Original Review posted on Goodreads 5/31/2020.

TL:DR Oh...no.

Going by the synopsis, I was hoping for a fun, fantasy-lite romance that probably wasn't going to WOW me with its originality, but would be enjoyable. But, unfortunately, I really did NOT enjoy this.

Cornell's writing choices were not for me. The sentences were very basic and choppy, e.g., "S0-and-so did a dance. I grimaced. We walked out of the room. I was scared." Using such short sentences constantly made the novel feel very simplistic. I felt like I had to drag my eyes past every period like they were walls between sentences. Paragraphs had zero embellishment or "fun" descriptive words, and overall it lacked world-building to keep me engaged. Essentially, there was nothing really to visually SAVOR.

I also really struggled following the dialogue and had to go back to reread several sections multiple times while trying to figure out why Person A responded to Person B the way they did. It felt like I was supposed to be "getting" something via context clues (or divination, perhaps?) to understand logical leaps in the conversation, but there was nothing to infer. That tells me that you're not writing your characters' motivations, personalities, etc. or the world they live in clearly enough.

I made it to about 40% and then skipped to 85% and skimmed to the end from there, and, honestly, it didn't feel like I missed anything. The outcome with the monster was obvious and disappointing.

I'd spend your reading time elsewhere.

I received a free review copy from Entangled. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a good story!

I loved Kalista and her fierceness. Even not knowing Carson's language, she tried her best to overcome this.

As for a romance book, it was all swoning. Carson e Kalista showed that there's more communication between a couple than words.

As for a fantasy book, I found it okay. It lacks a bit of world building, but it has enough information.

I loved Emmet and Kalista's sparky friendship. Seriously! They left me LOLing all over their conversations.

I really hoped that there was some Carson's POV. Sometimes I really wanted to know what he was thinking, especially about Kalista.

Thanks so much Entagled Publishing and Rikki for this ARC!

LIVE LIKE LEGENDS is the first published book of Kate Cornell.
I quite enjoy the writing style and most of the novel, but I wish the novel had focused more on the training of the « prophecy girl » and less on the love development between Kalista and Carson, even if we understand why at the end of the book.⁣
I like the fact that Kalista has a quite tongue and how she quickly adapted to her new life. Always been a fan of strong and fierce female main character.⁣
The cover is so beautiful, it's definitely the kind of cover that catches my attention.
The supernatural side of the story had been watered down as I would have loved to see more of Kalista’s sharp humour and survival instinct.⁣
However, I had a good time reading this book and following Kalista's misadventures.⁣
It was a good read, not what I expected but sometime It feels good to read something new.
⁣
Thank you Netgalley and Entangled publishing for sending me this ARC book. ⁣
⁣

Kallista (such a beautiful name) is a peace baby. She is brought up to marry the prince of the neighboring country to end the conflict between them and keep the peace. She knows how to blend in. She learned his language, customs of his land, their history, etc. She seemed at peace with her fate, but suddenly everything changes and there is a completely different man in front of the altar. It´s prince Carson from a cursed land somewhere up north called Estral. Carson is tall, a well-built and handsome fighter.
Kallista is ought to marry him because she is a part of a prophecy that claims she will bring an end to a monster that is attacking people and killing royals of Estral. Kallista does not know anything about Estral so she is accompanied by a monk named Emmett who is supposed to help her and translate the language for her.

I´ve enjoyed this book so much. Sure, it could be more thought through and it´s quite predictable but I absolutely loved the arranged marriage trope with a language barrier between the main protagonist Kallista and her husband Carson. It was interesting, funny, and refreshing.

Kallista is a quick-witted, likable and funny character. I loved her conversations with Emmett and her relationship with Carson. It´s an absolute delight to see two characters connect and fall in love without words. Their interactions were not only funny, but they were also very sweet together. Because we did not understand Carson It was harder to see his character and development and maybe it would be better if it was told from both Kallista´s and Carson´s POV but I did not mind at all. I sympathized with Kallista´s attempts to get to know him. I know it must be hard not to understand the other person. I liked that we were in her head during the whole process.

I think I´ve never read something where the characters would not know the language of the other person AT ALL and I really enjoyed that. I couldn´t put it down. I finished the book at 5 am. I know there could be more action and worldbuilding because even though there were cultural differences (language, customs, food, etc) we did not see much of this world. I would appreciate more descriptions of Estral itself.

Overall, I've enjoyed it SO MUCH! I adored the bits and pieces of cultural differences, the language barrier between Kalista and Carson, and their slow-burn romance without words ♥. Even though the ending and its explanation could go a little bit deeper it was a very interesting conclusion of this great standalone.


Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. I´ve read it voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars in my Sky!

I enjoyed Kalista's story. It's a short and sweet fantasy full of drama and YA-friendly romance.

The fantasy element and world-building are not overdone. I would have liked a little more information if I'm honest. I enjoyed the Lost in Translation elements and felt Kalista's anguish at not being understood or not being able to communicate with Carson.

The romance was a slow burn, at least to Kalista who seems confused by her feelings. The romance was hampered not just by the language barrier but corrupt courts and individuals serving their own purpose.

I figured out the monster element early on but where I usually find characters stumbling around missing the obvious annoying, here I found it endearing. There are still a few answered questions (don't worry no spoilers here).

I enjoyed seeing Kalista stand up for herself and becoming more than just the 'peace-child' to be sold off to forge alliances with other realms/countries. The reverse fantasy princess element worked well. Kalista is never going to be happy sitting around waiting for the prince to save her. I would have liked more character development with Carson. Plus the country of Estral is still something of a mystery.

Live Like Legends made me smile and wish I could have my own (monster free) adventure.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

I am a fan of fantasy where the heroine marries the warrior she doesn't know and has to come into her own. And this girl, she had a long ass way to go. From a no body born to fulfill a contract to a girl who can fight. Kalista proves you can do anything with hard work and dedication.
While a lot of this book is based on filler and the plot is pretty see through from the start it is an enjoyable read. I just wish by the end or the epilogue they could speak more than 8 words to eachother in a row. Maybe it was to be sweet but sweet baby Aris was it just annoying after awhile. Maybe we needed to have a chapter from his view? I don't know. It was good I just wished she would have learned more by the end.

I really enjoyed Live Like Legends. More than I had expected to actually. It was a really sweet romance, and while totally clean, managed to avoid that childish or overly saccharine tone. The relationship, and the effort that both Kalista and Carson put in, really made the romance stand out for me. The mystery needed perhaps a bit more fleshing out, with more explanation after the reveal. Definitely got me out of the slump I was in and I will look for more by this author.

Such an incredibly sweet book. I really enjoyed Live Like Legends and will happily read other books by Kate Cornell. Set in world where monsters are real, Princess Kalista was raised and trained to be married off to her enemy, only to be given in marriage to a different prince with no language in common between the two. Unbeknownst to Kalista, she is part of a prophecy involving her new husband Carson. While this story covers a multitude of themes (femininity, strength, traditional roles, nontraditional roles), and involves monsters, at its core is a very sweet love story that develops as Kalista and Carson struggle to communicate their initial, and growing, love. A clean read that is only more appreciated by a simple and straightforward manner of writing.

This fantasy romance employs the arranged marriage trope with Kalista unexpectedly marrying Carson, a man with whom she does not share a language or customs. As a reader, we are dropped right into the wedding, with no build up or backstory.

Kalista was an easy to read narrator. I really enjoyed her banter with Emmet, the priest who served as her tutor and translator. Their friendship was a highlight of this book.

I couldn’t help but get wrapped up in the romance. There were some really sweet moments that made me swoon, and I especially appreciated the efforts Carson made to court Kalista even though they were already married.

I would have liked more character development. Kalista tended to be very negative and a bit of a pushover. She is not the strong-willed heroine I’m accustomed to in YA fantasy, despite her assassin training. Carson’s character development was a bit flat because of the language barrier, and the broken communication grew annoying as the book progressed. I wish we had an opportunity to get inside his head, but I understand why this reflect’s Kalista’s point of view.

I also thought the fantasy elements and the mystery surrounding the monster were underdeveloped and confusing. Kalista spends the entire book trying to learn about the monster and its magic by reading her ancestor Ronaldo’s journals, but she doesn’t find many answers. The villains’ plotting was revealed too late in the book, and while it was a good twist, I never fully grasped the motivations behind it, and the delivery was confusing.

I overall enjoyed this easy and quick read with a cute romance, even though the world building and storytelling were rather simplistic. I think this will appeal more to romance readers than fantasy readers.

I love these types of books!! The main character was bad ass and the love story was heart pounding! The story line was full of adventure and heart which I really loved. I finished this book in a day and I will be recommending this story as one for our teen book club.

Live like Legends is a young adult fiction story. The focus is around Kallista, Carson,Emmett and Luke. Kallista is married of to the enemy prince, Carson. She goes with her new unknown husband, not speaking the language, knowing any of the customs or the monster who kills so many and is not a legend. But after a prophecy is Kallista the demon slayer who is able to save them from their monster.

