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A Legacy of Magic and Monsters

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The Swan Princess meets The Witcher where magic is forbidden and love is the world’s only hope.

The prince she thought she’d never see again and the kingdom she never planned to return to.

Raised in a kingdom that fears magic for its connection to the evil monsters that prowl the land, Audra hides her power, content with the life she has planned. She would marry her childhood best friend, Prince Graham, and rule the kingdom by his side. Except that’s not what happened.

On the night that should have been the start to her happily ever after, Audra’s whole world is turned upside down and she’s left heartbroken. She escapes to the magical kingdom of Ymira—a place where she’ll learn her powers are nothing to be ashamed of, a place where she’ll find a safe haven.

Until there are a series of mysterious disappearances in Ymira. The monsters are changing and becoming more violent. For the sake of her new family, Audra is forced to return to the court she left and at the mercy of the man who broke her heart.

Prince Graham is the only one she can trust to hunt the creatures threatening their world. But, can she trust herself around the man who still has her heart?

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2025

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Kristen Jennings

3 books22 followers

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5 stars
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16 (42%)
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12 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Felicia Mallon.
1 review
October 16, 2025
This book was like hand crafted specifically for me and my specific interests lol. Can I pick through and find things that I think could be improved on? Sure but in my mind that doesn’t negate the 5-star experience I had in reading this and my excitement to get back to reading it when I was away working or whatever other stupid adult responsibilities I have. (I did keep waiting for the Swan Princess piece of the story to include Audra to transform into an animal, which is not a part of the story so just be aware of that - it’s not literally Swan Princess it’s more so the ~vibes~. I would die for Audra xoxo
Profile Image for Anais (atrailofpages).
1,021 reviews27 followers
May 19, 2026
This follows Audra who has magic, but has always hidden it due to living in a kingdom that does not fully support it.

When the love of her life spurns her, she runs away to Ymira, kingdom of the mages where she learns about her magic and about herself.

This book has a lot of potential. I really liked the idea of the world and the magic. I enjoyed the found family in here. The side characters really made this book so good. I wasn’t a fan of the MCs, but I loved all the side characters, even the villain I guess I’ll call them. For me, the writing style and pacing made it very difficult for me to truly enjoy this book.

This is a very fast-paced book with very slow scenes, if that makes sense. Time passes quickly, like years go by from one chapter to the next, but certain scenes seem to just drag. It seems there was a lot of descriptive parts about the room we walk in, but not enough detail about the actual world and magic system. The magic system intrigued me, but there was no explanation about what exactly they could do. They seemed to use the Force and also control elements. They basically sounded like they could do anything, but not everyone could use magic. Again, kind of like the Force, certain people had like an affinity for magic and were recruited to be mages. Or a Guard because they have magic, but it was confusing and not explained well.

The book starts off with Audra already having grown up with Graham, so we don’t get to experience how their relationship built. Yes, there are flashbacks, but that’s a lot of telling and not showing. Because of this, I didn’t feel any true connection between these two, and we don’t really get to know Graham until the latter half of the book. I will say the author can write romantic, steamy scenes well, but it felt weird for me when I didn’t like their relationship that seemed to start out for me as a bad relationship. I think Audra had a much better connection and relationship with Kasteel that I really loved, but you’re literally told, not shown, in the book multiple times that she views Kasteel as a brother and loves Graham. Okay, fine.

Audra confused me at times. She starts off as this spoiled princess who basically gets upset that she didn’t get what she wanted and literally runs away the next day. Then years later she comes back and literally says that in her younger days she would have done or handled things differently, but she doesn’t. She acts the same petty way she did before. She did learn about herself and her magic, but I didn’t get the impression she matured.

With the telling again, there’s a lot of phrases and quotes in here that are from tropes that people love and they felt like they were thrown in here to make readers love it, but they felt out of place, like added as a second thought.

The plot twist, or I think it was supposed to be, was not a twist. It was very obvious who the villain was. And it just made me think that Audra makes a terrible High Mage 😅 since she didn’t know who it was.

I really expected to enjoy this, but it wasn’t quite for me. I think 3 stars is generous, but I do think there’s something here that just needs the pacing adjusted and to include Audra and Graham’s past to allow me to feel their connection.

