Review Detail

Legacy of Light by M. Lynn, Michelle Bryan picks up right where the first one left off. *Please note that if you have NOT read Prophecy of Darkness there are spoilers from that book in this review. Read at your own risk.* Trystan and Rissa are mourning the loss of Davi in their own ways, but they must go on. They have a mission: to return magic to Dreach-Sciene. But it isn’t simple and their journey has only just begun.

Prophecy of Darkness ended with some major cliffhangers: Davi’s death and true identity, the execution of the king, and the questionable nature of the Tri-Gard. I honestly was nervous opening this book. Second books tend to be a bridge between books in a trilogy. I’m happy to report that Legacy of Light does not fall prey to SBS (second book syndrome). In fact, I liked it even more than the first…if that’s possible! There are many twists and turns in the plot, along with some great character growth that culminates in a fantastic ending.

Trystan’s character continues to be an easy one to love. In the first book, he transitioned from the pampered prince to Toha. With his father’s death, he begins to make the reluctant transition to king of Drech-Sciene. He struggles, not so much with the pressures of king – he was born for that – but the loss of his father and best friend. With those losses, he also lost his sister. Rissa is in a very dark place. Her POV scenes were hard to read. She’s hurting that much! I ached for her and Trystan, for all they lost and all they are fighting for. It’s so much, almost too much to expect of a young king and his sister.

Trystan and Rissa have a long and hard journey in this book. Not only do they find out about their father’s murder, but that the kingdom believes them dead as well. They must fight for their kingdom AND complete the mission their father sent them out on. Magic is needed back in Dreach-Sciene, the sooner the better. The land is dying and their people along with it. I found myself cheering them on, cringing at the things they must do, and aching for their people and their hunger. The twists and turns in this book coupled with the action/fight scenes make it a quick read and one I was thoroughly invested in. The imagery is vivid, putting the reader right in the middle of the dying kingdom.

Overall I loved Legacy of Light. It was a dark turn in the story, but it proved to also be a strong companion to the first book. All the characters continued to grow and evolve to their new situations. The loss and hurt they felt, I felt as the reader. And Davi….don’t get me started. His whole arc has broken my heart and I’m honestly shocked at the turn! I’m SO excited that the last book in this series comes out in August…not such a long wait. If you’ve read the first book in the series, I highly recommend you read this one ASAP. It doesn’t disappoint!

*This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem: https://www.momwithareadingproblem.com/2018/05/review-legacy-of-light-by-m-lynn-michelle-bryan/