From the author of Mortal Legacy:
A second post-apocalyptic world where the only surviving humans live on the super-continent GeoSaun. The story follows five teens who are summoned, but not for the purpose they expect. It's to prevent a third Apocalypse. Much like Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, follow Tess, a young psychopath, in her own witty and fun fantasy adventure. It's perfect for Hunger Games and Percy Jackson & the Olympians lovers.
Mortal Legacy includes elements of both science fiction and fantasy, but at its heart, it is a dystopian novel. Not only is it set in a post-apocalyptic world, but it hints at an oppressive society with a tenuous future. It follows the story of eighteen-year-old Tess and four other teenagers who are chosen to attempt a perilous quest. As they adapt to their new lives as saviors of the world, they struggle with insecurities, suspicions, and dangers that threaten to undermine their fragile loyalty to one another. As the story progresses, they begin to realize their predicament is far worse than they initially thought!
Tess is the main character. She narrates most of the story. She is described as a psychopath in the synopsis, and maybe that is why I struggled to like her. This is merely my personal preference, but I need to be able to connect with a character on an emotional level to care about what happens to him or her. I initially had high hopes for Tess because of her closeness with her guardian Petra, but after she began her training, she became so robotic that I couldn’t sympathize with her anymore. Her narration was extremely event-oriented and didn’t have any emotional depth. Because of this, much of the book felt like a rapid succession of action scenes with very little character building in between. It was definitely fast-paced and exciting, but I had a hard time caring because I simply didn’t know enough about the characters to feel invested! That being said, I really enjoyed the part where the characters shared information about their families.
The plot of Mortal Legacy is intriguing. The author obviously envisioned a complex world with a rich history, and the atmosphere of the story felt unique and fresh. I liked the mix of magic and technology (although I’m always confused when advanced societies resort to sword-fighting), and the different creatures such as the Sybervirians and the Chewletes added an additional layer of depth that was fun to explore. The only aspect about the setting that didn’t work for me was how isolated the whole thing felt. If the five teens were really expected to save the world, they should have been surrounded by the best of the best to support their efforts.
Mortal Legacy is a fascinating beginning to Tess’s story. I feel like the ending has already been given away in the book’s subtitle, though! If Tess is destined to become the villain, who are we supposed to cheer for? I think it will be difficult for the author to conclude this story in a satisfying way, but it could be spectacular if it works!
FTC disclosure: I received a free copy of the book reviewed above.
Author photograph by Stephanie Dribus
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