Legacy and the Queen

by Annie Matthew, Kobe Bryant (Creator)

From the mind of basketball legend and Academy Award–winning storyteller Kobe Bryant comes a new tale of finding your inner magic against all odds.

GAME. SET. MAGIC.

Game – Tennis means life and death for the residents of the magical kingdom of Nova, and for twelve-year-old Legacy, it’s the only thing getting her through the long days taking care of the other kids at the orphanage. That’s all about to change when she hears about Silla’s tournament.

Set – Silla, the ruler of Nova, hosts an annual tournament for the less fortunate of her citizens to come and prove themselves and win entrance to the Academy, where they can train to compete at nationals. The prize is Silla’s favor and enough cash to keep open the orphanage, and Legacy has her heart set on both.

Magic – What Legacy has yet to know is that the other players have something besides better skills and more money than she does. In Nova, tennis can unlock magic. Magic that Silla used to save the kingdom long ago and magic that her competitors have been training in for months already.

Now, with the world turned against her and the orphanage at stake, Legacy has to learn to use her passion for the game to rise above those around her and shine.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Sports, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Science Fiction Fantasy

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you see Kobe Bryant co-authored this book? It’s not his first book either!

Legacy of the Queen is a fantasy involving tennis. In the kingdom of Nova, tennis is literally life and death. Legacy is twelve years old and living in an orphanage. She is a caretaker, and the other children depend on her.

Silla, ruler of Nova, is hosting a tournament for the underprivileged to earn entrance into the Academy, where they can then compete in the big tournaments. It also includes a cash prize, which Legacy plans to use to help keep the orphanage open.

Unfortunately, Legacy learns quickly her competitors have more than just better tennis skills. They are using magic as well, and it’s to help them win.

Legacy doesn’t lose hope, though. She is passionate about tennis and plays with her whole heart and sheer determination. Will Legacy be able to win and save the orphanage?

Oh, this is such a good story! Legacy’s character gave me chills with her drive and natural ability with tennis. I loved her friends, Javi and Pippa, also. I think this is a book for everyone. Teens could read and love it, and I know this adult was charmed too!

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Linda Zagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kobe Bryant and Annie Matthew, Authors of "Legacy and the Queen" have written a unique, entertaining, intense, magical, captivating story. I love everything about this book. The cover has a velvet feel with the gold imprinted letters and design. When I open the book, I am reminded of many classics and fairy tales that I have read. The Authors have written and vividly described a coming of age novel with a certain essence of magical feel.  This story does remind me of "The Hunger Games" in a slight way.  I read this in one sitting and was totally mesmerized by the story. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Magical Realism, and Fantasy. The authors describe the colorful and dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. There are also comparisons and contrasts to good and evil, rich and poor, and kind and mean-spirited.

Legacy lives in an orphanage with her father and homeless children. She takes care of the little ones, and more than anything loves to play tennis. Legacy reads to the children and confides in her best friend Van. Van religiously reads the town's paper and sees that there is a contest for tennis players. If Legacy wins, this could mean that all her father's financial worries would be over, and the orphanage would thrive. Legacy knows that her father wouldn't give permission so she is determined to go and see if she can win.

When Legacy does reach the castle, there are many obstacles in her way.  Legacy is treated as an outcast, and it is hard for her to fit in. I admire Legacy's strong will, determination, and kindness.  I would highly recommend this novel to older children, young adults, and adults of every age. The authors discuss the importance of family, friends, believing in yourself, emotional support, fairness, love, and hope. I find the magical words in this story inspiring.

[Kiersti Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in two days. It pulled me in immediately. I could totally see a sequel, but it also ends well enough that you don't need one either.

[Cati Bedsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Legacy and the Queen from a Goodreads Giveaway.
What an awesome book! Legacy is a natural tennis player, but what she comes to find out is her destiny is way more than what she had bargained for! The story plays out with her new come friends, Javi and Pippa. As they try to navigate the different obstacles thrown their way. I absolutely loved the book. Not only will teenagers love this book, adults will also! Fingers crossed Annie Matthew and Kobe Bryant plan on continuing Legacy's story!

