Goodreads link for book:
Author's website:
Genres:
Fiction, Historical, Middle-Grade/Young Adult
Rating:
4 stars
Mature Content:
2 (mild violence)
Age Range:
13+
Interest level:
14-16+
Background Knowledge:
Prince Troy lived a life his peers envied. But they didn’t know he was still haunted by memories from the Quake. They didn’t know he was living in the shadows of his older brothers. Nor did they know his father was ashamed of him for being different.
After being humiliated by his brothers for sticking up for a new slave, this underdog now has something to prove to his father and himself: that he is strong, confident, and fearless. He’s no longer competing with his brothers at home but a classroom full of privileged boys eyeing to be number one. Being number one will place him in the coveted school that will prepare him for the role handpicked for him. For Troy, it could finally mean winning the love and admiration of his father. But Troy is unaware that some of the most powerful lessons he will ever learn will extend beyond the four walls of the Grammaticus. What he’s about to learn these next few weeks could shape him into the person he was meant to be or completely break him.
The companion to Before the Legend brings a coming-of-age tale of friendships, identity, and loss that transcends time. (From Goodreads)
Review:
~I'd like to thank the author for sending me a free copy I exchange for my honest review!~
Like its prequel, I really enjoyed this book. It's written in a very "chill" way, that's really easy to understand and read.
I love how this book relates to all teens. The main character, Troy, is 14 in this book and is facing lots of the same issues that many of us face(d) as teens, such as sibling rivalry, not yet knowing our place in the world, having to live up to others' expectations, etc. This (and other things) made Troy a very great, and relatable, main character. He is a strong, compassionate, and kindhearted person, even to those below him. He was nice to them when, in this time period, doing so was a sign of weakness (whether it was towards a slave or a stray animal).
Also, even though the ending wasn't a cliffhanger, I really enjoyed, since it gave the story a nice "wrap-up", and there weren't really any loose strings.
All in all, this was a great book, and whether you're a Roman historical fiction fan or not, I recommend this book to you!
Things I Loved:
-The main character was very relatable
-The writing was very chill and easy-going
-The ending was sweet, and wrapped everything up well
Things I Didn't Love:
-Some of the characters were stereotypical, such as the dad, older brothers, etc.
In Conclusion:
This was a great book, and I can't wait to read more from this author!
Recommended?:
Yes!