Legacy

Legacy #1

by Molly Cochran

When her widowed father dumps 16-year-old Katy Jessevar in a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts, she has no idea that fate has just opened the door to both her future and her past. Nearly everyone in Whitfield is a witch, as is Katy herself, although she has struggled all her life to hide her unusual talents. Stuck at a boarding school where her fellow students seem to despise her, Katy soon discovers that Whitfield is the place where her mother committed suicide under mysterious circumstances when Katy was just a small child. With dark forces converging on Whitfield, it's up to Katy to unravel her family's many secrets to save the boy she loves and the town itself from destruction.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Romance, Magic, Supernatural

418 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2011

About the author

aka Dev Stryker

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Molly Cochran lived in Europe and was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne in France. She has written 26 books, including 12 ghosted novels, and the non-fiction bestseller, Dressing Thin, before her own first novel, Grandmaster, was a New York Times Bestseller.

Since then, she has written almost a dozen other suspense and fantasy thrillers, including the international best-seller, The Forever King.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF page 231

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Legacy left me utterly neutral. I'm not clinging to my seat hoping for more but I'm not unhappy that I read this story. I was pretty excited to read this story for the paranormal element and I love stories steeped in rich character histories. In that aspect, this story did not disappoint but I felt it hard to connect with the characters and the story was really choppy at parts which definitely hindered my reading experience.

When I pick up a novel, I want to fall in love with the person telling me the story. What makes this person different from me? I liked Katy's voice okay but I had a really hard time connecting with her. There were some things about her personality that I really liked-- she was funny and pretty kind-- but I couldn't follow her motivations or her line of thought. I guess I felt like she didn't react naturally. I actually had that problem with most of the characters. I mean, someone would shout "they tried to kill me" and everyone would sort of shrug and say "that's life" and not hold a grudge or anything. Plus, I found it hard to follow conversations because all of a sudden, someone would sort of explode in anger and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from or why it needed to be there. Frankly, the only characters I really did like were the sweet little boy Eric, the evil entity The Darkness, Mim, Miss P and Katy when I could follow her.

I did enjoy the budding romance between Katy and Peter, I'm a sucker for forbidden romance, but I felt like it went way too fast and Peter was way too hot and cold for me to actually like him as a male lead. I did really like what he stood for and there is this really beautiful moment near the end of the novel where they are walking through mud that was spectacular but like my problems with Katy, I just didn't figure out what motivated his actions. So I guess I liked what was starting to take place with Peter and Katy but I wish it would have been slower and more solid.

Where this novel really delivered was in the witchcraft and the rich history of the town. Whitfield had this amazing history that the witches worked to keep alive. They were all about tradition and lineage. I liked that several different story lines effected the main one and that Katy had to learn about the past to help figure out her future. The magic in that world was also wonderful. I liked that witches had individual talents and I loved that the witches had almost another world over the real one. The fog, The Meadow and Hattie's restaurant all combined to make this really amazing fabric of the witchy world.

The thing that left me neutral about this novel the most is the choppiness of it. I couldn't figure out where the plot was going and it jumped through large passages of time instead of letting things build in a smaller amount of time. Katy's voice is easy to read so there was nothing particularly tough to get through but it did lag a bit and sometimes I felt like I didn't grasp the whole picture.

While Legacy did have some good things going for it, there were other things I found it hard to get passed. The rich world-building and town history really makes this novel shine but sometimes it was hard to see through the choppy nature of the plot.

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know a one is pretty harsh, but in my defense, I wanted to like this book. But I can honestly say that I just didn't. I read about half the book and then skimmed the rest of it because those who have read it rated it really well so I was hoping it would change my mind. It didn't.

I felt this book was very poorly written. I broke my rant up into sections because for someone who didn't thoroughly finish the book, I already have a lot to say about it. Overall, I felt it had a 1) cliche and faulty concept; 2) choppy transitions and relationships; and 3) a lot of misused words.

Cliche & Faulty Concept

First of all, this book is starting out really cliche. There's a girl with something different about her. She's dumped at a boarding school in Massachusetts (surprised, surprise). She enters class and on the first day and sees HIM and of course, he despises her for no apparent reason.

With the whole witch concept, I kept thinking, "Did I miss something?" The only reason why I knew Katy was a witch is being the summary told me so. The book started out saying she knew there was something different about her when she was 16 years old. I figured they were going to tell us when she got this revelation and whether it was before the book started or that was part of the story.

But it didn't do either. Instead Hattie starts doing magic, and Katy starts talking about spells in the kitchen scene like it was a normal thing. I had no idea how this even came about. I found out later that she didn't know she was special. But it was all odd to me that she accepted all the spells and everything like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

For someone who doesn't know anything about her history, she was sure accepting of everything that was going on and how she was able to pick up spells out of nowhere and teach and explain to Peter.

And I can't really comment on the end because I didn't understand it enough to say anything much. I didn't make a lot of sense. I'm not sure if I missed a lot when I skimmed it, but I'm still not sure what happened with the darkness. I know "love" not magic was what conquered it, and from the ending, I know the darkness is still around "waiting." But I'm not exactly sure how it was expunged from Eric and how Katy was brought back.

Choppy Transitions & Relationships

Once I got past that, I tried to enjoy the book as much as I could, but the storyline was just all over the place. We jump from one scene to the next with abrupt stops, flips and complete 180s. The transition of one scene to the next is very choppy, and the relationships of the people from one sentence to the next is very choppy.

For instance, Katy and Peter's hot-cold relationship. In most books, authors go through a chapter or two for it to jump back and forth. Here, it's literally a sentence or two. You will have scenes, where he's back and forth and back and then back to forth again, all in a matter of sentences. Not only does it starts choppy, but it stays choppy. You know he's hiding something, but their relationships is so disconcerting.

It's hot-cold, and even when they're getting along, you don't really connect to their relationship. The lines are cheesy, their reactions are abrupt. At times, Peter will say something, or "his eyes fill," and I'm left thinking, "Really?!?" I LOVE romantic guys, but Peter is beyond sappy. I felt his reaction was just overdramatized at times. I'm not sure how else to explain it, but the whole relationship just seems off, and I can't really put my finger on it. It's too dramatic and frustrating to read.

Wrong Word Usage

Oftentimes, I felt Cochran's use of words bugged me, like she was trying to find the right word to use and couldn't think of it.

