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Legacy #2
Alera - Zeit der Rache
Die junge Königin Alera hat gegen ihren Willen den herrschsüchtigen Steldor geheiratet. Ihre große Liebe zu Narian musste sie dem Wohl ihres Volkes opfern. Denn Narian steht auf der Seite des Feindes. Doch während der Krieg die Länder erschüttert und Hass und Rachegefühle nährt, kann Alera Narian nicht vergessen. Es gibt nur einen Weg, ihre Liebe zurückzugewinnen. Und dafür muss Alera das Undenkbare wagen …
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
82 people are currently reading
3902 people want to read
About the author
Cayla Kluver
10 books849 followersCayla Kluver is the author of the Legacy Series (LEGACY, 2011; ALLEGIANCE, 2012; SACRIFICE, 2012). Her new book THE QUEEN'S CHOICE will be published by HarlequinTEEN in winter 2013/spring 2014.
Cayla spends her free time singing, reading, dancing, and horseback riding. Her office is filled with twinkly lights. She travels frequently to speak at middle and high schools, libraries, and book conventions. New York City is one of her favorite places on the planet.
Cayla spends her free time singing, reading, dancing, and horseback riding. Her office is filled with twinkly lights. She travels frequently to speak at middle and high schools, libraries, and book conventions. New York City is one of her favorite places on the planet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 401 reviews
April 4, 2012
I hated Alera. How could such a woman be so weak? So selfish? So incredibly useless and overcome by her own emotions that she fails to act for the good? I'm afraid that reading about her completely ruined the book for me, even though the book itself had an incredibly slow plot too caught up on the wrong things.
What exactly is wrong with Alera? Well, specific instances come to mind: She's freaking stuck on the wrong guy. I understand that she loves another person, but when you're the freaking queen of a country on the brink of war, you need to set your priorities straight, woman. I'm not going to be sympathizing with a woman who pines for the enemy's commander of troops while she has a perfectly good relationship going on in her own home.
Everybody seems to think that she has a good reason to dislike Steldor, but she really doesn't. His infamous temper is only the result of her stupid actions - denying him herself, both physically and figuratively, which is her duty (you can't even argue that she has a right to choose who she beds, since she's the freaking queen and needs to be above such petty and insignificant - yes, I said it - matters in the grand scheme of things. I swear, it won't be Narian that overthrows Hytanica, it'll be Alera's stupidity and stupidity and stupidity that causes the place to topple down inside out.
Another instance that makes me despise her - Warrick insults Steldor's masculinity to the nth degree and both Steldor and Galen engage in a fight with Warrick over this insult, and Alera stands next to them, feeling incredibly insulted ("I stood in stunned silence, my hands clasped over my heart, for I had never been subjected to such an insult in my life") YET SHE DOESN'T DO A FREAKING THING TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF OR FOR HER HUSBAND. What kind of a wife, or hell, a PERSON, is she?
I find myself hating Alera's passiveness and uselessness in this book. I didn't read the first book, and I'm thinking that that's a good thing, since I disliked Alera so much here. I loathe reading books with female leads that don't do sh*t and expect to be protected and sympathized with for everything they do. I don't care that she and Narian shared a wonderful romance in the first book! All I care is that she does some-freaking-thing about it, like either giving him up completely or taking some goddamn action that helps solve their problem. She isn't doing anything, at all. And that completely ruins this book for me.
Another one (damn, I keep reading for a few pages and find another example of her uselessness): "I did not feel like crying; instead, I felt a resolve to face fate in the manner of our brave men." Yeah, like preparing yourself for defeat and surrender is something brave to do. She still believes in Narian's kindness after he betrayed Hytanica and joined the Cokyrian army! What the freak is she thinking?
This brings me to another further point: why all of the women in this story are so weak. Every person who makes a difference in this story are employed and male, and the ones who do nothing but sit around and be a liability are the women, like Miranna being a love struck idiot who got fooled into being abducted, Alera, and other women who we hear nothing of. Who saves Miranna from her abduction? A man.
More: "I understood from his manner that I would be in charge of the kitchen, as it was one of the few ways in which I could be of help." Man, does Kluver disrespect her own gender so much that she would result to this?!
"The mention of Narian's name and his action in freeing London reaffirmed what I had never truly doubted - that Narian's love was steadfast and his loyalties were with me, despite the battle he was waging for the Overlord." WTF?! Does this mean she intends to get with Narian at the end of all of this, after all of that? Someone check this girl's head for me.
And as heartless as this sounds, when faced with giving up your parents or giving up your entire kingdom, it's obvious which is the right decision to take. Granted, it's not an easy decision, but can the lives of hundreds of thousands of people compare to the lives of two people, retired people at that? Alera and Miranna, young as they are, fail to grasp the urgency of their position and fail to act accordingly. It's a failing on this part of their characters that demonstrates their immaturity and unfit-ness to even be a part of the story! Alera simpers uselessly when faced with a terrifying dilemma and gets nothing accomplished in the process, instead causing more trouble and irritation. And when things don't go her way, she still gets in the way and insists that "he doesn't deserve this, it isn't fair." I nearly gagged at that. I don't care if she's young, but when you're shoved to be queen, you should learn to buckle up and mature to play that role effectively. Otherwise you should be deposed of immediately and thrown away. And when the men make a plan to gain the strategic advantage, she blubbers that it isn't humane! That it may be war, but they can still be humane! What a joke!
I'm still utterly stunned that she chose Narian in the end. That she left Steldor so happily. That she still loved Narian even though he did all of those terrible things.
Funny how the death of a husband allows for a woman to be set free to love another. I find that extremely disrespectful to the man who died who wasn't bad in the first place.
And yes, Alera WOULD feel at home in the arms of a traitor and a man who caused harm to her kingdom.
Oh my god, the books that get published these days...
What exactly is wrong with Alera? Well, specific instances come to mind: She's freaking stuck on the wrong guy. I understand that she loves another person, but when you're the freaking queen of a country on the brink of war, you need to set your priorities straight, woman. I'm not going to be sympathizing with a woman who pines for the enemy's commander of troops while she has a perfectly good relationship going on in her own home.
Everybody seems to think that she has a good reason to dislike Steldor, but she really doesn't. His infamous temper is only the result of her stupid actions - denying him herself, both physically and figuratively, which is her duty (you can't even argue that she has a right to choose who she beds, since she's the freaking queen and needs to be above such petty and insignificant - yes, I said it - matters in the grand scheme of things. I swear, it won't be Narian that overthrows Hytanica, it'll be Alera's stupidity and stupidity and stupidity that causes the place to topple down inside out.
Another instance that makes me despise her - Warrick insults Steldor's masculinity to the nth degree and both Steldor and Galen engage in a fight with Warrick over this insult, and Alera stands next to them, feeling incredibly insulted ("I stood in stunned silence, my hands clasped over my heart, for I had never been subjected to such an insult in my life") YET SHE DOESN'T DO A FREAKING THING TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF OR FOR HER HUSBAND. What kind of a wife, or hell, a PERSON, is she?
I find myself hating Alera's passiveness and uselessness in this book. I didn't read the first book, and I'm thinking that that's a good thing, since I disliked Alera so much here. I loathe reading books with female leads that don't do sh*t and expect to be protected and sympathized with for everything they do. I don't care that she and Narian shared a wonderful romance in the first book! All I care is that she does some-freaking-thing about it, like either giving him up completely or taking some goddamn action that helps solve their problem. She isn't doing anything, at all. And that completely ruins this book for me.
Another one (damn, I keep reading for a few pages and find another example of her uselessness): "I did not feel like crying; instead, I felt a resolve to face fate in the manner of our brave men." Yeah, like preparing yourself for defeat and surrender is something brave to do. She still believes in Narian's kindness after he betrayed Hytanica and joined the Cokyrian army! What the freak is she thinking?
This brings me to another further point: why all of the women in this story are so weak. Every person who makes a difference in this story are employed and male, and the ones who do nothing but sit around and be a liability are the women, like Miranna being a love struck idiot who got fooled into being abducted, Alera, and other women who we hear nothing of. Who saves Miranna from her abduction? A man.
More: "I understood from his manner that I would be in charge of the kitchen, as it was one of the few ways in which I could be of help." Man, does Kluver disrespect her own gender so much that she would result to this?!
"The mention of Narian's name and his action in freeing London reaffirmed what I had never truly doubted - that Narian's love was steadfast and his loyalties were with me, despite the battle he was waging for the Overlord." WTF?! Does this mean she intends to get with Narian at the end of all of this, after all of that? Someone check this girl's head for me.
And as heartless as this sounds, when faced with giving up your parents or giving up your entire kingdom, it's obvious which is the right decision to take. Granted, it's not an easy decision, but can the lives of hundreds of thousands of people compare to the lives of two people, retired people at that? Alera and Miranna, young as they are, fail to grasp the urgency of their position and fail to act accordingly. It's a failing on this part of their characters that demonstrates their immaturity and unfit-ness to even be a part of the story! Alera simpers uselessly when faced with a terrifying dilemma and gets nothing accomplished in the process, instead causing more trouble and irritation. And when things don't go her way, she still gets in the way and insists that "he doesn't deserve this, it isn't fair." I nearly gagged at that. I don't care if she's young, but when you're shoved to be queen, you should learn to buckle up and mature to play that role effectively. Otherwise you should be deposed of immediately and thrown away. And when the men make a plan to gain the strategic advantage, she blubbers that it isn't humane! That it may be war, but they can still be humane! What a joke!
I'm still utterly stunned that she chose Narian in the end. That she left Steldor so happily. That she still loved Narian even though he did all of those terrible things.
Funny how the death of a husband allows for a woman to be set free to love another. I find that extremely disrespectful to the man who died who wasn't bad in the first place.
And yes, Alera WOULD feel at home in the arms of a traitor and a man who caused harm to her kingdom.
Oh my god, the books that get published these days...
June 24, 2013
Alera is weak in book 1 and she’s even worse in book 2. She spends most of the story in her room, sleeping or hiding from Steldor. I might see this for a normal teenage girl in the midst of drama, for a week or two at most. But at some point, you are going to have to put on your big girl pants and stop sniveling. Alera does not do this. She sulks and cries until someone hugs her, then she hides in her room, where we have now spent probably 600 of the 1000 pages in these two books. But Alera is the Queen. I’m sorry that the King forced her to marry Steldor when she didn’t want to, but she is the Queen of a country at war. Steldor is off planning strategy and being useful and she hasn’t done anything remotely useful for months. Steldor isn’t more suited for leadership because he’s a man, I’d never say that, but because he has the military discipline and a penchant for DOING instead of “oh I’m sad, someone pity me.” For all that Alera claims to care about her people more than anything, demands to be treated like an adult and a ruler, no, she is a whining, selfish child. On two separate occasions, people tell Alera, “You are so strong. I’m so proud of you. You’ll be a great Queen.”
