YA Fantasy Romance Book Review ~ The Seahorse Legacy

About the Book

a Pirate
bound by a centuries-old oath

a Knight
determined to prove her calling

a Legacy
demanding surrender

As Keeper of the Seahorse Legacy, Cazien de Pollis is a King among pirates, divinely appointed to dispense justice on the seas. Bound by the sacred oath of a long-dead ancestor, he must fulfill a contract to wed the green-eyed Oracle’s Daughter named therein — or risk losing everything he and his people hold dear. But at nineteen, with the identity of his betrothed only recently revealed, Cazien resents the contract — and the urgency within him to see it satisfied.

Erielle de Gladiel returned from the quest for the Remedy, changed. Not only are her formerly-blue eyes now a brilliant shade of green, but she must don gloves to hide inky evidence that her prophetically-bestowed title, the Oracle’s Daughter, demands more from her than the task already completed. Erielle’s dearest-held dream is realized when she is knighted by her King, but unbeknownst to her, that very honor jeopardizes the prophesied purpose to which she and Cazien have been called.

Just as Cazien summons the courage to collect his bride, dark rumors and darker deeds crawl up the coasts, calling its guardians, the Seahorse Pirates, into action — and Cazien away from Erielle. But even though the Oracle’s Daughter knows nothing of the contract to which she has been consigned, Cazien’s enemies have somehow learned of his interest in Erielle. And if they reach her before his ancestor’s weighty oath is executed, the Seahorse Legacy will be forfeited . . . and darkness will be given reign.

Subtly paying homage to several classic tales including Peter Pan, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, Much Ado About Nothing, and even The Three Little Bears, THE SEAHORSE LEGACY begins an epic re-imagining of the classic Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which will conclude in Eyes of E’veria, Book 4: THE SUNKEN REALM.

Amber's Review

Dark. Daring. Delightful! The Seahorse Legacy was everything I could have hoped for as a third installment in the "Eyes of E'veria" series and as the start of a new set within the series as a whole. Yes, I'm seriously desperate for the fourth installment (The Sunken Realm, releasing in 2015) - as there's a lot that still needs to be resolved. Yet, despite the setup (i.e.: background information) and the time the hero and heroine spend apart, I still found The Seahorse Legacy to be full of adventure and romance. While it doesn't necessarily stand alone, it's still satisfying enough on its own to warrant reading it now, even considering the wait for Book 4!

Erielle and Cazien are seriously an explosive pair. They each have their own dreams and duties - and a streak of independence as sharp as a dagger. Their story together is only just beginning, but the stories of their individual journeys of humility, obedience, and faith are quite powerful here. The scenes that brought me to tears were the ones where I could feel Erielle's embarrassment and devastation, so heartbreakingly authentic even as the pain is being used to bring her to the place where she needs to be.

Although there is quite a bit of time apart for these two, their chemistry sings when they're together. (Sometimes in a loud, rock-'n-roll sort of way, and sometimes in a boy-band love-song sort of way. *wink*) The anticipatory suspense between their "together" scenes made the Kindle pages fly for me. I wanted to see when they would meet up again, what would come of each new interaction, and when Cazien would finally come clean with Erielle!

We've got pirates (which means there are some rather violent scenes, just as a heads up); we've got danger and deception, a mystery, and a hero and heroine with a heart for others; and we've got a wild and intense ending that serves as a semi-pseudo HEA that's both touching and agonizing (keeping in mind the wait for The Sunken Realm). In other words, we've got another wonderful fantasy romance from Serena Chase!

*With thanks to the author for providing me with an e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Want More?

• You can purchase the book now in Kindle format on Amazon! Paperback coming soon.

• This review was first posted at Seasons of Humility. Be sure to check out the original post for a fun interview with the author and some great giveaways!