for me. It took too long before something, anything happened. In the meantime you get to read about all kinds of superfluous details of the daily life at the palace. The way people look is also described till the smallest details. Which is way too much for me. I mean, I don’t need to know the EXACT height or what people are wearing. Just hints are enough. This overuse of details made it hard for me to focus, especially in the middle. It was so boring! However before I knew it I was sucked in again, with the help of some unexpected twists that continue to shake me to the core. And in turn made me very curious to what the next book will bring ^^Not only the amount of details made it hard at times, there’s also our main lead, Alera. Who apparently is very grown-up and rebellious. Yeah right, I have seldom read about such a naïve, spoiled, thoughtless and pliable character. Especially her inability to think before she acted was infuriating at times. I mean how could someone possible think that if you tell that a certain person forsook his most important duty, that person would not get fired? How? That was not the only time Alera obviously lacked some brain cells and made me sigh and groan. At such times it was hard to resist my tendency to put the book down. But I prevailed and watch her grow. Towards the ending she finally made me astonished in a positive way. WOW! I did not expect such bravery from her!Not all was bad though, there were enough characters besides Alera that did not work on my nerves. Some I even got to love. Like Narian and the mystery he presents. He was the main reason I kept on going. His cuteness and the puzzle he presented. Cause why exactly did he return? What did he do during his years with the enemy? Oh my questions were endless and my curiosity high! Of course they were not answered or satisfied in this one…. I so love and hate it when authors do that to me ^^Conclusion3 HEARTS. Even though this book was lengthy and too detailed at times, the ending made it worthwhile. Our main character, Alera, and I had a VERY rocky start because of the way she acted. She was so annoying! Fortunately there are some nice secondary characters and Narian. I was unable to see through him, which made him unpredictable and kept me reading. Add to that one heck of an ending and I find myself looking forward to the next book!

[alcarinqa_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A new world, intriguing court life and an ancient prophesy: Legacy carries all the hallmarks of a kick-arse Fantasy, but it ultimately fails on execution and wasn’t as enjoyable as I had anticipated. The book is a romantic story masquerading as a Fantasy: most the plot revolves around Princess Alera and her dislike of her father’s chosen suitor, which is disappointing.The characters in Legacy are interesting, but under developed and the conversations between them seem forced and a bit weird because of this. They lack real motivation and have been painted with a broad brush: the loyal guard, the set upon Princess and her naive younger sister, the boorish suitor and his handsome, dangerous counterpart, the King who doesn’t understand his daughter (or women in general). So, I got really tired about reading about these people, because they never did anything that surprised me, although they managed to outrage me fairly often. Alera displays a shocking lack of foresight and poor judgement with alarming frequency, and then has the gall to be perplexed and hurt when the people around her call her out on her behaviour. She also claims not to enjoy dressing up and wearing the gowns and jewellery that goes with her being a Princess, but the book is filled with descriptions of what she wears, in excruciating detail.The world building was decent and I enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to know so much more about the Cokyrians – this would have been a wonderful opportunity for Alera to break into a library or something! One of the most intriguing things is the explanation for why the war occurred between the two kingdoms in the first place – it made so much sense! One aspect I detested was the overly descriptive passages telling readers how Alera’s castle is laid out. Near the beginning of the book, every time the action moved to a new room, courtyard or garden, Alera explained where it lay in relation to everything else. While this may have been deemed useful, without a map it was largely confusing and I ended up skipping most of it because I don’t care where the Throne Room is or what other names you might have for it, I want to know what happened in there!The plot. I looked and looked, and couldn’t find it. Really. The whole book is just about Alera and her two love interests, with a prophesy and some politics thrown in. I wanted, so much, for Alera to be interested in these things and pursue them, but nope, every time she was told ‘you’re a woman, go back to the embroidery’, she did just that, and then fumed afterward about how people treat her. Now. I have to clarify here: I know she was raised a certain way and has to remain within that role, but unlike Sansa Stark, who finds immeasurable power within that role, Alera just whines. A. Lot.Legacy was a passable read. I think there is a certain type of reader who will love it, but it while I enjoyed some aspects of it, a lot of the book frustrated me. I have the next two books in the series, and I will be reading them because I’m curious how it will all play out. And I want to know how that prophesy ties in!You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

