What do you think?
Rate this book
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
About the author
Melanie Cellier
87 books2,835 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 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!
May 6, 2026
DNFing this one at page 143.
I've had so many people I follow RAVING about this new series... I'm usually not one for fairytale retellings, but with how much this one was talked about I figured I'd give it a go.
It's not a bad book... But no part of it was very interesting to me personally.
The characters were fine, the plot was okay... The worldbuilding and ideas of "The Legacy" were interesting.
Overall, I just can't keep trying to read it... I have other books I'd prefer to read over this one. 😅 I've read one of this author's other books... The first one in the first series she had writted. But I really disliked that one, and this one was better... So, that was nice!
But let me be clear, this is just my own thoughts on it. I know several folks who loved it, so this one has been DNFed because of my own tastes... Not because there's anything wrong with it in specific. :)
Content warnings: A bit of fairytale magic. (Beauty and the beast related.) I don't think there was anything else up to the point I read... It's very clean.
I've had so many people I follow RAVING about this new series... I'm usually not one for fairytale retellings, but with how much this one was talked about I figured I'd give it a go.
It's not a bad book... But no part of it was very interesting to me personally.
The characters were fine, the plot was okay... The worldbuilding and ideas of "The Legacy" were interesting.
Overall, I just can't keep trying to read it... I have other books I'd prefer to read over this one. 😅 I've read one of this author's other books... The first one in the first series she had writted. But I really disliked that one, and this one was better... So, that was nice!
But let me be clear, this is just my own thoughts on it. I know several folks who loved it, so this one has been DNFed because of my own tastes... Not because there's anything wrong with it in specific. :)
Content warnings: A bit of fairytale magic. (Beauty and the beast related.) I don't think there was anything else up to the point I read... It's very clean.
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⭐
February 13, 2026
A unique and interesting take on fairy tales!
There are so many retellings out there at this point that it can be hard to find a unique one but this start of a new series was definitely unique. It’s sort of a Beauty and the Beast retelling but not entirely; it’s a reimagining filled with cleverness and wit. I liked seeing Rosalie and Dimitri work to outthink and outmaneuver the Legacy, which keeps trying to push them into their assigned roles. The triplet brothers were giving strong vibes of the brothers from the movie Brave and I enjoyed the scenes they were in since they brought a lot of mischief and humor to the story. I liked looking for each character’s counterpart to the original fairy tale as well. I especially enjoyed Rosalie’s relationship with Daphne and I’m definitely intrigued to read her story. This was a fun read!
There are so many retellings out there at this point that it can be hard to find a unique one but this start of a new series was definitely unique. It’s sort of a Beauty and the Beast retelling but not entirely; it’s a reimagining filled with cleverness and wit. I liked seeing Rosalie and Dimitri work to outthink and outmaneuver the Legacy, which keeps trying to push them into their assigned roles. The triplet brothers were giving strong vibes of the brothers from the movie Brave and I enjoyed the scenes they were in since they brought a lot of mischief and humor to the story. I liked looking for each character’s counterpart to the original fairy tale as well. I especially enjoyed Rosalie’s relationship with Daphne and I’m definitely intrigued to read her story. This was a fun read!
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.
April 26, 2026
Fighting the Legacy
If Rosalie knows one thing, its how tricky the legacy can be. When Dimitri shows up at the manor, she believes all is lost. Her life is over.
But Dimitri is different. He isnt Jace. He may look like Jace but he isnt like him at all. That is more apparent when Jace abducts her. He is back in town and he wants something.
To defeat Jace and the legacy, they hatch a plan. Theyll play through the story and break the curse, saving Dimitri and her family at the same time. What could possibly go wrong?
A story full of heart, true friendship, and courage. A super fun read!
If Rosalie knows one thing, its how tricky the legacy can be. When Dimitri shows up at the manor, she believes all is lost. Her life is over.
But Dimitri is different. He isnt Jace. He may look like Jace but he isnt like him at all. That is more apparent when Jace abducts her. He is back in town and he wants something.
To defeat Jace and the legacy, they hatch a plan. Theyll play through the story and break the curse, saving Dimitri and her family at the same time. What could possibly go wrong?
A story full of heart, true friendship, and courage. A super fun read!
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.
March 18, 2026
A nice light read
I have read a couple books lately with darker themes and I needed something light with a happy ending. This book did not disappoint in that regard. It was a bit obnoxious with the constant references to the Legacy. I did like the story and most of the characters. A good clean read with a predictable ending. It was perfect!
I have read a couple books lately with darker themes and I needed something light with a happy ending. This book did not disappoint in that regard. It was a bit obnoxious with the constant references to the Legacy. I did like the story and most of the characters. A good clean read with a predictable ending. It was perfect!
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!!
February 17, 2026
I really loved this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It was just different enough that I was kept guessing about what would happen next.
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...
January 31, 2026
This might be the strangest Beauty and the Beast story I've read, and it was very good! I was a little bored for the first 50% of the book, which really took its time establishing the foundation of the story in a necessary, if unengaging, way. That's the only reason I couldn't give the book five stars! Along with the story being very well done and interesting once it picked up, I really loved the side characters! Daphne, and Rosalie's brothers were so very fun to read!
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.)