There was a part where Peter and Katy were looking through some miniatures in the house, and Peter demonstrated one. The book says: "I wasn't impressed. 'Cute, but what's the point of it?' I sneered." Peter then admits it's pretty useless. I don't think sneered was the right word to use there. She wasn't trying to be condescending in a malicious way, and I don't think that comment was supposed to be said that way.

Also there was a part in there that a small party saw an island that belongs to Peter's family. Right after Peter says it's not anymore, the book says: “'Peter was disinherited,' Becca screeched. She leaned in close to me so that no one else would hear her in the wind. 'I guess you scholarship kids like to stick together.'” I'm sorry, but unless Becca was surprised and this was news to her, I don't picture her "screeching" this statement.

There were other parts of the book where I thought words were just misused, either Cochran looked then up in a thesaurus or she couldn't figure out the word and just picked the first word that came to mind.

Other Problems

There were other things that bothered me in the book, but since I didn't read the second half well enough, I don't think it would be fair to comment. But those were the highlights of my main concerns.

At this point, I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, but I don't think I'll be reading beyond this book if there is a sequel.

[Ravenous Biblioworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating:1/5

Don't let the summary fool you. It's sounds all sorts of cool but the delivery was horrible, bad - worst than horrible. So bad, I really really wanted to hurt someone. Like all the characters in the book and I rooted for "The Darkness" to win. I'll be blunt here. This is the worst book I have read this year. Yes, the premise is more interesting than others but in writing respects, it is the worst.

Let's start with plot. There was a plot to the story only the focus of the story ran everywhere. We got scenes of Katy, our "hero," arguing with her dad, disliking her dad's whore of a girlfriend (her opinion not mine), she falls in love with Peter a guy who is a total douche to her. She like falls head over heels in love with him - like the crazy kind, where people get restraining orders on those types of crazies and the restraining order still doesn't work. And she supposedly doesn't know what she is and supposed to discover herself. Why "supposed"? Because that fact was never explored. She's in denial in one sentence and literally the next paragraph she accepts it. She doesn't know how to work her magic in one sentence and literally the next sentence she gains complete control (I'm not exaggerating. It really was within the next sentence and paragraph for previous sentence). That ridiculous pacing took any sort of realism, tension, and plot building out of the story. The author's presence was on every single sentence. Tension was forced everywhere. For example, Katy and Peter goes and gets something important and they come back and their guardians yells at them and tells them they can't see each other again. Of course, Katy and Peter was trying to retrieve something that could save their town. It made no sense. At all. Why was this scene there? To create a weak and lame and completely utterly stupid tension of ohmigod they can't see each other again moment. The yelling and angry grown ups were all forced so the scene would gather some sort of stupid tension in the story.

Then there are many points in the story you can tell the author had no idea of transitioning to a different scene. Why do I say that? Because the transitions were very obvious and lame. For instance, in one scene Katy was talking to Verity and Cheswick, unveiling some tough decision making on Katy's part and midway through her talking, Verity wants to go somewhere and Verity and Cheswick literally just walks away, in the middle of Katy talking. Then it follows Katy wandering into the woods and low and behold she meets Peter (after Peter's avoidance). Peter and Katy gets into a fight (again forced) because Peter tells Katy he doesn't want to hurt her so he can't see her again (please someone shove a damn log in their throats so they can gag to death). Again forced tension, forced fighting of characters to create weak and stupid tension.

Another created tension: Katy's dad slaps her in front of everyone, and I mean everyone, like the whole damn village. Not like some little slap, but like her head jerks and the snap of flesh upon flesh cracks through the silence like thunder kind of slap. Why? Because she's seeing Peter and her dad not knowing anything assumes right away that his daughter is a slut and having mad rabid bunny sex with Peter. So when she argues with Dad, Dad who never shown any anger or violent tendency slaps the whore out of his daughter, so hard Katy's dead mother could feel it. Yeah, hitting a girl/woman would definitely put the bitch in her place. Go Dad! (
The magic. Katy who knows nothing of her "background" accepts it like nothing when it starts off as her not knowing a damn thing. For instance, she "heals" (settles him to be calm, not literal heal him) a man by touching him. When she touches him she see his whole entire life unravel in her eyes. When Hattie, another witch who she came to know, was telling her of magic and explained to her that what Katy just did - seeing the man's life - was magic, she was like, "No way. I thought it was just a game. Just an illusion. Something I thought in my head." WTF. Really? That piss poor of an excuse is given to readers. Give me a kit kat bar please. I need a damn break before I go burning this book.

Then Katy is instructed to teach Peter magic. Katy. The girl who knows nothing of magic. Katy the girl who understands nothing about magic. But still for the romance to build Katy teaches Peter magic. And bam! First time around, Peter learns magic. Even after you know, we spend like a whole chapter learning that Peter might be a "cowen" aka a normal person without magic. That it's most likely true. But nope, our Superman character named Mary Sue, I mean Katy... teaches magic to Peter and he masters it. After the first time too. From someone who know absolutely nothing about magic, even though Peter has been learning from the witch who is consider the High Priestess of the town aka the most damn powerful witch. But nope some idiot girl comes around and shows Peter he can do magic. Personally, Hattie (< the High Priestess) should kill herself. She's a damn disgrace. She can't teach Peter magic but some clueless girl who knows nothing of magic can. There's also the icing of the cake. Throughout this teaching, Peter has to explain to Katy the mechanics of magic and how it's divide and so forth... and she's suppose to teach him magic?

But guess what?! The last third of the book. You know after everyone was doing magic - guess what is introduced? Magic wands! Like seriously. Katy gets a magic wand for a present. Because suddenly no one can do magic unless they have a magic wand. I mean the biggest WTF ever. The world building was crappy to begin with but suddenly the rules of their world don't apply anymore and thus it changes. It happens about three times in the book. Another example: Miss P has these mind control abilities, toted as the most powerful ability someone can have. Guess what?! She can't use if someone covers her head in a pillowcase.... really? Yes. Really. Ugh, I mean I was angry before now I just want to travel the world and destroy every single copy of this book.