Based on what?! She’s been in her bedroom avoiding the King for six months! How is she strong? I didn’t see her suck it up and plaster on a smile because that is what brave Queens do. I’m not saying she can’t have emotions but there is a difference between being scared but acting brave and moping and hiding. What we have here is MOPING AND HIDING.
The messed up love triangle further illustrates that Alera is a mind-boggling IDIOT. She is married to Steldor and he’s being sweet to her, openly admits he’s in love with her and even gets her a kitten because he’s worried about her being alone so much. Sure, I wasn’t his biggest fan in Legacy but he improved with marriage. Give him a chance girl! She is MARRIED. TO. HIM. In a freakin’ historical fiction book so unless she dies or he dies, it is permanent and he is obviously trying to make it work. This book spans for more than six months and she’s barely let him kiss her. And I’m okay with this. She doesn’t want to sleep with him yet? Okay, good for you. More power to you. Alera won’t even give Steldor a chance because of Narian, whom I will remind the by-now-frightened-blog-reader Alera barely knows, should not trust, and loves primarily because of his pretty blue eyes.
Seriously. The color of ones eyes are not an indication of their love-worthiness. This is a bad criteria by which to operate your love life. Ladies take note. And let us all remember that Narian IS INVADING HER HOMELAND AND KILLING HER PEOPLE. He is leading the charge out in the streets, buildings are blowing up, townspeople are trying to break into the palace for safety, secondary characters we like are missing or dead. And here’s Alera saying, “I would be scared of this version of the boy I fell in love with if I let myself think about it.” By all means, don’t THINK Alera. We wouldn’t want THAT. You know where your ALLEGIANCE should be? WITH THE GUY NOT INVADING YOUR PALACE AND KILLING EVERYONE.
The end is so unbelievably bad, so rage inducing and poorly written that I can’t even. If I was one of Alera’s people and it was me watching her exhibit such stupidity, I’ve have clocked her and killed Narian about 1000 pages ago. Someone get George R.R. Martin here with his penchant for fictional murders because: I AM A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER.
Based on what?! She’s been in her bedroom avoiding the King for six months! How is she strong? I didn’t see her suck it up and plaster on a smile because that is what brave Queens do. I’m not saying she can’t have emotions but there is a difference between being scared but acting brave and moping and hiding. What we have here is MOPING AND HIDING.
The messed up love triangle further illustrates that Alera is a mind-boggling IDIOT. She is married to Steldor and he’s being sweet to her, openly admits he’s in love with her and even gets her a kitten because he’s worried about her being alone so much. Sure, I wasn’t his biggest fan in Legacy but he improved with marriage. Give him a chance girl! She is MARRIED. TO. HIM. In a freakin’ historical fiction book so unless she dies or he dies, it is permanent and he is obviously trying to make it work. This book spans for more than six months and she’s barely let him kiss her. And I’m okay with this. She doesn’t want to sleep with him yet? Okay, good for you. More power to you. Alera won’t even give Steldor a chance because of Narian, whom I will remind the by-now-frightened-blog-reader Alera barely knows, should not trust, and loves primarily because of his pretty blue eyes.
Seriously. The color of ones eyes are not an indication of their love-worthiness. This is a bad criteria by which to operate your love life. Ladies take note. And let us all remember that Narian IS INVADING HER HOMELAND AND KILLING HER PEOPLE. He is leading the charge out in the streets, buildings are blowing up, townspeople are trying to break into the palace for safety, secondary characters we like are missing or dead. And here’s Alera saying, “I would be scared of this version of the boy I fell in love with if I let myself think about it.” By all means, don’t THINK Alera. We wouldn’t want THAT. You know where your ALLEGIANCE should be? WITH THE GUY NOT INVADING YOUR PALACE AND KILLING EVERYONE.
The end is so unbelievably bad, so rage inducing and poorly written that I can’t even. If I was one of Alera’s people and it was me watching her exhibit such stupidity, I’ve have clocked her and killed Narian about 1000 pages ago. Someone get George R.R. Martin here with his penchant for fictional murders because: I AM A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER.
June 18, 2013
Urgh. There are so many things about this book that frustrated me! I mean really, REALLY frustrated me. I love the story and the world-building is amazing.
But Alera? Well, I would have stabbed her in the cave. The story would be much better off without her. The other characters (especially the Elite Guards) are all so well-developed and strong. I just don't understand why Alera is so mortifyingly annoying. She's passive, weak-minded, selfish and above all stupid. She allows her kingdom's destruction based on the world's least believable love story. "Oh Narian's eyes are so blue, oh lets destroy our people because I don't want to sacrifice anything myself!"
Urgh. The character development that went into Steldor led me to believe that the author would finally take this story in the right direction. I don't think she will.
I especially hated the way that the audience is being 'forced' into this farce that is the Alera-Narian relationship. I don't like being prodded in a direction that is clearly not the right one.
So, why 3 stars? I still loved the book and was enthralled with the world itself. I'm really looking forward to the next book, though I hope it addresses some of the issues that plagued this one.
But Alera? Well, I would have stabbed her in the cave. The story would be much better off without her. The other characters (especially the Elite Guards) are all so well-developed and strong. I just don't understand why Alera is so mortifyingly annoying. She's passive, weak-minded, selfish and above all stupid. She allows her kingdom's destruction based on the world's least believable love story. "Oh Narian's eyes are so blue, oh lets destroy our people because I don't want to sacrifice anything myself!"
Urgh. The character development that went into Steldor led me to believe that the author would finally take this story in the right direction. I don't think she will.
I especially hated the way that the audience is being 'forced' into this farce that is the Alera-Narian relationship. I don't like being prodded in a direction that is clearly not the right one.
So, why 3 stars? I still loved the book and was enthralled with the world itself. I'm really looking forward to the next book, though I hope it addresses some of the issues that plagued this one.
May 23, 2017
Originally posted on Small Review
3.5 stars
Yes, this is a sequel. I tried to avoid major spoilers and hide anything that might be spoilery, but you WILL get some spoilers for the first book.
Want to read my review of Legacy instead?
Did the writing improve?
Um, no.
The writing is pretty much exactly the same as the first book. Lots of useless information and sentences that say in twenty words what could easily have been said in ten. This frustrates me and I sigh about it an awful lot, but it's clearly not a dealbreaker for me since I keep reading these books. If you managed the writing in the first book, then you'll manage the writing in Allegiance.
Will I get to see a lot of Steldor?
YES! Sorry ladies, but if you're Team Narian, be prepared for a distinct LACK of Narian. He doesn't even appear in any significant role until the final showdown. (Read that spoiler if you want to know which guy wins the love triangle).
I loved it! (You may remember my hatred with the power of 1000 suns for Narian? Yeah, I didn't miss him very much). I am 100% Team Steldor and my appreciation for him only grew after Allegiance with everything he went through. He showed real maturity, putting his duty ahead of his personal wants and emotions. And oh my lord does that man have patience. I can't even count how many times I wanted to reach into the book and hug him and offer to be his queen instead of Alera.
Does London pull a disappearing act again?
London is always off doing something covert (and, really, don't his stealthy secret missions account for at least a quarter of his hotness?), but don't worry, he still gets a ton of page time.
When reading Legacy, I was really curious about London's mysterious past. Thankfully Cayla Kluver finally dished in Allegiance and I got all the dirty details. Rarely do Big Reveals like that meet my expectations, but I have to say this one satisfied me.
Do I have to suffer through long stretches of boredom?
Allegiance can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part is very similar in tone, style, and pacing to that of Legacy. The pacing was pretty slow and not much happened in terms of action. Mostly Alera pined for Narian, cursed Steldor, and tried to exercise her new role as queen with petulant attempts at independence. Blah, blah, blah, basically.
The funny thing is that I actually wasn't bored and I never considered DNF-ing. I would even go so far as saying I zipped through it. While it's true that not much actually happens and Alera continues to annoy me, the side characters are all wonderful.
Of course I also liked all the focus on Steldor. Not only that, but Cannan (Steldor's father) becomes a much more involved character and yet another contender for my heart.
The second part is where the action really picks up. I'm talking WAR. Yes!! I was positively giddy with this turn of events (even though it was all stupid Alera's stupid fault). Cayla Kluver did a fantastic job really driving home the bleakness and utter devastation of the war. She made me cry and rage and wail in despair that NO THAT CANNOT HAPPEN PLEASE NO!
She also took things in a direction I never expected and don't think I've ever seen an author take. That scored her major originality points. Seriously, I loved it.
The only thing that brought down all of this awesome was the fact that Alera was narrating. Now, this isn't ALL because I dislike Alera. The fact is, in her world women don't really do anything. At all.
So while all of the male characters (and my gosh, there was practically a harem of hot male characters getting all sexy and gorgeous with this whole war-torn-brothers-in-arms thing), I was stuck in Alera's useless head ineptly heating up porridge and feeling empowered because she hacked off her hair. She also sleeps a lot.
Whoop-de-do. I could have been in a battle! *STOMPS FOOT* I was SERIOUSLY gypped.
So what's up with the lower star rating?
Ugh, Alera.
Everything else I could give a pass, but Alera makes my stars shrivel up and die. I want to offer her a sleepover party invitation just so I can then snatch it back and dance around like a tiny little meanie gleefully crowing "SIKE! None for you! Hehe! None for you!"
She's just...she's dumber than a box of rocks, to put it mildly. And so totally childish. If she were the queen of my kingdom, I think I'd puke with fear. Every single bad thing that happens to her kingdom is the direct result of some utter piece of stupidity brought to them courtesy of Alera. And, of course, she doesn't see it AT ALL. She gets haughty and blames everyone else.
And did I mention she's selfish? Oh my word. While Steldor shoves aside almost every personal desire he harbors that may in some way conflict with his ability to properly run his kingdom, Alera does the complete opposite. All she ever thinks about is what SHE wants and how everyone should worship and obey HER and how she'd better get HER way or she'll do something even dumber than before.
Plus, the girl's priorities are all kinds of messed up. We're in the middle of WAR, tons of her countrymen dead, more dying, lots of very bad things happening, and what does she focus on? Whether or not Narian still loves her. Dude, REALLY??
Bottom line
If it weren't for Alera, I would Special Shelf this book. Cayla Kluver may take a while to tell her story, but what a story it is! That surprise twist in the latter half was fantastic. And the men. Oh my oh my, I can't even count how many attractive men there are in this book. That alone makes me want to read the final book.
About that third book. When I finished Allegiance I wasn't sure I wanted to continue on with the series. It ended really well and I couldn't imagine what would happen in the third book except
But then Cindy told me there was a prologue for book 3 included at the end of Allegiance and, after reading that prologue, I can't wait for book three! I'm even holding out a teeny tiny bit of hope that some of the guys will get a shot at narrating! (*please please please*)
Originally posted on Small Review
3.5 stars
Yes, this is a sequel. I tried to avoid major spoilers and hide anything that might be spoilery, but you WILL get some spoilers for the first book.
Want to read my review of Legacy instead?
Did the writing improve?
Um, no.
