A review by constant2m
Legend by Nicole Zoltack
5.0
What if King Arthur had been born a girl instead of a boy? Legend explores that very story.
Alena grew up as a maid in the palace, constantly on the brink of expulsion for refusing to submit to the authority and unwanted advances of knights and noblemen. Unlike anyone else she knew, she thought that class and caste should not matter and all should be treated equally. She also continually asserted, to the dismay of the duke and others who employed her, that while another might own her services, no one owned her body. It's a great rallying cry. Things began to change quickly when she overheard a plot to assassinate the duke and found a sword in an anvil and quickly grabbed it for the knight she was assisting in a tournament. As soon as Alena became the center of attention, she knew she didn't want it. Could she become queen? Should she become queen?
Legend could have easily parodied The Sword in the Stone, but Nicole's writing made it believable. There were almost too many anomalies in Alena's life. She didn't know who her parents were but had been sent to the castle instead of abandoned. She taught herself to read. She stood up to anyone who treated her wrongly, regardless of their social standing or the number of times she had already been rebuked for doing so. And those are only a few of the unusual characteristics of Alena. The idea of a woman becoming queen, and a maid at that, was also ridiculous and horrifying to so many people even after they watched her pull the sword from the stone on several more occasions. This wouldn't be a neatly resolved story. And it's definitely not a joke.
I'm curious to see how Alena grows into her role and eventually accepts the mantle that legend tells us she must. Sarah Colton narrated all of the voices perfectly. I could listen to her all day (and almost did, since I finished the book in less than a day). I received a free audiobook through StoryOrigin and have reviewed it gladly.
Alena grew up as a maid in the palace, constantly on the brink of expulsion for refusing to submit to the authority and unwanted advances of knights and noblemen. Unlike anyone else she knew, she thought that class and caste should not matter and all should be treated equally. She also continually asserted, to the dismay of the duke and others who employed her, that while another might own her services, no one owned her body. It's a great rallying cry. Things began to change quickly when she overheard a plot to assassinate the duke and found a sword in an anvil and quickly grabbed it for the knight she was assisting in a tournament. As soon as Alena became the center of attention, she knew she didn't want it. Could she become queen? Should she become queen?
Legend could have easily parodied The Sword in the Stone, but Nicole's writing made it believable. There were almost too many anomalies in Alena's life. She didn't know who her parents were but had been sent to the castle instead of abandoned. She taught herself to read. She stood up to anyone who treated her wrongly, regardless of their social standing or the number of times she had already been rebuked for doing so. And those are only a few of the unusual characteristics of Alena. The idea of a woman becoming queen, and a maid at that, was also ridiculous and horrifying to so many people even after they watched her pull the sword from the stone on several more occasions. This wouldn't be a neatly resolved story. And it's definitely not a joke.
I'm curious to see how Alena grows into her role and eventually accepts the mantle that legend tells us she must. Sarah Colton narrated all of the voices perfectly. I could listen to her all day (and almost did, since I finished the book in less than a day). I received a free audiobook through StoryOrigin and have reviewed it gladly.