Then there's the bastardizing of other cultural entities. A djinn is not really a genie-like entity but a witch who can control people's mind (see above). Please, next you're going to tell me that a Yukionna is not a snow demon ghost but some white (race wise) girl who can summon arctic winds. And werewolf is a girl witch who doesn't shave and can change into a wolf. I wouldn't have a problem with the name change, if the world building was consistent and given with authority. It wasn't. Details constantly change on a whim to fit the need of the story's direction. There we go... that's the perfect way to describe this book:

Scenes, details, tension, world building all changes to fit the whims of the story's direction (aka author's current mood aka intrusive author voice). Nothing flowed naturally. NOTHING. One minute they're witches who can cast powers with a thought, the next they need a magic wand so they can be just like Harry Potter. One minute Dad dumps daughter into the middle of nowhere, the next he wants her to move back with him and she shouldn't stay in the witch town. She also has grown attached to the town and people, some people she's only ever exchanged words with like literally 3 times ever. Peter hates her violently, and the next he absolutely loves her with all his heart. One moment, Katy's dad seems a bit aloof and boring, the next he's a raging bitch-slapping-evil dad, teaching his whore of a daughter a lesson.

I can't do this anymore. Must stop before I go into a huge rage. Just horrible. Stay away.

Verdict: If you really really really want to read this one, go ahead. Check it out from the library. Maybe its horrid writing could appeal to someone more forgiving than I am.

Visit my book review blog at: http://ravenousbiblioworm.wordpress.com

[Jude · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummm.... how to review this book?... hmmm... well, the summary was interesting but once you start reading it, it turns out to be a Fail.

Not so much that I didn't like it, but there were a few situations that were just instant turn-off. Example: Katy - the main character - arrives to a new school, nobody talks to her and basically they want to steer clear from her, and she just lets it be. But then there's the King of the Jerks, meet Peter. who treats her like crap and actually, ACTUALLY SHOVES HER ACROSS THE ROOM, and the next day he's all sweet and nice [He has a serious bipolar disorder] and she's all 'Oh My God I Love Him. I know he's the one. I just know.' WHAT?!!? Have a bit of dignity! if a guy treats you like that you do NOT go crawling after him. Period.

I would also find myself flipping through the pages, just skipping parts here and there, it really never caught my attention. I really wish it had been more, I wanted to like it, the summary was promising. I think it could've had a better development. There was action, romance, mystery... but it never got to me. Not once. it was just like watching a movie in mute. I tried, but the relationship between me and this book was not good.

In all honestly - and sadness - I do not recommend this book :/

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got to read this book. And it was...

Love it! <3

[~Tina~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legacy is the kind of book that is usually totally me. Charming, quaint and mysterious atmosphere and boarding school setting with it's hidden secrets but sadly it just wasn't enough. The writing was okay, but it didn't quite have that spark that gives it the right flow. It felt either to rushed or to slow moving and while the characters were interesting enough I felt no connection to them or their situation.

[Via Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a high rating rewarded to such a worthy book. This is the best book that I've read in a long time. It's rare that I find a good book these days, and I really lucked up when I received this one in the Galley Grab newsletter. Now of course, I didn't just jump into this right away, because that just wouldn't be me. No, I had to read the Goodreads reviews first. From the few reviews that I found, I discovered that there weren't really many fans of this book. Personally, I didn't see the problem. I mean the story line was...imaginative? I don't know if there really is a word to describe it, but what I do know is that for supernatural novel it was highly original and I could tell that Molly Cochran really did her research. The characters were lovable enough. The romance wasn't built plainly on lust disguised as love like most YA Romance novels these days (although I can't say that I would mind much if it was...pervert? Guilty as charged. ;D). The writing was just beautiful. It had substance, and meaning, which is what a lot of today's paranormal romance novels lack these days. I will admit that a few of the situations and reactions were a tad bit unrealistic, but it is fiction after all. Supernatural fiction, at that. Overall, it was a finely crafted novel and I didn't regret the time spent reading it after I finished it. So yeah, I seriously don't see where all the negative opinions about this came from. I mean, like I said, they're opinions. If you want to hate this novel, then that's your prerogative, but I just want to understand why so many people hated it. Or am I exaggerating? Or maybe the only reason I didn't hate it was because I had lowered my expectations after reading the bad reviews? Maybe...

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5

Legacy is sadly one of those books I wanted to like more than I actually liked in the end. Legacy can be, and very often is, dry, slightly boring and stilted in its execution. With so much of the novel reminiscent of other novels like the boarding school a la Harry Potter, Strange Angels, Vampire Academy, Hex Hall, etc., or the two love interests that have to be kept apart for someone's safety a la Twilight, The Clann or really almost every vampire young-adult novel ever, it is quite hard for Legacy to make a unique impression that is entirely its own. It's a sad echo of more action-filled and invigorating reads that populate this kind of novel. Though it merits only a 2.5 out of 5 stars for me, I did manage find some worthwhile aspects to this long young-adult novel about witches and evil in New England. I wish that there was more to recommend this supernatural tale from a veteran author, but I was disappointed and bored by this read. It was one of those books you finish out of endurance, rather than a genuine desire to conclude the story.

Serenity Katherine "Katy" Jessup Ainsworth is, like many teen protagonist in the paranormal YA genre, isolated, lonely, abandoned in a strange place and possessing strange powers that shouldn't exist. There's sadly not much to distinguish Katy from her peers of the genre. She's sadly cliched in many of her personality/abilities, and fails to truly connect with the reader. There's also so many pointed remarks about her "creepy" or "snake" eyes but no real reason is provided for entirely too long, so every ensuing remark drove me batty. Added to her already full closet of cliches and tropes is her Mysterious Dead Mom - another easy plot structure that Legacy falls prey to. I was supposed to feel for Katy, as she was just abandoned by her unfeeling, remote father 1500 miles from her Floridian home, but I just.. didn't. Her isolation and loneliness are extreme and I didn't buy into the student body's treatment of her, both pre- and post-Peter. I wasn't a fan of how her relationship with love interest Peter matured either: there were far too many rapid-fire shifts in emotion and status between the two of them to be believable.

Legacy is quite slow-moving for the bulk of the narrative. Not much happens in the small town of Whitfield, nor in Ainsworth School besides teenage hazing and Katy's pining for a boy she hardly knows. I wish that Legacy had been less predictable: the easy-to guess plot twists combined with the slower pace for the non-events did not do the story any favors. I found the romance of Peter and Katy to be pedantic and predictable as well: from this initial hatred to her unfounded fascination with him, I called it all. I absolutely hated the presentation of the student body within the boarding school: even the non-magical (the "cowen" in this novel's particular vernacular) are ridiculously and stupidly bigoted against Katy from the day of her arrival. Yes, the outcast role in a novel is popular because so many of today's teens can relate and identify closely with just such a character, but it was just ridiculously overdone here. These kids really were like cows: they hate Katy when Peter does and love her when he abruptly switches to the other side and loves her.