[idroskicinia · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

My Thoughts:I'm a huge fan of beautiful covers. So every time I see one, I fell in love with it and the only thing I can think about is to read it. This happened to me with Legacy. A gorgeous cover and amazing synopsis. Later, I found out that the author wrote this book when she was really young. (Fifteen years old I think) and that surprised me a lot.But the book didn't surprise me at all. At the beginning it looked really good, specially the preface, when we met the story about all the kidnapped baby boys, and that only one stayed missing forever. (Of course, the baby boy appears later in the story, that was obvious… but I liked this part a lot… It was really mysterious and dark!) But the story starts to fade away, and I found myself skipping pages and pages, something I hate to do.Sometimes when you start reading a good book, it swallows you. And what I want to say is that you can't stop reading until you finish it. This wasn't the case of "Legacy". This book instead of make me read, it pulled me back every time I tried to open it. I'm not saying the book is a bad book. The story was good, the main idea was awesome, but the development of it (In my opinion) was not so good, like a very slow zig zag with non-well defined characters.The characters were not credible, too childish, and sometimes boring… specially the main character, Alera, who I didn't like. There was nothing about her that make me like her… I didn't see anything! Narian was supposed to be the bad and good-looking guy, but his character needed also a lot of development. The only one I really enjoyed was London, but he disappears for a while and he doesn't show up until almost the end of the book.Like I said before, I wanted to like this book, so that is why I continue reading it, even though I wasn't enjoying it at all. But maybe this book wasn't my type at all.I give it 2 stars. It was Ok.

[krissy724 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the story of Legacy. I started it Friday afternoon and was finished by Saturday. I thought the book was fast paced and where there were some faults in the story, overall I thought it was really good.In the land of Hytanica, women are seen as second class citizens. Their fathers or husbands completely control them. Princess Alera has only a few months to choose a husband that will become King of Hytanica. If she is not able to find one, her father, the King, will choose one he deems best to fit the role as King. Alera knows how important this decision is, not only for her, but for the future of her Kingdom.Hytanica has a long and brutal past with the Kingdom of Cokyri, and while there was peace between the two lands for the past years 16 years, things are starting to change and war is looming between the two Kingdoms once again. The people of Cokyri are the complete opposite of the people of Hytanica. In Cokyri, women are more important and are the rulers, black magic is used, and they have weapons and fighting skills that do not even come close to what is seen in Hytanica.I really only have one issue with this book and that was with the characters. I understand that Alera grew up in a place where women are seen as weak. There never was any reason for her to be strong, but at the same time, I found her very immature. What really made me lose respect for her was when she told her father things about her bodyguard, London, someone who has been there for her and protected her for the past 16 years of her life, because all of a sudden she did not trust him because of one incident she didn’t know anything about. I don’t want to give anything away, but I felt that she should have handled the situation differently. Maybe then, I would have respected her. Alera did grow a lot throughout the story, which I really liked. She started to take a little bit more control over her own life. There was also the character of Narian. I was really disappointed with the development of his character. What I mean by this is that there was no development of his character. Every time I read a scene with him, I thought this is where we will learn about his past and get to know who he really is, and every time I was wrong. This frustrated me to no end.Other then that, I liked Legacy. I wasn’t that surprised with where the story was going, but it didn’t make me like it any less. I am excited to read the second book of the series, Allegiance and I can’t wait to learn more about Narian and how the choices Alera made in Legacy will affect her. At first, I wasn’t sure how a second book would fit. But there are so many things that were alluded to in Legacy that I can’t wait to find out about, especially regarding London and his past with the Cokyri Kingdom.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What really got me about this book is the great pacing of it. As you read it, everything is given to you little by little so you are not left behind or given too much. You were given just enough to keep you entertain in the book and never bored.The storyline for one is awesome! The reader is immediately put into a town that had a bad history. I really loved it when a book starts off with a great history not only to the characters but the story as well. I love how well the story just kept on going with so much information that you just devoured it. There was so much to read. All the information based on the city, the king, their kingdom was cool.Alera is a strong characters. She comes off as fresh yet she is her own self. She knows what is expected of her but want to follow her heart. I loved Alea attitude with things. At times she was so dramatic it made me laugh. She is very insightful about things and is selfless.The love interest was good but had me confused at times. I was so sure that when I started reading that there was something about London, but no, I was wrong. Which I like cause Ms. Kluver really kept me on my toes. Nothing was predictable in this book. Nothing. The love interest played well with the history of the kingdom and really escalated into an awesome forbidden love.Legacy is a great historical book with a great plot line. I enjoyed reading every single word in that book. It made me smile, laugh, and most of all, made me feel the story. Ms. Kluver writing was easy to read so you fell into the story quickly.