April 19, 2026
Legacy of Roses by Melanie Cellier is the first in her newest series of fairy tales called Kingdoms of Legacy, which takes place in a world where people are forced to live out the fairy tales of the past. After completing her extensive Four Kingdoms books, which ran for many years and expanded through many series, it would not have been possible to keep doing fairy tale retellings without trying something new. This is her second "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, and I have to admit that I preferred the first one, which was a more literal adaptation of the fairy tale. Following up A Tale of Beauty and the Beast with Legacy of Roses reminds me of Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter, her attempt to retell "Beauty and the Beast" in a new way that failed to gain the same appeal as her first adaptation, Beauty.
Legacy of Roses begins when a stranger named Dimitri moves to a small village to take residence in his family's manor, which happens to be a castle that is cursed by the mysterious Legacy powers. Shortly after arriving, he is spotted by Rosalie, who is obsessed with the Legacy curse. She warns him to avoid the manor for fear of activating the curse, but he refuses due to his desire to learn more about his family's history. Still, he is taken by Rosalie and her friend, Daphne, and decides to learn more about the curse and its connection to all of them. When he finds out that Rosalie is being pursued by her greedy ex, Jace, Dimitri's priority shifts to keeping her safe at all costs.
The characters and writing in this book are strong, as expected from such a seasoned author. The love story is great. It was clear that Rosalie was instantly attracted to Dimitri, but tried to fight it due to her past experiences with Jace and her desire to avoid the curse. Dimitri is a likable character who is instantly drawn to Rosalie and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her, no matter how silly it makes him look or how much extra hair he grows as a result. I also loved Daphne, who took on more of a "fairy godmother" role and attempted to manipulate the legacy in Rosalie and Dimitri's favor as much as possible. Her chronic sleeping made me suspect she might come back in another fairy tale adaptation in this series about a certain tired princess. The addition of Rosalie's brothers was fun and added something from the original fairy tale that isn't included in most retellings.
My only issue with this book was the concept itself. I had a difficult time believing that unseen powers forced everyone to relive classic fairy tales over and over again. The idea of the Legacy curse creates the troubled notion that no one has free will, which was Rosalie's main struggle throughout the book. Granted, this concept is almost identical to Ever After High, but that made up for it by not taking itself too seriously. In the first Ever After High book and webisode, Raven Queen exerted her free will by refusing to sign the Book of Legacy. Instead of finding a way to fight the Legacy in this book, there are some awkward moments in which the characters try to encourage it by reading "lines" from the original fairy tale with hammy acting, which felt a bit off-putting in a story that tried to take itself so seriously.
Overall, I think the Kingdoms of Legacy series would be perfect for someone looking for a more serious version of Ever After High. It succeeds in not being a direct copy of the Four Kingdoms books, in which Melanie Cellier covered most of these fairy tales more directly. However, the slow pacing and obsession over an unseen power that controlled people's fates made it difficult to swallow, causing certain parts of the book to feel more forced than they should have. I hope that the later books in this series do more to explore the logistics of the Legacy curse and come up with a more palatable explanation for it than the universe trying to recreate famous fairy tales.
Legacy of Roses begins when a stranger named Dimitri moves to a small village to take residence in his family's manor, which happens to be a castle that is cursed by the mysterious Legacy powers. Shortly after arriving, he is spotted by Rosalie, who is obsessed with the Legacy curse. She warns him to avoid the manor for fear of activating the curse, but he refuses due to his desire to learn more about his family's history. Still, he is taken by Rosalie and her friend, Daphne, and decides to learn more about the curse and its connection to all of them. When he finds out that Rosalie is being pursued by her greedy ex, Jace, Dimitri's priority shifts to keeping her safe at all costs.
The characters and writing in this book are strong, as expected from such a seasoned author. The love story is great. It was clear that Rosalie was instantly attracted to Dimitri, but tried to fight it due to her past experiences with Jace and her desire to avoid the curse. Dimitri is a likable character who is instantly drawn to Rosalie and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her, no matter how silly it makes him look or how much extra hair he grows as a result. I also loved Daphne, who took on more of a "fairy godmother" role and attempted to manipulate the legacy in Rosalie and Dimitri's favor as much as possible. Her chronic sleeping made me suspect she might come back in another fairy tale adaptation in this series about a certain tired princess. The addition of Rosalie's brothers was fun and added something from the original fairy tale that isn't included in most retellings.
My only issue with this book was the concept itself. I had a difficult time believing that unseen powers forced everyone to relive classic fairy tales over and over again. The idea of the Legacy curse creates the troubled notion that no one has free will, which was Rosalie's main struggle throughout the book. Granted, this concept is almost identical to Ever After High, but that made up for it by not taking itself too seriously. In the first Ever After High book and webisode, Raven Queen exerted her free will by refusing to sign the Book of Legacy. Instead of finding a way to fight the Legacy in this book, there are some awkward moments in which the characters try to encourage it by reading "lines" from the original fairy tale with hammy acting, which felt a bit off-putting in a story that tried to take itself so seriously.
Overall, I think the Kingdoms of Legacy series would be perfect for someone looking for a more serious version of Ever After High. It succeeds in not being a direct copy of the Four Kingdoms books, in which Melanie Cellier covered most of these fairy tales more directly. However, the slow pacing and obsession over an unseen power that controlled people's fates made it difficult to swallow, causing certain parts of the book to feel more forced than they should have. I hope that the later books in this series do more to explore the logistics of the Legacy curse and come up with a more palatable explanation for it than the universe trying to recreate famous fairy tales.
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!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews