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A review by amym84
The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
When I heard that Adrienne Young would be expanding the world she created in her Fable duology, I was slightly apprehensive at first. I mean, I loved Fable, but I was personally content with how that series ended. I was ready for the next adventure so to speak. But it was undeniable that the Roth family (introduced in Namesake) were an interesting force to be reckoned with. Plus, there's the fact that Adrienne Young has never steered me wrong so of course, I was going to read this.
The Last Legacy begins about a year after the events of Namesake. Bryn Roth has waited for the day when she will get her letter from her Uncle Henrik and officially join the family in Bastian. Fourteen years ago when both of her parents were killed, Bryn's great-aunt took a then four year old Bryn away from Bastian (and the Roths) to be raised in Nimsmire on the condition that upon her eighteenth birthday Bryn would return to the family's multi-generational home and take up the family business.
However, Bryn is unprepared for just what exactly the family business is. There are secrets that run deep within the family - everyone seems to be running their own game - but there's also this strong sense of loyalty - family above all else. As Bryn struggles to find her place, she realizes that her Uncle Henrik already has plans for her. But Bryn has spent her entire life meeting everyone else's expectations, she's ready to break free on her own, however, it soon becomes apparent that there's a high price for freedom in the Roth household.
This is a plot that really unfolds in a slow and methodical way as Bryn navigates what it means to be a Roth. She's at once embraced within the family yet she's also and outsider. Because of this she quickly sees a common ground between herself and Ezra - the Roth family's silversmith. Ezra is not a Roth by blood but has essentially been raised as one for years now.
Both of these characters find themselves in the same quagmire of not really belonging in one place or another. As much as it brings them together it also sows the seed of untrustworthiness - something that her uncle is always quick to manipulate if it benefits him. Bryn wants to much to belong somewhere that it takes bit for her to recognize her uncle's machinations. Personally, I could spot them a mile a way and I kind of wish that Bryn was a little more savvy to this as well, but I can forgive a girl who clearly so desperately wants a family that she misses this. Rest assured it's not long before Bryn sees the true colors behind the Roth name and what she does with this rivals Adrienne Young's other strong female characters.
I liked that this story was less about the action and the physical strength and more about trying to outwit someone who basically wants to have you under their thumb. Someone who doesn't truly care for you as a person as much as cares how you can benefit the family. It's a strange dynamic within the household and one that I think Adrienne Young really gives some interesting thought while building.
Suffice it to say, I was completely pulled in by Bryn's story. I loved how shrewd she was throughout. I wouldn't mind getting a short story showing readers a bit of the after.
Adrienne Young has become an author that you can count on to deliver time and time again. With strong female characters doing what they can to survive. I look forward to what comes next.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Legacy begins about a year after the events of Namesake. Bryn Roth has waited for the day when she will get her letter from her Uncle Henrik and officially join the family in Bastian. Fourteen years ago when both of her parents were killed, Bryn's great-aunt took a then four year old Bryn away from Bastian (and the Roths) to be raised in Nimsmire on the condition that upon her eighteenth birthday Bryn would return to the family's multi-generational home and take up the family business.
However, Bryn is unprepared for just what exactly the family business is. There are secrets that run deep within the family - everyone seems to be running their own game - but there's also this strong sense of loyalty - family above all else. As Bryn struggles to find her place, she realizes that her Uncle Henrik already has plans for her. But Bryn has spent her entire life meeting everyone else's expectations, she's ready to break free on her own, however, it soon becomes apparent that there's a high price for freedom in the Roth household.
This is a plot that really unfolds in a slow and methodical way as Bryn navigates what it means to be a Roth. She's at once embraced within the family yet she's also and outsider. Because of this she quickly sees a common ground between herself and Ezra - the Roth family's silversmith. Ezra is not a Roth by blood but has essentially been raised as one for years now.
Both of these characters find themselves in the same quagmire of not really belonging in one place or another. As much as it brings them together it also sows the seed of untrustworthiness - something that her uncle is always quick to manipulate if it benefits him. Bryn wants to much to belong somewhere that it takes bit for her to recognize her uncle's machinations. Personally, I could spot them a mile a way and I kind of wish that Bryn was a little more savvy to this as well, but I can forgive a girl who clearly so desperately wants a family that she misses this. Rest assured it's not long before Bryn sees the true colors behind the Roth name and what she does with this rivals Adrienne Young's other strong female characters.
I liked that this story was less about the action and the physical strength and more about trying to outwit someone who basically wants to have you under their thumb. Someone who doesn't truly care for you as a person as much as cares how you can benefit the family. It's a strange dynamic within the household and one that I think Adrienne Young really gives some interesting thought while building.
Suffice it to say, I was completely pulled in by Bryn's story. I loved how shrewd she was throughout. I wouldn't mind getting a short story showing readers a bit of the after.
Adrienne Young has become an author that you can count on to deliver time and time again. With strong female characters doing what they can to survive. I look forward to what comes next.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Violence