[bookaddictdiary · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm not really sure what I was expecting with Legacy, bit it didn't really live up to my expectations. In fact, it ended up far below them. While it was a quick and easy read, it was just not executed well at all. I really think the ideas in here are good, and the overall plot is fairly interesting, but poor writing made it very hard to stick with this book. Basically, the author, Cayla Kluver, is only about 16, and it showing. The writing is incredibly amateur, weak, and lacks both depth and personal experience. Legacy may work for some Harlequin readers, as they aren't exactly looking for great, in-depth literature, but I've read much better releases from them. I think that Kluver does have some potential as a writer, but she really needs to take some writing classes and learn how to tighten up her sentences, make pacing work better for her and just polish her writing more. I'm honestly surprised that this didn't happen through all of the copy editing, but perhaps it was rushed to publication -or they just didn't pay as much attention to it. I'm not really sure what happened here, but it just didn't work.Legacy might pass as a decent beach read, but I wouldn't bother with it for much more than that.

[nlsobon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cayla Kluver has crafted a wonderful story with "Legacy". Where to start? "Legacy" tells the story of Princess Alera of Hytanica. Upon her seventeenth birthday, Alera is to find a suitable husband, one that her father will approve of as King. The problem is that her father insists upon Steldor, Alera does not share her fathers opinion of Steldor. But she isn't to marry based on affection, she is to marry a suitable king. When a Cokyrian arrives at the palace, brought as a prisoner by London, Alera finds herself drawn to the boy. He's only a child, sixteen years old, but he doesn't seem it. When Alera and her sister, Miranna, decided to sneak off with their friend to get a better look at the boy, they are shocked to learn his true identity. While her father gives Steldor permission to court her, Alera finds herself wanting to know more about the mysterious boy. But his arrival back into Hytanica brings more than questions, it could bring the fall of Hytanica. While I'm not a huge fan of the ending (although I understand why the author ended it the way she did), I'm eager to read the next book.

[bookpurring · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Now the cover is pretty it even looks like from the 1920s doesn't it? Well it's not, it takes place in a land called Hytanica where we follow the story through Princess Alera's POV. Princess Alera's biggest dilemma is that she needs to pick a husband in the next year, because she can't rule Hytanica by herself, but rather her chosen husband will rule in her name. Now hold it. Before you go all omgthatssomysogistic etc on me, Hytanica is at war with Cokyri where women are more highly regarded than men and there's some plot in there about a long lost missing son, Alera's bodyguard having been kidnap by the Cokyri a long time ago thrown in the mix.The biggest problem of this book is the author going in great detail regarding the characters surroundings. There are pages and pages describing every room, every garden and hall of the castle, their rose colored seats, tapestries, the Queen's drawing room, the halls, the windows, and so on. The dialogue is practically non existent unless it just has to happen with things like welcome to the royal guests, or good evening majesty and so on. Alera's relationship with London or pretty much every Elite Guard makes no sense, seemed like the guards had more power than the princess in this setting, even if women are not regarded as highly in Hytanica as in Coryri, it just didn't make sense that the guards would tell Alera she was "ridiculous" and "childish" when she is you know the future queen!I barely got through this book, and I think the only reason I did finish it, was because I felt so guilty about my last DNF rating that I just HAD to finish this one. After I finished I read some reviews on Goodreads and after the obligatory five stars omg!so good reviews, I saw some that mentioned the author was sixteen or fourteen anyway she's young. My first thought: oh makes sense. The books is every teenage girl (well most teenage girls) fantasy of a princess adventure. Knowing the authors age I wanted to add something to this review. I think the writing needs a lot of work, but I have to give credit to Cayla, when I was sixteen the only thing I was writing were love notes to Pancho and while not a lot happens in the book it's organized and easy to read and I've seen a lot of adult writers who can't even do that. I'm looking at you Possesion. That said, I doubt I'll read the next book in the series.

[thelostentwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have one major issue with this book - and that's that every single review mentions information about the author. I'm not going to mention that information here, because it clouded my initial impression of the story (in not a positive way). If you want to find the information I'm referring to, you can find it quite easily, but I'd encourage you to wait until you've finished reading Legacy.Because Legacy, this book, was a good, solid fantasy read. While elements were YA (very clean language, good values), others were quite adult (world building, adult decisions). I was blown away by how easily I got into the story and, quite honestly, I read this in two solid sittings because I needed to know what was going to happen. I had no intention to read it in a day - but everything else took second place to this story.Every teenage girl can find something to relate to in Alera. She's headstrong, but still dutiful, she wants to fall in love and get married to that love, but she understands putting herself behind her duty as a Princess and future Queen. She struggles with being "lessor" to the males in her kingdom and longs for something different when told how the other side (Cokyri) live. I loved the ups and downs of her struggles, admired her spine when it was needed, wished I had the presence of mind to make the decisions she had to make and just.. thoroughly enjoyed the character.If you are a regular reader of my reviews you know I like strong female characters. Add Alera of Legacy to that list and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[cleoppa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, I read this book to the end, which is more than I can say for some books of late.The story shows promise, but has a disjointed, unbelievable feel to it. It seems like it's in need of a good editor. First, what's with the name? When I first saw it, I thought it'd be a boarding school thing, where they have "legacies." Even after finishing it, I'm not sure what the connection of the title to the story is.Second, there's a lot of disbelievable things. Nothing major, just little nagging things. Like what world is this in? Pretty sure it's not on our earth, but why do they have the same calendar and holidays (like Christmas?). Made me curious with no answers. Or, what's with the guards. The narrator has a personal guard (sometimes more than one). They are with her constantly 24/7. Does that not seem a bit unbelievable? Wouldn't they have shifts?Or what's with her father? He's so eager to abdicate the throne to a 20 year old. So eager that he's practically forcing his daughter into a hated marriage. OK, I can understand a forced marriage. But his overabundantly eagerness to renounce his throne just seems... well, placed there was they had a plot angle.Finally, the whole thing just felt a little disjointed. Like subplots would be abandoned to other subplots, only to be taken up again when needed.Shows promise, but really should have more experienced author and editor.

[desertmoon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Page-turning story of a princess, unlike stereotypical heroines, she's not a Tomboy, but rather a normal girl, somewhat spoiled, learning that life is larger than what she's been trained for.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the cover, I thought this was going to be historical fiction of some sort, maybe like The Luxe. I was wrong, but this was definitely better. Fantasy is pretty much always acceptable. Legacy reminded me of maybe Tamora Pierce (without the women being epic warriors part) with a little bit of Diana Peterfreund, in the way that Kluver's completely willing to make her characters suffer. Everything that happens is not rosy and sunshiney. Be warned.

My only complaint about the book is that, for much of it, Alera mentions how forthright and outspoken she is, but then, whenever faced with her father or Lord Steldor, she proceeds to say a big nothing. Honey, you're not that outspoken, are you? She got into her stride in the middle of the book, a bit, but was still not what I, an outspoken girl, would consider particularly outspoken. To be fair, she does live in a society where women are property.

