⇒ Read Allegiance The Legacy Trilogy Cayla Kluver 9780373210435 Books

Allegiance The Legacy Trilogy Cayla Kluver 9780373210435 Books

Download As PDF : Allegiance The Legacy Trilogy Cayla Kluver 9780373210435 Books

Allegiance The Legacy Trilogy Cayla Kluver 9780373210435 Books

I adored Cayla Kluver's debut novel, Legacy, which left me begging for more in the trilogy- so when I picked up Allegiance, I had extremely high expectations. And in many ways, I was just as impressed as I had been the first time around, yet I found myself easily frustrated in two areas which largely detracted from my enjoyment of this hugely anticipated sequel.

However, there are many strong things to this book from Cayla's impressive writing, to the excitement of action and political intrigue which is included in most of the book.

Reasons to Read:

1.A fantasy novel with a historical feel:

Alera's world isn't a historical world, nor her story a historical account but there's something about it that feels so very real. Yet she easily blends in some magic and myths as well- but it's done so subtlely that it never feels unbelievable or entirely made up. It's familiar with all the mystical legends and strange occurences, yet never overpowers the rest of the story.

2.Brilliant secondary characters:

I think one of the way sin which Cayla's talent truly shines through is in her depiction of the secondary characters; there are a large number of them, but she brings them to life with their own unique stories and I find that they often overshadow even Alera herself. They don't come across as two-dimensional at all, and that's something I find rather rare in most books.

3.A story ripe with political intrigue and danger:

I was shocked at how much actually happens and changes in this book- it's a bit slow at first, but very quickly takes off and doesn't slow down until the very last pages. And it's so humbling and tragic, you can't help but feel moved by the devastating effects of the events which take place in Allegiance.

I'm torn on one issue though, which is that Allegiance is clearly a book with a message. At some point during the story, it ceased being a tale and seemed to become an avenue for the author to make a statement. I have no problem with that, except that I felt much of the story was lost to this attempt at making A Point. This is supposed to be a story about female empowerment- Alera's growth and the ways she feels trapped and held back is largely the key theme of the series. But the problem is that so much is lost to try and force this message across, and Alera doesn't strike me as the right character to carry it out.

Alera, a character I greatly admired in Legacy, seems to have regressed in Allegiance more than anything else. She's EXTREMELY petty and immature - often acting like a child, and throwing her own 18 year old versions of temper tantrums. And further, we're clearly supposed to dislike Steldor- but I don't. The story failed to make me appreciate Alera and Narian more and Steldor less, and in fact I felt just the opposite. It simply felt too much like Steldor was being villainized for things he never does and Narian easily trusted for little reason besides Alera's love for him. That, to me, is frustrating to no end. And Alera's failure to accept the consequences of her actions or even own up to them is disheartening. She often relies on others to cover for her, and blames them if they don't act according to her will.

The romance just isn't there for me. It feels too stilted and forced, and I now find myself rooting for the "wrong guy" (Clearly, he's supposed to be the wrong one for her, but I fail to see how the other option is any better). I don't buy into this forbidden love story at all. Not one bit. I'm just not sold on it, and that's disappointing.

And there's just too much of a giant internal loophole. The whole plan and reasoning behind why the struggles Hytanica endures just doesn't make sense. SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this paragraph is an absolute spoiler of the book, so skip this paragraph if you haven't read it yet. The whole reason we're given for why Hytanica will fall is because Narian is on the Cokyrian side- yet he says the only reason he's helping them is to save Alera's sister. So of course, a whole nation falls and people are brutally slaughtered because Alera won't sacrifice her sister- or is it really because she'd rather hold on to Narian? And he doesn't want to disappoint Alera of course, seeing as hti sis her sister. Which to me speaks volumes about Alera's loyalty to her country as Queen. YES it sucks that her sister would die. But it's this self-absorption of Alera's that bothers me to no end. And the fact that she doesn't blame Narian for ANYTHING whatsoever, yet fears Steldor for very little reason. I mean, she's scared that Steldor will hit her- yet she's the one slapping and biting him when she's upset? Ugh.

