Even as princess of her kingdom of Hytanica, Alera is faced with a future of marriage to the man who will rule the kingdom in her father’s stead. Hytanica is old-fashioned in the way that women are inferior, taught housekeeping and not fighting. Growing up in this world, Alera hasn’t questioned her life style until she turns seventeen and her father warns her that she must find the future king within the year. The most eligible bachelor is Steldor, the very handsome son of an important officer with an even larger ego.
Alera fears ending up married to him, unlike most of the young ladies she knows. The scandal comes with a mysterious boy from the rival kingdom, Cokyri, who appears in the city. He is connected to Hytanica in a way no one ever expected, which gives Alera the chance to get to know him. Through him, she learns how in Cokyri, a girl’s life is more important. As time passes, Alera realizes that there are two sides to everything. She is starting to put her trust in a Cokyri; the line dividing the two kingdoms starts to fade. Regardless to her feelings, the two kingdoms are in an ongoing war, and her emotions are getting caught in the middle of it.
Cayla Kluver’s writing uses an extensive vocabulary that gives even her simplest details art. Her complex narrator, Alera, who struggles with the conflicts of her head and her heart at once, matches her lyrical writing. The reader gets to see her growth from a child to an adult, and from an innocent servant to her kingdom’s will to an independent woman. I enjoyed reading this impressive book’s ornate style and original plot and would suggest it for young adults who enjoy detailed and beautiful writing and a plot in which a character is faced with challenging dilemmas. Legacy is a trilogy that will be followed by Allegiance and Sacrifice.
- Publisher: Harlequin Teen
- Date of Publication: July 2011
