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Kingdoms of Legacy #1
Legacy of Roses: A Beauty and the Beast Tale
A returned royal with no interest in becoming an enchanted prince.
A merchant’s daughter who knows better than to pick roses.
A Legacy determined to force them into a story neither wants.
Rosalie’s family has already lost everything, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them from further harm. Even if that means stopping ignorant newcomers from picking enchanted roses.
Dimitri knows little about his new kingdom, and he can’t help being captivated by the fiery girl who holds the answers. But Rosalie seems horrified by both his presence and his handsome face, and it turns out she has good reason. In the kingdom of Glandore, it’s a dangerous thing to be a young man of royal blood living alone in a castle. Almost as dangerous as being the youngest daughter of a merchant.
Enter a world where tales of the past shape the enchanted landscape—where glass can bend like a slipper and picking a rose courts danger. A world where the inhabitants must overcome the fabled Legacies as they find romance, adventure, and friendship.
A merchant’s daughter who knows better than to pick roses.
A Legacy determined to force them into a story neither wants.
Rosalie’s family has already lost everything, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them from further harm. Even if that means stopping ignorant newcomers from picking enchanted roses.
Dimitri knows little about his new kingdom, and he can’t help being captivated by the fiery girl who holds the answers. But Rosalie seems horrified by both his presence and his handsome face, and it turns out she has good reason. In the kingdom of Glandore, it’s a dangerous thing to be a young man of royal blood living alone in a castle. Almost as dangerous as being the youngest daughter of a merchant.
Enter a world where tales of the past shape the enchanted landscape—where glass can bend like a slipper and picking a rose courts danger. A world where the inhabitants must overcome the fabled Legacies as they find romance, adventure, and friendship.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2024
312 people are currently reading
777 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Cellier
127 books2,777 followersMelanie Cellier grew up on a staple diet of books, books and more books. And although she got older, she never stopped loving children’s and young adult novels.
She always wanted to write one herself, but it took three careers and three different continents before she actually managed it.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
December 28, 2024
4.5 stars! ✨ Clean Fiction - Fairytale Retelling/Reimagined
Mini-review-
This was SO much fun and so different! I was throughly invested into this book and the unique plotline—I’ve read many Beauty and the Beast retellings but this is a new favorite!
Proper review-
After binge-reading all of Melanie Cellier’s other fairytale books in a handful of months (a feat of 22 books)—which ultimately kicked off my fairytale binge-reading of a total of 73 books during this year, it feels quite fitting to end the year with her newest release.
This series isn’t going to be connected to her prior Four Kingdoms four series at all, so at first I was a bit (okay, a lot) sad about that fact because I’ve just binged those and loved many of the characters! But, oh my goodness, my dear friends, when I started this book, I may have (just a teensy-tiny bit) forgotten about the other world as I became sucked into this world and it’s plot.
The concept for this series is generations after the classic fairytales happened (which is called not a tale, but the history of the land) and kingdoms are seeped in that story with “the Legacy” always trying to recreate elements from that event again. In this book, our main girl is Rosalie, who, to her dismay, checks many of the boxes for the original girl’s part of the story. Dimitri is our lovable not-really-a-Beast who has recently found out about his inheritance of an abandoned castle and goes to explore. Thanks to him being a handsome, young and titled man, Rosalie is in a dither because him moving into the castle just checks another one of the boxes to fulfill the Legacy—which means disaster for her and her family. With the help of her best friend, a plan is formed to use the Legacy’s powers to help all of them.
I adored Rosalie and Daphne’s friendship and cannot wait for Daphne’s story—I’m assuming she’s Sleeping Beauty? I’m excited that we’ll see her again in the second book of this series with the main girl of that one being her cousin. After snooping on the author’s website, it looks like we’ll be having both the Cinderella “retelling” and the Sleeping Beauty “retelling” releasing in 2025, May and August respectively.
Throughout this book, there’s things I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned in other retellings? That are supposed to be in the original story? After some research, it looks like some versions of the original Beauty and the Beast tale includes Beauty’s family home burning down, but I didn’t see about the servants talking through parrots. So despite living on a steady diet of Disney’s animated B&tB and then many retellings of it over the years, this book continued to twist and turn into a new version of the story for me, which was great.
I did really like Rosalie and her energy, but I found myself a wee bit frustrated with her for thinking the worst about Dimitri at first. But her realization about it and what that means was great to see—especially as wasn’t a big angst point like it could have been. She and others in the village have really let the fear of the Legacy dictate their lives and it was fascinating to see how it all worked out. The author impressed me again and again—and also made me laugh with the antics of Daphne and also Rosalie’s triplet younger brothers.
This was SUCH a fun version of this classic and beloved story that I truly, truly enjoyed! Great for major fairytale fans or those who want a unique take on a classic fairytale after reading so many as this one will definitely stand-out.
Main Content-
Each kingdom has a “Legacy” that is connected to the fairytale origin of the country (called the history of the kingdom), in this book it is connected to Beauty and the Beast; The Legacy will always try to have events from the historical event recreated, but it’s known that it may not always work out well in the present day and could create tragedies; Rosalie calls the it a curse, but her best friend corrects that it started as one but what they have left now—the Legacy—is more like the echo of a curse.
Rosalie and Dimitri both feel the lure of the Legacy with thinking about picking a rose when they know that would start the Legacy’s powers and start another version of the classic tale (such as turning him into a Beast, her being trapped, etc); Some believe that the Legacy can force others to have certain emotions or force them to say something, but the Legacy does not actually have that kind of power as it manipulates physical objects and influence small actions only; Some servers at a restaurant will turn partially invisible; *Spoiler* *Bigger Spoilers* .
If someone leaves their place of birth, the Legacy of that country punishes that person (for example, Rosalie’s best friend was born in another kingdom that is connected to Sleeping Beauty and Daphne falls asleep a lot); In this kingdom, couples with a close emotional connection who trust each other completely can meet in their dreams (*Spoiler* ); The Legacy has a room in the castle for showing plays and the opera via different windows & can also change where a door leads by wishing for it to change (such as Rosalie wishing for the library to be connected to the door to her bedroom); Lots of mentions and discussions about all the elements of this, enchantments, curses, and other such parts.
No major language used, instead there’s a few mentions of villainous characters swearing (not written on page) and minor words like ‘blasted’, ‘drat’, and ‘stupid’; The fictional world phrase “what in the kingdoms” is said; Eye rolling & Sarcasm.
Dimitri’s mother has recently passed away and he feels grief over her, but also anger for keeping secrets from him; Dimitri sees a painting of his happy young and happy and wonders if he was the one who stole the glow from her eyes; Because of the plan, Rosalie and her brothers have to deceive their mother which Rosalie feels terrible about it and promises to tell her the truth as soon as she’s able.
Being abducted (x2), being tied-up, being threatened, threatening others at sword-point, fighting, & seeing fights/self-defense (up to a handful of sentences); *Spoiler* .