The writing is pretty much exactly the same as the first book. Lots of useless information and sentences that say in twenty words what could easily have been said in ten. This frustrates me and I sigh about it an awful lot, but it's clearly not a dealbreaker for me since I keep reading these books. If you managed the writing in the first book, then you'll manage the writing in Allegiance.
Will I get to see a lot of Steldor?
YES! Sorry ladies, but if you're Team Narian, be prepared for a distinct LACK of Narian. He doesn't even appear in any significant role until the final showdown. (Read that spoiler if you want to know which guy wins the love triangle).
I loved it! (You may remember my hatred with the power of 1000 suns for Narian? Yeah, I didn't miss him very much). I am 100% Team Steldor and my appreciation for him only grew after Allegiance with everything he went through. He showed real maturity, putting his duty ahead of his personal wants and emotions. And oh my lord does that man have patience. I can't even count how many times I wanted to reach into the book and hug him and offer to be his queen instead of Alera.
Does London pull a disappearing act again?
London is always off doing something covert (and, really, don't his stealthy secret missions account for at least a quarter of his hotness?), but don't worry, he still gets a ton of page time.
When reading Legacy, I was really curious about London's mysterious past. Thankfully Cayla Kluver finally dished in Allegiance and I got all the dirty details. Rarely do Big Reveals like that meet my expectations, but I have to say this one satisfied me.
Do I have to suffer through long stretches of boredom?
Allegiance can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part is very similar in tone, style, and pacing to that of Legacy. The pacing was pretty slow and not much happened in terms of action. Mostly Alera pined for Narian, cursed Steldor, and tried to exercise her new role as queen with petulant attempts at independence. Blah, blah, blah, basically.
The funny thing is that I actually wasn't bored and I never considered DNF-ing. I would even go so far as saying I zipped through it. While it's true that not much actually happens and Alera continues to annoy me, the side characters are all wonderful.
Of course I also liked all the focus on Steldor. Not only that, but Cannan (Steldor's father) becomes a much more involved character and yet another contender for my heart.
The second part is where the action really picks up. I'm talking WAR. Yes!! I was positively giddy with this turn of events (even though it was all stupid Alera's stupid fault). Cayla Kluver did a fantastic job really driving home the bleakness and utter devastation of the war. She made me cry and rage and wail in despair that NO THAT CANNOT HAPPEN PLEASE NO!
She also took things in a direction I never expected and don't think I've ever seen an author take. That scored her major originality points. Seriously, I loved it.
The only thing that brought down all of this awesome was the fact that Alera was narrating. Now, this isn't ALL because I dislike Alera. The fact is, in her world women don't really do anything. At all.
So while all of the male characters (and my gosh, there was practically a harem of hot male characters getting all sexy and gorgeous with this whole war-torn-brothers-in-arms thing), I was stuck in Alera's useless head ineptly heating up porridge and feeling empowered because she hacked off her hair. She also sleeps a lot.
Whoop-de-do. I could have been in a battle! *STOMPS FOOT* I was SERIOUSLY gypped.
So what's up with the lower star rating?
Ugh, Alera.
Everything else I could give a pass, but Alera makes my stars shrivel up and die. I want to offer her a sleepover party invitation just so I can then snatch it back and dance around like a tiny little meanie gleefully crowing "SIKE! None for you! Hehe! None for you!"
She's just...she's dumber than a box of rocks, to put it mildly. And so totally childish. If she were the queen of my kingdom, I think I'd puke with fear. Every single bad thing that happens to her kingdom is the direct result of some utter piece of stupidity brought to them courtesy of Alera. And, of course, she doesn't see it AT ALL. She gets haughty and blames everyone else.
And did I mention she's selfish? Oh my word. While Steldor shoves aside almost every personal desire he harbors that may in some way conflict with his ability to properly run his kingdom, Alera does the complete opposite. All she ever thinks about is what SHE wants and how everyone should worship and obey HER and how she'd better get HER way or she'll do something even dumber than before.
Plus, the girl's priorities are all kinds of messed up. We're in the middle of WAR, tons of her countrymen dead, more dying, lots of very bad things happening, and what does she focus on? Whether or not Narian still loves her. Dude, REALLY??
Bottom line
If it weren't for Alera, I would Special Shelf this book. Cayla Kluver may take a while to tell her story, but what a story it is! That surprise twist in the latter half was fantastic. And the men. Oh my oh my, I can't even count how many attractive men there are in this book. That alone makes me want to read the final book.
About that third book. When I finished Allegiance I wasn't sure I wanted to continue on with the series. It ended really well and I couldn't imagine what would happen in the third book except
But then Cindy told me there was a prologue for book 3 included at the end of Allegiance and, after reading that prologue, I can't wait for book three! I'm even holding out a teeny tiny bit of hope that some of the guys will get a shot at narrating! (*please please please*)
Originally posted on Small Review
March 18, 2012
All right…just let me get this out of my system real quick…Steldor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH! Why am I always rooting for the losing team?
Moving on…
What an awesome follow up to the first book! Alera grew so much in this second novel. Even though I would have happily been with Steldor, I do understand her reasoning for not. The heart wants what the heart wants, and I was impressed with how she kept to her convictions and became stronger because of them. Girl power! I also appreciate that she is not perfect. That she makes mistakes, but she learns from them. I don’t know what is up lately with people getting down on book girls for being, oh, I dunno, human? And putting them down for making errors in judgment. I’m sorry, but I like reading about girls that are real, and who are not prudes. How boring is it to be perfect? Perfect makes for a lame story, and I love that Alera stumbles through things, and that she grows over time, learning from her blunders.
The fantasy world was amazingly written by Kluver. She has true talent for world-building, and I always feel like I’m right there in her stories. So much more was revealed in this story, and I’m anxious to see where Kluver takes it. Even though I love Alera and Steldor, many of the side characters are endearing, such as London. He has an amazing story, and I loved learning more about him and his role. I’m hoping to see more of Narian in the next book, but I have to say, the ending of this one was pure awesome. Narian brings the fire. I believe this second book was even better than the first, and I’m eagerly awaiting the third!
Moving on…
What an awesome follow up to the first book! Alera grew so much in this second novel. Even though I would have happily been with Steldor, I do understand her reasoning for not. The heart wants what the heart wants, and I was impressed with how she kept to her convictions and became stronger because of them. Girl power! I also appreciate that she is not perfect. That she makes mistakes, but she learns from them. I don’t know what is up lately with people getting down on book girls for being, oh, I dunno, human? And putting them down for making errors in judgment. I’m sorry, but I like reading about girls that are real, and who are not prudes. How boring is it to be perfect? Perfect makes for a lame story, and I love that Alera stumbles through things, and that she grows over time, learning from her blunders.
The fantasy world was amazingly written by Kluver. She has true talent for world-building, and I always feel like I’m right there in her stories. So much more was revealed in this story, and I’m anxious to see where Kluver takes it. Even though I love Alera and Steldor, many of the side characters are endearing, such as London. He has an amazing story, and I loved learning more about him and his role. I’m hoping to see more of Narian in the next book, but I have to say, the ending of this one was pure awesome. Narian brings the fire. I believe this second book was even better than the first, and I’m eagerly awaiting the third!
March 22, 2012
Most people who pick up this book or series won't be looking for or expecting to find a pretty good story about politics and war, but this one is. There are quite a few impressively done scenes that has just the right tone and feel for a city and kingdom under seige by the enemy and the desperation comes right through. I can totally understand the frustration the main character, Alera, goes through since she's the leader of the place but unable to do anything about what's going on around her. That said, she's probably more heavy handed than necessary to get her point across, yes, we know she's trying to break into a male dominated world even though she's queen now and be the one making the life and death decisions for her kingdom, and sometimes it makes her look meaner for it, but she has her moments where she makes the hard choices that makes her actions understandable, though in a few places I think the pressures do get to her.
The secondary characters I think are better developed from the last book too. The king in particular is much more understandable now that it's explained and Steldor is given some redeeming qualities. Narian shows up infreqently but gets some development too.
That said, I didn't like the resolution though I can live with it. Some of the characters seem a bit too forgiving of what would be considered war crimes today and the story puts too much blame on the Overlord, who I feel sort of falls into the trap of being a cliched psychopath. Still, the war and aftermath scenes are powerful enough that a complex villain is quite unnecessary and I'm curious to find out where this series goes next.
The secondary characters I think are better developed from the last book too. The king in particular is much more understandable now that it's explained and Steldor is given some redeeming qualities. Narian shows up infreqently but gets some development too.
That said, I didn't like the resolution though I can live with it. Some of the characters seem a bit too forgiving of what would be considered war crimes today and the story puts too much blame on the Overlord, who I feel sort of falls into the trap of being a cliched psychopath. Still, the war and aftermath scenes are powerful enough that a complex villain is quite unnecessary and I'm curious to find out where this series goes next.
January 28, 2012
Brilliant! Wonderful! I loved everything about Legacy and I love everything about Allegiance. I love a good fairy tale but to me this is a great fairy tale, fantasy, and romance all tied up perfectly. The world that Ms Kluver creates is so rich, I felt like I was right there with my favorite characters as events unfolded. “The hall was empty except for a cloaked figure who stood motionless upon a black marble dais. He waited, watching the doors at the far end with eyes as bright as emeralds and as threatening as livid clouds on the horizon.” This is just one of many captivating moments in this story. I loved that this story is not completely predictable. I often thought,okay I have this figured out I know what’s going to happen…,or NOOOOOOO this can not be happening, and then the whole coarse that was being taken changes in a very natural way having a completely different outcome.
Alera is now married to Steldor what implications does this have on the kingdom as well as their hearts. Will Alera be able to get over/push aside her love for Narian? Can she love Steldor? Will she be the ruler her kingdom needs her to be? The much a waited answers to these questions are disclosed. As they were they tore at my heart, made me cheer, cry and scream no, no, no. My emotions, and anticipation as to what would happen next was on high alert. Alera is in such an awful position married to one and loving another. She is so young to have to deal with a kingdom at war, arranged marriage, and betrayals a plenty. Sure she makes some mistakes, she is human, but she does a lot right/good too. I loved her integrity not only to herself but to Steldor and others. She is bright, witty, kind, passionate, naive, and flawed. I think it would be challenging to be such a young queen. Her father was often very judgemental towards her, and yet we find her in this predicament because of him. Steldor is Steldor I liked him in the first story but I really grew to LOVE and appreciate his character in this story. He is very patient with Alera, more so than most men would have been. He really loves her and is hoping she will reciprocate that love to him freely and of her own accord. I really came to admire him and his decisions, WOW there were some monumental ones! Narian finds himself back in Cokyrian, and doing the Overlords bidding. Infuriating!! Why does he do it? Hmm. I am probably one of the few but I love Narian too. He has many good qualities and some flawed ones as well. We learn more about his upbringing and who and what he is about. He reveals more of his feelings for Alera and what that may imply. I will leave it at that don’t want to give anything away. London is one of my all time favorite heroes he is just AWESOME, we get to know him on a more intimate level. We also find out what really happened while he was in the Cokyrian's custody. I was in awe of the man.