[Kate Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews can be found at my blog: Nomalicious Reads


I was really excited to get my hands on Legacy, so I was really happy when I recieved the eARC via Net Galley!

I think that this is going to be a tough review to write, because although I really enjoyed Legacy, some parts in the book made me rage something chronic!

I'm partial to anything with a witchy tale and magic involved, so as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the intriguing cover, I fell in love.

Katy is our typical heroine, she's thrown into a situation and is expected to know things that she doesn't understand, after her (asshole) father dumps her in a boarding school after shacking up with his new bimbo bitch girlfriend, Katy discovers that she may not be the normal girl that she thought she was.

Everyone at Katy's new school seems to know not only that she is a witch, but about something dark in her past, that she herself doesn't even know and has something to do with her mother.

In all honesty I hated her father for being an asshole and keeping her in the dark about her mother, her mothers family and the potential powers that Katy herself may have, he treated her like shit and in the end had a cry and pretended to be a good Dad, after being completely selfish and unreliable.

Then there was Peter, the complete and utter douchebag at the start, he also had a cry: 'oh I'm so attracted to her but hate her cause I hate her mother, and she doesn't deserve a chance', then when he gets a clue that its not her fault he's all 'lets make out, but don't come near me because something big and nasty wants to destroy the world and I love you so much that I don't want you to be in danger.'

Yes, my bitch-switch was flicked quite a few times while reading Legacy, but I actually loved Peter haha, even though he was a major douche at the start of the book... you could understand why... eventually. It was also was worth it watching his and Katy's relationship evolve from hate to a more warm and squishy feeling.

I really enjoyed reading Legacy, even if I had to put it down a few times so I could cool down, it evoked so much emotion from me, in good and bad ways.

I recommend this book for everyone who likes the boarding school twist thrown in with yummy scenes, magic and mayhem and a world threatening plot thrown in for good measure!

I'm pretty sure that Legacy is meant to be a standalone, but I'm kind of hoping for more, if not I'll definitely be looking forward to more of Molly Cochran's books in the future!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full, non-spoiler review courtesy at Book & Movie Dimension a Blog

Legacy takes us into the life of Katy Ainsworth. Katy upon opening to the story mentions through certain key decisions made by her father what would eventually lead him to ship her off to boarding school. It is there she discovers who she truly is. Along with her heritage. Its a heritage that involves a deep ground battle against the Darkness. A Force that ultimately might have its hand in killing her mother.

Katy teams up with Peter a local townie who may or may not be a witch. From first appearances he seems to despise her. Katy's curiosity about Peter and her new home highly piqued my interest throughout.

In the novel readers are sure to encounter a fascinating story that has this nice tight-knit community of witches. The romance is worthwhile to read into which has such an intricacy to it. Legacy has nice detailed reading passages that can compel any reader to read far into the night. Also expect some mixture of occasional flashbacks and intense magic struggles. Legacy's ending was eerie but allows for hopefully a sequel. So let's hope there's more to come.
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Witches, Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don't care for this book. Usually this would be my kinda book (anything where a "normal" girl finds out she basically part of the supernatural community and from there she establishes an identity (her true identity, her true self as always the case) but this book disappointed me in many ways. Lets start with the big reveal or the "induction into the unknown"(ever since I read "The Hero's Journey" by Joseph Campbell I use his stages for my critiques) I mean the "removal" was fine with the whole my daddy and his new wife don't want me anymore so listen to my sarcasm. But when she finds out she's a witch or that her mother is possibly a psycho (hinting that it might be hereditary) just didn't do it for me. The reveal was too anticlimactic and everything since then just kept putting me off. Another thing that just made me dread the pages that I was reading was her love interest. Peter Shaw. What's with Love Interests nowadays? I'm fine with the broody types who are hot but emotionally unavailable, but again the reveal that [here there be spoilers] your mom brutally harms your love interest's little brother is never going to be water under the bridge so to speak. Everything just seem so dry and anticlimactic and I just can't force myself to read this any longer.

[Lucy Qhuay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was actually enjoying this book a great deal in the beginning, but then the things that drew me in turned predictable or just not what I was expecting and the story just lost most of its appeal.

I thought the information surrounding 'the darkness' and the Ainsworth family was pretty promising at first, along with the 'heroine doesn't know her legacy' and the hate at first sight relationship between the heroine and the hotshot of the story thing, but to my regret, everything went downhill.

I did enjoy everything surrounding Eric and his wonderful gifts. That boy was such a sweetheart! I felt like he was my own brother and it was my duty to protect that innocence and pureness.

Anyway, I think a lot of people will enjoy this story, while others will think 'been there, done that', so you'll have to read to find out where you stand.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are not alot of books that I have to force myself to finish. Usually I make sure I am going to like something before I start reading it. Unfortunately this turned out to be one of those books. I absolutely loved the first ten chapters. I liked the main female character and the premise seemed good. However the romance between her and her crush was just...let's just say that I didn't feel it. Most romances make me weak in the knees and giddy while this one just left me feeling rather...blah. I wanted to quit this book about halfway through but decided to read it through to the end just to complete it. There are alot of other great young adult books out there that I would recommend before this one.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately well realized world with an interesting villain. However, it has enough flaws that it is only slightly above "ok" in my estimation. I like the world well enough that I'll probably check out the second book, but I don't feel compelled to seek it out immediately.

[Saniya]

Is it just me who founds this plot very similar to Firespell by Chloe Neil + Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins or everyone else too?!
Still, gonna read it!^^

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick and Dirty: Legacy had surprising depth and character development that kept me interested until the end.

Opening Sentence: I was sixteen years old when I discovered exactly who—and what—I was.

The Review:

The novel starts with Katy arriving at her new boarding school after being uprooted from everything she knew after her dad gets married. If that isn’t troubling enough, she finds out that her mother’s family, who founded her new school, already has a reputation that she knows nothing about. Immediately I was interested in finding out just what happened to make the people of Whitfield so mistrusting of Katy. The reader finds out information about her family and past when Katy does, who grew up knowing almost nothing about her mother and existing family members. By revealing information to both the reader and the protagonist at the same time, the reader can then compare their own reaction with Katy’s, and have a deeper understanding of Katy, and the book itself.