Mentions of abductions, fights/fighting, threatening others at sword or knife-point, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to a few sentences); Mentions of blades that have special herbs on them that caused someone to fall asleep with one prick; Mentions of fires & a house burning down; Mentions of thieves/criminals, embezzlement, robberies, & stealing; Mentions of a pub/bar & someone nursing a tankard; Mentions of hunting; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a death in a tavern brawl & the man cheating another; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of eavesdropping.
1 kiss lasting a couple sentences,
1 kiss lasting around a handful of sentences (including him pulling her onto his lap);
Wanting to kiss (light); A bit of looking at another’s lips (twice) & wondering about kissing (once); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to a few sentences); Blushes; Noticing (up to a couple sentences); Love, falling in love, & some of the emotions.
Prior to the book starting, Rosalie was in a relationship with a man that didn’t end well (*Not sexual, but a Spoiler* ); Dimitri has never known his father (*Spoiler* ); A man tells Dimitri that another couple planned to stop having children after their three girls, but that that kind of plan “don’t always work out like we intend, do it?” and winks, but Dimitri isn’t sure what the man is implying (the couple became pregnant again); Dimitri panics that a younger boy has seen more of him than he’s prefer (her hands rise instinctively to cover his chest); Rosalie’s brothers tease her about a receiving a love gift but when Dimitri makes a noise about that idea, her brother changes it from the Legacy instead; A man touches Rosalie’s hair and gets close to her (unwanted); Rosalie’s mom tells her to have “a great many” children when the time comes (because of the Legacy).
Mentions of flirting & handsome young men; Mentions of Rosalie’s brothers’ crushes on Daphne; A few mentions of kisses; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of stolen kisses & blushes.
Mini-review-
This was SO much fun and so different! I was throughly invested into this book and the unique plotline—I’ve read many Beauty and the Beast retellings but this is a new favorite!
Proper review-
After binge-reading all of Melanie Cellier’s other fairytale books in a handful of months (a feat of 22 books)—which ultimately kicked off my fairytale binge-reading of a total of 73 books during this year, it feels quite fitting to end the year with her newest release.
This series isn’t going to be connected to her prior Four Kingdoms four series at all, so at first I was a bit (okay, a lot) sad about that fact because I’ve just binged those and loved many of the characters! But, oh my goodness, my dear friends, when I started this book, I may have (just a teensy-tiny bit) forgotten about the other world as I became sucked into this world and it’s plot.
The concept for this series is generations after the classic fairytales happened (which is called not a tale, but the history of the land) and kingdoms are seeped in that story with “the Legacy” always trying to recreate elements from that event again. In this book, our main girl is Rosalie, who, to her dismay, checks many of the boxes for the original girl’s part of the story. Dimitri is our lovable not-really-a-Beast who has recently found out about his inheritance of an abandoned castle and goes to explore. Thanks to him being a handsome, young and titled man, Rosalie is in a dither because him moving into the castle just checks another one of the boxes to fulfill the Legacy—which means disaster for her and her family. With the help of her best friend, a plan is formed to use the Legacy’s powers to help all of them.
I adored Rosalie and Daphne’s friendship and cannot wait for Daphne’s story—I’m assuming she’s Sleeping Beauty? I’m excited that we’ll see her again in the second book of this series with the main girl of that one being her cousin. After snooping on the author’s website, it looks like we’ll be having both the Cinderella “retelling” and the Sleeping Beauty “retelling” releasing in 2025, May and August respectively.
Throughout this book, there’s things I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned in other retellings? That are supposed to be in the original story? After some research, it looks like some versions of the original Beauty and the Beast tale includes Beauty’s family home burning down, but I didn’t see about the servants talking through parrots. So despite living on a steady diet of Disney’s animated B&tB and then many retellings of it over the years, this book continued to twist and turn into a new version of the story for me, which was great.
I did really like Rosalie and her energy, but I found myself a wee bit frustrated with her for thinking the worst about Dimitri at first. But her realization about it and what that means was great to see—especially as wasn’t a big angst point like it could have been. She and others in the village have really let the fear of the Legacy dictate their lives and it was fascinating to see how it all worked out. The author impressed me again and again—and also made me laugh with the antics of Daphne and also Rosalie’s triplet younger brothers.
This was SUCH a fun version of this classic and beloved story that I truly, truly enjoyed! Great for major fairytale fans or those who want a unique take on a classic fairytale after reading so many as this one will definitely stand-out.
Main Content-
Each kingdom has a “Legacy” that is connected to the fairytale origin of the country (called the history of the kingdom), in this book it is connected to Beauty and the Beast; The Legacy will always try to have events from the historical event recreated, but it’s known that it may not always work out well in the present day and could create tragedies; Rosalie calls the it a curse, but her best friend corrects that it started as one but what they have left now—the Legacy—is more like the echo of a curse.
Rosalie and Dimitri both feel the lure of the Legacy with thinking about picking a rose when they know that would start the Legacy’s powers and start another version of the classic tale (such as turning him into a Beast, her being trapped, etc); Some believe that the Legacy can force others to have certain emotions or force them to say something, but the Legacy does not actually have that kind of power as it manipulates physical objects and influence small actions only; Some servers at a restaurant will turn partially invisible; *Spoiler* *Bigger Spoilers* .
If someone leaves their place of birth, the Legacy of that country punishes that person (for example, Rosalie’s best friend was born in another kingdom that is connected to Sleeping Beauty and Daphne falls asleep a lot); In this kingdom, couples with a close emotional connection who trust each other completely can meet in their dreams (*Spoiler* ); The Legacy has a room in the castle for showing plays and the opera via different windows & can also change where a door leads by wishing for it to change (such as Rosalie wishing for the library to be connected to the door to her bedroom); Lots of mentions and discussions about all the elements of this, enchantments, curses, and other such parts.
No major language used, instead there’s a few mentions of villainous characters swearing (not written on page) and minor words like ‘blasted’, ‘drat’, and ‘stupid’; The fictional world phrase “what in the kingdoms” is said; Eye rolling & Sarcasm.
Dimitri’s mother has recently passed away and he feels grief over her, but also anger for keeping secrets from him; Dimitri sees a painting of his happy young and happy and wonders if he was the one who stole the glow from her eyes; Because of the plan, Rosalie and her brothers have to deceive their mother which Rosalie feels terrible about it and promises to tell her the truth as soon as she’s able.
Being abducted (x2), being tied-up, being threatened, threatening others at sword-point, fighting, & seeing fights/self-defense (up to a handful of sentences); *Spoiler* .
Mentions of abductions, fights/fighting, threatening others at sword or knife-point, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to a few sentences); Mentions of blades that have special herbs on them that caused someone to fall asleep with one prick; Mentions of fires & a house burning down; Mentions of thieves/criminals, embezzlement, robberies, & stealing; Mentions of a pub/bar & someone nursing a tankard; Mentions of hunting; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a death in a tavern brawl & the man cheating another; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of hatred; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of eavesdropping.