This is a great continuation of Legacy. This story had my emotions all a jumble. I found one minute I was jumping up and down with excitement, next I was moved to tears, or staring at the page mouth agape, or so furious I would slam it’s case, upon the rare occasion I felt at peace. There is plenty of intrigue, suspense, love and war to go around. It was a wonderful completely fulfilling read for me, this is my all time favorite series ever. I am excited for number three next fall. That’s along way off, could it come sooner, please. If you haven’t read Legacy I would get it too. Soooooooooo gooooooooood!!
clean language
clean romance
Copy provided by netgalley and Harlequin Teen Publishing. Thanks!
Alera is now married to Steldor what implications does this have on the kingdom as well as their hearts. Will Alera be able to get over/push aside her love for Narian? Can she love Steldor? Will she be the ruler her kingdom needs her to be? The much a waited answers to these questions are disclosed. As they were they tore at my heart, made me cheer, cry and scream no, no, no. My emotions, and anticipation as to what would happen next was on high alert. Alera is in such an awful position married to one and loving another. She is so young to have to deal with a kingdom at war, arranged marriage, and betrayals a plenty. Sure she makes some mistakes, she is human, but she does a lot right/good too. I loved her integrity not only to herself but to Steldor and others. She is bright, witty, kind, passionate, naive, and flawed. I think it would be challenging to be such a young queen. Her father was often very judgemental towards her, and yet we find her in this predicament because of him. Steldor is Steldor I liked him in the first story but I really grew to LOVE and appreciate his character in this story. He is very patient with Alera, more so than most men would have been. He really loves her and is hoping she will reciprocate that love to him freely and of her own accord. I really came to admire him and his decisions, WOW there were some monumental ones! Narian finds himself back in Cokyrian, and doing the Overlords bidding. Infuriating!! Why does he do it? Hmm. I am probably one of the few but I love Narian too. He has many good qualities and some flawed ones as well. We learn more about his upbringing and who and what he is about. He reveals more of his feelings for Alera and what that may imply. I will leave it at that don’t want to give anything away. London is one of my all time favorite heroes he is just AWESOME, we get to know him on a more intimate level. We also find out what really happened while he was in the Cokyrian's custody. I was in awe of the man.
This is a great continuation of Legacy. This story had my emotions all a jumble. I found one minute I was jumping up and down with excitement, next I was moved to tears, or staring at the page mouth agape, or so furious I would slam it’s case, upon the rare occasion I felt at peace. There is plenty of intrigue, suspense, love and war to go around. It was a wonderful completely fulfilling read for me, this is my all time favorite series ever. I am excited for number three next fall. That’s along way off, could it come sooner, please. If you haven’t read Legacy I would get it too. Soooooooooo gooooooooood!!
clean language
clean romance
Copy provided by netgalley and Harlequin Teen Publishing. Thanks!
December 23, 2012
Honestly I can not finish this book.
I am two chapters from the end and I cant deal with Alera's stupidity anymore!
"'Is there no one else?' I asked feeling ill-equipped to take this task" The high priestess gives her a chance to govern her kingdom again but she needs to think about it(WTF!?) I thought she wanted to be viewed as someone capable and equal to men.
Alera's attitude and thoughts in general are contradictive every few pages. Honestly its like looking into the mind of a selfish, idiotic and clueless kid. The only reason Im reading this is to find out what happens to the other characters. More specifically Steldor and London.
In my opinion, even with the first book, his story with her is way more believable than with Narian. And it just pisses me off that the author advanced their story so much only for her to go back to Narian foolishly because "his blue eyes are so passionate" ..Soo frustrated at this novel at the moment.
The politics and war is believable in the book and nicely written and descriptive. There are times however when the author overdoes it with the descriptions and re-iterates a lot of information that has already been mentioned only two or three chapters before. In my opinion there are parts of the book, like legacy, that have long paragraphs or useless information and descriptions that dont add to the story. It's less noticeable in this book than in legacy.
Contemplating reading the synopsis for the third book online so I dont have to read an overly written novel, written from the point of view of a very frustrating lead character.
I am two chapters from the end and I cant deal with Alera's stupidity anymore!
"'Is there no one else?' I asked feeling ill-equipped to take this task" The high priestess gives her a chance to govern her kingdom again but she needs to think about it(WTF!?) I thought she wanted to be viewed as someone capable and equal to men.
Alera's attitude and thoughts in general are contradictive every few pages. Honestly its like looking into the mind of a selfish, idiotic and clueless kid. The only reason Im reading this is to find out what happens to the other characters. More specifically Steldor and London.
In my opinion, even with the first book, his story with her is way more believable than with Narian. And it just pisses me off that the author advanced their story so much only for her to go back to Narian foolishly because "his blue eyes are so passionate" ..Soo frustrated at this novel at the moment.
The politics and war is believable in the book and nicely written and descriptive. There are times however when the author overdoes it with the descriptions and re-iterates a lot of information that has already been mentioned only two or three chapters before. In my opinion there are parts of the book, like legacy, that have long paragraphs or useless information and descriptions that dont add to the story. It's less noticeable in this book than in legacy.
Contemplating reading the synopsis for the third book online so I dont have to read an overly written novel, written from the point of view of a very frustrating lead character.
March 2, 2012
I am so impressed with this book! I couldn't put it down. This is a sequel to Legacy which I read a long time ago and loved even tho it had writing problems. I was expecting some of the same writing problems in this book and was overjoyed to find none. Now that Teen Harlequin is publishing these books and the first one has been re-released I wonder if it has been rewritten? This book had no such problems. The details and description were amazing. You could tell the author loved all the small detail in a story, but not going over bored. I loved Alera all over again for so many different reasons and grew to care more for all the minor characters that had lots more involvement. Many people dislike Alera for being so week and pliable, but I love that it is so true to the book. She was raised a spoiled princess, never having to do anything for herself, even told that she doesn't need to think the men will do it for her. The author does a good job of giving her spirit, but not making her do something completely out of character. There was one little hiccup for me and that was I wished we had more dialog between the main character and everyone else. Especially with Narian and Steldor. This book wrapped up really well and I can't imagine what the 3rd book will be about. But there is a third book coming out in November of this year.
Sexual content: Some sexual innuendo.
Violence: Torture, stabbing, war related deaths, some detail but not too gory.
Language: No profanity
Pretty clean book for being Harlequin Teen.
Sexual content: Some sexual innuendo.
Violence: Torture, stabbing, war related deaths, some detail but not too gory.
Language: No profanity
Pretty clean book for being Harlequin Teen.
April 1, 2012
I kinda wish she ends up with Steldor now.
January 6, 2012
Hmmmm....i'm really trying to calm myself to write this review. *deep breaths*
Kluver is young. We all know that. But she is older than the previous book. And i can't say the writing style changed much from then. It was more well written, that's true but i could still see a young person behind and sometimes i felt like the wrong words were picked to describe. I think that if Kluver had picked a more normal YA, with not so much epic fantasy in it her writing would match better the story. It's not bad...it's just...not that good for me either.
Then we have how the story progressed. I have to say the whole idea, and finally the war, and some things happened at the war was just really good. Wonderful way to continue the story and make it interesting. It was the reason that made me read it until the end. I wanted to know what will happen so i did not stop, though believe me i wanted from the first 100 pages.
Now...Alera....our main character. To say it simple. I hated her and i still hate her. She is just so annoying. I can't connect with her, and while she has some moments of clarity she once again becomes her annoying self. She is selfish to the bone. Yes, she had the bad luck to marry someone who didn't want. But for god shake's, she is a queen now! There is a war! And the only thing she has in mind is if Narian still loves her, how to get Steldor mad and go horseriding? She acts childish all the time. Does she even care about her people? Except 1-2 times you see her worried about her female friends, the rest book is her worrying over small things. She is not even strong enough, to stand the pressure of a queen. And poor Steldor, doing so much for her, the kingdom. She does not deserve him at all! I mean...your are going for negotiations for and you actually are so calm to think "how good Narian look, and if he loves her" while there is a big chance you die when you don't even know how to fight? I'm a big fan of romance in books, but sometimes it just doesn't work all the time.
So yeah...the whole thing just didn't work out for me. I really don't like Alera and how she acts. And the end of the book was even more disappointing.The only people who made me finish the book was Steldor, London and Kanan.
The fact is i'm going to buy the next one. Just because i want to know how the story ends. I don't know how i will manage to keep up with Alera when she is the main character so i just hope there are many scenes with the rest characters to help me. Allegiance was a really good sequel idea for the story, but i just wish it was from another person's POV.
P.S: There might be some spelling mistakes with the character's name because i have read the book in Greek so i'm not entirely sure i translated them right.
Kluver is young. We all know that. But she is older than the previous book. And i can't say the writing style changed much from then. It was more well written, that's true but i could still see a young person behind and sometimes i felt like the wrong words were picked to describe. I think that if Kluver had picked a more normal YA, with not so much epic fantasy in it her writing would match better the story. It's not bad...it's just...not that good for me either.
Then we have how the story progressed. I have to say the whole idea, and finally the war, and some things happened at the war was just really good. Wonderful way to continue the story and make it interesting. It was the reason that made me read it until the end. I wanted to know what will happen so i did not stop, though believe me i wanted from the first 100 pages.
Now...Alera....our main character. To say it simple. I hated her and i still hate her. She is just so annoying. I can't connect with her, and while she has some moments of clarity she once again becomes her annoying self. She is selfish to the bone. Yes, she had the bad luck to marry someone who didn't want. But for god shake's, she is a queen now! There is a war! And the only thing she has in mind is if Narian still loves her, how to get Steldor mad and go horseriding? She acts childish all the time. Does she even care about her people? Except 1-2 times you see her worried about her female friends, the rest book is her worrying over small things. She is not even strong enough, to stand the pressure of a queen. And poor Steldor, doing so much for her, the kingdom. She does not deserve him at all! I mean...your are going for negotiations for and you actually are so calm to think "how good Narian look, and if he loves her" while there is a big chance you die when you don't even know how to fight? I'm a big fan of romance in books, but sometimes it just doesn't work all the time.
So yeah...the whole thing just didn't work out for me. I really don't like Alera and how she acts. And the end of the book was even more disappointing.The only people who made me finish the book was Steldor, London and Kanan.
The fact is i'm going to buy the next one. Just because i want to know how the story ends. I don't know how i will manage to keep up with Alera when she is the main character so i just hope there are many scenes with the rest characters to help me. Allegiance was a really good sequel idea for the story, but i just wish it was from another person's POV.
P.S: There might be some spelling mistakes with the character's name because i have read the book in Greek so i'm not entirely sure i translated them right.
February 10, 2012
Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me
Ever since I read Legacy last year, I've been in love with Cayla Kluver and the world she created at just fourteen. I adored her characters and absolutely couldn't wait to continue her exciting story! In this thrilling sequel, the war between Hytanica and Cokyri intensifies to frightening levels and you'll learn so much more about the characters you loved…or hated! Whether you're Team Steldor or Team Narian…Kluver will take your mind and heart for a spin as the tables are constantly turned! Get ready to join Queen Alera on her quest for love and survival...