The world of Whitfield is filled with strange rules that everyone except Katy seems to know. She notices a distinct group of students who stand out from the others because of their confidence and connection to each other. This is only the beginning of the secrets that Katy uncovers about the small Massachusetts town where everything is not always as it seems. Katy doesn’t feel any particular connection to anyone until she meets Peter Shaw. For a reason unknown to her, Peter hates her on sight. Katy can’t help but notice how attractive he is, and the author does well to not overdo his looks and creates a believable character. Katy doesn’t understand how he, and all the other students, could seem so likable to each other, but ignore her as if she has done something to deserve how she is treated. We get some foreshadowing that it may have to do with her long dead mother, but do not find out completely until later in the novel.

As the novel advances, Katy learns to accept the odd things that she encounters, and also learns more about herself. I think that is one of the things I really loved about this novel was how real the characters felt. Each one has depth that we may not readily see, and it enriches the story as the characters evolve and form relationships. I don’t want to give away too much because I think readers will benefit from finding out the secrets of Whitfield and the Ainsworth family on their own.

Time progresses, and Katy starts to feel more at home in Whitfield, but as any reader knows, tranquility does not lead to a great story. Dark forces, as ominous as that sounds, are at work, and Katy wants to find the source so she can help eradicate it. She uses her newly honed skills to look to the past to find answers that may help in the present. Katy is still considered an outsider, so she has to work hard to prove to her community that she can, and will, help them.

I have read some other reviews for Legacy, and the results are very mixed. I really did enjoy this novel, and not all of the claims that people are making about Legacy hold true with me. Some complain about the pacing, but I feel that we are living along side Katy. When something important happens, she describes it, but when time just passes in an ordinary fashion, there really is not much to say about it. Yes, Peter does go from hating Katy to liking her fairly quickly, but Katy says herself that Peter was a decent person to begin with, and I think he probably avoided her because he could not both hate her for what her mother did, and accept her for who she was until he realized that she really did not know about her mother’s past. She enters a fairly close knit community with no idea of what her mother has done, so there really is no reason for Peter to hate her unconditionally, especially after he gets to know her. This book does have realistic characters in a paranormal plot, so of course some things will be predictable. Life is fairly predictable, and it is normally the supernatural elements that are unexpected. Katy did not grow up in Whitfield or knowing about her abilities, so she has to come to terms fairly quickly or otherwise be isolated from the one place she might truly belong.

I could not find any information about subsequent novels following Katy’s story, but I believe that the ending leaves it open for the author to return to this world in the future, which I hope she does.

Notable Scene:

As a VP of public relations for Wonderland, Mim represented “the interests of Wonderland” up and down the East Coast. I’ll never know exactly how she met my father, but within days they were shacked up and some weeks later, Dad had I were on our way to New York to start our “new lives.” After years of teaching at a series of small Florida colleges, Dad had gotten an assistant professorship gig at Columbia. Major strings must have been pulled for that. And where there were major strings, there was Mim doing the pulling. It was during the plane ride up that Dad decided to let me in on his plans for my future.

“We . . . that is, I’ve found a school for you, Katherine.” Dad looked serious. Something in his voice made me shiver. He wouldn’t make eye contact. “Where is it?” I asked quietly, carefully.

He cleared his throat. “It’s a … it’s a boarding school, Katherine.”

“A boarding school?” I squeaked. “Where?’

“It’s a fine place, really—”

“But why do I have to live there? How far away is it from you? And her.”

A long moment passed. Too long. “It’s in Whitfield, Massachusetts,” he said finally. He looked out the window.

“I see,” I said.

“Let me explain.” He put his hand over mine. I yanked it away. “There are some things I never told you, Katherine. About your mother. And her family.”

FTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Legacy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the summary of the book I was like "Cool!" but then I started reading. What happened to Katy having to hide her abilities her entire life? What was with the completely rushed timeline? You might as well have broken into song, and ended the book, oh wait, you did. I was trying to see how everything pieced together but was disappointed to see that the book was a rush job, Katy had incomplete character traits and how she learned everything right off the bat is ridiculous. If I could focus and then be able to paint like a pro, that would be awesome, but in real life you have to work at something. With the Male leads Edward Cullen identity crisis, and the lazy character descriptions, I think the book could have been alot better. I mean, who starts a book without a short description of the main character? Even Manga have descriptions and its basically a picture book (no offense to Manga artists). I don't feel inclined too read any other book in the series.

[tiana ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but it was so hard for me to focus on any positive traits when there was so much happening.
The dialogue as well as the characters felt immature and I couldn’t force myself to care about them. The events happening felt forced and rushed in some parts, to the point where I was confused about the way we managed to get from one place to another.
I don’t know if this series gets better but this first book was clearly not for me.

[Valia Lind · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5....I really struggled with this book. It was everything I wanted, but it just didn't work for me the way I would've liked it to.

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn’t get into this one- I had to stop reading it.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on the blog: What the Cat Read

This was a pleasantly fun read and I greatly enjoyed the characters and the storyline, murr! There’s a little something for everyone in this first installment of Cochran’s Legacy series. Whether you are a fan of magic, mystery/suspense, budding teen romance, or YA in general, this is definitely a book worth checking out. =^.^=

Katy is one of those types of characters who you come to admire as the story progresses. She’s initially insecure about her place at Ainsworth and doesn’t really have a strong idea of who she is at heart. While I wouldn’t call her weak, she isn’t exactly strong either. As a result, I felt like the majority of the story was a coming of age tale where Katy discovers herself, her history, and more, and I enjoyed watching her grow throughout the book. Yes, there were times when I felt she was acting childish and needed a good shaking, but over all she’s a likeable character who most readers will readily connect with. Peter on the other paw, took some getting use to. At first he comes across as a total jerk, but as the story continues, his character changes and he becomes much more likeable. He really does have an honest, kind, and loving heart, and while his actions may at first be questionable, eventually you come to realize that he is the way he is because of his desire to protect his brother, Eric. I actually couldn’t blame him for his earlier actions once I learned more about his backstory. Doesn’t mean that his behavior is entirely excusable, but I can readily image that I’d act the same way if I had gone through what he did.