1 kiss lasting a couple sentences,
1 kiss lasting around a handful of sentences (including him pulling her onto his lap);
Wanting to kiss (light); A bit of looking at another’s lips (twice) & wondering about kissing (once); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Nearness (up to a few sentences); Blushes; Noticing (up to a couple sentences); Love, falling in love, & some of the emotions.
Prior to the book starting, Rosalie was in a relationship with a man that didn’t end well (*Not sexual, but a Spoiler* ); Dimitri has never known his father (*Spoiler* ); A man tells Dimitri that another couple planned to stop having children after their three girls, but that that kind of plan “don’t always work out like we intend, do it?” and winks, but Dimitri isn’t sure what the man is implying (the couple became pregnant again); Dimitri panics that a younger boy has seen more of him than he’s prefer (her hands rise instinctively to cover his chest); Rosalie’s brothers tease her about a receiving a love gift but when Dimitri makes a noise about that idea, her brother changes it from the Legacy instead; A man touches Rosalie’s hair and gets close to her (unwanted); Rosalie’s mom tells her to have “a great many” children when the time comes (because of the Legacy).
Mentions of flirting & handsome young men; Mentions of Rosalie’s brothers’ crushes on Daphne; A few mentions of kisses; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of stolen kisses & blushes.
May 29, 2025
Content Rating: 4.8/5
Content Notes: Light romance and kissing, plus a little bit of emotionally recovering from a past relationship. Everything was light and clean, though.
Theme Rating: 4.5/5
Theme Notes: The theme wasn't quite as prevalent as in the Four Kingdoms books, but it was still a good theme all the same.
Mini Review:
Ahh so goooooood!!!! <3 There's a reason Melanie Cellier is my favorite! This was an amazing start to a new series with a super intriguing premise. Definitely recommend to all Melanie Cellier fans, and fans of fairy tale twists and retellings. :-)
Content Notes: Light romance and kissing, plus a little bit of emotionally recovering from a past relationship. Everything was light and clean, though.
Theme Rating: 4.5/5
Theme Notes: The theme wasn't quite as prevalent as in the Four Kingdoms books, but it was still a good theme all the same.
Mini Review:
Ahh so goooooood!!!! <3 There's a reason Melanie Cellier is my favorite! This was an amazing start to a new series with a super intriguing premise. Definitely recommend to all Melanie Cellier fans, and fans of fairy tale twists and retellings. :-)
May 11, 2025
I love the concept of this world! It was so creative! Rosalie did seem a bit like a stereotypical strong female character™️, but her backstory completely justified it. And the romance was so precious.
March 26, 2025
I loved this! This is my new favorite book by Melanie Cellier, I'm so impressed by it!
I am so fascinated by this new world that MC has created: we get elements of the original fairytale story but it is an entirely new and interesting concept. I'd never thought before about possible consequences/outcomes after the original tale ends. I loved seeing how elements of the OG tale popped up and were subsequently impacted by the Legacy.
Some of my favorite scenes occurred inside the manor because wow it had some interesting rooms--I wish I could live there!
I loved Daphne and Rosalie's relationship--Daphne is one of the best friend characters I've ever read! I'm looking forward to reading more about her in future books! The romance was sweet, particularly because Dimitri is such a great MMC: he falls first, he's loyal and protective, he values her personality and her intelligence.
Can't wait to read the next books in the series!
Content: death of a parent (past), betrayal of spouse (past)
Christian faith ratin: 0/3 clean secular
I am so fascinated by this new world that MC has created: we get elements of the original fairytale story but it is an entirely new and interesting concept. I'd never thought before about possible consequences/outcomes after the original tale ends. I loved seeing how elements of the OG tale popped up and were subsequently impacted by the Legacy.
Some of my favorite scenes occurred inside the manor because wow it had some interesting rooms--I wish I could live there!
I loved Daphne and Rosalie's relationship--Daphne is one of the best friend characters I've ever read! I'm looking forward to reading more about her in future books! The romance was sweet, particularly because Dimitri is such a great MMC: he falls first, he's loyal and protective, he values her personality and her intelligence.
Can't wait to read the next books in the series!
Content: death of a parent (past), betrayal of spouse (past)
Christian faith ratin: 0/3 clean secular
March 23, 2025
This is the most unique Beauty and The Beast retelling I’ve ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed all of Melanie Cellier’s Kingdoms series and was excited to come across this new one. I’m happy to report that Cellier did not disappoint! The world is so imaginative and fun. There is a great cast of eclectic characters and plenty of action to hold my attention.
I admit, the beginning is a little confusing in how it jumps straight into the legacy, but it clears up quickly. I also found Rosalie to be rather mean and unlikeable in those beginning chapters, but that too clears up and all is well.
For those who enjoy listening, the audiobook narrator is excellent.
Content:
There is no foul language or sex, and the violence is minimal. The romance is limited to a couple chaste kisses. A female character is abducted twice but rescued. There is no mention of faith or God.
I admit, the beginning is a little confusing in how it jumps straight into the legacy, but it clears up quickly. I also found Rosalie to be rather mean and unlikeable in those beginning chapters, but that too clears up and all is well.
For those who enjoy listening, the audiobook narrator is excellent.
Content:
There is no foul language or sex, and the violence is minimal. The romance is limited to a couple chaste kisses. A female character is abducted twice but rescued. There is no mention of faith or God.
January 29, 2025
Initial thoughts: this was my first Melanie Cellier book… 😳🤩🤩 alright Ellie I see what you mean now 😂 I did struggle so very slightly to get into the book the 50-100pgs but I blame that on it being the first book by a new author to me. I VERY much enjoyed this book and if telling you I binged it for 3 hours last night doesn’t tell you anything… it should. I loved Dimitri (like SO MUCH) and LOVED the twist on Beauty and the Beast. This was a very fun read and certainly won’t be my last Melanie Cellier book 😁😁
March 27, 2025
I almost didn't read it just because the cover makes it look like Demitri is twice Rosalies age! He's actually only three or four years older than her. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales, and I loved the concept of kingdoms being "cursed" by the fairytales that occurred with their first royal families. I'm definitely reading the rest of the series!
March 21, 2025
I really liked this one. I've read a lot of fairy tale retellings in my time, especially beauty and the beast ones. But I really liked the concept for this one. It was a very interesting twist on the original story. 4.5⭐
September 9, 2025
This is a Melanie Cellier book , so of course I enjoyed it 😂!
