I received this book for free from the publicist via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman Series: Blood of Gods and Royals #1
Published by Harlequin Teen on August 18, 2015
Genres: Fantasy YA, Historical Fiction, Magic, Mythology, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: the publicist via NetGalley
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Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.
Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.
Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.
As you may already know, friends, I love historical paranormals. Like, A LOT. There’s something about the past that makes the magic and the mythology seem more real to me, and the further back in time we go, the stronger this feeling is to me. So it makes sense that Eleanor Herman’s YA debut, LEGACY OF KINGS, would be a book I enjoyed. Alexander the Great is not a historical figure I’ve read much about–fiction or nonfiction–so this was a totally new world for me, and while the magical elements sometimes didn’t scan right or something, Alexander and the other characters made for a really gripping story.
There’s a lot going on in LEGACY OF KINGS, I can’t lie. The synopsis up there only mentions six characters, but you could easily add three more to that list of important figures who influence the story fairly significantly. Zofia is kind of out there on her own for now, so I’m curious about how she’s going to meet up with the rest, but the major plotlines with Alexander, Katerina, Hephaestion, and Jacob (plus a few others), are really strong. They are dealing with war, death, suppressed magic, secretive magic, family intrigue, romance, shifting alliances, etc. I was totally invested.
I thought that Eleanor Herman, who has written nonfiction about this time period, did a great job recreating that world in LEGACY OF KINGS. It’s brutal, dangerous, and superstitious. The attention to detail in the setting was something that I appreciated as a reader and nerded out over as a history fanatic.
Of course, the setting is really just the foundation for all the things. I mentioned before that I had some issues with the way the magical elements blended in with the rest of the story, and that’s really true. It’s a slightly confusing system for me to explain, but there’s basically three different types of magic that flow through the blood of certain people that give them affinities for certain things. Much like other historical societies faced with witchcraft (or what they assumed was witchcraft), the ancient Macedon of Alexander the Great didn’t deal with it all that well, particularly this one group of dudes called the Aesarion Lords. Not only are these Lords expert fighters, they’re also a huge group of witch hunters. This is a problem for several characters in LEGACY OF KINGS. Like I said, the system was a little confusing, and there were times when I thought its place in the story felt a little forced, but it’s still interesting to me.
Where I thought LEGACY OF KINGS really shined was in the characters themselves and their relationships. I loved Alexander and his desire to overcome his disability and Katerina and her desire for justice. I had a harder time liking Cynane, Alexander’s half sister, but we’ll see how that turns out. Hephaestion and Jacob are also super complex–Jacob especially. I’m really rooting for him to be the change he wants to see in the world. I would honestly read a book just about these historical (mostly) figures without the magic.
In the end, I really enjoyed LEGACY OF KINGS. It was a totally new time period for me to read about, and I got super involved in the relationships between the characters. There’s a twisty sort of thing that I kind of figured out before the reveal, but it just kind of made me more excited. It’s going to be a long wait for book 2!
I really wanted to like Legacy Of Kings, but it just didn’t wind up working for me! I did think that the detail that went into creating this setting was great, and I was fascinated to learn a little bit more about history after reading this book. BUT I just didn’t end up invested in any of the characters, which was a shame. I’m glad you wound up enjoying it though! I might just wait and see what you think of the next book ; perhaps it’ll convince me that I ought to give this series another shot 😉
I really enjoyed reading your review on this book. I have had my eye on it and I have been a little apprehensive about it. The time period is something new for me, but I love that you mentioned the fact that she has written nonfiction on the time period. (I never knew that) Alexander the Great is not something I know much about and cant wait to read this. Your review has made me more excited to pick this up!