I could gush about the characters for pages and pages. They're developed so well and your opinions about them will keep changing throughout the book. Pressured into marrying Steldor so Hytanica could have a new King, Alera feels out of place in her new life. Still in love with the Cokyrian enemy, Narian, she refuses to fulfil her duties as Steldor's wife and continually resists his attempts at aligning with her. If you've read Legacy, you'll most likely dislike Steldor very strongly. Oh how things change! Steldor becomes a true contender for Alera's heart and I fell in love with him, even though it was a very long journey. Trust me, it'll happen eventually and you'll be shocked out of your mind. Steldor is amazing in Allegiance, being a smart strategist, doting husband and controlling jerk all at once. Seatbelts on, please!
At almost 500 pages, this book is long. Kluver's known for her detailed descriptions of even the smallest event. Whereas I didn't notice this in Legacy and was engrossed in the story, I did feel as if the pace was slightly affected in Allegiance. The first half of the book is a safe cruise with bursts of danger thrown in between, but everything after that is heart-racing! The action truly escalates to a level that'll have you clutching your heart in absolute anticipation and fear. Will your favourite character die? Will there be a betrayal? A fair trade? Oh, the plot is brilliant and really brought this book up to a 5 star rating!
Almost everything in this sequel is spot on and I'm impatient for the third book now! While not a cliffhanger, the ending is surprising and opens an exciting door into Sacrifice. Isn't the title foreboding enough? Kluver's books are always packed with plot twists that you don't expect and can't help but love! No matter the length, you'll be sucked into this story once again with an even stronger yearning for more. You'll finish Allegiance with a gasp and a "WOW". Promise.
Ever since I read Legacy last year, I've been in love with Cayla Kluver and the world she created at just fourteen. I adored her characters and absolutely couldn't wait to continue her exciting story! In this thrilling sequel, the war between Hytanica and Cokyri intensifies to frightening levels and you'll learn so much more about the characters you loved…or hated! Whether you're Team Steldor or Team Narian…Kluver will take your mind and heart for a spin as the tables are constantly turned! Get ready to join Queen Alera on her quest for love and survival...
I could gush about the characters for pages and pages. They're developed so well and your opinions about them will keep changing throughout the book. Pressured into marrying Steldor so Hytanica could have a new King, Alera feels out of place in her new life. Still in love with the Cokyrian enemy, Narian, she refuses to fulfil her duties as Steldor's wife and continually resists his attempts at aligning with her. If you've read Legacy, you'll most likely dislike Steldor very strongly. Oh how things change! Steldor becomes a true contender for Alera's heart and I fell in love with him, even though it was a very long journey. Trust me, it'll happen eventually and you'll be shocked out of your mind. Steldor is amazing in Allegiance, being a smart strategist, doting husband and controlling jerk all at once. Seatbelts on, please!
At almost 500 pages, this book is long. Kluver's known for her detailed descriptions of even the smallest event. Whereas I didn't notice this in Legacy and was engrossed in the story, I did feel as if the pace was slightly affected in Allegiance. The first half of the book is a safe cruise with bursts of danger thrown in between, but everything after that is heart-racing! The action truly escalates to a level that'll have you clutching your heart in absolute anticipation and fear. Will your favourite character die? Will there be a betrayal? A fair trade? Oh, the plot is brilliant and really brought this book up to a 5 star rating!
Almost everything in this sequel is spot on and I'm impatient for the third book now! While not a cliffhanger, the ending is surprising and opens an exciting door into Sacrifice. Isn't the title foreboding enough? Kluver's books are always packed with plot twists that you don't expect and can't help but love! No matter the length, you'll be sucked into this story once again with an even stronger yearning for more. You'll finish Allegiance with a gasp and a "WOW". Promise.
March 13, 2012
I rarely like the second book in trilogies. They generally feel like a bridge to get from the end of book one to the beginning of book three without anything happening. It usually feels like a waste of a full book when simply making books one and three just a little longer would have worked just fine.
Allegiance is nothing like that.
There is not one part of this book that felt like that. I could not stop reading. The only times I was forced to put the book down were driving home from the coffee shop and when I grabbed the bag of pepperonis that classified as my dinner. The rest of the past 10 hours has been spent reading this book.
Allegiance picked up right where Legacy left off and while it would have been easy for Kluver to follow the recent novel trends and make this the book that introduces the typical love triangle, she doesn't. Instead, she builds the characters and makes you like people you couldn't stand in the first book. Kluver was able to take characters and make them people. They have flaws and you're still rooting for them in some capacity or another.
Alera grows up in this book and it's easy to see from start to finish. She becomes the person she needs to be rather than the person she wants to be. The wonderful thing is that in the process, the two becomes the same. Even Steldor grew on me and I find myself wanting even more from his character.
There's a nice mix between the romance aspect of the story and the action. It never gets overloaded with the love story, but it's never too action heavy. There’s enough of both to keep the hopeless romantic in me happy, and the fight scene lover engaged. It's amazingly mixed and only adds to the story.
I can't wait for November to get my hands on the last book. I'm incredibly impressed with how Kluver has written the story thus far and will be anxiously waiting to see how she concludes this fantastic series.
Allegiance is nothing like that.
There is not one part of this book that felt like that. I could not stop reading. The only times I was forced to put the book down were driving home from the coffee shop and when I grabbed the bag of pepperonis that classified as my dinner. The rest of the past 10 hours has been spent reading this book.
Allegiance picked up right where Legacy left off and while it would have been easy for Kluver to follow the recent novel trends and make this the book that introduces the typical love triangle, she doesn't. Instead, she builds the characters and makes you like people you couldn't stand in the first book. Kluver was able to take characters and make them people. They have flaws and you're still rooting for them in some capacity or another.
Alera grows up in this book and it's easy to see from start to finish. She becomes the person she needs to be rather than the person she wants to be. The wonderful thing is that in the process, the two becomes the same. Even Steldor grew on me and I find myself wanting even more from his character.
There's a nice mix between the romance aspect of the story and the action. It never gets overloaded with the love story, but it's never too action heavy. There’s enough of both to keep the hopeless romantic in me happy, and the fight scene lover engaged. It's amazingly mixed and only adds to the story.
I can't wait for November to get my hands on the last book. I'm incredibly impressed with how Kluver has written the story thus far and will be anxiously waiting to see how she concludes this fantastic series.
June 12, 2012
A feel-good historical 'kingdom' romance that reads as a filler between novels more than a noteworthy story in its own right.
The main character is a well-wishing but not particularly good heroine who is given more credit than she deserves for courage and leadership ability. She frequently demonstrates the weakness of putting herself and her feelings before others' needs, and retaliates and sulks when others respond to her confused obstinacy in a way she does not like. Though she occasionally redeems herself it is a slow and bumpy ride, and there is more onus on others to accommodate her than for her to solve her own problems.
For the young readers this is intended for there are several scenes and circumstances that might not be helpful. A few times the story dwells on Alera's new husband trying to convince her to sleep with him through reasoning words and physical advances, but since she loves another she tells him she is not ready. Yet the prolonged description makes the reader feel her temptation probably more than is necessary, and for teen readers it's not really a helpful situation for them to soak their imaginations in.
Second, though the consequences of Alera's denial of her husband and refusal to personally accept the marriage she has agreed to seem realistically negative at the start, they later dwindle away until her husband actually willingly releases her from the marriage, even though he loves her still. This is even after she has allowed her previous lover to kiss her while still married to someone else. It just seems to work out too well, most girls finding themselves in a similar position could not realistically be so hopeful and expect their husbands to forgive them regardless of how they act.
Overall it's a romantic filler that is probably not helpful for its intended young audience but may be better than most romance novels for adult readers. www.GoodReadingGuide.com
The main character is a well-wishing but not particularly good heroine who is given more credit than she deserves for courage and leadership ability. She frequently demonstrates the weakness of putting herself and her feelings before others' needs, and retaliates and sulks when others respond to her confused obstinacy in a way she does not like. Though she occasionally redeems herself it is a slow and bumpy ride, and there is more onus on others to accommodate her than for her to solve her own problems.
For the young readers this is intended for there are several scenes and circumstances that might not be helpful. A few times the story dwells on Alera's new husband trying to convince her to sleep with him through reasoning words and physical advances, but since she loves another she tells him she is not ready. Yet the prolonged description makes the reader feel her temptation probably more than is necessary, and for teen readers it's not really a helpful situation for them to soak their imaginations in.
Second, though the consequences of Alera's denial of her husband and refusal to personally accept the marriage she has agreed to seem realistically negative at the start, they later dwindle away until her husband actually willingly releases her from the marriage, even though he loves her still. This is even after she has allowed her previous lover to kiss her while still married to someone else. It just seems to work out too well, most girls finding themselves in a similar position could not realistically be so hopeful and expect their husbands to forgive them regardless of how they act.
Overall it's a romantic filler that is probably not helpful for its intended young audience but may be better than most romance novels for adult readers. www.GoodReadingGuide.com
April 21, 2012
WHERE TO BEGIN?!!! FAVORITE, WONDERFUL, 5 stars!! I love this series so much that I had to find character representations and theme songs and make a book trailer...here's the link to it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf9UXD...
The second half was definetly darker and more bleak than the first book, and yet I loved every second of it! At first I was surprised about how much could go bad, and I thought..this just can't BE! This definetly wasn't a book where there's a big build-up for things to go wrong but then there's some "saving redemption" to come along....No, if it was going to go wrong, it went really wrong. And that made this book all the more realistic feeling. I didnt feel like I was reading a fiction novel with made up characters. I truly felt I was reading about people who were REAL and who I knew and cared about. Sometimes in books I get frustrated that the author chose to write it this way or that way, but with this, it just WAS the way it was because it was REAL(is how it felt to me). In the first book I didn't much care for Steldor(Alera's betrothed)....It HAD to be Narian, and I couldn't WAIT until he was the focus of the story again. BUT....I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH STELDOR IN THIS BOOK! I loved him so much that there were so many times I wanted to knock some sense into Alera! (Although, she never annoyed me...I could relate and understand all the ways in which she acted/did things....but she was stronger in keeping her distance from Steldor than I could have been!:D
The second half was definetly darker and more bleak than the first book, and yet I loved every second of it! At first I was surprised about how much could go bad, and I thought..this just can't BE! This definetly wasn't a book where there's a big build-up for things to go wrong but then there's some "saving redemption" to come along....No, if it was going to go wrong, it went really wrong. And that made this book all the more realistic feeling. I didnt feel like I was reading a fiction novel with made up characters. I truly felt I was reading about people who were REAL and who I knew and cared about. Sometimes in books I get frustrated that the author chose to write it this way or that way, but with this, it just WAS the way it was because it was REAL(is how it felt to me). In the first book I didn't much care for Steldor(Alera's betrothed)....It HAD to be Narian, and I couldn't WAIT until he was the focus of the story again. BUT....I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH STELDOR IN THIS BOOK! I loved him so much that there were so many times I wanted to knock some sense into Alera! (Although, she never annoyed me...I could relate and understand all the ways in which she acted/did things....but she was stronger in keeping her distance from Steldor than I could have been!:D
November 14, 2020
1.75
La autora intentando forzar al lector para querer a Narian.... ¿Cómo pooooor?
Podría decir que Alera me agradó todavía menos que en el primer libro.
Como que son libros con potencial pero los personajes no ayudan mucho.
Creo que es una lectura que si me preguntan en unos días ya ni me voy a acordar bien.
La autora intentando forzar al lector para querer a Narian.... ¿Cómo pooooor?
Podría decir que Alera me agradó todavía menos que en el primer libro.
Como que son libros con potencial pero los personajes no ayudan mucho.
Creo que es una lectura que si me preguntan en unos días ya ni me voy a acordar bien.
May 24, 2020
Alera’dan gerçekten nefret ettim. Yani bu kadar zayıf, bu kadar vur kafasına al ekmeğini karakter göremezsin. Ama empati yapıp yaşadığı toplum kuralları çerçevesinde düşünmeye çalıştım. Yine de aptaldı.
September 11, 2012
Rarely has a book, series, or author driven me quite so crazy. The problem is the parts that are good are pretty good, but there are parts that are horrendous, and unfortunately, those are the parts that supposedly are the main backbone of the story. I only thought I hated the heroine from Andrea Cremer's Nightshade. I really do hate the heroine from Legacy/Allegiance, and she hardly deserves to even be called a heroine. Has there ever been such a weak, selfish, simpering, and altogether idiotic woman who was actually queen of anything? It's really rare for a character to be that unlikeable, especially when it's actually a first person narrative. I'm on page 248 of Allegiance, which means I've probably read about 700 pages in total from her point of view, and my dislike of her has only increased. How on earth is it possible for Cayla Kluver to hate her own gender to the point that she makes every female character either useless and stupid (Hytanicans) or evil murdering invaders (Cokyrians)?
Which brings me to the other thing in this book that made the Can't Stand factor just about limitless. Alera is a freaking queen. Narian is leading the invasion of her country. I don't care if her sister's life is at stake, and I don't care how many hormones she has in her body that keep her lusting after Narian. It's enough to start making me want to cuss her out with some pretty strong and derogatory language. I mean, for god's sake, what kind of message is Kluver trying to convey -- yes, I know, she wants to write a story about an eighteen year old queen in love with the enemy. But what the hell does it take for him to actually become the enemy, short of murdering her family in front of her? Alera points out that even if Narian "saves" her sister's life by, you know, invading her country and utterly destroying it, killing thousands and raping and pillaging and whatnot, what the hell kind of place does her sister have to come back to? A smoking hovel where she'll be raped, where the man she loved is probably dead, and, oh yeah, her country is GONE?
I'm sorry, I don't care how blue Narian's eyes are or just how much she lusts after this teenage boy. Even without all of the above, the romance is completely forced and just about as gag-worthy as the worst YA "predestined" romance you can imagine. I'm sorry, your country is at war and all you can do, as their queen, is dream about how the opposing general's eyes are oh-so-blue? Honestly, if I were in Hytanica, I would consider doing the whole country a favor and assassinating her.
After all, why exactly does Narian have to "save" her sister's life by leading the invasion against her country? Oh yeah, because he was the one who told the kidnappers how to get her. That isn't saving anyone's life, that's just a completely inept way to try to fill the massive, amazing, bottomless plot hole that comes with trying to make an excuse so that your predestined pair gets together.
Oh sorry, Obama, your two poor innocent children are going to get killed, OR the entire United States is going to be nuked. And no, there is no possibility that the nuking will fail, because, y'know, there's this prophecy and all that.
Okay. Anyway. Other than those two things, which happen to be about 95% of the very long and tediously-written story, the rest is pretty great. It completely baffles me how Kluver can manage to create compelling and heroic male characters, and yet make her own main character so insipid and immature. Eighteen is not freaking young, when a) you know from birth that you are supposed to be a queen, b) your country is being invaded (how many times do I need to point that out?), and c) this book is set in a medieval/fantasy kingdom where apparently eighteen year olds both get married and ascend to the throne.
In other words, Kluver either needs to fix her setting or fix her character, because either her setting is broken and eighteen year olds there really are as selfish and completely immature as Alera -- who presumably should be at least a little more mature than other 18 year old teenagers, being queen, married, and an older sister -- or Alera is just a broken character. I kept thinking all through Legacy that it's okay, this is a bildungsroman, Alera will grow into her role and end up likeable.
But honestly, there's a reason why historically, there have been young kings, conquerors, and rulers -- Alexander the Great and Elizabeth I just being a couple of the examples. That's because by that age, they were already intelligent, mature adults. Even in our world, Alera is old enough to go to college and, hopefully, to realize that "saving my sister's life!" is a completely selfish and dumb reason when compared to "saving my entire kingdom and countless thousands of people's lives!"
You add all that up and factor in the fact that from the reviews on Goodreads, I know many people ended up liking Steldor -- you know, Alera's actual husband -- more than her daydreaming crap about Narian, and I just feel like Kluver had so much wasted potential in this series/novel. I can imagine this same series, just done so much better, that it's even more frustrating than if it were all just terrible.
This is the line at which I really just about lost it. "To give Narian credit, sir, he could have killed me."
Oh yeah, because the reader can't possibly have a reason to hate Narian, so it's not ridiculous at all to have the guy who Narian just stabbed in the stomach talking about giving him credit while still bleeding out from his stomach. Yes, because stabbing someone in the stomach is so much better than just killing them outright. Just in the same way that since Alera Loves Narian Forever, we're going to conveniently ignore that whole he's-killed-how-many-innocent-people? question. And uh, just to clarify, most people who get stabbed in the stomach die in medieval settings, because, you know, there's the little problem of human anatomy with intestines and infection and uh, exactly how does this guy know that Narian hasn't killed him from the stomach wound?
But we loooooooove Narian, right?
--
Edit: I finished the book. It didn't improve near the end. You already know how it works out, of course. Narian could probably kill her parents in front of her and the ending would still be about how they can finally get together, cuz the war's done! (Because your kingdom has been conquered, stupid.) Because, you know, it's entirely logical that her people don't mind her annulling her marriage to the king...the dude defending the kingdom...so she can be happily in love forever with the guy who publically stood next to the evil "Overlord" and watched as all her Elite Guards and soldiers, who have protected her from birth, are executed.
Alera, at one point, claims that "his loyalties are to me," while her kingdom is falling apart from the invasion he's leading and people are dying left and right. Sure, he won't kill you or your immediate family. But that's a little bit like saying a mass murderer is loyal to you. I understand, it's like Korean dramas -- love isn't love unless it's suicidal, stupid, selfish, bitchy, murderous, etc. The pattern in Korean dramas is generally that in order for the main couple's love to survive, someone also in love with one of the couple has to turn crazy or evil.
As bad as that is, I still haven't seen a Korean drama that justified sleeping with the guy who has just participated in killing and torturing your people. This idea of "you can't help who you love, even if it ends up hurting you" that Kluver returns to again and again, has got to have limits, for goodness' sake. Otherwise what you're left with is the idea that if this guy turns around and beats you up every day, hey, it's okay, I love him!
The most sickening part isn't that Alera turns a blind eye to all this and eagerly gets with him at the end again. It's that she so comprehensively shuts out absolutely every little doubt. She claims she's afraid of him, but by halfway into the book, you'll probably have noticed that she's afraid of pretty much everything. Other than that, on the strength of her True Love, she leapfrogs over every questionable thing about him. She doesn't stop to think about how those women who are missing husbands (her observation, at one point) actually ended up missing their husbands. She doesn't ever seem to question the paradox of Narian's alleged heroism in "saving" her kidnapped sister by leading the invasion of her country, although it's the information that he provided to her kidnappers that put her sister in danger in the first place.
I can buy into a story about sleeping with the enemy, but not one that's so patently unrealistic. I mean, that's a bit like, say, Laura Bush running to Osama Bin Laden right after 9/11 and completely ignoring that 9/11 happened or that he was a part of it. All right, Alera got around the adultery part because she's getting the marriage annulled, but otherwise the positions are similar. In actuality, since the book ends with her being the sole ruler, instead of just the queen, it's basically like the President running off with Osama Bin Ladin. I mean, YA fiction isn't big on the realism, but this is to some really disturbing levels.
It would've at least been interesting to see Alera struggle with this basic conflict of "loving the enemy," but that's exactly it--she never actually does. Once in a while, she'll make a comment about how she feels a little guilty, but at no point does she ever show it. Her entire character is passive, right down to the romance. She's in love with him, and that's that. End of character development. To be truthful, end of character. If you think Bella from Twilight is weak and one-dimensional, think again.
March 8, 2013
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? No. As my sister put it, it looks like a Christian romance, and while I will admit that there are a few Christian romances that I like, I have never been a fan of their cover art. I’m all for pretty dresses, but that one is just ridiculous, and sorry, but the dude doesn’t look like he belongs in that era. Also, there is not one, but two character impersonators. I do like all of the curlies, though, naturally.
Characters: Alera, our lovely protagonist, is annoying at the best of times. For a woman who has been brought up as Hytanica’s future queen, she has absolutely no queenly bearing or discipline. She is incapable of keeping a stiff upper lip in public situations, and she goes about acting upon rash plans. She is constantly on an emotional rollercoaster, and thus is completely useless. The girl gets a self-confidence boost from cutting her hair short, and learning how to make watery gruel. Other than that, she’s pointless and doesn’t do anything to help anyone. Narian is hardly in this book, so my opinion of him hasn’t changed at all from the first book; I’m sure that will change with the third. Steldor, on the other hand, is in this one a lot, and I’m sorry, but the Author will never be able to convince me that deep down he’s actually a really nice guy. He’s a jerky, arrogant, chauvinistic clot pole, and the Author once more has to do a lot of backpedaling later in the story to make the Reader think that he really is a decent guy. For the most part, he’s a good king, but he has his own temper tantrums that get old just as quickly as Alera’s. London is really the only redeeming character in this whole trilogy. He doesn’t say much when he’s around, he gets to do all of the fun and interesting stuff, he masters his emotions, and he is immensely useful. In fact, London would be a much better protagonist - more would happen in the books if we got to follow him around. As for the villain . . . First off, his name is just laughable - the Overlord. If you want your villain to be taken seriously, don’t call him Overlord of Dark Lord or anything that’s ridiculously cliché like that. And then there was just the Overlord himself: he wasn’t frightening. The characters kept going on and on about how cruel he was, but I never saw it. Sure, he executed a bunch of military officers when he took over Hytanica, but for an evil tyrant, that’s mild. He didn’t kill any civilians - no mothers or little children. He tortured people with magic, but those scenes were frankly just comical.
The Romance: I’m not a fan of the love triangle in this trilogy. I like Narian well enough, but as much as I dislike Steldor, even he doesn’t deserve a useless brat like Alera, and Narian definitely doesn’t.
Plot: Cokyria is threatening to invade Hytanica, and Alera is pining after Narian while trying to avoid consummating her marriage with Steldor. And unfortunately, Alera’s troubles with Steldor and being the new queen take up more of the book than the looming invasion. Practically every domestic fight Steldor and Alera has is related in detail, as well as Alera’s pining for Narian and being a whiny, unqueenly annoyance. The first half of the book, nothing happens. The second half of the book, the war begins, and . . . nothing happens. Alera doesn’t do anything, and she’s not present on any adventures, so we Readers miss out on the interesting stuff and hang out in a cave with Miss Useless and take pride in our gruel-making skills. There’s also other flaws: the escapes. London and another character are captured by the Cokyrians at one point, and then they manage to escape. But how they exactly escaped is never explained. London says they had the help of Narian, but the how is still not explained, and I began to think that perhaps the Cokyrian security is about as secure as Camelot in Merlin: it isn’t at all. It left me thinking, That’s it? That’s all you had to do? Well, what’s the big issue, then?!
Believability: The world’s politics are a bit more believable in this installment, though there is still an astounding lack of proper respect for their monarchs. Cannan chews his son, the new king, out more times than I can count, which I just don’t believe would happen. Alera also has no ladies-in-waiting, and every queen in history has had those. The scene where London cauterizes Steldor’s wound with explosive powder had me in fits of laughter. Why couldn’t the Author just give Steldor a wound that could be cauterized with a knife blade? The explosive powder wasn’t clever. And if anyone knows of a species of oak whose bark not only works as a painkiller, but a sedative as well, please share.
Writing Style: There’s a small improvement to the last one, though the Author still suffers from reiterating things far too often. Still, her style as a whole has certainly matured with her age, which I suspected it probably would.
Content: There’s lots of talk of consummating marriages, but nothing detailed.
Conclusion: Anticlimactic. I was embarrassed for the good guys, when they came up with the “brilliant” plan of kidnapping the High Priestess from the Cokyrian capital. The good guys were under the impression that because the Cokyrian invading force was in Hytanica, their capital would be unguarded. Have they never heard of home defense force? The Praetorians in Rome were there not only to protect the emperor, but the capital. One does not empty out one’s capital defense in order to invade another country. But the final showdown between the good guys and the Overlord was what really got me, and forever solidified the Overlord as one of the silliest villains I’ve met. He monologued and boasted and sneered and threatened to a point that completely discredited him. And then he goes and gets himself defeated in a completely ridiculous manner. I was like, “Seriously? That’s how he’s going to die? I’m embarrassed for him!” It was avoidable. I cannot imagine what the third book will be about, honestly; it’s going to be boring. Allegiance had a few improvements from Legacy, but not enough to make this a good trilogy.
Recommended Audience: Girl-read, fifteen-and-up, good for fans of fantasy romances that don’t go anywhere.
Characters: Alera, our lovely protagonist, is annoying at the best of times. For a woman who has been brought up as Hytanica’s future queen, she has absolutely no queenly bearing or discipline. She is incapable of keeping a stiff upper lip in public situations, and she goes about acting upon rash plans. She is constantly on an emotional rollercoaster, and thus is completely useless. The girl gets a self-confidence boost from cutting her hair short, and learning how to make watery gruel. Other than that, she’s pointless and doesn’t do anything to help anyone. Narian is hardly in this book, so my opinion of him hasn’t changed at all from the first book; I’m sure that will change with the third. Steldor, on the other hand, is in this one a lot, and I’m sorry, but the Author will never be able to convince me that deep down he’s actually a really nice guy. He’s a jerky, arrogant, chauvinistic clot pole, and the Author once more has to do a lot of backpedaling later in the story to make the Reader think that he really is a decent guy. For the most part, he’s a good king, but he has his own temper tantrums that get old just as quickly as Alera’s. London is really the only redeeming character in this whole trilogy. He doesn’t say much when he’s around, he gets to do all of the fun and interesting stuff, he masters his emotions, and he is immensely useful. In fact, London would be a much better protagonist - more would happen in the books if we got to follow him around. As for the villain . . . First off, his name is just laughable - the Overlord. If you want your villain to be taken seriously, don’t call him Overlord of Dark Lord or anything that’s ridiculously cliché like that. And then there was just the Overlord himself: he wasn’t frightening. The characters kept going on and on about how cruel he was, but I never saw it. Sure, he executed a bunch of military officers when he took over Hytanica, but for an evil tyrant, that’s mild. He didn’t kill any civilians - no mothers or little children. He tortured people with magic, but those scenes were frankly just comical.
The Romance: I’m not a fan of the love triangle in this trilogy. I like Narian well enough, but as much as I dislike Steldor, even he doesn’t deserve a useless brat like Alera, and Narian definitely doesn’t.
Plot: Cokyria is threatening to invade Hytanica, and Alera is pining after Narian while trying to avoid consummating her marriage with Steldor. And unfortunately, Alera’s troubles with Steldor and being the new queen take up more of the book than the looming invasion. Practically every domestic fight Steldor and Alera has is related in detail, as well as Alera’s pining for Narian and being a whiny, unqueenly annoyance. The first half of the book, nothing happens. The second half of the book, the war begins, and . . . nothing happens. Alera doesn’t do anything, and she’s not present on any adventures, so we Readers miss out on the interesting stuff and hang out in a cave with Miss Useless and take pride in our gruel-making skills. There’s also other flaws: the escapes. London and another character are captured by the Cokyrians at one point, and then they manage to escape. But how they exactly escaped is never explained. London says they had the help of Narian, but the how is still not explained, and I began to think that perhaps the Cokyrian security is about as secure as Camelot in Merlin: it isn’t at all. It left me thinking, That’s it? That’s all you had to do? Well, what’s the big issue, then?!
Believability: The world’s politics are a bit more believable in this installment, though there is still an astounding lack of proper respect for their monarchs. Cannan chews his son, the new king, out more times than I can count, which I just don’t believe would happen. Alera also has no ladies-in-waiting, and every queen in history has had those. The scene where London cauterizes Steldor’s wound with explosive powder had me in fits of laughter. Why couldn’t the Author just give Steldor a wound that could be cauterized with a knife blade? The explosive powder wasn’t clever. And if anyone knows of a species of oak whose bark not only works as a painkiller, but a sedative as well, please share.
Writing Style: There’s a small improvement to the last one, though the Author still suffers from reiterating things far too often. Still, her style as a whole has certainly matured with her age, which I suspected it probably would.
Content: There’s lots of talk of consummating marriages, but nothing detailed.
Conclusion: Anticlimactic. I was embarrassed for the good guys, when they came up with the “brilliant” plan of kidnapping the High Priestess from the Cokyrian capital. The good guys were under the impression that because the Cokyrian invading force was in Hytanica, their capital would be unguarded. Have they never heard of home defense force? The Praetorians in Rome were there not only to protect the emperor, but the capital. One does not empty out one’s capital defense in order to invade another country. But the final showdown between the good guys and the Overlord was what really got me, and forever solidified the Overlord as one of the silliest villains I’ve met. He monologued and boasted and sneered and threatened to a point that completely discredited him. And then he goes and gets himself defeated in a completely ridiculous manner. I was like, “Seriously? That’s how he’s going to die? I’m embarrassed for him!” It was avoidable. I cannot imagine what the third book will be about, honestly; it’s going to be boring. Allegiance had a few improvements from Legacy, but not enough to make this a good trilogy.
Recommended Audience: Girl-read, fifteen-and-up, good for fans of fantasy romances that don’t go anywhere.
January 7, 2021
De este me quedé con las ganas del tercero, se quedó muy interesante y me encantaba está saga/trilogía.
February 26, 2012
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 long 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!
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 long 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!
March 3, 2012
Originally posted on The Authoress: Book Review and More.
I don't think I have ever seen such a downfall between books. Where Alera was merely an irritant in the first book, Legacy, she has turned into a thorn in my side. Ultimately, she ruined the whole book for me. I couldn't finish because she was just that irritating. While Ms. Kluver's writing has the kind of archaic grace up there with Christopher Paolini, I wasn't as impressed this time around versus with the first book. Bottom line: I was so uninterested and disgusted with the whole thing that I couldn't trudge through the last bit of the book.
There was no character development whatsoever in terms of the main character, Alera. The girl was dumb. Not only dumb, but selfish, immature, and misguided. I had an issue with the fact that people could walk all over her, but I was downright pissed when she stood up to the wrong people. Also, I can understand her ignorance--she grew up in a society where women were completely subservient--but she never even realized that her ignorance eventually became a hindrance, and then deadly. I was expecting her to finally say, "Teach me how to fight." Did that happen? ---> -_____- No.
The sub characters showed little development and almost seemed 2D. Instead of taking this chance to flesh out her characters, Kluver practically kept them from expanding. I saw many chances to see more of these characters, but that never happened. The only character development I saw was from Steldor. He annoyed me in the first book, but his character really changed this time around. Only problem is, Alera has the stupidest priorities. Pining after a guy who's told her to forget him when Steldor--her husband--is right in front of her?
Alera had this knack of being a complete pain but making other people ignore her shortcomings. And many of the characters like London and Cannon told her that she had "strength". And I'm left going, "You're joking, right?"
I was done when Alera completely ignored the torture of one of her closest friends because she became trapped in Narian's gaze.
Yeah. No.
I was very disappointed with this book. I loved Legacy mostly because at the time I thought it was well-written and it was written by someone barely a few years older than I was. But with Allegiance, I felt like all the time I spent reading it was completely wasted. So at the end (I got 84% into it) I just didn't care. I didn't even care about the characters that I liked, like London and Galen. The only person I was really curious about was Steldor. I feel really sorry for the guy, having to put up with Alera.
I may pick up the third book out of curiosity to see how things change, but I won't buy it. Alera was just too much.
I don't think I have ever seen such a downfall between books. Where Alera was merely an irritant in the first book, Legacy, she has turned into a thorn in my side. Ultimately, she ruined the whole book for me. I couldn't finish because she was just that irritating. While Ms. Kluver's writing has the kind of archaic grace up there with Christopher Paolini, I wasn't as impressed this time around versus with the first book. Bottom line: I was so uninterested and disgusted with the whole thing that I couldn't trudge through the last bit of the book.
There was no character development whatsoever in terms of the main character, Alera. The girl was dumb. Not only dumb, but selfish, immature, and misguided. I had an issue with the fact that people could walk all over her, but I was downright pissed when she stood up to the wrong people. Also, I can understand her ignorance--she grew up in a society where women were completely subservient--but she never even realized that her ignorance eventually became a hindrance, and then deadly. I was expecting her to finally say, "Teach me how to fight." Did that happen? ---> -_____- No.