It's these two main issues that forced me to reduce my rating for this one- I'm curious to see how Sacrifice will turn out, but also not very hopeful that it can be turned around for an ending that I'll find satisfactory. And while it's not nearly as enjoyable as the first book, it's still an exciting and interesting read.

ARC received from publisher for review.


Tags : Allegiance (The Legacy Trilogy) [Cayla Kluver] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <em>He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.</em> An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return… Bound to a man she cannot love,Cayla Kluver,Allegiance (The Legacy Trilogy),Harlequin Teen,0373210434,Historical - General,Royalty,Kings, queens, rulers, etc.;Fiction.,Magic;Fiction.,Marriage;Fiction.,10015741,115026X,20120301,707220,Canada,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Fiction,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),JUVENILE,JUVENILE FICTION Historical General,JUVENILE FICTION Royalty,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,Kings, queens, rulers, etc.,Magic,Marriage,Monograph Series, any,Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.),TEEN'S FICTION HISTORICAL,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Royalty,Young Adult;Fantasy;Historical,JUVENILE FICTION Historical General,JUVENILE FICTION Royalty,Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.),YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Royalty,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Fiction,Kings, queens, rulers, etc.,Magic,Marriage,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)

Allegiance The Legacy Trilogy Cayla Kluver 9780373210435 Books Reviews

This review is really a 4.5 stars. I enjoyed this story as much as Legacy, the writing was still exemplary, rich and absorbing while a darker tone took over the book towards the end as war engulfed Hytanica.

The only problems are with the story itself. Parts were slightly annoying and others had me cheering.

But firstly, lets talk about Alera. I still love her. I think she's completely inept at acting like a Queen, although when she is forced to head functions she does it well in a queenly manner. This surprised me as frequently her mother, the previous Queen comments on how much training she was given yet Alera doesn't appear to have received much. Outside of Palace functions, Alera falls apart. Her marriage to Steldor is a sham, more of a marriage of convenience. No matter how many times he tries to show affection she shies away, unready and unsure of herself and her feelings. Once or twice I thought she would cave in. Her narration constantly tells us that she's allured by his eyes and his scent however she's still holding on to her feelings for Narian and they haunt her.

Steldor changes a great deal in this book. No longer arrogant and completely chauvanistic, he begins to show a great deal more compassion towards Alera. Now that they're married he believes that eventually she will drop her guard and allow him into her life as her husband. He forgives her actions and her rudeness with selflessness, and this alone lead me to believe that Alera would forget Narian and actively become the queen that Steldor dearly wants by his side.

Narian is not in this book a great deal, but he is constantly in Alera's thoughts. When they do meet there are only a few sparks of their love. I felt a little let down here as I wanted a little more secret romancing between them but it was mainly just a few words here and there. Nothing greatly concrete to make you understand if his feelings towards Alera had changed or remained as they were.

A few problems I had with the story was repetiveness. Towards the end, in the cave scene, the constant toing and froing between talks with the enemy was wearisome. London went to meet the Overlord and came back, then he went again and came back, then someone else went and came back. Plus Steldor being sickened from his gruesome wound dragged the scenario out for too long. Yes, I understood that this was vital for Alera to grow up and become a stronger woman but did it have to take so long?

Also, when Miranna went missing Alera showed grief in short, sporadic moments but then her thoughts flittered to Steldor or Narian and I wondered how she could be thinking these things when her most beloved sister was being held, possibly tortured, by the enemy.

In the beginning we see Alera as a spoilt brat. She sits in her room for days, crying and reclusively shying from her public duty but by the end she's definitely a different person with responsibilities so great that the future of Hytanica now rests on her shoulders.

