Legacy (Legacy #1)
by Molly Cochran
Summary: When her widowed father dumps 16-year-old Katy Jessevar in a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts, she has no idea that fate has just opened the door to both her future and her past. Nearly everyone in Whitfield is a witch, as is Katy herself, although she has struggled all her life to hide her unusual talents. Stuck at a boarding school where her fellow students seem to despise her, Katy soon discovers that Whitfield is the place where her mother committed suicide under mysterious circumstances when Katy was just a small child. With dark forces converging on Whitfield, it's up to Katy to unravel her family's many secrets to save the boy she loves and the town itself from destruction.
Source: I purchased a copy of this book for Kindle.
Review:
I loved Legacy! It was such a magical and action packed story. Ever since The Secret Circle television show was cancelled, there’s been a giant witch-shaped gap in my life. I’ve been craving a wonderfully witchy novel that captured some of those same elements from the show. After reading various YA witch stories, Legacy was the perfect fit! I absolutely adored the novel and I cannot wait to read the sequel. I was contacted for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for the sequel, Poison, and I agreed, though I was unfamiliar with the series. I decided to buy book 1 and read it while I had the time. I’m glad I signed up for the tour because I love this series.
Katy really came into herself when she ended up at the boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts. She discovered her roots, the history of the town, and found love in various forms: family, friendship, and romantic. I loved the characters in Legacy so much. I think Hattie was my favorite, being the wise old woman who knew what everyone needed. I have a soft spot for those sorts of characters, but Katy’s long lost family from her mother’s side were also amazing and funny. Hattie was a bit like Amma from Beautiful Creatures and the family members reminded me a bit of Ethan’s aunts in Beautiful Creatures. The characters had such distinct personalities and it made for a wonderfully entertaining read.
Somehow, Legacy doesn’t have the amazing reviews I expected to see. It seems a lot of people feel the book had too many overused stereotypes. While this observation may be correct (though I wonder, seeing as there is no love triangle!), I found Legacy to be refreshing in some way. Sure, it had the boarding school, the forbidden love, the caricature stepmom, etc, but I honestly felt it took these clichés and ran with them in a good way. If Legacy is full of stereotypes, then it is full of ones I haven't seen in awhile. Instead of angst-filled love triangles, it had evil stepmothers. The romance was great because it was innocent, sweet, slow, and I could really sense their love without being bombarded by it, if that makes sense.
Legacy was the kind of story that had the paranormal elements I enjoyed, sweet romance, awesome conflict, and powerful characters. It dealt with everyday issues, like acceptance and trust. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it.
Labels: Review, YA