About that...I hate this country. I don't know that it would be such a bad thing if Cokyri took them over or if they merged. Their country is so patriarchal like whoa. Women have pretty much no rights; their husband can do anything he wants to them. Argh! I imagine this will change in the future books; goodness, I hope so!

Anyway, I just ate this up; it was so good and absorbing. Why do I not have both sequels RIGHT NOW. I want them so much! You cannot just leave me at that ending. Holy cliffhanger, Batman!

[beckymmoe_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Knowing that this book was written by a fourteen-year-old, it is impressive. That fact is pretty much what kept me reading it after a while, to be honest. I really just wanted to see where Kluver was going with it. Standing on its own as just a book, though? I probably wouldn't have finished it.

For one thing, there is way too much description throughout. Constant mention of hair and eye color--especially when we've already been introduced to the person and his or her "indigo eyes" or "strawberry-blonde tresses" is distracting. Great detail is given about clothing, when that clothing's appearance really isn't at all relevant to the story or plot. A lot of time is also spent describing things like where people will be sitting at a dinner, when that information could easily be relayed while the dinner is in progress. Too much showing, not enough telling. Adjectives and adverbs, instead of being sprinkled through the writing to add depth and intrest, are thrown about with wild abandon.

Another aspect that bothered me was the politics involved. At the end of the novel, the kingdom is hovering on the brink of war with an enemy that they fought for about a hundred years last time and have only had an uneasy peace with for the past sixteen years or so. Yet with this looming on the horizon, the king is pushing his younger daughter to marry so he can relinquish the throne to her husband? Does this really seem like something a responsible head of state would do? The fact that the son of the captain of the guard would be considered the best choice for a king also seemed highly suspect, his individual personality aside. (According to the "rules" of this society, only men can rule. Therefore, princesses like Alera, the main character, can be queen, but their husbands will rule the kingdom.) Surely there would be noble boys of a higher rank deemed more suitable than a mere soldier's son. Although other suitors are mentioned, we really don't see any of them in the novel, at least not in the exhaustive detail that we see Steldor.

The main personal conflict in this book is apparently supposed to be a love triangle of sorts between Alera, Steldor, and Narian (a young man of noble birth who was taken from the country in the last year of the war and raised by the enemy, only finding out his identity and escaping back to his homeland in the year that the story takes place), but it just doesn't quite seem to work. Steldor is consistently portrayed as a complete lout who amazingly is adored by everyone but Alera and her loyal bodyguard London. (Except for the fact that he is good looking and successful in the military, it is hard to understand why everyone else loves him, given his behavior. How can an entire kingdom be so hung up on the superficial and completely ignore his words and actions?) Alera abhors him, detests him, and would like to see him run over by a buggy--but hey, he smells good, which distracts her hatred so much that she forgets to try and stop him from doing things like stealing kisses. We see each and every encounter with Steldor (and their aftermath, in Alera's thoughts) in exhaustive detail. Narian, on the other hand, isn't even in the picture for a lot of the book. He's not there in the beginning, not having returned yet. He is kidnapped toward the middle and escapes--presumabling to the mountains, but we're not sure--about two-thirds of the way through. When he is around, we only see a very few interactions between him and Alera in any detail, and most of those are before they really even have much of a relationship. Once they really start to care for one another, all we hear is that they spend hours together, talking and kissing. We actually witness very little of it, though, so it seems more like we're taking Alera's word on the fact that she loves him, rather than seeing the eivdence ourselves. She loves him! He loves her! Her happiness depends on him! We know this because she tells us it's so, not because we observe it ourselves.

My favorite character in all this is actually a fairly secondary one, Alera's personal bodyguard, London. Even with him, though, many things don't make a whole lot of sense. Alera inadvertently (though, honestly, I don't see how she could have thought he wouldn't end up fired) has him removed from his position early on and is very upset by this. Later on he is back in the story in a rather conditonal way until bam! he's got his old job back. I was glad to see him again, but found it rather hard to believe that it would all be done so easily. It felt more like a child's HEA solution with no real basis in reality than a decision grown men in positions of power would make.