January 1, 2025
This was an exceptional book and one of the best books Melanie Cellier has ever written. I loved how the kingdoms were shaped by the fairytale legacies and managed to retell the fairytales in such a unique and original way. I loved Rosalie's practicality and boundless energy and Daphne was an incredible side character, making the book so much more lovable. I loved Dimitri as well, he was so adorable when he was confused and at a loss. I also loved Rosalie's brothers and I laughed so much at their monologues when they were serving Rosalie and Dimitri. One of my favourite parts was the part where they began to reenact the fairy tale and Daphne responded so enthusiastically to another taking her place 🤣. Excellent novel and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves unique, clean fairy tale retellings with a dash of humour.
June 26, 2025
DNF at 65% Just couldn't get into it. Not sure why. Just found myself skimming to get to the end, but decided if I was just going to skim to the end I didn't need to finish it. This is my first of Melanie Cellier's books. I'm willing to try again with one of her older series.
February 2, 2026
I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, but the story world (and Dimitri) just sucked me in.
In a kingdom where a mindless Legacy (Supposedly, I’m still not entirely sold on that point.) forces its people to relive elements of the Beauty and the Beast storyline, the people have learned to avoid all semblances of the story like the plague. Just because you live through part of the story doesn’t mean you’ll get the happily ever after. Rosalie, a merchant’s youngest daughter, and Dimitri, a newly arrived and oblivious heir to the local estate, are dragged into the Legacy’s mindless grip (How come you keep saying it’s mindless? You’re making me suspicious.)
This hit a couple of my favorite tropes right on the head: the self-sacrificial MMC and, um, a near death experience… 😍😅
I recommend for ages 19 and up for swoony sweet romance.
In a kingdom where a mindless Legacy (Supposedly, I’m still not entirely sold on that point.) forces its people to relive elements of the Beauty and the Beast storyline, the people have learned to avoid all semblances of the story like the plague. Just because you live through part of the story doesn’t mean you’ll get the happily ever after. Rosalie, a merchant’s youngest daughter, and Dimitri, a newly arrived and oblivious heir to the local estate, are dragged into the Legacy’s mindless grip (How come you keep saying it’s mindless? You’re making me suspicious.)
This hit a couple of my favorite tropes right on the head: the self-sacrificial MMC and, um, a near death experience… 😍😅
I recommend for ages 19 and up for swoony sweet romance.
January 4, 2025
I very much enjoy the concept that the fairy tale world is a living entity, and not always a kind benevolent one either. I first saw this in the 500 Kingdoms books and I love those, this series seems to be trending a bit younger but no less fun. The Legacy is such a cool name for this as well.
So I love the feel of the world and these characters seem real, if a bit young and dramatic. Rosalie in particular definitely made me roll my eyes a bit because she just huffs at Dimitri a lot without explaining anything.
So I love the feel of the world and these characters seem real, if a bit young and dramatic. Rosalie in particular definitely made me roll my eyes a bit because she just huffs at Dimitri a lot without explaining anything.
July 31, 2025
I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling with a unique twist! The characters were fun and the romance was sweet. I think the villain was decent, but there were some parts about the original story of the Legacy that I found confusing, or maybe it was referencing a version of the fairy tale I didn't know about that the assumed we'd know? IDK, some parts were confusing, or mostly I was not sure what their plan was to get Dimitri out of beast mode ultimately. It's not that serious, though, and it all wraps up nicely, so I'm glad I read it. Melanie Cellier almost never disappoints :)
January 25, 2026
Usually I love this author’s books, but unfortunately something about this one just wasn’t doing it for me. I was confused the entire time about why the Legacy pushing them into the fairytale elements was truly so bad. Like sure some things could go wrong, but they made it out to be like a curse but nothing I saw was like that… 🤷🏼♀️ Plus it was on the slow side and I wasn’t really feeling the romance. All that being said, it was still a really unique concept and I did like parts of it.
June 1, 2025
I loved this world! Very unique fairytale retelling. The characters were great. The humor was great. I liked the plot. I'm excited for this new series of Melanie's :)
June 13, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Let's take a little time to admire Melanie Cellier's gorgeous covers!
Love, LOVE her books!!
Let's take a little time to admire Melanie Cellier's gorgeous covers!
Love, LOVE her books!!
September 9, 2025
Super cute & fun read! It took 2 days due to no time to read.
Rosalie & Dimitri were so cute.
This was an interesting retelling/reenactment of the story. It was great!
Rosalie & Dimitri were so cute.
This was an interesting retelling/reenactment of the story. It was great!
December 4, 2025
3.75 stars. Full review here: https://boundlessbookshelfreviews.blo...
August 27, 2025
could not finish
I have really loved some of MC's novels. This one so isn't it. I quit at 60%, but honestly I could have quit right away.
She paints Dimitri to be dim-witted and love-stricken for a complete stranger.
Rosalie is an absolute disaster- from bossing around everyone she knows(which D finds endearing), to cutting off anyone that speaks (which D finds endearing) to badmouthing her younger brothers (which daphne and dimitri separately find hilarious). She's even a terrible friend to Daphne! I kept reading hoping it would get better..... it absolutely did not. when you find you hate both main characters, your time is being wasted. NEXT!
I have really loved some of MC's novels. This one so isn't it. I quit at 60%, but honestly I could have quit right away.
She paints Dimitri to be dim-witted and love-stricken for a complete stranger.
Rosalie is an absolute disaster- from bossing around everyone she knows(which D finds endearing), to cutting off anyone that speaks (which D finds endearing) to badmouthing her younger brothers (which daphne and dimitri separately find hilarious). She's even a terrible friend to Daphne! I kept reading hoping it would get better..... it absolutely did not. when you find you hate both main characters, your time is being wasted. NEXT!
December 31, 2024
I was ready for a new fairytale series and Melanie Cellier's always have an enjoyable twist. Plus I'm a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast riff and a clean romance. This one took a minute for me to get into, but overall it was a nice note on which to end my reading year. (Yes, NOW you can calculate my 2024 year of books Goodreads. Good grief.)
January 22, 2025
I really loved the idea behind this new series by Melanie Cellier, especially as it reminded me in parts of Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdom series which I also loved, but that series is adult whereas the Legacy series is YA/ suitable for most ages. This is a clean retelling, and while there are some similarities between the series I mentioned, the stories are told differently and you don't get the feeling that this is a copy of the other, it isn't - there are plenty of original elements. In the 500 Kingdoms series the active force that is behind the fairytales (almost like a living entity itself) is called "the Tradition, and here it is known as "the Legacy". The Legacy is explained as the story goes along, but basically each of the kingdoms in this world was founded by the original fairytale we know, but here it's real - it's their actual history, and The Legacy tries to force the inhabitants of the various kingdoms into retelling/reliving the original fairytales over and over- in this case it's Beauty and the Beast.