The romance that occurs between these two, while all be it rather sudden, not exactly insta-lust but close, fit well with the story. I actually was expecting their love to be some sort of second chance situation. In other words, both Katy and Peter were being given the chance to fix a problem that occurred in a previous life. Yeah, okay, this was wishful thinking on my part, but given all the focus that was surrounding Katy’s ancestry, such a possible situation didn’t really seem all that farfetched. Overall, their relationship was pretty much what one would expect to see between two 16 year olds. And I think that this is what allowed me to accept the connection between them so easily, because it felt like a natural relationship. Yes, in Katy’s case her feelings escalated rather quickly, but at the end of the book I wanted them to be together.

As for the storyline itself, I loved it! Between the magic, the mystery behind The Darkness, the discovery of Katy’s ancestry, and her struggles to find her place within the Whitfield community, I easily could have finished this book in one sitting. True, there were some moments that were predictable, but the overall mystery of The Darkness itself kept me guessing for quite a while. There were a couple different ways I could have seen that particular part of the story going, so it was fun to finally see what path Cochran decided to take with it all. And the magic was also a fun thing to read about, especially Miss P’s particular brand of magic. I think she was probably one of my favorite secondary characters in the entire book.

The other thing that I liked about this book was the fact that it was apparent to me that Cochran actually did her research as far as various ideas of witchcraft are concerned. The brief references to the eight holidays that are celebrated in the story were rather spot on in their descriptions, though I don’t recall ever having read that Imbolc came about as a result of a bunch of village guys tossing a snake down into a hole and seeing whether it came out or not. Still, it was fascinating to read about each celebration, or at least the ones discussed in the book. I always enjoy it when I can research ideas shared in the books I read and in this Cochran gave me many things worth further looking into, if not only to reinforce what I already knew, but to also discover new things.

Really when all is said and done, this was a great book and as the first of a series, I am looking forward to seeing what further adventures await Katy, Peter, and the rest of the Whitfield witches!

[Rogier · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts

Cover: This cover is one of my favorites, the color scheme. The fog in the upper right corner and Peter and Katy coming down the stairs, dunno put I think it depicts a scene.

Book: I saw this earlier in the year , added it to read and forgot totally about it. In a Simon Shuster galley grab [what’s that ?info galley grab] it felt familiar . Downloaded and forgot it again. Time past and there were only 12 hours left to read it, I challenged myself and read it nonstop with small breaks in 10 hours. Proud of myself , don’t get worried I’m in my winter break now. School work has not been affected.


Katherine Jessivar gets dumped at a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts by her father, Harrison Jessivar, and his new girlfriend. . To burden her more every kid at her new school hates her. Because she’s an Ainsworth. Takes in the start of the school year.

Katy felt flat for me bu after the 200 mark started to care a bit by bit. At the moment when she admitted her real name I really liked her.

Peter is tortured, I can’t spoil but what a tortured boy he was, his heritage was a contributor. He was not the swooniest male protagonist, somewhat charming but liked him. I did not know why there were attracted to each other after disliking each other for a while there in love; a minor insta- love. I said a minor. There was love and less lust, said less. That does not mean not existed. They almost di……

Heck I had them around me for 1 to 400 pages, they grow on you. That was less positive for me.

There were no real parental figures present. They tried their best to be that but a couple characters came close. Her dad, he himself detaches from her emotionally but progressed but not enough for me.

Whitfield is strange and weird, the people seem olden time like and frequently mysterious fog appears in the meadow. This is a paranormal Young Adult. It’s about witches not harry potter's secret world . Just a normal town where a large part is descended from the them. I liked the world building. Everything is nature based. Everywhere there’s magic they reminded me a lot of druids

The chapters look like a old book and are in time slots in coordination with wiccan holidays. A thing I disliked was the 200 pages of not a lot of action Because It took 200 pages before the real peril appeared. Named the Darkness, a entity not to be fooled with. I almost quit two times but now looking back for me at least those 200 pages were needed. Back-story, anecdotes type things, getting two no more about the characters.

There’s turmoil between families, in her family and mistrust. I liked how Miss Cochran did that. The digging and bringing secrets to light of her mom’s life, the town and prominent ancestors of Whitfield that where linked back Katy.

The Darkness was a great bad ''guy''.

I have to say there are mixed review mine is more on the positive side It was pretty decent . I liked it and glad I had this experience. Have this left t say "Magic lies within"

[Emma (BelleBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, massive thank you to the S&S Galley Grab for drawing my attention to this book. I had never heard about Legacy before, after reading the blurb I decided to go ahead and download the ARC. I ended up reading this book in one day.

Legacy has been getting some mixed reviews from what I've seen so far, but honestly I really enjoyed this book.
The story itself follows 16 year old Katy whose father and step-mother ship her off to an exclusive boarding school in Massachusetts. While Katy first gets there however she realises people in the town seem to hate her for some reason, as if being shipped off to the middle of no where wasn't bad enough, she has no one to turn to either.

Katy soon discovers that the town is full old witching families and her mother went to the same school she is now attending and lived in this small town before she passed away.
She discovers family she never knew she had, falls head over heels for classmate Peter and discovers some powers of her own, all while trying to decode one town secret after another.

To me Legacy was a really great and enjoyable read. I'm glad to have discovered it as I hadn't really heard anything about it in the book blogger world. The writing style in the book isn't as great as some of my other recent reads, but this is no way makes it a bad book or difficult to read. To me it just seemed a bit choppy in places, which is probably more down to the fact that I was reading an ARC and editing changes rather than Molly Cochran's actual writing style. I'm sure the final book is released it will have been fixed up a bit more.

The character of Katy is good as a main character, she is believable, likeable, and readers can can easy get wrapped up in her story. As most of you will know, I'm a sucker for any YA that involves some type of boarding school, so to me the setting of a school in a mysterious little town in Massachusetts really drew me in right away. I would however have liked to have seem more of the school life and academic side to the story. Especially for a YA novel, I think setting a book in any kind of school requires the author to get the point across to readers that education is important, which I didn't see this time around. That is really the only reason this book got 4 and not 5 stars from me.

The plot itself is a bit predictable at some points, and at others it was full of twists and turns. I like the mix of being able to guess what was happening and having the unexpected pop up on the next page. Like most YA books there is a love story tangled up throughout this book as well. To me this love story seemed believable and wasn't over the top like love stories can be in some YA paranormal books. It was sweet and didn't happen too fast for me.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book, the last few chapters where like a whirlwind of emotions which really swept me away into this witchy world.

Overall I thought it was a really great read and I hope Molly writes some more about Katy in the future.