For this book I stayed up until the sun rises to finish reading it. Do you know that gripping feeling? I could not put this story down!
What I liked about that book? I loved the romance between Kallista and Carson which is well told and beautiful. It is refreshing how these two communicate without sharing the same language and although fall in love with each other. Kallista is good main character who I liked and cared about really quickly.
It is a stand-alone and I loved every second of it. Towards the ending there is a really big twist which is masterfully written and surprised me. I really loved to be surprised and liked how it turned out.

I want to highly recommend that book. It is an easy read and a masterpiece at the same time. I love this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for an ARC of by Kate Cornell.

Three and a half
Kalista is a Peace Baby which essentially means her parents only had her in order to form an alliance with another kingdom. She’s born to do her duty and knows who she will marry but this largely ignored Princess has her world shaken when a prophecy is revealed that means she has to marry Prince Carson . Carson comes from a country terrorised by an immortal Monster but Kalista knows magic and Monsters don’t exist or do they ?
Told from Kalistas point of view we become both enamoured and appalled by her life both previously and now. Kalista grew up in a regimented Court where females have no value, chastity is everything and everyone should know their place. Carson is from a land terrified of the Monster that devours Royalty and preys on commoners too yet they have a lust for life and gaiety that frankly baffles the uptight Kalista. Not knowing the language of her husband she turns to a Monk to aid her but poor Kalista still cannot reconcile the apparently heroic exploits of her ancestor with her place in the prophecy. Little does she know that deceit and betrayal underpin everything that’s happening to her and her new husband.
It’s hard to imagine how Kalista could be so confident and canny one moment and then totally downtrodden and submissive the next. She has used her brain to outwit others and become what they want whilst at the same time playing them at their own games. For this reader as intriguing as the story was it was sadly let down by the rather wooden Carson. He’s to inherit the throne one day and yet all he ever seems to do is drill and practice fighting. The author tried to show how much his people loved him but I wanted more warmth from him because it’s difficult otherwise to convince me that Kalista falls in love with him so quickly. As much as I did like the story in general I wanted a little more explanation at the end although there is a conclusion to this story.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe f

This was an amazing read that grabbed my attention and didn't let go. If life hadn't gotten in the way this would have been a one day read. Kalista and Carson as well as Emmett and Luke were fantastic characters. The language and customs barriers made the relationships even more interesting. The relationship development between Kalista and Carson was slow paced. I liked the fact even though Kalista really didn't have much control of her life she still had control and it get her down. The only thing I wish was better was the ending with Luke. Needed more written about him at the end.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book just wasn’t for me. I can easily see people enjoying it, and it was well written, but the plot and romance didn’t reel me in like it should have. Kalista isn’t a particularly likable character, and she doesn’t seem to want to take responsibility for herself or her actions. She whines about not knowing her new husband or his language, and just seems unhappy in general. For the most part, Kalista also went along with what everyone else expected her to do. She wasn’t the strong, independent protagonist I was looking for. Carson, her new husband, was a complete stranger and also a bit of a bore. For the majority of the book, they didn’t speak the same language or appear to even like each other. It might have helped if every other chapter was told from his perspective, so that we could actually get inside his head and not hear everything secondhand in short, choppy sentences through a translator. To make it even weirder, Kalista is expected to have a baby right away. She and Carson are engaged in that type of a relationship almost every night. Their entire marriage was based on her having babies and killing a monster, making their connection seem superficial and fake. They later grew closer and came to love one another, and Kalista learned how to stick up for herself, so that helped move the story along. After the 60% mark, the book got significantly more interesting. There was a plot twist involving the monster that I saw coming from a mile away, but it was still interesting to see how that played out. Despite this book being not geared toward me, and the slow start, I still found myself enjoying the ending.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A bit of an awkward YA Romance. Kallista is supposed to marry one man but on her wedding day finds herself standing next to a strangers married to Carson, Crown Prince of a foreign land. Neither can speak each other’s language so communication is through translators. Kallista doesn’t understand the customs of her new home so it’s all quite awkward although Kallista and Carson’s relationship is sweet.

Kallista is wed to Carson because a prophecy says she will kill the monster that has been plaguing Carson’s land and killing the members of his family.

Not a lot happens until about 80% into the book. I figured out fairly quickly the truth behind the monster but it was still an interesting twist. Most of the book is Kallista learning her husband’s language and customs as well as awkward conversations between the two.