I’m curious to know how the next book since it’s technically about two people from this book during this same timeline.

Thank you to the author for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
560 reviews12 followers
May 22, 2026
A Legacy of Magic and Monsters was a heartfelt romantasy that blended magic, monsters, second-chance romance, and personal growth into a story that kept me invested from beginning to end.

At the center of the story is Audra, a heroine who captured my attention immediately. After heartbreak changes the course of her life, she leaves behind everything she thought her future would be and seeks refuge in the magical kingdom of Ymira. What I loved most about her journey was watching her discover who she was outside of the expectations placed upon her by others.

Over the course of the story, Audra grows tremendously while still remaining kind, compassionate, and humble. Even as her responsibilities increase and difficult choices arise, she never loses the qualities that make her such an easy character to root for.

Five years later, circumstances force her to return to the kingdom she left behind and to the man she never truly stopped caring about.

Enter Graham.

And honestly? Graham was peak book boyfriend material.

His love for Audra never felt forced or exaggerated. Instead, it was steady, patient, and unwavering. Even after years apart, the feelings between them remained present, making their reunion feel emotional and believable. Watching them slowly reconnect was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The romance itself is definitely a slow burn, and I appreciated that the relationship was allowed time to develop naturally. Every interaction built upon their history and helped strengthen the emotional payoff as the story progressed.

Alongside the romance, the fantasy elements kept the story engaging. Between the magical kingdom of Ymira, the growing danger surrounding the monsters, and the mystery driving the plot forward, there was always something happening to keep me turning pages.

As a single POV story, readers experience everything through Audra’s perspective, which made her emotional journey feel especially personal and immersive.

If you enjoy:

✨ Romantasy
🖤 Second-chance romance
💕 Slow-burn romance
👑 Strong but kind FMC
🧙‍♀️ Magic & magical kingdoms
⚔️ Monsters & danger
🌙 Character growth
❤️ Childhood love connections
📖 Single POV fantasy romance

then A Legacy of Magic and Monsters is worth adding to your TBR.

⭐️ Overall Rating: 4/5
🔥 Burn Level: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice Level: 2/5
💧 Emotional Impact: 4/5

Thank you to The Author Agency and Kristen Jennings for the ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for HollyBerryBookDragon .
61 reviews2 followers
October 29, 2025
“I will fight with every breath in my body to keep you safe. Wherever you go, I will follow."

Unfortunately this was a real slow start stronger finish read for me - I was SO excited to this read but it just fell short for me personally.

The beginning with Audra being heartbroken & then finding her found family in Yamira with the mages gave me Lies of Lena vibes - but I struggled with the pacing & lack of action, which meant it was hard for me to engage with the story at times.

As a FMC I did enjoy seeing Audras growth - finding self love and homing her magical abilities enabled her to come into the fiesty bantery FMC she was made to be.

Unfortunately MMC Graham just missed the mark for me - he was very princely with an undertone of rough & rugged, but I always felt that I just wanted more from him as the MMC. Although his love and devotion for Audra & the way he verbalised this in all settings was swoon worthy in places.

When the spice finally hit after the SLOW burn it was filled with lust, love & longing which made for emotionally charged scenes between Audra & Graham as they finally gave into their desire for eachother ... But again for me some scenes just felt off a bit wrong place, wrong timing.

Isik was a highlight for me - I loved this little white ball of fluff and how he had a main role throughout the story ... even saving the day on more than one occassion 🤍

Overall I REALLY wanted to love this read but I just didn't. The idea, world, monsters, character bonds & mage magic had great potential, but it just all felt a little hollow for my liking on the page.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stephie.
94 reviews2 followers
May 19, 2026
This story made me swoon. Thank you to the author for gifting me this amazing book! A Legacy of Magic and Monsters is a single POV Romantasy novel. It follows Audra, who flees her home in heartbreak and seeks haven in the magical kingdom of Ymira. Five years later, disaster forces her to return to the place and man she ran from.