The sub characters showed little development and almost seemed 2D. Instead of taking this chance to flesh out her characters, Kluver practically kept them from expanding. I saw many chances to see more of these characters, but that never happened. The only character development I saw was from Steldor. He annoyed me in the first book, but his character really changed this time around. Only problem is, Alera has the stupidest priorities. Pining after a guy who's told her to forget him when Steldor--her husband--is right in front of her?
Alera had this knack of being a complete pain but making other people ignore her shortcomings. And many of the characters like London and Cannon told her that she had "strength". And I'm left going, "You're joking, right?"
I was done when Alera completely ignored the torture of one of her closest friends because she became trapped in Narian's gaze.
Yeah. No.
I was very disappointed with this book. I loved Legacy mostly because at the time I thought it was well-written and it was written by someone barely a few years older than I was. But with Allegiance, I felt like all the time I spent reading it was completely wasted. So at the end (I got 84% into it) I just didn't care. I didn't even care about the characters that I liked, like London and Galen. The only person I was really curious about was Steldor. I feel really sorry for the guy, having to put up with Alera.
I may pick up the third book out of curiosity to see how things change, but I won't buy it. Alera was just too much.
November 13, 2015
Cayla Kluver if you just had sticked to the facts of Legacy.
why did you have to make me love Steldor?
in Legacy i sincerely thought he was nothing more than a jerk.nothing more nothing less.
now,in Allegiance he has become the example of one great love interest in fantasy-historical romance.
he was absolutely amazing.he improved so much and cluver showed us so many aspects of him.by far my fav character in Allegiance
now let's go to the very far opposite end of Steldor.you know who i am talking about.
Alera,you annoy the living hell out off me,since you worry most of the time not because of the war that's taking place but about narian and what he'll think about you since you "betrayed" him and you got "married" to another guy.
yes
.
.
.
War VS love angst
the winner is obvious
Alera,at least you should have the decency to pick Steldor instead of Narian.
i liked Narian in the 1st book(not quite so much during the 2nd) and i liked him and Alera as a couple that's why i'm asking you,Cayla Cluver,WHY DID YOU TURN STELDOR INTO A GREAT GUY?
you should either leave him as a jerk and let us be happy that alera ends up with Narian or you should actually consider Steldor's feelings and let him find a happy ending with another lass.
if this "marriage" was nothing but a farce,a parody then let BOTH of them find happiness WITH OTHER PEOPLE
THIS IS WHY I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES
sorry if this review offended you in any way.
why did you have to make me love Steldor?
in Legacy i sincerely thought he was nothing more than a jerk.nothing more nothing less.
now,in Allegiance he has become the example of one great love interest in fantasy-historical romance.
he was absolutely amazing.he improved so much and cluver showed us so many aspects of him.by far my fav character in Allegiance
now let's go to the very far opposite end of Steldor.you know who i am talking about.
Alera,you annoy the living hell out off me,since you worry most of the time not because of the war that's taking place but about narian and what he'll think about you since you "betrayed" him and you got "married" to another guy.
yes
.
.
.
War VS love angst
the winner is obvious
Alera,at least you should have the decency to pick Steldor instead of Narian.
i liked Narian in the 1st book(not quite so much during the 2nd) and i liked him and Alera as a couple that's why i'm asking you,Cayla Cluver,WHY DID YOU TURN STELDOR INTO A GREAT GUY?
you should either leave him as a jerk and let us be happy that alera ends up with Narian or you should actually consider Steldor's feelings and let him find a happy ending with another lass.
if this "marriage" was nothing but a farce,a parody then let BOTH of them find happiness WITH OTHER PEOPLE
THIS IS WHY I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES
sorry if this review offended you in any way.
August 13, 2016
Allegiance immediately picks up where Legacy left off. Alera is now Queen of Hytanica and she is trapped in a loveless marriage to Steldor; however, her heart still belongs to Narian. Unfortunately, Narian is forced to serve the Overlord, Hytanica's enemy, and because of this, Alera knows she cannot be with Narian. In truth, she is having a hard time letting him go. Alera must lead her kingdom through a dark time with many unexpected events and her heart cannot be conflicted. Allegiance, book two in the Legacy series, is action packed, romantic and entertaining.
Kluver's writing style always takes me by surprise because it's easy to forget she is a young author. Her writing seems so mature and well developed. I love her details and descriptions; it is easy to get lost in the world of Hytanica.
In Allegiance, Alera had me frustrated from time to time. She was fixated on Narian and deep down, I wanted her to give Steldor (I know....the horror!) a chance, because he was actually nice at times. I understand she loves Narian and I get that, but for awhile there it seemed like a hopeless cause. Alera really grew as a Queen and a person in Allegiance. There are many dark moments and trials and tribulations in Allegiance and in turn, Alera was really tested and grew as a character.
The Steldor/Narian love triangle is still very much present, but isn't as important as the events in the book. The country of Hytanica finds itself in a precarious situation and readers will be consumed with the turn of events. There's a lot of action and unrest in Allegiance in comparison to Legacy, which definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
Allegiance definitely reads like a second book in the series; it is setting up the third book, Sacrifice, which comes out this year as well. I cannot wait to see what happens to Alera, Steldor and Narian as well as the country of Hytanica. If you are a fan of Legacy, you must pre-order this book.
Kluver's writing style always takes me by surprise because it's easy to forget she is a young author. Her writing seems so mature and well developed. I love her details and descriptions; it is easy to get lost in the world of Hytanica.
In Allegiance, Alera had me frustrated from time to time. She was fixated on Narian and deep down, I wanted her to give Steldor (I know....the horror!) a chance, because he was actually nice at times. I understand she loves Narian and I get that, but for awhile there it seemed like a hopeless cause. Alera really grew as a Queen and a person in Allegiance. There are many dark moments and trials and tribulations in Allegiance and in turn, Alera was really tested and grew as a character.
The Steldor/Narian love triangle is still very much present, but isn't as important as the events in the book. The country of Hytanica finds itself in a precarious situation and readers will be consumed with the turn of events. There's a lot of action and unrest in Allegiance in comparison to Legacy, which definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
Allegiance definitely reads like a second book in the series; it is setting up the third book, Sacrifice, which comes out this year as well. I cannot wait to see what happens to Alera, Steldor and Narian as well as the country of Hytanica. If you are a fan of Legacy, you must pre-order this book.
April 10, 2020
Overall I thought this was a really good book. It took me one day to read it because there was so much going on that I could not put it down. I loved it but there were a couple of parts that made me really mad. Like for example, at the end when Steldor told Alera that since their "marriage of convenience" was no longer convenient for her because Narian came back. He gave her his wedding ring and had their marriage annulled. It made me SO mad!! Throughout the book even though you are supposed to hate Stledor, you end up really loving him. Alera could have been so happy with him if she would have just given him a chance. But after she met Narian (who I hated form the beginning) she would not even consider loving someone else. You could see how much Steldor really cared about her, especially knowing that he was willing to give her up so that she could be happy because he loved her to much for her to not be happy. I loved all the action and I really liked the back stories of all the smaller characters, and knowing their stories made it even harder to read about them being tortured and killed by the overlord but it was a really good book and I can't wait to read the third!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2012
This book improved on the first book immensely. There was generally more action, more romance, and better dialogue. The author spent less time describing what the characters wore and spent more time developing the characters. I found my self eager to find out what happened to each of the characters.
Alera went through an interesting evolution in this book. She became less selfish and inward focused and became more caring about the people around her (although it was neither a short or easy journey). This book focuses on the war between the Cokyrians and Hytanica and does a great job describing the war without getting into the gritty details of war (it is not glossed over, yet is not gruesome).
Personally, I dislike the dedication Alera and the author seem to have for Narian. I have little love for this character. He has made many choices that make him seem much less the hero and much more the villan. I know that this is the author's story and I have yet to see its completion, but for now- I am rooting for Steldor!
Alera went through an interesting evolution in this book. She became less selfish and inward focused and became more caring about the people around her (although it was neither a short or easy journey). This book focuses on the war between the Cokyrians and Hytanica and does a great job describing the war without getting into the gritty details of war (it is not glossed over, yet is not gruesome).
Personally, I dislike the dedication Alera and the author seem to have for Narian. I have little love for this character. He has made many choices that make him seem much less the hero and much more the villan. I know that this is the author's story and I have yet to see its completion, but for now- I am rooting for Steldor!
April 5, 2016
An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.
Alera is now Queen with King Steldor by her side. Yet she still feels nothing in her heart for him. There’s much at stake now that he is king. A growing threat of Coykri soldiers lie in their midst and when someone is kidnapped, that is when the action and intrigue start to happen.
I felt a little winded reading Allegiance only because nothing exciting happened in the first 200 pages. I almost stopped reading all together but I dared to push on so I can find out what happened to Narian. Why he left in the first place was what I needed to know and was probably the reason I kept on reading.
As like the other book I was a tad disappointed as well. It wasn’t the greatest story ever told nor was it the worst. I almost wished Alera fell in love with her bodyguard instead. London is one hero I’d love to be stuck together with that’s for sure. I definitely will read book three just so I know the ending.
Alera is now Queen with King Steldor by her side. Yet she still feels nothing in her heart for him. There’s much at stake now that he is king. A growing threat of Coykri soldiers lie in their midst and when someone is kidnapped, that is when the action and intrigue start to happen.
I felt a little winded reading Allegiance only because nothing exciting happened in the first 200 pages. I almost stopped reading all together but I dared to push on so I can find out what happened to Narian. Why he left in the first place was what I needed to know and was probably the reason I kept on reading.
As like the other book I was a tad disappointed as well. It wasn’t the greatest story ever told nor was it the worst. I almost wished Alera fell in love with her bodyguard instead. London is one hero I’d love to be stuck together with that’s for sure. I definitely will read book three just so I know the ending.
August 24, 2012
I think Queen Alera is immature and spoiled. She doesn't care about what Steldor thinks about her, and is caught up in her dreams of Narian. She has no sense of duty, or loyalty to her husband, and seems to quickly change from caring about his feelings, to thinking about Narian. I never liked Narian either. The way he acted towards his father made him come off as conceited, rude, and disrespectful towards his father. Overall, I would say that I didn't really like the book. It had potential though. But, Queen Alera is way too immature to be Queen, and seems to barely do anything, except run around pursuing her own wild fantasies.
March 5, 2014
She had a choice. She was given the choice to keep her crown and marry Steldor or to let her sister take the crown and Steldor. She chose to keep her crown and marry Steldor. I feel that if you're going to make such choices you should be willing to deal with the consequences, including keeping your marriage vows and moving on with your now married life. Especially considering her husband took great pains to make her happy and take her feelings into consideration. It also bothered me that NOTHING happened in the first 150 pages other than her complaining of her life and staving off her HUSBAND'S advances.
September 26, 2012
Allegiance is my favourite book! It's really great!!! It's even better than the first one and the story is so touching. In this book I also changed my mind about Steldor. He seems to be so romantic and sentimental. But Narian is the character that I like much more than Steldor. Overall, it's a well-written book with a very interesting and touching story. I love Cayla's books!!!
I really can't wait for the next one!
I really can't wait for the next one!
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