Kluver clearly went to a lot of trouble in her world-building here, but there were several instances of times when I was pulled totally out of the universe of the story by something that made me say, huh? For instance, Latin is apparently the language that law books are written in. Latin? And Christmas--with its decorations of holly, ivy, and mistletoe and its twelve days of celebration, ending on January 6--is a major holiday. Their months being the same as ours I could gloss over in my mind, but the existance of "our" Latin and Christmas there managed to temporarily yank me right out of her world.

Overall, it was a whole lot of reading to slog through to get to very little real content. A lot is left hanging at the end, and most of the bigger questions remain unanswered. I'm willing to try book two (a trilogy is promised) in the hopes that Kluver's writing style will mature between now and then, but if it reads much like this one I probably won't be in line for the third.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & 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.

[alana_leigh_6 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

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.

[leannesf_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful first novel by a promising young writer! Princess Alera is an endearing female protagonist attempting to decide whom to marry and make king of Hytanica before her 18th birthday. Kluver's world-building was intricate with the creation of the male-dominated society of Hytanica, as well as its opposite, female-respected enemy, Cokyri. When a long-lost son of Hytanica's nobility, Narian, returns (having been stolen by Cokyri), tension and conflict ensues as Alera's bubble of reality is burst by his demeanor and appraising attitude toward women in general and to her in particular. As her feelings for him evolve, Alera facies a crucial life-changing choice, a choice Kluver poses as a central theme in the novel: "At some point, the choice you will face is whether to carry out your duties or live your life."I was immediately drawn into this novel, and cheered Alera on with her emerging questions about the world around her, as well as her attempts to assert herself in the kingdom's matters. I enjoyed her mentorlike friendship with her personal guard, London, and her interactions with the mysterious Narian. I commiserated with Alera as she noted the lack of substance in her female circle and shared her abhorence of the arrogance and pettiness of Steldor, the suitor favored by her father. I became emotionally invested in this story and was elated/crushed throughout the book. I cannot wait for the sequel, Allegiance, to find out what happens next!I would wholly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy, especially fans of Tamora Pierce, Maria Snyder, Kristen Cashore, and Robin McKinley.

[alaiel4kreuz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Princess Alera of Hytanica and her younger sister, Miranna, had a rather peaceful and easy life. Their parents had to endure the cruelty of a war against the Cokyrians and suffered the lost of the rightful heir to the throne which caused Alera's father to become King.The Cokyrians never won but they stole the smiles of 49 Hytanican houses for they took with them one newborn from each. After a while the corpses of the infants were found at the city gates... Except that there was a boy who was never found and, after the days continue to pass, it became obvious that the child could only be dead.Time passed and peaceful times fell upon Hytanica. But there was a new matter at hand: Alera, soon to be Queen, had to marry a young man to be her King. Why was this so important? Hytanica was a patriarchal place and no woman could rule for it was the job of a man.And the suitor her Father had chose was not the one she thought would make her happy...Steldor, for that was his name, was the son of Cannan, the man who ruled the soldiers. And Steldor was nothing bur pompous and arrogant. Always flirting, always mocking, he knew he was good looking and took advantage of it. The only prey that never fell for his looks was Alera and that only made Steldor more eager to get her.But the peaceful times were shaken when a Cokyrian woman was arrested inside the Palace by Alera's bodyguard, London (who was also some sort of father for her and best friend). And after the Cokyrian woman escaped a boy, one year younger than Alera, was also arrested.And this boy was the one who charmed Alera, the one who made her heart beat faster... But he was Cokyrian. Somehow, she was trapped between her desires and her loyalty.Personal opinion:I fear my review is going to be full of contradictions for I liked and disliked the book equally. But I'll explain why and what.I liked the world Cayla created for this book for it was very described and built. But at the same time I found myself skipping paragraphes and maybe a few pages full of details about the festivities, rooms or moods. And I usually read every description but I fear that I was to eager to know what was going to happen next, what was a character going to say or do to bother with so much detail about decorations.Saying that I know a lot of people who enjoy this fully and well developed descriptions and it would help them to picture Hytanica in its full glory.The fact that the story is telled by Alera is at the same time good and not so good. I enjoyed being inside her head, the questions she always had, her desire to understand and to participate made me like her a lot. But at the same time, since she is a girl in a world ruled by men she is almost always, left aside and oblivious of plots and dangers. I felt so frustrated when she was only pacing back and forth in her room!So, as you can see, this can be good and bad at the same time: you will like her but you will feel as trapped as she does.The patriarchal society of Hytanica is a thing that I can say I hate but understand so no problems with that. This is one of the things that Alera struggles too and it helped me to create a bond with her.As for the love triangle all I can say is that I didn't like Steldor too much but I don't hate him either... it's difficult to have an opinion about him since sometimes he can be nice but most of the time he is so... so... well, so Steldor which means arrogant and petulant.And Narian, who is the one I'm rooting for, is the only character I never fully met. I mean, yes, he is in the book but her appears a few times (it's a good thing almost all of them are worthy) and never really develops a relationship per se with Alera.So, will I continue with the series and read Allegiance? Yes, I'm going to. Why? Because this story has a lot of potential and I want to see it blossom.

