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Product Description
Product Description
Who—or what—is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy?
In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is spirited away to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns she is a legacy—not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic.
All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit’s hasn’t manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn’t sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlann Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake.
But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what’s happening—before one of them becomes the next victim…
About the Author
Mercedes Lackey is the author of the bestselling Valdemar series, the Obsidian Trilogy (The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle, and When Darkness Falls), the Enduring Flame trilogy (The Phoenix Unchained, The Phoenix Endangered, and The Phoenix Transformed), and the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. She has written many other books, including Trio of Sorcery, Phoenyx and Ashes, Sacred Ground, The Firebird, The Fairy Godmother, and Alta. Lackey is the co-author, with Andre Norton, of the Halfblood Chronicles, including Elvenborn. Mercedes Lackey was born in Chicago and graduated from Purdue University. She has worked as an artist’s model, a computer programmer, and for American Airlines, and has written lyrics and recorded more than fifty songs. She lives in Oklahoma.
Rosemary Edghill is a prolific writer in several genres, under her own name and various pseudonyms. She lives in upstate New York with several cats and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unmagical,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Shadow Grail #1: Legacies (Paperback)
I don't know when the authors began this book, but it feels like a very, very belated cash-in on the "Harry Potter" franchise.And by "cash-in," I mean that Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill have dug up virtually every "magical school" cliche they could find, and whipped it into a tepid, sluggish stew. "Shadow Grail No. 1: Legacies" suffers from bland characters, a slapped-together plot, and lots of filler stuff about martial arts and the interior decor of the school. After her family is killed in a car crash, Spirit White is whisked off by a mysterious organization called the Oakhurst Academy -- and no sooner have she and her new friend Loch arrived than they are told by Doctor Ambrosius that this is a special academy for magicians. And he turns them into mice to demonstrate his point. Spirit soon gets used to life there, but seems unable to do any kind of magic. But as the months go by, Spirit and her friends notice that periodically, a kid or two will go missing -- and the school is covering up these disappearances. Is there some kind of financial scam going on, or is it something more supernatural? Whatever it is, they plan to combine all their powers to make sure it's stopped once and for all. "Legacies" is one of those books I really wanted to like, only to be forced to read a couple of experienced, respected authors making the book up as they go along. Nothing really happens for the first two-thirds of the book, except vague rumblings of Bad Things A-Comin'. It feels like Lackey and Edghill hadn't really thought up any actual plot, so they just ramble a lot about martial arts, fencing and interior decor. Then in the last couple chapters, Lackey and Edghill hastily cobble together a 2-D villain and a climactic battle, ignoring pretty much all the sinister hints they've dropped thus far. They also drop most of the subplots, and leave major questions (Ambrosius' weird behavior, Spirit's car crash, the magicians not doing anything to save the kids) dangling in the wind. We don't even know what the "Shadow Grail" in the series title is, or who the series villains are! The lack of plot is made even worse by the ghastly dialogue (" "Since when is life fair?" "The only people that say that are people who don't want it to be") and endless pop culture references that add absolutely nothing. Mentioning Hogwarts and Dumbledore doesn't mean you're not jumping on a bandwagon, ladies. And the characters are pretty limp as well. Spirit is a whiny, bland character who fades into the background whenever other characters are around, and who spends most of her time complaining about... stuff. Most of the other characters are bland cliches -- we've got the Wizard Mentor, the Studious British Girl, the Goth Rebel, the Designated Love Interest, the Uptight Female Teacher, etc etc. Except for the fiery Muirin, most could have been ripped from the pages of a JK Rowling book. "Shadow Grail No. 1: Legacies" is a flaccid, cliche-ridden story that never quite manages to develop a plot or memorable characters. Give this one a skip, and read "Wizard's Hall" or some Eva Ibbotson.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shadow Grail #1: Legacies (Paperback)
Spirit White wakes up from a car accident to discover her body's beat up, her parents and her sister died, and her house burned down. She has no one in the world and no possessions. It's hard to fight back, but eventually time heals her.Then she learns of a school for orphans where her parents set up a trust for her in case anything ever happened to them. It is a huge mansion filled with amenities for sports and academics. It's also a place for people with magical abilities. Spirit believes there's been a mistake. She has no magical powers. It's quite evident during the first day of testing. However, she's a legacy to the school. She must have one; it simply hasn't appeared yet. Despite its grandeur, Oakhurst thrives on rules. As Spirit's finding her place at the school and amidst all the guidelines, a student goes missing. It might not have made a huge difference, until another student disappears, too. Spirit and her friends begin to question these disappearances and come to the conclusion that there's something strange going on at Oakhurst. Can they solve the mystery before the same thing happens to yet more students, possibly one of them? LEGACIES is a fun start to a new series that creates a blend of magic and mystery with a dash of potential romance. Once Spirit and her friends comprehend the danger within the school, they do everything in their power to change the situation. They must unravel layer upon layer of mystery, all while keeping their suspicions to themselves. I loved the double lives they lead and the lengths they go to in order to keep them separate. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.3 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews) 24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Magical Boarding School yes, Harry Potter clone no,