[David Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was instantly enthralled by this world after reading the first page. Legacy lives in a world that isn’t fully defined and is instead experienced through her eyes. It’s a world where magic exists and it was even used on the tennis court to win games. Summoning your “grana” as it is called usually means enforcing your will on your opponent manifested via weather. At its core grana is like being in the zone when playing a sport. Legacy never had grana and presumes she’ll never get into the big tennis school, which is the first step to getting to the elite level of tennis in this world. As the story moves forward we learn more about grana, about Legacy, and about this world where social class seems to matter more to people than anything else.

For the full review read it over at AiPT!

[Sara Strand · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting middle grade book with the sport of tennis prominently featured throughout. Your success in the magical land of Nova is squarely on your ability to play, with a real "girl power" feel throughout the book. I thought it was a good book even though this isn't my go-to or preferred genre, it was interesting enough to hold my attention and I can see kids really enjoying this.

To see my full review (September 2, 2019), and many more, head over to my blog: Stranded in Chaos

[Rosie Rizk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legacy's father runs an orphanage far out in the poor provinces. When they come up on hard times, Legacy enters a competition that'll give her a chance to win a scholarship to an elite tennis academy that'll give her a chance to compete for prize money. That's a lot of competitions to win, and as a poor girl from the backwards and poorly regarded provinces, Legacy also has to fight through a society that looks down on and disparages her people. With no support, and up against the best trained opponents in her country, does Legacy even stand a chance?

This was a great coming of age, heartwarming book. First off, having a magic system focused on tennis was very unique. There's no war, or great quest, or any of the typical fantasy cliches. It was very refreshing.

Second, Legacy managed to find great friends. They're loyal and exactly the people that Legacy needs to teach her everything she needs to know in the short time she has, and to help her break the rules as necessary.

I wish there was more information on tennis here. I'm not really familiar with the sport, and all I learned from the book was that it involves a lot of hitting balls with a racket. I knew that much. I would've liked to see Legacy learning different moves and strikes. She does some endurance training, but it was all very quick and not a main focus. I'd liked to have learned more about the sport. Still, after finishing the book, I do feel like hitting some tennis balls could be fun.

I really liked the magic and the pyrus - a sort of dragon like creature that Legacy got to train with. Some things were a bit fuzzy on the details, but since this could be a middle grade or YA book, it doesn't need to be overly complex. Overall, it was a fun and heartwarming read.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard the idea of a fantasy world that centers around tennis, I found it odd. But Annie Matthews took Kobe Bryant's idea and worked magic with it. This was a fun story (that turned out to be the first in a series). We follow Legacy, a girl from the provinces (poorer country area), who makes her way to the tennis competition in the capital city to face off against players far more privileged than she. It was a bit predictable in spots, but still entertaining. This is a middle grade fantasy novel, and at about 200 pages, it's short enough for the more reluctant readers to tackle. I look forward to adding this to my classroom library and trying it out on my readers interested in sports to see if I can get them to try a new genre.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I would like to state that I have received this book through goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. When I received this book I began reading it at once. This book was a very interesting read. It pulls you in and keeps you wanting more. I would recommend this book to others. It is a very good read

[Bronwen Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.
Great to have a magic book set in the world of sport. Very enjoyable middle grade book.

[Kristi Hovington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love beautiful books, regardless of their content, and this is a beautiful book.

The cover is made of a dark green, velvet-like material with gold lettering, and the spine is stitched with thread, exiting at the top and wound into a book mark. The end paper art is gorgeous, the edges sprayed, and each page is lined with a changing, but similar, illustration that makes sense as the book goes along. In short, it is a lush experience to read this book, a feast. As this was book was created by Kobe Bryant (?!), I wondered: is this the mamba mentality as applied to book production? If so, I’m in.

this middle grades fantasy novel is outstanding. It claims to be a novel about a tennis player, and it is, but tennis is only a plot devise; it is much more about magic, class inequity, being an outsider, sacrifice, and friendship. It’s a bit of Hunger Games and Potter, but also unique. I loved it.