However, you are not guaranteed a happy ending by the Legacy, it might only take one or 2 similarities in your life or situation to trigger the Legacy into action, and each version/retelling is different. Unlike the 500 Kingdoms or in Melanie Cellier's previous fairytale kingdom series, the characters who live in these kingdoms are not helped along or guided by Fairy Godmothers etc, they have to avoid the effects of the Legacy by themselves, and some - like Rosalie the main female character who happens to be the youngest daughter of a rich merchant - live in fear of it (with good reason in her case, which is why she freaks out when handsome single guy Dimitri moves into the local abandoned manor which starts to sprout enticing roses and magically transform... ). Rosalie along with her friends and family - and Dimitri (who knows nothing about the Legacy to begin with) get caught up in ways to try and stop the Legacy from taking over their lives and forcing them down a certain path.
The story is told from the POV of both Rosalie and Dimitri and in the 3rd person rather than in the first person, which works better here.
I found Legacy of Roses to be heartwarming and interesting, full of great characters, unusual elements and plot twists and is not just another typical BATB retelling. I loved the comedy elements especially, Cellier really has a lot of fun with this one, and the way the characters interact is hilarious in some parts - not just Rosalie and Dimitri but also her bestie Daphne, Rosalie's mischievous triplet teen brothers (who are icked out by their sister's romance but they all have major crushes on Daphne), and the manor itself ( the bit with the chairs made me giggle especially).
This is a great first book, it feels original and refreshing, and in my opinion the series has a lot of potential. While I enjoyed Melanie Cellier's other fairytale series very much, I think I like this one even more so far! Can't wait for the next book!
However, you are not guaranteed a happy ending by the Legacy, it might only take one or 2 similarities in your life or situation to trigger the Legacy into action, and each version/retelling is different. Unlike the 500 Kingdoms or in Melanie Cellier's previous fairytale kingdom series, the characters who live in these kingdoms are not helped along or guided by Fairy Godmothers etc, they have to avoid the effects of the Legacy by themselves, and some - like Rosalie the main female character who happens to be the youngest daughter of a rich merchant - live in fear of it (with good reason in her case, which is why she freaks out when handsome single guy Dimitri moves into the local abandoned manor which starts to sprout enticing roses and magically transform... ). Rosalie along with her friends and family - and Dimitri (who knows nothing about the Legacy to begin with) get caught up in ways to try and stop the Legacy from taking over their lives and forcing them down a certain path.
The story is told from the POV of both Rosalie and Dimitri and in the 3rd person rather than in the first person, which works better here.
I found Legacy of Roses to be heartwarming and interesting, full of great characters, unusual elements and plot twists and is not just another typical BATB retelling. I loved the comedy elements especially, Cellier really has a lot of fun with this one, and the way the characters interact is hilarious in some parts - not just Rosalie and Dimitri but also her bestie Daphne, Rosalie's mischievous triplet teen brothers (who are icked out by their sister's romance but they all have major crushes on Daphne), and the manor itself ( the bit with the chairs made me giggle especially).
This is a great first book, it feels original and refreshing, and in my opinion the series has a lot of potential. While I enjoyed Melanie Cellier's other fairytale series very much, I think I like this one even more so far! Can't wait for the next book!
July 16, 2025
I was thoroughly swept away by Legacy of Roses! 🌹 ❤️
Melanie Cellier gives us a fresh and fascinating take on Beauty and the Beast by weaving fairy tale retellings into the very fabric of the world. In the kingdom of Glandore, fairytales are more than stories—they’re historical events, and their lingering magic, known as the Legacy, continues to echo through each generation. It's a dangerous force that tries to recreate the original tale using new "players"—and Rosalie, our heroine, knows all too well how tragic that can be.
Rosalie is smart, brave, and burdened with the fear of repeating the past. Her family has already been devastated by the Legacy once. So when Dimitri—a handsome, titled stranger—shows up to claim the abandoned castle in the woods (sound familiar?), Rosalie’s panic is understandable. She checks all the boxes for the original tale’s heroine, and Dimitri is unknowingly falling into the role of the cursed prince.
And let me just say: Dimitri was down bad fast. He’s protective, respectful, and has major golden retriever energy. Their romance is so sweet and swoonworthy, and the clean love story made every moment more tender. The banter was lovely, and the way their connection grows—despite the looming fear of the Legacy—was perfectly paced. 😊✨💖
The twist on the classic story is what really makes this shine. Rather than passively submitting to the tale, Rosalie, Dimitri, and Daphne decide to manipulate the Legacy, acting out key events to trigger its magic—but on their own terms. And yes, Dimitri does turn into a beast, not just metaphorically. It’s emotional, tragic, and nearly fatal—and the moment hits hard because you know how much he and Rosalie have come to care for each other.
Other highlights:
⚫️ Daphne and Rosalie’s friendship is wonderful—funny, loyal, and refreshingly strong. I’m really looking forward to Daphne’s story in the next book (Sleeping Beauty vibes, anyone?).
⚫️ Rosalie’s triplet brothers are chaotic and hilarious, especially when they help orchestrate mischief and rescue plans.
⚫️ The dream-sharing magic added such a cool emotional layer—and gave us a beautiful way to show deep trust between characters, not just romance.
Now for the one thing that took me out of the story 😬: the climax. When Rosalie is kidnapped near the end, she’s rescued by Avery—a character who had only been mentioned maybe twice up to that point, in passing. We don’t meet her, talk to her, or even get a physical description until she shows up as the hero. I later found out Avery is the main character in the prequel novella (Book 0.5), but I was told the prequel wasn’t necessary to understand the rest of the series. If we’d had just one conversation with her earlier in the book, that scene would have landed so much better. As it was, it broke my immersion for a good 10–15 pages and felt like a missed opportunity—especially when Rosalie’s brothers or father could have played that role just as well. 😅
That said, I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty-inspired sequels coming in 2025! ✨🙌 With a standout premise, a lovable cast, and a fresh take on a well-loved fairytale, Legacy of Roses was a whimsical, heartfelt adventure I’ll happily recommend to fellow fairy tale fans.
Melanie Cellier gives us a fresh and fascinating take on Beauty and the Beast by weaving fairy tale retellings into the very fabric of the world. In the kingdom of Glandore, fairytales are more than stories—they’re historical events, and their lingering magic, known as the Legacy, continues to echo through each generation. It's a dangerous force that tries to recreate the original tale using new "players"—and Rosalie, our heroine, knows all too well how tragic that can be.
Rosalie is smart, brave, and burdened with the fear of repeating the past. Her family has already been devastated by the Legacy once. So when Dimitri—a handsome, titled stranger—shows up to claim the abandoned castle in the woods (sound familiar?), Rosalie’s panic is understandable. She checks all the boxes for the original tale’s heroine, and Dimitri is unknowingly falling into the role of the cursed prince.
And let me just say: Dimitri was down bad fast. He’s protective, respectful, and has major golden retriever energy. Their romance is so sweet and swoonworthy, and the clean love story made every moment more tender. The banter was lovely, and the way their connection grows—despite the looming fear of the Legacy—was perfectly paced. 😊✨💖
The twist on the classic story is what really makes this shine. Rather than passively submitting to the tale, Rosalie, Dimitri, and Daphne decide to manipulate the Legacy, acting out key events to trigger its magic—but on their own terms. And yes, Dimitri does turn into a beast, not just metaphorically. It’s emotional, tragic, and nearly fatal—and the moment hits hard because you know how much he and Rosalie have come to care for each other.
Other highlights:
⚫️ Daphne and Rosalie’s friendship is wonderful—funny, loyal, and refreshingly strong. I’m really looking forward to Daphne’s story in the next book (Sleeping Beauty vibes, anyone?).
⚫️ Rosalie’s triplet brothers are chaotic and hilarious, especially when they help orchestrate mischief and rescue plans.
⚫️ The dream-sharing magic added such a cool emotional layer—and gave us a beautiful way to show deep trust between characters, not just romance.
Now for the one thing that took me out of the story 😬: the climax. When Rosalie is kidnapped near the end, she’s rescued by Avery—a character who had only been mentioned maybe twice up to that point, in passing. We don’t meet her, talk to her, or even get a physical description until she shows up as the hero. I later found out Avery is the main character in the prequel novella (Book 0.5), but I was told the prequel wasn’t necessary to understand the rest of the series. If we’d had just one conversation with her earlier in the book, that scene would have landed so much better. As it was, it broke my immersion for a good 10–15 pages and felt like a missed opportunity—especially when Rosalie’s brothers or father could have played that role just as well. 😅
That said, I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty-inspired sequels coming in 2025! ✨🙌 With a standout premise, a lovable cast, and a fresh take on a well-loved fairytale, Legacy of Roses was a whimsical, heartfelt adventure I’ll happily recommend to fellow fairy tale fans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2025
4.75 stars.
This is an extremely clever retelling of Beauty and the Beast, reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. It's not an exact copy, but it uses a few similar ideas to create a series of kingdoms where a powerful, faceless magic imposes fairy tale tropes upon the populace whether they want it to or not. People looking to seize their own destinies have figured out various ways of manipulating what is in this universe called the Legacy to (hopefully) get desired outcomes. Each kingdom in Cellier's new universe has its own particular fairy tale that suffuses the everyday life there, and those who leave the kingdom into which they were born are subjected to magical punishment until they return.
Our protagonist Rosalie is very aware of the havok the Legacy can wreck. In her kingdom of Glandore, the original Beauty and the Beast is the blueprint, so as the youngest daughter of a merchant who has recently lost his fortune, she knows the Beast is likely to make his appearance in her life at any time. What she doesn't expect is Dimitri, a young lord who has recently inherited the local manor house but seems completely oblivious to the danger the Legacy represents to them both. Together they set out to thwart the Legacy and write their own endings to the well-trod tale.
This book definitely shows some growth on Cellier's part as a writer in terms of plotting. Her first retelling of Beauty and the Beast (A Tale of Beauty and Beast) was good, but it was beat-for-beat the Disney movie with very little deviation, and I knew even then from reading other works of hers Cellier was capable of more creativity than that. I'm glad to say I was very impressed with her knowledge of the original fairy tale and how she made it work to her own ends (much like her characters do in the book).
This is an extremely clever retelling of Beauty and the Beast, reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. It's not an exact copy, but it uses a few similar ideas to create a series of kingdoms where a powerful, faceless magic imposes fairy tale tropes upon the populace whether they want it to or not. People looking to seize their own destinies have figured out various ways of manipulating what is in this universe called the Legacy to (hopefully) get desired outcomes. Each kingdom in Cellier's new universe has its own particular fairy tale that suffuses the everyday life there, and those who leave the kingdom into which they were born are subjected to magical punishment until they return.
Our protagonist Rosalie is very aware of the havok the Legacy can wreck. In her kingdom of Glandore, the original Beauty and the Beast is the blueprint, so as the youngest daughter of a merchant who has recently lost his fortune, she knows the Beast is likely to make his appearance in her life at any time. What she doesn't expect is Dimitri, a young lord who has recently inherited the local manor house but seems completely oblivious to the danger the Legacy represents to them both. Together they set out to thwart the Legacy and write their own endings to the well-trod tale.
This book definitely shows some growth on Cellier's part as a writer in terms of plotting. Her first retelling of Beauty and the Beast (A Tale of Beauty and Beast) was good, but it was beat-for-beat the Disney movie with very little deviation, and I knew even then from reading other works of hers Cellier was capable of more creativity than that. I'm glad to say I was very impressed with her knowledge of the original fairy tale and how she made it work to her own ends (much like her characters do in the book).
September 8, 2025
Content Warnings: Betrayal, kidnapping, mentions of the passing of a family member
This book was extremely confusing. I literally had to read reviews to understand what exactly was happening, which in my opinion isn’t a good thing. I had read one review where someone said it’s the first book so it’s a little info dumpy, where was the info dump?! I would’ve preferred that!
The main confusion is with the Legacy. It’s barely explained. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be magic or fate, and it’s definitely not explained that the main fairytale is their history which tends to repeat itself. At first I thought we would be learning about the Legacy along with Dimitri since he lived somewhere that wasn’t effected by it. Nope! We just get mentions that he read about it and the history of the land, but we don’t learn anything with him. Then Rosalie constantly gets mad at him over the Legacy which he knows nothing about, and she could actually take the time to explain it but she doesn’t. Along with this, there’s a lot of being told that things are happening and not actually being able to see it with the character that experienced it.
Speaking of the characters, we don’t really get a lot of character interactions so I felt like their development was very one note. The romance felt very insta-love despite Rosalie “fighting” her feelings. The character that was supposed to be the “mean girl” was extremely nice to Rosalie and never did anything to treat her bad, yet Rosalie kept having thoughts like she was always being bullied. The villain was more of a background character and we’re told of his past devious actions, but nothing really happens in his actual scenes. There’s just no high stakes, even the part that was supposed to be was lackluster.
This story had a really interesting concept. It just wasn’t explained very well. I’m disappointed, but I am willing to give the other fairytale series by this author a chance.
This book was extremely confusing. I literally had to read reviews to understand what exactly was happening, which in my opinion isn’t a good thing. I had read one review where someone said it’s the first book so it’s a little info dumpy, where was the info dump?! I would’ve preferred that!
The main confusion is with the Legacy. It’s barely explained. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be magic or fate, and it’s definitely not explained that the main fairytale is their history which tends to repeat itself. At first I thought we would be learning about the Legacy along with Dimitri since he lived somewhere that wasn’t effected by it. Nope! We just get mentions that he read about it and the history of the land, but we don’t learn anything with him. Then Rosalie constantly gets mad at him over the Legacy which he knows nothing about, and she could actually take the time to explain it but she doesn’t. Along with this, there’s a lot of being told that things are happening and not actually being able to see it with the character that experienced it.
