Scan barcode
A review by jacemchale
Lion's Legacy by L.C. Rosen
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The book took a while to fully grab my attention, the pacing at the beginning felt a bit slow although the exposition was rather complex, so it made sense.
This book grapples with some major questions about family, being a queer person in this world, and how to treat historical artifacts.
My own personal qualm about this book is that the solution to the "how to treat historical artifacts" question plays out feels too hopeful for how rife a discussion topic it still is in the current world. Given that the novel is YA, some level of hopefulness makes sense, but considering the author does a good job at considering family dynamics that are complex and riddled with flaws, I would have liked the artifact solution to not be as hopeful. The resolution of this subject just gave me some trouble, especially since Tennessee asks himself this question multiple times throughout the book, knowing there isn't a perfect solution.
The themes of family and queer solidarity in this book are beautiful and complex, but I wish the subject of "not every queer person is your friend just because of their queerness" had been pushed a little farther. It is brought up a few times in the book, but not to much extent.
That said, I think this book is a good introduction to a lot of those topics if the reader is in the YA demographic. As an older queer person, the subjects could have been made more complex in a way I think could have still fit a YA audience (depending on their knowledge of queerness).
I loved the message that queer history has always existed, but it's often erased. It's a valuable message that queer people, especially young queer people aren't alone.
This book grapples with some major questions about family, being a queer person in this world, and how to treat historical artifacts.
My own personal qualm about this book is that the solution to the "how to treat historical artifacts" question plays out feels too hopeful for how rife a discussion topic it still is in the current world. Given that the novel is YA, some level of hopefulness makes sense, but considering the author does a good job at considering family dynamics that are complex and riddled with flaws, I would have liked the artifact solution to not be as hopeful. The resolution of this subject just gave me some trouble, especially since Tennessee asks himself this question multiple times throughout the book, knowing there isn't a perfect solution.
The themes of family and queer solidarity in this book are beautiful and complex, but I wish the subject of "not every queer person is your friend just because of their queerness" had been pushed a little farther. It is brought up a few times in the book, but not to much extent.
That said, I think this book is a good introduction to a lot of those topics if the reader is in the YA demographic. As an older queer person, the subjects could have been made more complex in a way I think could have still fit a YA audience (depending on their knowledge of queerness).
I loved the message that queer history has always existed, but it's often erased. It's a valuable message that queer people, especially young queer people aren't alone.