Review - Sacrifice (Legacy #3) by Cayla Kluver

Title: Sacrifice

Author: Cayla Kluver

Series: 3rd (Legacy, Allegiance)

Pages: 438

Published: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen 

ISBN: 9780373210442

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost.  Alera - Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy.  Shaselle -Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause.  One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor's edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family's tragedy, following whispers of insurgency.  Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death—or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.

I Give This ...

 

Man was I worried about this one.  I loved the first two in the series but I was so apprehensive that it could not end in a manner that would be true to the story and make me happy.  Tall order I know, but I wanted to see how it could be done.  

The end of book two left me reeling.  War and country take over is not a new topic to me.  But for some reason the way it was presented really hit home for me.  This book begins with the devastated country ripped of everything it has ever known.  Countless high ranking officials were murdered and/or tortured.  They've settled for peace, but at what cost?  The Corkiyan priestess has harsh terms all designed to make the men of the country feel lower than low.  Alera really has power in name only. 

Alera really grew into her character in this book.  I think in the beginning she was happy to have peace and quite a number of those closest to her still alive.  She was willing to work with the conditions laid out before her.  But, I don't think she realized the full effects of those terms.  She doesn't initially see how it is belittling her people.  She feels at first that the best course of actions is to follow these rules and eventually the reigns will be loosened.  It's not long before she sees the noose for what it really is.  In a country that is use to having a male ruler, Alera realizes she alone has the ability to make the proper negotiations to ensure her country has a chance to survive.

But, the people of her country do not take like to rebel in subtle ways at first.  And it doesn't come from who you might expect.  I wasn't surprised at Steldor or even London's actions.  They were reckless and they knew it.  But, they weren't going to stand being oppressed.   I enjoyed their antics and when they were serious about overthrowing the priestess, their plan was amazing.

I love that we get a part of this story told from Shaselle's point of view.  With her we get to see the feeling around the country.  I love her personality, but think she was extremely naive in how she believed she could help the rebel movement.  Nothing she did was well thought out and always ended up causing way more harm than good.  I was happy to see her find love in the end.

Truly way more to talk about, but I was extremely satisfied with the ending.   With this awesome fantasy work under her belt, I am looking forward to what Cayla Kluver could do next.