Review Detail

LION'S LEGACY is a thrilling YA fantasy adventure, in the vein of Indiana Jones. Tennessee Russo is somewhat famous, as he starred for years on his father's show hunting down ancient artifacts. Many of these artifacts have magical abilities, but they keep that information off the show. Tennessee was a big part of the show until two years ago, when he and his father had an argument about what to do with the Misumune katana they found, as his father was auctioning it to the highest bidder, and that did not sit right with Tennessee, especially since the his father had kind of promised it to the family to whose ancestors it belonged and who had helped them to locate it. His father then left him alone in a foreign country and did not even call on his birthday.

Now, he is just a normal high schooler, who has just found out that his boyfriend was cheating on him - and all his so-called friends knew about it. Devastated, he is shocked to come home and find his father in their home with a request for Tennessee to join him on a new quest. He offers Tennessee the chance to find the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes, an important part of LGBT history, with the clues he has gathered to start them on their way. Unable to pass up on his important part of LGBT history and with his father's promise that he gets to decide what happens to them, Tennessee is brought back into the perilous treasure hunting adventures, this time in Greece. With another group hot on their tails, who will get the rings first is anyone's question.

What I loved: This was such a thrilling and fast-paced read. The plot pulls the reader in from the start with magical traps and curses on the way to obtaining magical historical artifacts in a very Indiana Jones style fashion. There are many puzzles to be solved and enemies to thwart along the way. On top of that, there are some strong themes around challenging family relationships, teenage romantic entanglements, and the significance of how archaeologists handle the items they find ethically.

While Tennessee loves his father, the events of two years ago have really tinted the way he views him, and although they are spending time together on this quest, all is not forgotten. Tennessee is navigating his complex feelings towards his father, while also beginning to understand who his father is - but also what type of relationship he wants with him. At the same time, he is dealing with romantic questions from the fallout of his long-term high school relationship ending so suddenly, but then questioning the friends group he had (who saw themselves as the "good" LGBT crowd) and the principles they held against the bigger framework of society and what he wants for himself. Along the way, he finds his own romantic interest, maybe something for the short-term or something more durable as well as friends who can just embrace him for who he is and support him where he is at, something that is always important.

The gathering of historical artifacts by people who do not always have their best interest at heart was another interesting theme with the way these have been historically handled in terms of traveling to other countries and displayed so far from their home countries being discussed in the book. While this was a smaller theme, the treatment of history is clearly important as it impacts the peoples who history it is but also the ways that this treatment can impact what people learn and understand, including the erasure of LGBT context from such historical figures and objects. This was particularly interesting throughout the story and brings up some important ethical and moral questions around historical finds and the museums who display them.

Tennessee was a compelling character, and the reader gets to live inside his analytical mind as he breaks down his own decisions and choices but also works on solving intricate historical puzzles. He is really beginning to define who he is and who he wants to be in the future, and it's a great character development ride. I also really appreciated his mother and Gabe, who have small roles, but also show the importance of support and understanding.

Final verdict: LION'S LEGACY is an action-packed and engaging YA fantasy adventure that I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in a teenaged Indiana Jones with an LGBT twist! Even more exciting is that this will be a series, and I am so excited to follow along with Tennessee's future adventures!