Anyone who says teens can't write should meet 16-year-old Cayla Kluver, who has written and published a fantasy novel that earned the Bronze Medal in Young Adult Fiction in the 2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards and was a Finalist in Young Adult Fiction in the National Best Books Awards 2008. Far from being another one of the over-wrought epic fantasy novels of most young writers, Legacy is a smoothly written, easily read piece of fiction. More impressive even than the skill of the writing is the way the writing manages to touch on numerous issues within the writing.
A coming-of-age story about a princess who is engaged to a man she dislikes but is bound by honor to marry, Legacy is filled to the brim with wit, powerful writing and a spell-binding story.
Kluver's writing is much more advanced than would be expected from someone of her age, and she tackles some major issues within the story. The main character, the princess Alera, lives in a country called Hytanica; in a traditional medieval kingdom, Alera is not given much freedom as a woman or as royalty, and Kluver deftly captures the frustration of a woman caught in such a situation.
Two men enter Alera's life: her suitor Steldor, who is arrogant and patronizing, and Narian, a man from Hytanica's rival country of Cokyri, who shows Alera a different way of viewing the lives of women. Narian comes from a country in which women are powerful and respected, and Alera begins to question her duties to her country and herself.
Through Alera's story and interactions with the men of her country and Narian, Kluver is able to touch on the issues of sexism and the role of women in society; although the story is set in a traditional medieval society, the fantasy aspect of the writing allows Kluver to explore these issues through Narian and the country of Cokyri. By exploring the social structure she has built, Kluver is able to explore the ideas of duty to country and family in a story that will leave readers begging for more.
Kluver's writing is impressive, fluid and focuses heavily on social customs and deep, complex characters; the skill of the writing and the resulting story make Legacy one book that any fantasy fan should pick up at the earliest opportunity.