[Georgann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story combining tennis and magic. I liked it better than I thought I would. Bittersweet to see it dedicated to Kobe Bryant's daughters. It is a good legacy for them.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

2/52 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a super cute middle grade about tennis and believing in yourself. Despite being poor and looked down on, Legacy went to compete for a tennis scholarship anyway and showed the world just how great she is. She uncovered some scheming along the way which I predicted about halfway through the book but that’s expected in a middle grade and I’m not mad about it. This book also has a magic system called “grana” and is run by your emotions mixed with certain metals and herbs which was pretty cool. Legacy and the Queen is a great read for any athletic kids, especially ones who enjoy tennis, or kids who like reading-sport based books. I can’t wait to read more Granity Studios books. Already ordered 5 others 😂

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I discovered Kobe Bryant's Wizenard series, I've devoured as many of his independent publishing company's books as my library will purchase.

I LOVED this book. Once again, the printed book speaks of such care, such dedication to the entire reading experience. These aren't cheap pages printed on flimsy paper, bound by glue in a mass produced format that's going to disintegrate after a few reads.

It starts with the cover, in green velvet, like the artificial turf on a tennis court. The bookmark, tri-colored strings, is a physical representation of the magical device used by characters in the book -- the tennis strings. They're even woven into the spine of the book, just as the importance of the strings is woven throughout the story.

The pages are thick, edged in deep green, and in the margins decorated with more strings that form an image I couldn't quite decipher, but I imagined them to be the trees from the Forest featured in the story. Or they could be tennis-related, but I'm not familiar enough with tennis rackets to say for sure (and I'm a bit abstract image challenged, to be honest!).

The story, by Annie Matthew, was divine. It read so incredibly well, and had twists and turns but was so well thought out.

It begins, like Wizenard, in a dystopia, but in this world the trees near the orphanage where young Legacy Petrin lives were destroyed in a Great Fire. But, no, this isn't a tale of yet another tween living in the worst-orphanage-in-the-world. No, no, Legacy's not an orphan. Her father is the orphanage caretaker, although her mother did leave them to fend for themselves, and neither knows exactly why. It's an oasis in the midst of poverty and hopelessness, despite Queen Silla's attempts at restitution.

Legacy lives and breathes tennis, and another orphan her age, Van, sees the upcoming national championships as Legacy's way out of the poverty of the fire-stricken provincial countryside. But Legacy learns her father is about to send Van off to work in the factories that refine and the metals and minerals from the mining provinces, and she and he devise a way for her to sneak out and compete for a spot in the national championships.

Armed in a burlap sack outfit, with her warped old wood tennis racket, she finds her "zone," when she glows, and beats a determined girl from the mining province to represent all the provinces in the championships.

She's whisked away to the Academy, where she'll train for a few weeks before the tournament begins.

Queen Silla gives her a tennis racket, a beautiful new thing, but somehow it just doesn't feel quite right in her hand.

All the players must connect with a stringer, the person responsible for making sure the strings in their rackets amplify and reflect the grana, or emotion magic, properly when they play. Outcast Pippa Spago's stringer stone lights up when Legacy plays tennis, and they are matched.

Legacy also manages to convince one of the best "builders," a trainer with a thief brand on his neck, to start training her after she calms a winged horse to help her train.

I won't give away the rest of the story; read and enjoy it as it unfolds. It's a great sports fantasy read, and I'm excited and hope there are more in the series.

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Sara Planz · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kobe Bryant’s children’s books came into my bookstore last year, I bought them all because they were gorgeous. The care he took to not only partner with authors to write wonderful stories but make the books works of art as well is remarkable. This tennis inspired book has beautiful art, the cover replicates grass on a tennis court, but the best part is that the book ribbon is made of tennis strings and they are woven into the binding.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

had some clunky bits, especially in descriptions of settings, but overall i did actually enjoy reading it :) I picked it up because the book was fuzzy, I'm not going to lie, and I got a cute little adventure story of magical tennis!!

the first chapter really struggled to give me anything which is why it took me..... 0h my goodness it took me a year to finish that's insane

[Guia Tagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was like reading a sporty version of Harry Potter. My name is Guia and I play tennis too so my appreciation for it was heightened (one character is named Gia).

