Book Review: Legacy - Book One of the Balancer Chronicles by Chris Adonn

 

Legacy begins with Katrina (Kat) Blake’s return to her childhood home after a five year absence. She has come back with the sole intention of reading the letter her estranged grandmother (Rosemarie) left her, before she sells the estate—but it’s not that simple. The letter comes with a journal which promises to unveil all the mysteries surrounding her life which have confounded her for years. She soon realises that the account was not written by Rosemarie but by a man named James Blackburne, and according to him they are related.

James is a four-hundred year old immortal; a balancer. His primary function is to protect the natural world from supernatural entities. In an attempt to connect with Kat, and aid her in her adjustment to her new life, he tells her his life story, starting with his birth in 1625, his death in 1650 as well as his subsequent rebirth as a balancer and the adventures which ensue.

James’s story takes Kat on a journey she never imagined possible. He weaves a gripping tale of life, love, adventure and self-discovery which ensnares her interest and compels her to keep reading, but he does a lot more than that. He reaches across time and space to connect with her in the present, as well as explain the motivations behind her grandmother’s apparent cold dismissal of her when she was a sensitive and fragile girl of eighteen. For Kat this is a precious gift as the emotional wounds their parting inflicted have never really healed.

After reading The Eyes That See, a prequel to this novel, I was expecting a great book.  The ideas for this story are very unique and exciting.  I was hoping for a lot of action where Balancers were running off to battle vampires and werewolves and new creatures.  This story didn't quite fulfill my expectations.

The story is told through Katrina reading a book written by her ancestor James.  He tells her about the Balancers and what their place is in the world.  Then he goes on to tell her about his life.  Most of the stories were about him dealing with becoming a Balancer and then the few relationships he was able to have as a near-immortal.  The action scenes that were in there were dulled for me in that they were being read through a book instead of actually happening.  You always knew James would be okay because he had lived to write the book.

The parts where the author (through James) wrote about how the earth, humans, balancers, and supernatural beings came into being were pretty dull for me and way too long.  The explanations went on and on, then later in the book there would be more explanations of it.  I think taking some of it out would have helped the book tremendously.

I think the best character out of either of the books was Wolfgang.  He was tough and strong on the outside, but showed softness inside.  He was handsome and funny, a very magnetic character.  If only there were more of him in this book - in person, not in the story by James.

This story idea has a lot of potential.  I'm hoping the author will bring it out more in the sequels.  Maybe having Kat learning about being a Balancer and showing some real action.  The book may be worth reading for the unique ideas in it.

I give this book 3 Bookworms.

Format:  Ebook

File Size:  566 kb

Publisher:  Chris Adonn; 2 edition (April 9, 2011)

ASIN:  B004W0II3K