Legacy (Harlequin Teen) [Paperback]

Cayla Kluver (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 28, 2011 | Series: Harlequin Teen

I noticed his eyes. They were blue, sharp and intense. Despite the youthful glows of his suntanned face, his eyes were cold and unfriendly, suggesting he had great experience in the world and was now expecting the worst.

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 and 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Legacy, the first installment of the planned Legacy Trilogy, won First Place in the Reader's Views 2008 Literary Awards, Bronze Medalist in Young Adult Fiction in the 2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards; Finalist in Young Adult Fiction in the National Best Books Awards 2008, sponsored by USA Book News.

In an award-winning YA fantasy debut (the first of a planned trilogy), novelist Cayla Kluver brings a magical touch to an unrelentingly suspenseful coming-of-age tale. Duty-bound to wed her father’s choice in successor to the  throne, Princess Alera of Hytanica believes that she is being forced into the worst of all possible fates—a marriage to the arrogant and hot-tempered suitor, Steldor. When a mysterious boy from enemy Cokyri appears bearing secrets and an entirely different view of what's appropriate behavior for a young lady, Alera learns that her private desires threaten to destroy the kingdom. When Narian’s shocking past comes to light, Alera finds herself in a shadowy world of palace intrigue and ancient blood feuds, facing an uncertain future with dwindling options—and must learn to decide between right and wrong all alone. Marked by witty, rapid-fire dialogue and dramatic complexity that belie the writer’s age, Legacy brings a fresh, new sensibility to age-old questions of duty and inheritance and to a young heroine’s quest to find her true voice.

Legacy, the first installment of the planned Legacy Trilogy, won First Place in the Reader's Views 2008 Literary Awards, Bronze Medalist in Young Adult Fiction in the 2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards; Finalist in Young Adult Fiction in the National Best Books Awards 2008, sponsored by USA Book News.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Alera's... sensitivity and willfullness will win readerws over, who will empathize as her choices dwindle. A looming war, characters with intriguingly hidden pasts, and a sad ending set things up nicely for a sequel. --Booklist

Five Stars: If you're looking for a richly painted tapestry of words, a fantasy sort of book written as if Jane Austen were still alive and had decided to write fantasies involving princesses, then you're sure to love Legacy. Like Austen's books, Legacy is a novel of manners, social interactions, gossip, and headstrong, intelligent women deciding for themselves who would be their best marriage partner rather than relying on convention or the wishes of others. The plot will likely please anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre, and the writing style is one which revels in its description and which you'd expect from a highly experienced author with several novels to her credit - yet the author of Legacy is merely fifteen years old. One can only ask, to what further heights can she go? --Curled Up With a Good Kid's Book --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780373210343
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210343
• ASIN: 0373210345
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (228 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #459,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cayla Kluver was born in Wisconsin on October 2, 1992. She has cats, dogs and horses, and watches more crime shows than is probably healthy. She also loves Robert Louis Stevenson and The Beatles. Her office is filled with twinkly lights, candles and fun colors. Legacy is her first novel, soon to be followed by Allegiance and Sacrifice, the remaining books in the Legacy Trilogy. She lives with her family and her muse (Nina, her cat) in Wisconsin, where only the hardy survive.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 140 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Great plot, below average writing August 12, 2008

By jayneeeee

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Cayla Kluver gets away with sub-par writing because adult editors and publishers are so blown away by the fact that she's only a child. Her attention to detail is meticulous in some areas and completely lacking in others. Characters speak poetically, in flowery language reminiscent of olden times, but many think and behave in ways that are completely contrary to the culture in which they purportedly grew up. Her ideas are original and her story moves well, which makes a reader want to keep reading, but her sentence structure and descriptions could use a lot more work. All in all, a good read, but ultimately unsatisfying (NOBODY likes a cliffhanger) and slightly frustrating to have to plow through a detailed description of every single character's outfit. Several times.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Count the Ways September 21, 2009

By Kevin L. Nenstiel TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Much is made of Cayla Kluver publishing this debut novel at the tender age of sixteen. I fancied myself a novelist at that age too. Setting my surviving works from that time beside this book, I admit that Miss Kluver is a more mature writer than I was. But that doesn't change the fact that audiences read a book expecting to be surprised and taken on a journey. Miss Kluver says nothing we haven't already heard, and says it at remarkable length.

Princess Alera of Hytanica is being pressed to marry arrogant Steldor, the most promising young warrior of the kingdom. But handsome, enigmatic Narian rides out of the rival kingdom of Cokyri, a land evidently ruled by militant feminist ninja mystics. Experienced youth fantasy readers know what happens next. With war on the horizon and old secrets exposed, duty and romance battle for Alera's limited loyalties.

How does Miss Kluver get it wrong? Let me count the ways. This is a coming of age story from an author who hasn't come of age. It deals with courtship and marriage, though the author has never been married and probably has been only recently courted. And it deals with parental repression although, to judge by her repeated gushing, she has known nothing but support from her family. She's simply memorized these tropes from other books she's read.

I never get past the feeling that the author is clearing her throat. She introduces characters and keeps them in holding patterns for hundreds of pages. When I hit page 150 and we were still in Act One, I was frustrated. At page 300 I was angry. At page 450 I wanted to throw the book across the room. It's bad enough when name brand authors like Anne Rice or Stephen King expect me to read their finger exercises, but a debut author hasn't earned that indulgence.

The book exceeds 460 pages, but nothing happens that I didn't anticipate until a dozen pages from the end. Young readers who haven't read as much as I have might not be bothered by that. But if it's true that the best youth fiction can only be truly enjoyed by grown-ups, then this book falls short. True, the conclusion resists clichéd tendencies, but by the time we're on page 450, does anybody really care anymore?

Miss Kluver, I admit, has promise. She handles the language well, and has more rounded insight into the human heart than I did until I was in my middle twenties. But at sixteen, she just can't know much about the passions and politics which form the backbone of this book. And over 460 pages of Act One is really trying. I look forward to what she's able to accomplish when she's older, but this book just isn't there yet.

41 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK WILL HAVE YOU WANTING MORE October 7, 2008

By I love to read

Format:Paperback

I purchased this book by chance without really knowing much about the story except that it revolved around a princess in medieval times where women wore beautiful gowns and had to exercise proper etiquette. Having read and loved The Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen and the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray (both series I highly recommend), I picked up Legacy knowing I would at least enjoy the world created for the book.

I can honestly say that it took me a while to get into the book although I loved London's character from the very beginning. But once the story picked up I couldn't put it down!! This book makes you fall in love with every single character including Steldor, an arrogantly annoying man. Princess Alera also steals your heart as you feel her dilemma between her duty as a princess and her heart's desire.

Halfway through Legacy I tried to find out when the next book, Allegiance, will be released. It was then that I found out that the Author had just turned 16 years old and was 15 when she wrote Legacy!!! 15 YEARS OLD!! I couldn't believe it because the world Kluver created in this book is so elaborate and you can't imagine a 15 year old creating Hytanica.

There is only one drawback to this book. Kluver's writing, although good, is descriptive to the point where you know every single character's clothing in every scene right down to the shoes on their feet. I found myself at times skimming through those paragraphs because it was a bit too elaborate and some words were just too big for me. I understand that Kluver is trying to provide every detail for the reader to be able to see what they're reading but I think it may deter some readers.

Despite that, this book is absolutely amazing! I love the story. I love the characters and I'm so disappointed that I have to wait until next year for the second book. Some people have expressed a dislike of the ending as a cliffhanger but I think a good cliffhanger would have been Narian showing up and taking Alera away. Now that would have been great!