It's great how tennis was represented as magic in the story -- how your pure emotions/inner weather can affect your game, how vital your choice of strings are, how a new racket can change your game etc.

As an artist who worked on books before, I really appreciate how the book cover (green velvet + embroidery) was designed! You'll get it when you read it. :)

[Kat San Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring book set in wonderfully magical world! I cannot wait to read more of Legacy! I absolutely loved her awe inspiring love for tennis, her bountiful energy, and her love for her family and friends! Thank you Annie, and Kobe for making such a beautiful book.

[Clare B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book for two reasons, I wanted to know about tennis and how it is played and I had never seen a cover like this one.

For the first point, I didn't learn much about the play of tennis but I enjoyed seeing Legacy change and grow as a player through the story. And seeing how the government had altered Standard Stringbinding for getting people to use fear instead of other emotions while they played was a really interesting plot development! I loved thinking about how that could have changed and molded the tennis culture.

For the cover, oh my gosh, I have never seen a book cover made out of felt before. It is gorgeous and makes me smile whenever I look at it. I loved the inside flaps and the colored lines on every page. Overall, the book design was fantastic and made me like the book even more. I really enjoyed how the text would change based on if Legacy was reading a book cover or something. It was really cool.

Though I liked the book design and some of the plot developments, I think I have outgrown the demographic that this book was written for, I still enjoyed parts, but I didn't feel big emotions often. Still love the book design, it's so cool and unique!!!!! :)

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this multiple times, and each time never failed to impress. In only 197 pages, Annie Matthew and Kobe Bryant managed to tell a full, descriptive, enchanting story.
I'm not a tennis person by any means, but this story was just awesome.
I got this book when I was younger, and I was scared to reread it again because I was worried it wouldn't be to my taste anymore- it didn't disappoint, luckily.
I've had some past experiences with books I used to like, but look back on now and think "That book wasn't as good as I made it out to be back then."
This wasn't one of them.
Bonus is that the book is beautiful! You can't see from the picture on Goodreads, but the book (my copy at least) is actually fuzzy like a tennis ball, and bound with red, orange and yellow thread. It has a built in thread bookmark, and every page inside is also decorated.
I won't say the cover and the look is everything, because if it's all pretty with no story, of course this wouldn't be 5/5, but it really adds 'pizzazz' and looks like it came from Legacy's world.
Overall, amazed yet again by the great storytelling and nice book cover :)

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legacy loves tennis, but living and helping at the orphanage that her father runs means she has little time or money to be able to pursue her athletic passion. She accepts that for the most part, enjoying early morning training before "the littles" wake up and need her attention. Her friend Van, however, believes she needs to pursue success in tennis and encourages her to join a competition that will allow her to advance to train for nationals in the capital at the best training facility in the land. Being a poor "provi" sets her back, as she is dismissed and mocked by many at the training facility. She must learn to manifest and control her grana, or magic, in order to optimize her playing. The pacing of the plot was inconsistent--it dragged a bit early on, and the ending was too fast. 85% of the story was leading up to the final, which was disappointingly quickly depicted. Like other books under Bryant's Granity Studios imprint, this is a book about believing in yourself and the effort you put into your sport (or other endeavors). Gr. 5-8

[Ronnae Stately · Rating 5 out of 5]

This twist on a rising tennis star was superb. It makes you wonder what else Kobe Bryant would of thought of before his kid was cut short. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This grana thing is just a way of making people look at themselves and how they persevere to become the person they are supposed to become. Legacy shows what it is to believe in yourself, your friends, and family. She took her anger and live and wove it into something that helped her beat the complications that her Aunt Silla had put in her way. By her accepting her own truths she accepted other people’s and realized that you have to overcome bad situations before you can take on the monster in front of you. I wish there was a second book to this one cause I would of loved to find out about the rest of the orphans and how they overcome shortcomings that are put in their way. Also I wanted to watch Legacy, Pippa, Van, and Javi grow up and accomplish everything they needed to succeed.