[LilyCat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one book I wanted to love. I thought it would be another boarding school witch romance novel, which I've thought of as good in general. However, due to a boring first 3/4, cliched love, a lack of worldbuilding, and a lot of missed opportunities, I just couldn't. The only redeeming things are the fairly original plotline, some of the characters, and the ending.

Plot
The first three quarters reads something like this:
Katy: I hate my dad. He sent me off to this weird school in a weird little town so he could smooch his horrible girlfriend...
Peter: I hate your guts for no reason.
Katy: He's hot.
Gram and Agnes (or is it Agatha?): Hi, relative! Let's do fun things like make quilts!
Hattie: You've now got a new job at my cafe! And guess who your new coworker is!
Peter: I still hate your guts for no reason.
Katy: I hate you, too. Even though you're hot.
Hattie: And oh, BTW, you're a witch. Wanna help me do spells in the kitchen?
Katy: That's cool. Sure.
Peter: *broods*
Me:Ugh. Another brooding twerp.
Hattie: Oh joy, a witch holiday!
Katy: Is Peter a witch or not? I hope he is, otherwise we can never be together...
Me: Ugh.
Hattie: Oh joy, another witch holiday!
Me: I'm bored.
Peter: Katy, I love you, except I have a lot of deep dark secrets!!
Me: Oh please.
Katy: *swoons* I love you tooooo! *they kiss*
Hattie: Oh joy, another witch holiday!
Peter: *broods*

As you can see, it's really boring. And it goes on and on for about 200 pages. Boring witch holidays, boring Katy daydreaming over Peter, etc. Also, you learn NOTHING about her school. You'd think it would have more importance, but it's not elaborated about at all. I thought it would make a great setting. A school that's half witch and half rich heiresses ought to have a lot of drama, right? Apparently not as much as some people performing rituals. And Peter and Katy spouting boilerplate garbage about having secrets and not wanting to hurt each other, blah blah blah.

I liked the last part, though, since it actually made more sense.

Characters
Katy and Peter were pretty flat up front. Katy just sounded like some brat who hated everything, her dad, her dad's girlfriend, etc., EXCEPT for this guy Peter, who is a real jerk. Peter turned out to be some noble, boring good guy. They developed a little more depth, but not that much more.

The secondary characters, like Hattie, Mim, and Ms. P are slightly more interesting. Verity and Cheswick, two fellow students/witches, seemed cool, but they only appeared in, like, one scene. What a waste.

Writing
The narration style left a lot to be desired. Whole chunks could have been cut out, while others are way too short. Also, Katy just seems to develop skills out of nowhere. Like she even talks about developing this super important power of reading peoples' feelings in a FLASHBACK. While she's just sitting on a random rock in the middle of the woods.

Setting
I liked the world created by the author, but some of the settings need a lot more elaboration.

[Tammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Serenity Katherine Ainsworth, who goes by “Katy Jessevar,” is sent to Ainsworth Preparatory School in Whitfield, Massachusetts after her father moved to New York when he got a job there. When Katy starts the new school, she meets Peter Shaw at the library. He instantly knows that she is an Ainsworth and dislikes her. Every new student at Ainsworth School gets invited to have lunch at Hattie’s Kitchen, where she finds a book that belongs to Peter. Hattie asks Katy to return it to him, causing them to interact once again.

Katy eventually gets offered an afterschool job at Hattie’s Kitchen. After working there, she understands how Hattie can give people what they need without them even asking. She didn’t expect this job. She certainly didn’t expect Peter to be working there also. Katy meets Peter’s younger brother, Eric, and learns a little more about why Peter and Eric are with Hattie. She also learns of her lineage and that she is a witch. She also makes contact with her maternal grandmother and aunt, whom she has never met.

Not soon after Katy starts at Hattie’s Kitchen, Peter and she learn to work together and tolerate each other. This is essential because the Harbingers start showing up and Peter helps Katy understand them. The Harbingers are bad omens and they foretell the coming of the Darkness. According to the Great Book of Secrets, if the Darkness takes hold of anyone, they must be destroyed by fire. What happens when the Darkness takes over someone you love?

This book was an interesting read. I could never predict what was happening next. With the arrival of the new Wonderland store in Whitfield thrown into the story, I wasn’t sure what was going to take precedence. It was a book that was hard to put down.

I Like:

▪ Katy. Eventually, she understand what it means to be an Ainsworth and why when the Ainsworth women got married, the groom would take their name instead of what’s expected of society. She learns a lot throughout this book and at first is upset by being sent to Whitfield and feels like she was being thrown away.

▪Peter. He is a good person. Everything he does in the story is for the good of someone. As you get further into the book, you understand his motivations better. Even when Katy and Peter were not getting along, she said that he is a “decent person.” He always remembers what it is important.

▪Dingo. I like this dog and his singing. He accompanies Mr. Haversall.

▪Hattie Scott. She is the witch who took care of Eric and Peter after Peter’s mom and dad died. She is full of wisdom and is the High Priestess of Whitfield.

I Did Not Like:

▪Livia Fowler and her daughter Becca. I never have liked people who thought they were better than someone else.

▪The Darkness. Again…expected.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After my brief hiatus from paranomal fiction, I jumped right back in with LEGACY by Molly Cochran, which I found on the last GalleyGrab email. (Speaking of which, doesn't it feel like a six billion month wait between the GalleyGrab's these days? I'm on my last title, and I'm feeling totally deprived!!!)

Anyways, starting with plot, as (almost) always. Legacy is the story of witchcraft, evil, and a history of hidden family madness, to sum things up in a single thought. Katy, formally known as Serenity, is running from her past, although she's really not entirely sure what happened or what it's such a big deal. The buzz around town is that Katy's mother was criminally crazy and that she killed herself after attempting to kill a young child (very publicly at that, too). Things got so bad that Katy's father changed his name and moved away, sending Katy away to the middle of nowhere to a boarding school. (Don't these heroines always just get shipped away to boarding school? Have you ever known anyone in real life to be thrown into a boarding school that happened to be filled with paranomal creatures? Sure does happen quite often in fiction!)

So, it appears that Katy's new school is filled with witches, and Katy herself might actually have powers and abilities beyond anything she could have previously imagined. And, of course, there is a new love interest -- who just so happens to be the older brother of the young child that Katy's mother attempted to murder so many years ago. Oops.