I was expecting more action. I liked the character Emmett, Kallista’s companion monk. He is fun and sarcastic. Carson is sweet in a boyish way, it’s clear he is smitten with his new bride. Kallista herself is a bit of a harsh and whiny character but she comes around.

While this book was certainly not the most original thing I've ever read. I'm not ashamed to admit I still found it quite entertaining. It's very on-brand for Entangled Teen, which, from my experience, is romance-centric, light fantasy.

The world-building and writing itself were rather average. The romance decidedly predictable, but there was just something rather endearing about watching our two main leads struggle and fumble through trying to communicate with each other. Watching them slowly fall for each other despite their cultural differences and the major language barrier was just sweet and satisfying.

That being said, if you're looking for a well-rounded fantasy definitely look elsewhere. The fantasy portion of this was rather weak and flimsy. The villainous reveal was not terribly surprising, but strangely confusing. It made no sense to me why the man (the villain) in question made the deal that he had, or why his main accomplice helped him. The original story of Kalista's ancestor, the famed monster hunter, and the bargain he made was also not revealed by the book's end.

Character-wise everyone could have used more development. It was never explained why Emmet did not trust the people of Estral. Instead, it was randomly thrown in there after he'd been forcibly sent away.

There were moments in this book that made me laugh and had me smiling, so I think that's why I can kind of see past a lot of its shortcomings.

To sum things up, this book is like a cup of tea that has not been given enough time to steep. It lacks depth, complexity in flavor. It's certainly still drinkable but it's not living up to its potential.

LIVE LIKE LEGENDS is an absolutely fantastic YA fantasy romance. We follow Kalista, who is a princess born to be a peace baby, married off to another country's prince to keep peace. She has been raised and trained specifically for that purpose. However, she is suddenly surprised when she is instead wed to a different prince from a different land, owing to a prophecy that she may be able to save them from their monster.

Kalista goes to this land with her new husband, not speaking the language or knowing any of the customs. Estral is plagued by a monster who kills so many. Kalista believes this to be a legend until she barely escapes a terrifying encounter. She now has a new purpose to her life- to defend herself and those she cares about from this monster.

What I loved: I was completely engrossed in this story very quickly- it's an excellent page-turner and the pacing is absolutely perfect. Kalista is someone you can care about very quickly, and even though she does not speak the language, the romance is really well built, slow and beautiful. There is also the portrayal of PTSD from her encounter and the consequences of that, which add to the dimensionality of her experience.

There is also a really big twist towards the end that totally surprised me, and I absolutely love to be surprised. This is also a stand-alone read, and so it was really nice to have a contained novel. And what a read this is! I loved every second of it, and absolutely devoured it in a few hours- the mystery, the romance, the danger, the characters! Beyond Kalista, the other main characters, like her husband Carson, his cousin Luke, and her religious teacher, Emmett, are all also really compelling and easy to fall in love with.

There are also some interesting background themes about what is love/what makes a marriage, religion and its role in society, and politics/culture.

Final verdict: Highly devourable and compelling, LIVE LIKE LEGENDS is a fantastic romantic YA fantasy. I would recommend this for fans of THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US, THE WINTER DUKE, and GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I have to say that the title doesn't really match with a YA fantasy (it feels more like contemporary or maybe even sci-fi, but not straight up fantasy) or the cover, but I'm glad I read the synopsis and requested this! I couldn't put it down, literally read in one day. The MC's Kallista and Carson are both great- they both want their last minute arranged marriage to work. Though they don't have a common language, they both make the effort to communicate and work together. I had a few minor problems with the plot, but it was still very enjoyable. I liked how the author stroked a balance between pointing out the cultural differences without overdoing it. And I loved Emmett! He was probably my favorite character and I would've loved to know more about him. I'll definitely be recommending this to everyone and getting a finished copy for myself.

Posting on Goodreads today and adding reminders on my calendar to post on Amazon and B&N on release day.

This novel was an enjoyable read about a princess whose purpose was to be the wife of a prince, but becomes completely upended when a prophecy is revealed. Kalista had to follow "rules" trained into her from birth, even if she was better or more intelligent. Upon her marriage to Carson, much changes. for one thing, a rather challenging language barrier and years of her upbringing have her questioning what she can do as a woman. We see from Kalista's point of view, her struggles and intelligence, as well as her growing love for Carson. The monster that plagues the land still has a thirst for blood and Kalista needs to be the savior the people think she is. As Kalista gets closer to the truth, there are those who will do whatever is necessary to prevent the exposure. Kalista will not only need to prove herself, but find a way to explain what is happening before all is lost.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.