[exlibris_kate · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 StarsLegacy is a story that is filled with court politics and intrigue, set in an alternative reality in a time when women were escorted everywhere and their choices in life were limited. It is with that knowledge that you must approach the story. Alera must chose a husband and her only approved choice is a pompous jerk, in her opinion. As she dodges his advances, the kingdom is once again drawn into war with their enemies, the Cokyrians, via a returned prisoner, Narian. A web of mystery and intrigue is woven artfully throughout this book, and it is full of beautiful gowns, sword fights and secret meetings.I was surprised at how long it took for the book to get to the conflict between the two kingdoms, but when it does, it is a page turner. The character of Alera is not as outwardly defiant as many other young adult novels I read, but she is not without a voice. Although women do not really have a say in in political operation of the kingdom, Alera starts to slowly assert her opinions and desires and I believe that the next book will bring even bigger changes fr her. The romance was sweet, but there were hints that not everything is as it seems, which makes me interested to see where the series eventually takes the reader. Overall, it was a story with good world building and plenty of untied plot points to make you anxious to read the next book.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an easy book to read that flowed well, and the story does keep a reader turning the pages. The setting is familiar to fantasy readers, but with a light touch of originality. The Amazon review that suggest it is something of a Jane Austen fantasy (in style, not quality!) is pretty accurate I think. Young adult fans of Tamora Pierce's Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), or Robin McGinley's The Blue Sword would likely enjoy "Legacy."Like many others, my main issues stem from the author's inexperienced writing style. Yes, this was a great effort for 15 year old, not unlike "Eragon" was for Paolini. However, I wonder if the sequel will also be the huge disappointment that "Eldest" was to so many? And nobody seems to talk about that still unfinished series anymore. Kluver goes above and beyond in her descriptions of clothing and scenery, but she doesn't convey the passage of time well. This is especially true when Alera is undergoing secret training with Narian. All of a sudden she is accomplished at riding and a weapon? Wait! When did that happen? And while Alera's dialog and thoughts are realistic for a girl her age in this world, the other characters, especially her suitors, are left under-developed. This almost reads more like a diary, and may have been better done in that style. Lastly, I agree that nobody likes a cliffhanger. Even the first book in a trilogy should provide some resolution to leave a reader anticipating the sequel, not angry at being cheated. These are all problems that some serious editing, and more maturity, could have solved. While it was enjoyable, it could have been excellent. I'm not sure I'll be running out to get the sequel, if and when it ever comes out.Overall, I would recommend this only to young die-hard fantasy fans who love stories where the young heroine breaks the mold.