Speaking of the characters, we don’t really get a lot of character interactions so I felt like their development was very one note. The romance felt very insta-love despite Rosalie “fighting” her feelings. The character that was supposed to be the “mean girl” was extremely nice to Rosalie and never did anything to treat her bad, yet Rosalie kept having thoughts like she was always being bullied. The villain was more of a background character and we’re told of his past devious actions, but nothing really happens in his actual scenes. There’s just no high stakes, even the part that was supposed to be was lackluster.
This story had a really interesting concept. It just wasn’t explained very well. I’m disappointed, but I am willing to give the other fairytale series by this author a chance.
December 29, 2024
This was quite a clever retelling! In these kingdoms, fairy tales were once actual history, and the Legacy lives on and affects daily life. Rosalie, the youngest daughter of a merchant, has already been hurt by the Legacy’s power. When handsome Dimitri, a distant relative of royalty, comes to live in the rundown manor he inherited, Rosalie is terrified of what the Legacy might do. Despite Rosalie’s warnings, Dimitri isn’t interested in leaving his new home; he has questions about his past that need answers, and he is growing fond of the town and certain inhabitants. So he comes up with a plan to outwit the Legacy and protect Rosalie and her family at the same time. All he and Rosalie need to do is play along with the Legacy to convince it to give them what they need. Nothing could go wrong…right?
I didn’t feel that the story dragged on at any point- both Rosalie and Dimitri were well written characters with realistic struggles, particularly Rosalie’s fear of the Legacy’s power. This is Melanie’s first time doing dual POV, and I think she rocked it!
And I absolutely loved Daphne! Best friend of Rosalie, she is from another kingdom, and has her own Legacy effects to deal with. Thankfully we will be seeing her in the next tale, and if she doesn’t get a story of her own I’ll be astounded!
Rosalie’s three younger brothers have a part to play in this story, and while I don’t have younger brothers of my own, I felt they were realistically done.
I don’t want to give too much away about the villain. While he could be called a Gaston character, I don’t think he has enough in common. Most B & the B villains are so obviously based off Gaston, but I think this is most original villain I have ever read in a B & the B novel.
Ok this going on way too long, but I’m really excited about this new fairy tale series and each kingdom’s Legacy!
I didn’t feel that the story dragged on at any point- both Rosalie and Dimitri were well written characters with realistic struggles, particularly Rosalie’s fear of the Legacy’s power. This is Melanie’s first time doing dual POV, and I think she rocked it!
And I absolutely loved Daphne! Best friend of Rosalie, she is from another kingdom, and has her own Legacy effects to deal with. Thankfully we will be seeing her in the next tale, and if she doesn’t get a story of her own I’ll be astounded!
Rosalie’s three younger brothers have a part to play in this story, and while I don’t have younger brothers of my own, I felt they were realistically done.
I don’t want to give too much away about the villain. While he could be called a Gaston character, I don’t think he has enough in common. Most B & the B villains are so obviously based off Gaston, but I think this is most original villain I have ever read in a B & the B novel.
Ok this going on way too long, but I’m really excited about this new fairy tale series and each kingdom’s Legacy!
June 28, 2025
I've read lots of Beauty & the Beast retellings, it's my favorite fairy tale, however, I felt like this one was trying a bit too hard to be new and different - at last at first.
In it we have what they call The Legacy, which is the force that tries to push people who fit certain profiles into certain roles - to repeat all of the classic stories we know over and over again. In this case, each Kingdom has a different Legacy, corresponding to the different fairy tales we know.
They call the original fairy tale the "original history" - but I don't know if that's the right term. After all, fairy tales are not really "history," are they? They are legends, stories that may have been inspired by kernels of truth but not truth like real history. I know the term "original history" from the 90s Sci-fi Time Travel series "Quantum Leap." It refers to the story as it was before Sam leapt back in time and changed the course of events. I think it makes more sense in that setting.
Also, I was first introduced to this idea of The Legacy in Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series. I don't remember what she called it, I don't think it was The Legacy, but the idea was the same. I'm not sure I like that idea, as it sort of hints that these characters have no free will. There is some debate here as to just how much The Legacy can control, but even so, it can cause a bit of confusion in the story, IMHO. I'd prefer having just a straight retelling.
But, having said that, I did grow to like this story more as it went on. Initially, I didn't get why Rosalie was being so mean to Dimitri. They mentioned in passing that he looked a lot like Jace, the ex who treated Rosalie and her family very badly. I didn't put it together until later in the book. Rosalie was judging Dimitri based on his looks - and he looked like someone who hurt her badly - so she hated him right off the bat. Once Dimitri turned into the Beast, she was able to not see Jace when she looked at him -- and THAT'S when she began to see him in a different light. Or - as he really is. I have to admit that's a pretty neat twist on the story!
Although, it's bad enough being turned into a Beast to learn a lesson, this way, poor Dimitri became a Beast simply because he fit the role, and that set The Legacy's magic off in full force. And they stress that The Legacy does not care if things work out happily. But that doesn't really make sense. If the original story ended happily, why wouldn't the Legacy see to it that this one does also? See what I mean? There's confusion if you think about things too much. Which I admittedly tend to do a lot. :)
Dimitri and Jace looking alike was an interesting element. There are some versions of the story, including the French film from 1940, where the Beast in Prince form turns out to look just like one of Beauty's suitors whom she did not like. So there is a precedent for that.
However, as someone else mentioned, there are some elements here attributed to the "original history" that I have not heard before. I don't know where the author got some of those elements, but they have not been in versions I've ever read.
I am looking forward to Daphne's story. She must be Sleeping Beauty - but it's not the next installment. The next one will be Cinderella. I like Daphne a lot - sometimes more than Rosalie in this book. But I do think she does tend to upstage Rosalie a little bit. I mean, it's hard not to get distracted by Daphne falling asleep so easily!
Overall, I wound up liking this book more than I originally thought and look forward to reading more of Melanie Cellier.
In it we have what they call The Legacy, which is the force that tries to push people who fit certain profiles into certain roles - to repeat all of the classic stories we know over and over again. In this case, each Kingdom has a different Legacy, corresponding to the different fairy tales we know.
They call the original fairy tale the "original history" - but I don't know if that's the right term. After all, fairy tales are not really "history," are they? They are legends, stories that may have been inspired by kernels of truth but not truth like real history. I know the term "original history" from the 90s Sci-fi Time Travel series "Quantum Leap." It refers to the story as it was before Sam leapt back in time and changed the course of events. I think it makes more sense in that setting.
Also, I was first introduced to this idea of The Legacy in Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series. I don't remember what she called it, I don't think it was The Legacy, but the idea was the same. I'm not sure I like that idea, as it sort of hints that these characters have no free will. There is some debate here as to just how much The Legacy can control, but even so, it can cause a bit of confusion in the story, IMHO. I'd prefer having just a straight retelling.