Once Katy learns the secret of her past, she discovers that her future might be cut short by the same evil that destroyed her mother, and there's no turning back this time around, either for Katy or for her new love interest Peter.

I don't really have a ton to say about LEGACY, which is neither a great or horrible thing either way, I don't think. The plot was interesting enough, but felt a bit familiar at the same time. The characters were fairly likeable, but nothing really stood out about any of them in particular. The persona of the Darkness was a different take on evil, although it seemed a bit random and strange at times. And, the ending was fulfilling enough, while leaving the story open for a sequel if necessary in the future.

For the avid fan of paranormal fiction, I'd definitely recommend LEGACY by Molly Cochran as an entertaining edition to your collection. For other readers, I'd say you could probably take it or leave it. It made a good read for a long, rainy weekend but I'm not sure I'll be first in line to buy it in hardcover.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Legacy! It was such a magical and action packed story. Ever since The Secret Circle television show was cancelled, there’s been a giant witch-shaped gap in my life. I’ve been craving a wonderfully witchy novel that captured some of those same elements from the show. After reading various YA witch stories, Legacy was the perfect fit! I absolutely adored the novel and I cannot wait to read the sequel. I was contacted for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for the sequel, Poison, and I agreed, though I was unfamiliar with the series. I decided to buy book 1 and read it while I had the time. I’m glad I signed up for the tour because I love this series.

Katy really came into herself when she ended up at the boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts. She discovered her roots, the history of the town, and found love in various forms: family, friendship, and romantic. I loved the characters in Legacy so much. I think Hattie was my favorite, being the wise old woman who knew what everyone needed. I have a soft spot for those sorts of characters, but Katy’s long lost family from her mother’s side were also amazing and funny. Hattie was a bit like Amma from Beautiful Creatures and the family members reminded me a bit of Ethan’s aunts in Beautiful Creatures. The characters had such distinct personalities and it made for a wonderfully entertaining read.

Somehow, Legacy doesn’t have the amazing reviews I expected to see. It seems a lot of people feel the book had too many overused stereotypes. While this observation may be correct (though I wonder, seeing as there is no love triangle!), I found Legacy to be refreshing in some way. Sure, it had the boarding school, the forbidden love, the caricature stepmom, etc, but I honestly felt it took these clichés and ran with them in a good way. If Legacy is full of stereotypes, then it is full of ones I haven't seen in awhile. Instead of angst-filled love triangles, it had evil stepmothers. The romance was great because it was innocent, sweet, slow, and I could really sense their love without being bombarded by it, if that makes sense.

Legacy was the kind of story that had the paranormal elements I enjoyed, sweet romance, awesome conflict, and powerful characters. It dealt with everyday issues, like acceptance and trust. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it.


Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason book review blog: http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2013/05...

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I thought this book was messy. Half-formed characters and concepts thrown together with abrupt changes and insufficient background beyond knowledge of YA cliches. Main character arrives at a boarding school that seems to encourage special talents, which she may or may not possess. She is not at all taken aback to discover that she does in fact possess them and is soon wielding power as if she's always known she's a witch. Katy is remarkably blase about the whole witchcraft angle, spending most of her angst on her father, his new girlfriend, and her mother's death years prior. While I understand those feelings, I do think more time could have been spent acclimating her to being a witch instead of it appearing so suddenly.

Then there's the male love interest who is super popular and immediately reviles her upon first sight, leading to her ostracization by her schoolmates. Then he quickly reverses his position and fights their being together despite their mutual attraction. It was A. so cliche and I didn't feel like he was interesting enough to overcome that and B. only understandable due to the many other YA books with this trope. Most of the books I've read don't have that many random personality changes.

There are a lot of other aspects packed in to this book too: the history of their version of magic and treatment of witches, within their community and from outsiders; single father-only daughter dynamics; the intrusion of a new girlfriend for the daughter; the pain of losing one's mother so young; what a person will do for family; fighting against chaos. But the book jumped around and pulled me this way and that without capturing my attention or giving me any reason to suspend disbelief.

Her father especially frustrated me as he is painted as just awful, under the sway of his new girlfriend and ignorant of anything about Katy. And it's not just Katy rebelling against parental interference; I really thought he was a bad dad. Then he seems to have a personality transplant and becomes more of a decent person. Again these huge shifts in personality and motivation are standard for the text and created a disorienting effect.

Overall: Poor writing and an abundance of YA cliches led to confusion about characterization and a general indifference to the story. It's not a bad book but it could have used some editing to tighten up the story and a bit more insight into the characters.

[My Urban Fantasies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on My Urban Fantasies

Katy Jessevar no longer fits in her father's new life. Her proof? Katy is being sent to a boarding school, Ainsworth Preparatory School, 1,500 miles away from where her father and his girlfriend live. I don't know about you, but in my opinion that's a major clue. Katy also has trouble fitting into her new life. Finding out she's a witch and living in a town full of witches is the easy part. Katy has always been able to move objects with her mind, now she knows it's because she's a witch and it's one of her powers. Unfortunately dealing with her abandonment issues, having the entire school hate her and most of the town simply because Katy is an Ainsworth, on her mother's side, and facing mysterious dark forces is altogether a different matter.

I really enjoyed reading Legacy. I love YA books that show adults, especially parents, as real people with a multitude of sins. The world that was built feels very real, nothing was sugarcoated. Molly Cochran showed that the world, despite its many wonders, can be a cruel place. Parents are real people and perfection is beyond them just as it's beyond all of us. Perception also plays a very important part in Legacy. Nothing is as it seems especially when looking into Katy's past.

The witch aspect of Legacy is fantastic. It's historical, but with a slight twist and, of course, a splash of magic. The witches powers are not overdone. They do not need a piece of wood with a phoenix feather shoved in the middle to use their powers. While there are wands in Legacy, they can do nothing on their own. The only thing a wand can do is focus a witch's intention, which is what creates magic in the first place. Katy's wand is just a simple piece of rowan wood. It's made of rowan because Katy's birthday occurs in August, the Druidic month represented by the rowan tree.

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading Legacy I do have a couple of complaints. While there are some slow spots, my biggest complaint is that there are these moments in the story when it jumps to the most extreme outcome. There's no build up, it goes from a four to a ten in one sentence and you are left with a WTF moment. If it's later explained why a particular character's reaction was so extreme, it's done in an obtuse way.

All and all Legacy is a great book. Katy is an appealing character with an amazing sense of strength.