Legacy in Legend by Barbara Pietron (Book Review & Intl Giveaway)

I received a free copy of this book, thanks to Scribe Publishing Company and Xpresso Book Tours, in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinions on the book.

Book Blurb:

New from award-winning YA author Barbara Pietron, an ebook bundle of the prequel and first two books in the Legacy in Legend series.

About the series: In Thunderstone, Jeni and her family gather at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to spread her grandfather’s ashes in the Mississippi Headwaters. While they are there, they agree to meet again at various locations along the Mississippi River to remember him as they trace his journey to the Gulf of Mexico. These gatherings set the foundation for the Legacy in Legend series. Every time the family assembles, Jeni comes in contact with a malicious otherworldly element. These frightening and perilous encounters are no help in Jeni’s search for her spiritual heritage, as the supernatural entities come from a variety of mythologies and lore. Yet each vengeful confrontation makes it more important that she discover and harness whatever power she possesses so she can protect herself and her loved ones and, ultimately, end the deadly attacks.

The Legacy in Legend Series brings together mythology and suspense along with a little bit of romance when Jeni meets Shattered Ice, an apprentice medicine man. The prequel, Heart of Ice, is about Ice before he meets Jeni. Thunderstone and Veiled Existence are told from both Jeni’s and Ice’s point of view.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Tags: Mythology, YA, Contemporary, Realistic, Love, Family, Native Indian, Irish

My Thoughts:

If you’ve seen my ratings system you’d know that a 3.5 does not mean it’s bad, because it equals to 7/10 stars.

This review is of the first 3 books in the Legacy In Legend bundle. The prequel, Heart Of Ice, is told in 3rd person in Ice’s POV and lays the foundation for the entire series. Shattered Ice, or just Ice, is half Native Indian and apprentices as a Medicine Man under his mentor, Nik. Sh*t goes down right from the beginning as the young apprentice faces off with an ancient supernatural being known as The North Wind. Things only get worse later on as a teacher at a local school starts exhibiting disturbing signs of savagery and subsequently disappears. Could it be the work of the Windigo, a cannibalistic monster of lore?

As the I’ve included the recap for book #1 in the blurb section, I won’t recant it here. In book #2, Veiled Existence, Jeni and Ice are looking forward to seeing each other again as they try to make their long-distance relationship work. On the day they’ve agreed to meet, Ice goes missing. As time passes, it comes to light that Ice was kidnapped by a bewitchingly beautiful girl. But is she merely that, or does this have anything to do with an age-old Irish fable of an alluring maiden who met a tragic demise and is now getting her revenge on men? Book #1 and #2 are in dual POVs of Jeni and Ice.

Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.

– Cherokee

The Legacy of Legend series is a fantastic debut by Barbara Pietron. She has interlaced various mythological creatures, folklore, ethnic minorities, young romance and suspense smoothly into all 3 books. Balancing between being plot-driven and character-driven, the writing is easy to understand and consistent throughout. One of its main selling points is it’s realistic depiction of navigating teenage life while battling entities and learning the ropes to harnessing their spiritual powers. The parents/guardians are very much present, a welcome reprieve from the many YA novels in the market where the MC’s parents are weirdly(and conveniently) MIA or they’re, surprise! Orphans.

The development of our characters are a bit slow, but still palpable. As I read on, Tyler(Jeni’s cousin) started growing on me. He’s far from perfect, but stripping aside his immature adolescent antics, he’s actually a softie at heart. And kind of funny.

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

– Oscar Wilde

Aside from the refreshing realisticness of Legacy In Legend, I was thrilled by the suspense-filling scenes where the MCs had to face-off with the legendary monsters. I haven’t mentioned this before but I love me some dinosaur-ish stuff. Granted, they’re not dinosaurs but a Lochness-like monster in an enclosed space? Yes, please!

So, do you need to get the prequel? You can read the first book without needing to get the prequel but I found it revealed the respectful relationship between mentor and apprentice, which isn’t too pronounced in the other books, and better-equipped the reader with the paranormal concept and gravity of the situation in book #1. If asked which books from the series were my favorites, I’d choose the prequel and Thunderstone #1.

Also, two aspects I did not take to: 1) The insta-love between Jeni and Ice. 2) Slightly overly-described action-based narrative. Basically, a lot of actions that did not affect the narrative or plot too much.

As for the plotline, it wasn’t complex and was, at times, easy to foretell. But the thrill of the impending forebodings almost made up for it.

Certain things capture your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart.

– Native American Proverb

If you’re into mythology, medium-level suspense, mysterious entities and stories with representation of Native Indians, then this fits the bill! And guess what? There’s a giveaway for 15 lucky winners for a copy of the Legacy In Legend book bundle!

I like to add some fun stuff or behind-the-scenes elements in my reviews, so if you’d like to know more about the mythological creatures and artifacts in Legacy In Legend, check this page out on Barbara’s website.

Scroll down to sign-up for the giveaway ;D

Parental Guidance: 12+
Violence – Medium
Sex – None. Some tension, and allusion to characters wanting to or having slept together.
Religion – Spirituality
Profanity – No explicit profanity but it’s made obvious as to what profane word(s) they’re cussing.

Should You Get This Book?:

Get it if:

• You like YA
• You enjoy mythology
• You want a realistic depiction of teenagers
• You don’t object to insta-love
• You’re looking for books with representation of ethnic minorities

Don’t get it if:

• You utterly despise insta-love(note:you can still enjoy the other mythology parts of the story though)
• You don’t find monsters scary

Grab this now on: Amazon | Book Depository| B&N | Goodreads

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15 e-book copies of Legacy in Legend (entire set) PLUS if you sign-up to Barbara’s newsletter you will get a free copy of Legacy in Legend’s prequel and other goodies!

Click on the giveaway banner to enter! Or you can click here as well.

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