Book Review | Born of Legend

If you enjoy the Fantasy/ Sci- Fi genre and haven’t read a Sherrilyn Kenyon book, then you’ve been missing out. I will say upfront that she takes her characters through the ringer. They tend to experience pain and heartache on a whole other level, sometimes I do find it a bit hard to read. This is the ninth/tenth? book in the Born of Series, I’ve read pretty much all of them, I think.

I enjoy the series and the cycle that the books take, each main character has usually been introduced as a lesser character in a previous book, so sometimes you have an idea of what their like, only to have those conceptions destroyed when you read their book.

This is what happens with Born of Legend, Jullien is usually seen as the spoiled, pampered royal but in this book you get to see behind the facade and find out how life truly treated Jullien, and let me say it wasn’t pretty.

Sherrilyn Kenyon did a great job developing his character, you see how damaged he his from his treatment during his childhood and adulthood, yet he doesn’t use it has an excuse to mistreat others or neglect his children as he was neglected. Though you still see how his insecurities plague him and cause him to try and distance himself from others to spare them harm.

What Happened?:

All of those around Jullien from the time he was a child treated him very poorly, and paid little to no attention to him. Which left him at the tender mercies of his grandmother, who really wasn’t kind. This was something that was known far and wide,so why they (those who should have been looking out for Jullien, like his father) would think that being under the care of the Queen is a good thing I’m not sure. I mean this woman was known to kill people at the dinner table, and that’s who you wanted primarily raising your child? Bad parent award right there.

I just don’t understand how they were so oblivious to it all, well I guess you see what you want to see right?

Favourite Part (s):

When Dagger's (Jullien) wife asks him to put their new born son to sleep, and he tucks the little guy into the crook of his arm and off to sleep he goes. I pretty much enjoyed most of the interactions that Dagger has with his children, you see the depth of understanding and patience he has with them and his love and care is evident. One of his young daughters will not go to bed unless he reads her a bed time story, so even when he is away when he can he reads to her via video feed.

‘She sighed heavily. “Please put him down for his nap for me?”

“Absolutely.” He kissed her cheek, then tucked Vidarri against his chest to sleep.

Nykyrian frowned at him.”Is that down?”

Trojan snored as he joined them. “ For him, it is."

Favourite Quote or Line:

This line is actually what had me thinking that I should do a review on this book. Mira, Dagger's daughter meets his estranged mother (her grandmother) for the first time.

Mira slapped her hand against her forehead. “We gots three mayas? I’m so confuzzled."

Looking Forward to:

Born of   Vengeance, this is the story of Bastien, one of Dagger’s cousins. In Born of Legend you find out that he suffered a betrayal by some of his loved ones and after reading the blurb for the book, I worry that he’s going to suffer some more. 

Final Thoughts: 

I enjoyed this book, it takes you through an emotional roller coaster, you live vicariously through quite a few hellish points in Dagger’s life, but then you see him succeed even with great odds stacked against him. As much as he doesn’t want to care for those who hurt him he risks his life again and again for them. Though he thinks he is unworthy of love, his actions prove otherwise to those around him.