I can hardly wait for Sacrifice to come out to find if Alera is up to the challenge!
I adored Cayla Kluver's debut novel, Legacy, which left me begging for more in the trilogy- so when I picked up Allegiance, I had extremely high expectations. And in many ways, I was just as impressed as I had been the first time around, yet I found myself easily frustrated in two areas which largely detracted from my enjoyment of this hugely anticipated sequel.

However, there are many strong things to this book from Cayla's impressive writing, to the excitement of action and political intrigue which is included in most of the book.

Reasons to Read

1.A fantasy novel with a historical feel

Alera's world isn't a historical world, nor her story a historical account but there's something about it that feels so very real. Yet she easily blends in some magic and myths as well- but it's done so subtlely that it never feels unbelievable or entirely made up. It's familiar with all the mystical legends and strange occurences, yet never overpowers the rest of the story.

2.Brilliant secondary characters

I think one of the way sin which Cayla's talent truly shines through is in her depiction of the secondary characters; there are a large number of them, but she brings them to life with their own unique stories and I find that they often overshadow even Alera herself. They don't come across as two-dimensional at all, and that's something I find rather rare in most books.

3.A story ripe with political intrigue and danger

I was shocked at how much actually happens and changes in this book- it's a bit slow at first, but very quickly takes off and doesn't slow down until the very last pages. And it's so humbling and tragic, you can't help but feel moved by the devastating effects of the events which take place in Allegiance.

I'm torn on one issue though, which is that Allegiance is clearly a book with a message. At some point during the story, it ceased being a tale and seemed to become an avenue for the author to make a statement. I have no problem with that, except that I felt much of the story was lost to this attempt at making A Point. This is supposed to be a story about female empowerment- Alera's growth and the ways she feels trapped and held back is largely the key theme of the series. But the problem is that so much is lost to try and force this message across, and Alera doesn't strike me as the right character to carry it out.

Alera, a character I greatly admired in Legacy, seems to have regressed in Allegiance more than anything else. She's EXTREMELY petty and immature - often acting like a child, and throwing her own 18 year old versions of temper tantrums. And further, we're clearly supposed to dislike Steldor- but I don't. The story failed to make me appreciate Alera and Narian more and Steldor less, and in fact I felt just the opposite. It simply felt too much like Steldor was being villainized for things he never does and Narian easily trusted for little reason besides Alera's love for him. That, to me, is frustrating to no end. And Alera's failure to accept the consequences of her actions or even own up to them is disheartening. She often relies on others to cover for her, and blames them if they don't act according to her will.

The romance just isn't there for me. It feels too stilted and forced, and I now find myself rooting for the "wrong guy" (Clearly, he's supposed to be the wrong one for her, but I fail to see how the other option is any better). I don't buy into this forbidden love story at all. Not one bit. I'm just not sold on it, and that's disappointing.

And there's just too much of a giant internal loophole. The whole plan and reasoning behind why the struggles Hytanica endures just doesn't make sense. SPOILER ALERT The rest of this paragraph is an absolute spoiler of the book, so skip this paragraph if you haven't read it yet. The whole reason we're given for why Hytanica will fall is because Narian is on the Cokyrian side- yet he says the only reason he's helping them is to save Alera's sister. So of course, a whole nation falls and people are brutally slaughtered because Alera won't sacrifice her sister- or is it really because she'd rather hold on to Narian? And he doesn't want to disappoint Alera of course, seeing as hti sis her sister. Which to me speaks volumes about Alera's loyalty to her country as Queen. YES it sucks that her sister would die. But it's this self-absorption of Alera's that bothers me to no end. And the fact that she doesn't blame Narian for ANYTHING whatsoever, yet fears Steldor for very little reason. I mean, she's scared that Steldor will hit her- yet she's the one slapping and biting him when she's upset? Ugh.

It's these two main issues that forced me to reduce my rating for this one- I'm curious to see how Sacrifice will turn out, but also not very hopeful that it can be turned around for an ending that I'll find satisfactory. And while it's not nearly as enjoyable as the first book, it's still an exciting and interesting read.

ARC received from publisher for review.