I love a slow burn, and this one delivered. I loved watching Audra grow and discover who she is outside of the palace expectations. She became so amazingly powerful but always stayed a humble and kind leader. Graham was so smitten with her, and the things he said… definitely book boyfriend material. I definitely squealed when they finally kissed. The writing was evocative and I could picture Audra and Graham as young adults and then how they looked 5 years later. I also did not see that ending coming and I'm pretty good at guessing these things. I did feel that the first half went so slow and the second half went too fast, but it was necessary for world building and to set up backstories for other books, which is exciting! I didn't like how Audra and Graham talked without using contractions. It made them sound stilted and stuffy, but I guess that was how they stood out from the commoners.

This book was great and I can't wait to read the next one!

4 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5 spicy peppers
Memorable line: “Rest assured, Audra. When I finally have you, I will make you scream my name so that the entire kingdom can hear how well I pleasure you.”
Read this if you like: Romantasy, friends to lovers, found family, HEA, magic, magical worlds, second chance, slow burn, tattooed MC
F*ck appears: 0
Spicy chapters: 25, 26, 27, 29
Profile Image for Hilary McNeill.
50 reviews2 followers
October 21, 2025
I was fortunate enough to be given an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Overall, it was well-crafted - the slow-burn was good and the story was interesting and not just a copy and paste of the typical romantasy stories that are flooding the market these days. The descriptions of the places, clothes, and monsters felt immersive and realistic. So much thought and detail went into this story!

I liked Audra as the MMC but I feel like her dialogue and relationships with the other characters were a little weakly developed at times. I feel like we saw much of our main characters and then almost nothing from the others. I wanted more from side characters like Eli, Leah, and even Valeria.

My only other critique is the pacing - it was slow for the first half and then went extremely fast the entire second half. It almost felt like the author was trying to put two books into one. I honestly would have enjoyed reading the first half as an entire novel with more detail and then the second half as a second installment.

I enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from the author!
Profile Image for Shruti Mishra.
134 reviews5 followers
October 23, 2025
It was an engaging read, but not without some flaws

The female character’s development felt a bit rushed. She went from being a naive figure, trying to please everyone, to the High Mage in just five years. Even though the story is told in first-person POV, this transformation seemed sudden and wasn’t easy to relate to. I wish there had been more gradual growth or moments to make her progression feel more natural.

I had a pretty hard time connecting with the MMC, mostly because he was missing for about half of the book. That absence made it tough to really get a sense of who he was or to care about his journey. It felt like I was expected to root for him halfway through, which just didn’t work for me.

That being said, there was never a dull moment in the story—the pacing kept me engaged from start to finish. Plus, I really enjoyed the supporting characters; they were well-written and very easy to relate to, which helped balance out my issues with the main plot.

All in all, it was an entertaining read, even if the character arcs weren’t my favorite.
Profile Image for Barbara Mann.
320 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2026
4.25/5 stars — emotional, immersive, and perfect for readers craving a softer romantasy with sharp monster-filled stakes. A lush fantasy romance with fairy-tale heart and monster-hunting tension, this story delivers strong “second chance love” emotions wrapped in a dangerous magical world. The blend of forbidden magic, court politics, and creature attacks gives it a darker edge. The romance between Audra and Graham carries the story well, particularly if you enjoy lingering emotional history, unresolved feelings, and reluctant reunions. Their dynamic has enough angst to stay compelling without completely overshadowing the fantasy elements. Ymira also adds a refreshing contrast to the rigid kingdom Audra fled, making the world feel larger than a typical romantasy backdrop. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Amanda M.
3,149 reviews16 followers
October 19, 2025
The vibes that this book puts off is nothing short of epic. It’s well crafted and flushed with details. The slow burn is written well. And it has a brilliant plot that keeps you engrossed in the story. I could not get enough of this. And of course the characters characters they show so much growth from the beginning. I really liked seeing how things evolved and came together. it's definitely different from what I'm used to reading but it didn't take away from the story. In fact I'm very excited for others to read this because it's just that good. I'm so happy that I picked this book up and read it. it's definitely worth the read.


Thank you to the publisher and The Author Agency for an advance copy. My opinions are my own and freely expressed.
Profile Image for Sassy Southern Book Blog.
5,554 reviews277 followers
November 5, 2025
My current favorite obsession in reading is magic themed books and this one definitely did not disappoint. I love a good fantasy story that takes me on an adventure and was excited to get my hands on this book.
I felt like the storyline for this book was unique and kept me guessing on how everything was going to work out. Watching Audra grow in her confidence from the heartbroken girl hiding her magic at the beginning of the story to the strong, confident woman embracing her magic was a favorite part. There were moments that moved a little slow for me but overall I did enjoy the pace of the book and the writing. Does Audra get her happily ever after and can she save her kingdom from the monsters that are threatening it?
One click ASAP to find out!-By Alisa
Profile Image for The Book Ssirren.
4,330 reviews124 followers
May 18, 2026
What a wonderful read. I really loved the world building right from the start. It so easily pulled me in and set the the scene for me perfectly. Audra having gone through heartbreak leaves to go to Ymira, where she finds family and the ability to work with her magic. Learn it, grow it, be comfortable with it. And when went back to kingdom because the monsters were become so feral, looking for help, she encounters Prince Graham. Their love for one another not forgotten. This was a beautifully weaved tale of love and magic. Monsters and more. It was a very intriguing story and I enjoyed it fully.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1 review
May 21, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was in a reading slump and this was just what I needed! I was giggling and kicking my feet. Although I was sad and frustrated for Audra I see why she needed the space to find herself and love herself. I felt for Audra because we are all deserving of love and shouldn’t put that on anyone else. I liked the story, plot and found family. I loved how the author expressed love in the different relationships and who doesn’t love yearning! I am excited to learn more about the other characters. If you need a good quick read pick this one up!
Profile Image for Nia.
212 reviews7 followers
November 11, 2025
A legacy of magic and monsters
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

“You would give up your throne for me?”
“No kingdom is worth having without you in it.”

Audra always wanted be the princess so She hid her magic and waited for her happily ever after , but when she's left heartbroken she escapes to a magical kingdom until mysterious disappearances and monster attacks on her kingdom lead her to the prince she thought she'd never see again..

💖 LOVELY
• Audra and her growth and development as a character was staggeringly good.
• I found it really unique and intriguing...as this had a lot of character growth and development, and the timelines were spread through, and distinct like it followed Audra from her teenage years to a young adult and then as an adult.
• The plot itself was REALLY fun, and was really thought through.
• The yearning oh god it was tantalizing! I love Graham and
• Audra's friendship with Leah was so fun, she's such a supportive, and encouraging friend. I loved their interactions....and how their bond developed and formed.
• The character development of each of the characters had so much depth, And also Kasteel and Esha agh I enjoyed their dynamics, this books was filled with fun characters, a nice plot and a banging chemistry between the main leads!
• Amazing found family trope and fun adventures.
• And man, the grovelling-...the grovelling was unholy-ly good. And it was sooo lovely and tender-I lovex it soo freaking much.

🚫 UNLOVELY
I did wish that as mentioned in the blurb I expected Netvor plot to be spread throughout the book, but if came after about 30% and also the climax was quite predictable as all that buildup and foreshadowing showed a little way too much.
The pacing was quite off in the first half..like at parts it had slow burn burn forgot the burn (tension) part... though the latter half was fast paced.
I wished Audra's growth was shown in a little more detail..I would've enjoyed that!

Tropes
• Childhood Friends to lovers
• Second Chances
• It's only been you
• Slow burn
• Found Family
• He falls harder
Profile Image for Aub.
32 reviews1 follower
October 21, 2025
I had a blast reading this story. I won’t give spoilers but there were aspects of it that felt so refreshing and unique to me.

It is a love story, but also a story about Audra finding out who she really is down to her core. I appreciate the courage it took her to make some hard decisions and love how those decisions shaped her.

Such a fun read!!
Profile Image for Sydney Wang.
13 reviews
November 14, 2025
Loved this book. It was such a fun ride and the scene where Audra walks back into the ballroom the first time was amazing and it was written so well I could see everything in my mind. Can’t wait to read it again
Profile Image for Diana LA.
219 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2025
Although I liked Audra I felt the world building in this book was a bit slow in the beginning. The end came fast and furious and the last 75 pages flew by.

Overall, a good read.
Profile Image for Gissane.
Author 3 books22 followers
April 4, 2026
Lush, riveting, and so perfect. I DEVOURED THIS.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews