I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.  I am a little mixed on this book. I got it to review since I had seen it everywhere and so many people were talking about it and I had to see if the hype was real. I love the cover of the book it is one of the things that drew me in. The storyline was something I had read before, but all the things that Kalista goes to her get her ending. It was not what I expected it to be at all. There were parts that I enjoyed. There were times when I got to some spots I was a little confused. I would have liked it it had been more then one point of view. I believe it would have made the story even stronger.

I kept hearing and seeing this book around on blogs, bookstagram, and even Upcoming Release ads. I'm so glad I read it!

There's a lot to unpack with this one, but I think it's one of my standouts from this year. The intrigue, the realistic fantasy, and the romance were all tangled together so well and I'm still a little hype from finishing it. The language barrier helps push the fact that this is someone being forced to a new land, something you rarely see in any kind of fantasy (are we supposed to believe there's a Common like in D&D, guys?) and it's used so well here. The arranged marriage trope actually totally works, in a way I haven't seen in a while. The ending is also succinct enough that I wouldn't mind a sequel but it works on its own. 

Kalista and Carson are both awesome, definitely a battle couple if I've ever seen one. Kalista, despite being a main character out if her element, doesn't end up feeling whiney or annoying unlike some I've seen in these kinds of stories. I wanted more context on Carson, but bearing that the book is first person with a language barrier I'm not surprised. The other characters are also sick, too. Luke and Emmett make for good foils, and there is definitely work put into their characters. 

Again, though, I'm left wanting more, the entire thing wrapping up a little too neatly for my liking with the impression this is all. I'll be on the lookout for more of Cornell's writing, she's definitely on my list now!

Usually with books that I feel are 2-3 stars, I feel are great, but they don’t necessarily wow me, I say it isn’t my cup of tea. While I adored the trope in this novel, an arranged marriage which I adore and am overjoyed is a trope in 2020, I can’t shake the feeling that this “tea” isn’t right for me.

It wasn’t a full bodied enough tea for me. 

The components were there for sure, but it was missing something that I can’t quite place. 

That being said, I did enjoy this book, and do plan on recommending it.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Live Like Legends was one book that was way too easy to devour. At least for me. I mean how could you not want to dive into a princess with a prophecy and legend? Heck yeah, sign me up!

In it, you will meet Kalista. Now she has been training to be the perfect bride since birth. If you give her a culture or a new language, she wont hesitate to practice until she was practically perfect in all things. Well, that was until the day a prophecy was set in stone and then... everything she knew was worthless and useless. Like poof! - nothing matters anymore.

Now she is to be married to a prince that lives in a land full of monsters. Of course they had an instant connection once the met one another. It was pretty cute to see them adapting to a language that they could both understand. I will admit that Carson and Kalista were just adorable throughout the book and fiercely protective as well.

In the end, the only thing I would change is the ending. I just felt like so much was happening throughout the book that the actual ending just underwhelmed me.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

I liked and didn’t like. I loved that Kalista and Carson found a way to communicate and learn about one each other even though they did not speak the same language. I adored Carson. He was kind and caring even though he was rough around the edges. He was so earnest and eager to learn about Kalista and get her to see him. He was an amazing man and prince. I didn’t like Kalista at first. I didn’t like her selfishness. I didn’t like how she only saw herself as one way and didn’t see what Carson saw. I did like how she slowly opened her eyes and realized her situation.

I loved how her and carson found their way to one another. Not through words but actions and emotions. THey found ways to communicate and understand one another. Ways to see who the other is and learn about one another. I love how they fell in love but it wasn’t instant and the respect Carson gave her was wonderful.

THe plot with the magic and monster needed fleshing. The story would have been stronger if more was built into that. We knew there was a monster and how bad he was. there was some background into the monster but not alot. She didn’t   take advantage of her skills completely when it came to this area. We got some twists and turns but not to where you were overwhelmed. The magic aspect was not really told. It was there but that was it. Nothing came of it. Neither was there a lot of world building. We got that from Kalista but only on the worlds she knew about and that was because she was wallowing in how she was educated to please one way and is not thrown into an unknown. So more could be brought forth there.  

My favorite character is Carson. He allowed Kalista to shine and grow. He respected her and supported her. IT was so amazing to see this gentle prince even if he didn’t seem that way when the story began. He protected those he loved fiercely and his family and kingdom he loved with all he was. He grew to love Kalista too as he saw her and got to know her. They didn’t start out so wonderfully but ended grandly.

This was not what I expected at all, and I loved it!  I was expecting a standard woman is stolen to save a land she hates, she hates her new husband, all is grim until she falls in love and all becomes sunshine and unicorns.  Nope.  Well, there is a hapy ending, mostly, but the route to get there will leave you breathless.

I have received an arc of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. I have really like this book and love the language barrier between the characters.

Princess Kalista knows her role. She have been prepared to marry a prince from a peaceful kingdom. But instead of this she's gonna be force to marry a prince from a curse and cold kingdom thats being ravages by a beast. Prince Carson will do anything to stop this monster. And according to some legend, Kalista bloodline will help to be an end to this beast.

Although, I really wanted to love this one.  I found it confusing and kind of weird.  I did enjoy that these two MCs didn't know the same language.  As that is not the norm within these stories.  The plot was kind of loose if you ask me and I think that it all could have been better plotted.  Ive read hundreds of fantasy/romance stories and this one just didn't work for me.

Spectacular book! I loved all the relationships and barriers and interworking of the relationships. What a beautifully intricate web ! I like how motives are hidden and loyalties are tested. You never know who is good and who is bad. I can't wait to read more from this author. 

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. These opinions are my own.

I think the title is not suited to the content.  It does reflect the content after you have read it, but it sets up expectations of another type of story.  It was a good story, but there are large periods of discovery without any action and the story drags.  The reader is also equally as frustrated as the protagonist Kalista that she cannot communicate with the majority of the characters.  I found her husband, Carson, mildly irritating as it seems he could be more involved in Kalista's integration into court life.  At the same time, Kalista's  isolation and inability to communicate were probably the most significant contribution of the story, as there are many young women who must leave their family and they are marginalized in the family structure/hierarchy.  This has happened throughout history.  She does fulfill her prophesy and become a stronger woman exhibiting resilience in the face some grim circumstances finding her placed purpose. The story is ultimately about this journey.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel.    This was a YA fantasy novel that kind of reminded me of the heart of darkness series with an arranged marriage, strong female lead, etc.   I think having both main characters be the voice in different chapters would have worked well here.   Great read in the fantasy world.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

This is not a very original book. It is a cliche ya fantasy with a feminist undertone. This genre has been overdone for some time now. That being said I love stories about people thrown into a marriage and discovering who they are whether that be happily married or not so. I won’t be buying it for the library as money is tight but this goes on my personal TBR for those days I’m looking for a little brain candy.

What a wild ride! I went on a fantasy hiatus for quite a while, but books like Live Like Legends are welcoming me back into the genre with wide arms and I love it! This was a highly enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book.  It reminded me a little of The Wrath and The Dawn series by Renee Ahdieh plot wise and I loved that series as well.  So if you liked that series you will love this book as well.
Kalista was promised to somebody and had been studying his country and their practices but instead she is married to somebody she's never met.  As she is learning about her new kingdom and their language she is slowly falling in love with her new husband.  She is part of a prophecy and she knows that any kids she may have will be part of it as well.  When she mentions this to her husband he runs off to kill the monster of the prophecy.  Will he return?  Will they be able to make their marriage work?  Will they be happy?
I may have added yet another great author to my list of go to authors.  I am so glad I requested to review this book.  I have no words as to how much I enjoyed it.  It was a great story and I enjoyed reading it.  I absolutely look forward to reading more books by Kate sometime soon but I have a lot of books on my TBR list right now so it will have to wait.

3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a hard one to rate and review. I enjoyed it, but it could have been SOO much better if for one simple fix which I discuss below. All in all, not a bad debut. 

What I Liked

What I did enjoy was that the author explored the concept of cultural and language barriers ... which tbh is something most fantasy novels don’t even touch and now that it’s been brought to my attention ... it makes sense that there would absolutely be cultural and language barriers in these types of scenarios (arranged/forced marriages to faraway countries).

The concept and the world was very interesting. The characters were well written. And the plot was spot on. I also really enjoyed the romance. Toward the end, I was definitely invested in their outcome ... buuuuut ... 

What I did not like

Honestly, if this had been a duel POV book, it could easily have been a 5 star read. Such a tragic missed opportunity. I don’t think it completely works as a single POV story. Still enjoyable but for the most part uneventful and boring. I did finally start to emotionally attach to the romance in the last 35% of the story, but I feel like it could have been an incredibly emotional story if ONLY FOR DUEL POV!!! 

Imagine how much more emotion there could have been. Imagine how many more encounters with danger and turmoil we could have had. Imagine how many more characters we could have understood the complexities of!

Unfortunately, because it was only one POV, the main character couldn’t understand anyone else most of the time and therefore any connection I could have had to any of those character was also lost on me.

In conclusion

I enjoyed this read. It was quick and easy and intriguing. but DUEL POV!!! I hate that it could have been such a simple fix 😭

I really enjoyed this book and I hope to read more from this debut author in the future. Keep up the great job and stay safe!

I enjoyed this book from first time author kate cornell.  the heroine, Kalista really grew into her own throughout the book.  her interactions with her mentor were the best parts for me.  I felt that the romance part was a bit of a let down, only because without dialogue and knowing truly how the hero thinks/feels, it's harder to connect with him as a reader.

This was a unique story because the mc and the romantic interest speak in different languages! I really liked this but wish we would have gotten the male's perspective!