[Just_An_E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly picked this book up like 6 years ago as a prize for a reading competition because it had Kobe Bryant attached to it. It's also an advanced reader's copy. This is a really decent run at a children's novel insofar as being competently told. I take some issue with the worldbuilding, being that it is a world based around tennis in some regard, but I don't think it's anything more egregious than Harry Potter. I think some of the themes of the books are also a little shaky, because they play with defying one's destiny and embracing who you are, but muddy the waters a tad in some ways. Also some of the names of things feel out of place/stop being used or are used in a way where what they are isn't nearly as clear as it should be, although I think some of that can be attributed to the protagonist not knowing nearly anything from the jump. I'd throw this book at elementary schoolers into sports to try and get them into reading.

[Corey Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super duper dope concept by @kobebryant . I would recommend this book for anyone who works with kids, both to read themselves, but also to share with our younger generations!!

Though you have passed on to the next life, your stories are still here for generations to continue to be motivated and inspired by "your muse" (inspiration), "your grana" (ability to control and manifest your inner magic), and the "Mamba Mentality"! Thank you for your inspiration!

My favorite quote from this one: "The greatest players play well because they're afraid of what might happen if they don't. They play well because if they fail, they'll lose everything that makes them themselves. Because all they are is Champions. If they lose, they're nothing, not even themselves."

[Haley Merkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

So enjoyable! A superbly imagined kingdom with a spectrum of characters. We all need a Javi and Pippa. And a Gus. Legacy is on a mission for the orphanage, for her dad, and for herself - she must bring hope back home. It’s something we can all relate to - wanting and working for a better life, feeling dreams are out of reach but we try anyway. I loved the magic in this with spells, tinctures, and creatures. I loved Legacy’s tenacity and will and that really leaning into her feelings is what allowed her to learn more. The subtle messages that there’s always beauty to be found, that not everything is what it seems, and that light attracts light were poignant. Delightful.

[Ketzia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a pretty quick and easy read, Legacy and the Queen is a YA Fantasy novel about a girl "Legacy" that goes on to compete on tennis games that are mixed with different sorts of magic and hopefully wins the nationals.

For me it was an okay read, I think that maybe I’m not the target audience for it, I was just kinda bored at times, at least it’s less than 200 pages. I picked up the book because truly the cover design and the detail inside of the book is beautiful but I don’t think I’ll be reading it again, I’ll probably donate it or sell it.

If your not a fan of the Fantasy genre then just skip it, your not really missing out on anything. Hope this review helped someone.

[daena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5

This has been my bedtime read for sometime now and I have finally finished it! I really enjoyed the tennis aspect of it and wanted more of Legacy's playing in a match. I felt so inspired after reading this book and it literally brought tears to my eyes when I finished it. I just thought how Kobe wanted everyone to find the passion and motivation to do something that they love and it just made cry.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I, for one, love crazy magic systems. So when I saw a book about tennis magic in my local library, I checked it out without question. But then it kept me drawn in with a story of a ridged social caste and people struggling to get by why others lived in the lap of luxury laughing at those less fortunate dreaming of more. This was an amazing read, and I highly suggest people pick it up for themselves.

[Dorethea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read!! Kobe Bryant did it again. The stories he created are amazing. Annie Matthew wrote a magical story that puts you under its spell from the very beginning. With characters who are loveable, relatable, flawed but not unredeemable, Annie Matthew weaved a magical story
that engulfed me so completely i finshed this book in a day and half. I recommend it to anyway who wants to escape into a wonderful world and story.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantasy world where magical power is manifested while playing tennis. I never imagined books that mix magical abilities with sport (minus Quidditch) so this was quite a new concept to me. I’m not a really a fan of sports though I’ll watch it with a crowd. Reading about sports is typically not on my radar, but I was intrigued by the concept, the author, and the naturally the fuzzy cover! All-in-all, it was a very interesting book with a unique magic system.