By L. J. Russell "fangirl" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Shadow Grail #1: Legacies (Hardcover)
Liked it - didn't love it.I wasn't sure if I'd like this as it is geared towards younger readers, but having read the authors' collaborations before, I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did, as I found it an enjoyable read. This is actually more similar to Kelly Armstrong's Darkest Powers series than to Harry Potter, though in all three the youngsters must band together to solve problems the adults around them can't or won't handle. However, in this series the children are all orphans, are kept isolated at the school, and have no sources of information about magic - or anything else! - except what the school provides. So,can the school itself be trusted? I was very caught up in reading the book and would like to read the next one when it comes out - but I did not immediately re-read it and I haven't found myself dwelling on the characters or the world created. 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing new,
By Lee - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Shadow Grail #1: Legacies (Hardcover)
I have read other books by Mercedes Lackey, and found them enjoyable, so I was pretty excited when a YA book came out. Legacies did have a good plot going, as Spirit's family is killed in a car accident and she is whisked to Oakhurst, a school for no oridinary orphans. Once there she finds out the school is for magicians, kids who are able to create illusions to fire out of thin air. But not only does Spirit have no magical ability yet, she also knows something is going on at Oakhurst as kids start to disappear.The plot, again, was pretty good, but half way through the book, I kept getting bored as the same things happened over and over again. She went to class, she speaks to her friends in secrecy as Oakhurst also likes to pit the kids against each other, she was tutored in martial arts, and the next day it started all over again. The characters weren't all that developed either, and seemed stereotypical. But what nagged me the most was the very end. I seriously believed the trouble brewed from the inside, and while it still might, the bad guys...I just didn't get it. There was no mention that the bad guys (I don't want to give it away) actually exist, and to have the group suddenly figure out what was making the kids disppear didn't mash well at all. Plus the Dr. after listening to their explanations of what happened, didn't even react so much as to slap them on the back and say well done. He wasn't concerned at all, and didn't offer them any explanation of why the adults didn't or couldn't figure out for themselves what was going on in their own territory. I normally like Lackey's books, but I won't be reading the next in this series. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad but not great either,
By octobercountry - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Shadow Grail #1: Legacies (Hardcover)
I don't know that I'd call the plot of LEGACIES "clichéd," though the setting is certainly familiar enough. Of course one thinks of Harry Potter when talking about boarding schools for magically-gifted students, but there are a number of other series with similar themes currently being published. And if one substitutes "paranormal creatures" for "magically-gifted students," the number of comparable series jumps dramatically (Vampire Academy, House of Night, the Fallen series, etc., etc.).So, does this stand out from the crowd? Um, not particularly. I did enjoy the novel as I was reading it; liked the core group of friends, certainly. And it was refreshingly free of romance (which usually figures heavily in this genre); the fellows in this group are very appealing, but none of the girls were irresistibly drawn to them, or felt the need to be their devoted slaves. Now isn't that a change... Still, the characters were perhaps a bit underdeveloped, as was the school setting itself. Seemed to me that these kids could get away with a LOT, considering how strictly-run the school was supposed to be. The main problem, however, is one that affects many fantasy-oriented series books. The author has to provide adequate closure to the individual story, while still leaving enough aspects of the plot/situation open to make the reader curious as to what will happen next. Now, the mystery detailed in this novel is adequately wrapped up, but there really were too many plot holes and unresolved questions at the end (which will presumably be addressed in the next novel) for this to be a really satisfying read. So, a bit of a mixed review from me. I'm interested enough in the story that I will likely read the second entry, but overall there is nothing about the book to make it stand out from so many other similarly-themed novels. But hey, if you enjoy this type of story, by all means give it a go and see what you think for yourself. (Oddly enough, while this is book one of the "Shadow Grail" series, this novel gives no indication whatsoever as to what the shadow grail is---I don't think the term was mentioned once in the text.) The dust jacket isn't bad; again, nothing special but at least it's a little more dynamic than many of the other jackets now on the market. PS---Okay, there was one GLARING error that annoyed me! The text mentioned "The full moon was almost directly overhead, and the stars were brilliant in the clear night sky. They were so far from any city that the Milky Way was even visible." Now, this scene takes place near the winter solstice. The wintertime Milky Way is fairly dim (compared to the very bright Milky Way visible in the summer sky), and becomes almost impossible to see with even a low level of light pollution. Quite apart from the fact that when there is a brilliant full moon, you really don't see a lot of stars in the sky, you would not see even a TRACE of the Milky Way in a brightly moonlit sky! This is a very basic error and should have been caught in editing. |
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