Book Review: "Legacy" by Cayla Kluver

(Unfortunately, Blogger chose this moment to be absolutely frustrating and wouldn't let my upload the beautiful cover of "Legacy", but here is the book's summery): 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.

Sounds awesome, right? :D

Well, just to let you know ahead of time, I've never done a book review before (outside of school), so I'm just going to go ahead and give my honest opinion of the book-and hope that it sounds reviewer-ish enough: To be honest, when I read the opening pages of "Legacy", I had mixed feelings. I was a little confused as to what exactly the book was going to be about, but once I got past my confusion and onto Princess Alera's story, I was hooked (and things began to make more sense)! I loved Alera's feisty, determined attitude, Miranna's bubbly personality, London's sarcastic wit, Steldor's stuck-up (and at times, pretty hilarious!) charm, and Narian ...Oh Narian. I fell in love with him pretty quickly, but I was also just as suspicious of him as Alera was and only began to trust him when Alera did. But once I knew that he was an OK guy and saw how in love Alera was with him and how he treated her as an equal (not to mention how awesome of a fighter he was!) I was head-over-heels!

Not only are the characters in "Legacy" amazing, deeply layered, and totally relatable despite the time-period, but the language and dialogue were also beautiful and easy to understand and you as a reader were able to experience every emotion that Alera felt just as strongly as if you were feeling it yourself. I was completely engrossed in the story and the world and was on the edge of my seat more then once during some particularly intense fight scenes. I was breathless and totally caught up in Alera and Narian's passion for one another, and heartbroken whenever they were forced apart.

Overall, "Legacy" was simply extraordinary, and would be quite the challenge for any other teen to attempt to craft. But not Cayla Kluver. She writes with a confidence and feeling that is well beyond her 16 years. In fact, I loved this book so much, that I've seriously considered having "Team Steldor" and "Team Narian" t-shirts made up to show my devotion! And the best part? I convinced my mom to read the book as well! :)

Adventure, mystery, suspense, and romance fill the pages of "Legacy", sweeping readers up in a story they won't soon forget.

~Ella

P.S. I'm absolutly PINING for the sequel! :D