But, having said that, I did grow to like this story more as it went on. Initially, I didn't get why Rosalie was being so mean to Dimitri. They mentioned in passing that he looked a lot like Jace, the ex who treated Rosalie and her family very badly. I didn't put it together until later in the book. Rosalie was judging Dimitri based on his looks - and he looked like someone who hurt her badly - so she hated him right off the bat. Once Dimitri turned into the Beast, she was able to not see Jace when she looked at him -- and THAT'S when she began to see him in a different light. Or - as he really is. I have to admit that's a pretty neat twist on the story!
Although, it's bad enough being turned into a Beast to learn a lesson, this way, poor Dimitri became a Beast simply because he fit the role, and that set The Legacy's magic off in full force. And they stress that The Legacy does not care if things work out happily. But that doesn't really make sense. If the original story ended happily, why wouldn't the Legacy see to it that this one does also? See what I mean? There's confusion if you think about things too much. Which I admittedly tend to do a lot. :)
Dimitri and Jace looking alike was an interesting element. There are some versions of the story, including the French film from 1940, where the Beast in Prince form turns out to look just like one of Beauty's suitors whom she did not like. So there is a precedent for that.
However, as someone else mentioned, there are some elements here attributed to the "original history" that I have not heard before. I don't know where the author got some of those elements, but they have not been in versions I've ever read.
I am looking forward to Daphne's story. She must be Sleeping Beauty - but it's not the next installment. The next one will be Cinderella. I like Daphne a lot - sometimes more than Rosalie in this book. But I do think she does tend to upstage Rosalie a little bit. I mean, it's hard not to get distracted by Daphne falling asleep so easily!
Overall, I wound up liking this book more than I originally thought and look forward to reading more of Melanie Cellier.
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March 15, 2025
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I’m SO excited to finally read this one!! I have heard great things! The cover is STUNNING!! Rosalie had to grow on me a little bit! But it didn’t take long for me to like her! Her little brothers were funny! Triplets…how delightful! I don’t think I’ve read a book with triplet brothers before! Dimitri was great! He was charming, funny and protective! I loved how her and Dimitri met! They were just perfect for each other! Their love story was beautiful and sweet! Man, I hated Jace! The bird was hilarious! The library was beautiful! I would love to have a library like that! I loved seeing the themes from Beauty and the Beast woven throughout this story and one of my favorites with this fairytale! This was so different from anything I had ever read and it was amazing! The Legacy and the kingdoms were fascinating and I absolutely loved it! It was so unique and I can’t wait to read more! Melanie Cellier keeps writing fantastic books and I can’t get enough of them! I throughly LOVED and can’t wait to continue the series! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quote that I liked:
🌹 She cupped Dimitri's face with both hands, watching as his eyes lit up in response. “I love you," she murmured, tears dropping from her eyes to run down his cheeks. "I love your brave, deter mined heart, your clever mind, your thoughtfulness, your natural skill with people-even your strong arms. I loved you as the Beast, but I love you even more as a man. Being around you makes my heart beat uncomfortably fast. It always has. I'm sorry I tried to close my eyes and my heart to you."
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I’m SO excited to finally read this one!! I have heard great things! The cover is STUNNING!! Rosalie had to grow on me a little bit! But it didn’t take long for me to like her! Her little brothers were funny! Triplets…how delightful! I don’t think I’ve read a book with triplet brothers before! Dimitri was great! He was charming, funny and protective! I loved how her and Dimitri met! They were just perfect for each other! Their love story was beautiful and sweet! Man, I hated Jace! The bird was hilarious! The library was beautiful! I would love to have a library like that! I loved seeing the themes from Beauty and the Beast woven throughout this story and one of my favorites with this fairytale! This was so different from anything I had ever read and it was amazing! The Legacy and the kingdoms were fascinating and I absolutely loved it! It was so unique and I can’t wait to read more! Melanie Cellier keeps writing fantastic books and I can’t get enough of them! I throughly LOVED and can’t wait to continue the series! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quote that I liked:
🌹 She cupped Dimitri's face with both hands, watching as his eyes lit up in response. “I love you," she murmured, tears dropping from her eyes to run down his cheeks. "I love your brave, deter mined heart, your clever mind, your thoughtfulness, your natural skill with people-even your strong arms. I loved you as the Beast, but I love you even more as a man. Being around you makes my heart beat uncomfortably fast. It always has. I'm sorry I tried to close my eyes and my heart to you."
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
May 30, 2025
Welcome to a world governed by old fairytales, a land where a curse has caused anything representing a fairytale to magically pursue that tale’s pattern. So, in Glandore, roses grow everywhere, inviting the naïve to pick one and set into motion the tale of Beauty and the Beast.
I couldn’t find any reason for this “Legacy,” nor determine if the magic was cogent or a passively reactive force. The inhabitants were stymied by these questions, as well. “As far as the Legacy is concerned, it’s a castle,” one quips, noting how the local manor house was built of stone and had turrets. Therefore, the fairytale of a rose picked at a castle could be activated there.
Rosalie was terrified by this idea because she fit the description of the girl captured by the Beast in the original story.
“Do you think you can prevent it by willpower alone?” her BFF Daphne challenged. And, yes, that is the heart of the story: Rosalie’s will vs. the will of the Legacy. It often borders on the absurd.
One of the themes behind this was deception. Beautiful roses carried a deadly snare. A princely young man was a beast. A Beast was a princely young man. And a fairytale Legacy loved to ruin and destroy people’s dreams and very lives—generation after generation. (It won’t end here.)
Even the blessings were deceptive: a perpetually clean magical building that produced whatever you desired materially—but no real sustenance (like food or friendship). This ongoing irony makes the reader wonder about people who want fairytale lives. It’s not all it’s made out to be!
Though I enjoyed aspects of the main characters, I was never really hooked by the story and its “Legacy.”
I couldn’t find any reason for this “Legacy,” nor determine if the magic was cogent or a passively reactive force. The inhabitants were stymied by these questions, as well. “As far as the Legacy is concerned, it’s a castle,” one quips, noting how the local manor house was built of stone and had turrets. Therefore, the fairytale of a rose picked at a castle could be activated there.
Rosalie was terrified by this idea because she fit the description of the girl captured by the Beast in the original story.
“Do you think you can prevent it by willpower alone?” her BFF Daphne challenged. And, yes, that is the heart of the story: Rosalie’s will vs. the will of the Legacy. It often borders on the absurd.
One of the themes behind this was deception. Beautiful roses carried a deadly snare. A princely young man was a beast. A Beast was a princely young man. And a fairytale Legacy loved to ruin and destroy people’s dreams and very lives—generation after generation. (It won’t end here.)
Even the blessings were deceptive: a perpetually clean magical building that produced whatever you desired materially—but no real sustenance (like food or friendship). This ongoing irony makes the reader wonder about people who want fairytale lives. It’s not all it’s made out to be!
Though I enjoyed aspects of the main characters, I was never really hooked by the story and its “Legacy.”
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