Princess Kalista was groomed from birth to marry the princeling of Latak, a match that would end a century of war between their kingdoms. She prepared her entire life for the union by studying their culture and learning the language without complaint like a dutiful daughter. There's no resentment on her part over having no control over her own life, she accepts her fate for the good of the people. The book begins on her wedding day when she discovers that her groom and entire future has been switched without anyone bothering to inform her. In an instant, her lifetime identity as the peacemaker bride has changed to the savior bride. The royals of Estral believe she is the one person who is fated to kill the monster who slaughters their people. It's a tall order for someone who up to that point didn't even believe that monsters exist.

The trip to Estral with her new husband Carson has a suspenseful action scene that effectively pulls you into the story. The opening pages were a little bit awkward, as the internal dialogue of the heroine felt clunky. There were parts that were explained strangely or not at all, leading me to re-read passages to try to understand. Specifically, how Carson came to replace her arranged groom at the last minute. She walks in, sees him there, and it's unclear if he's broken in with armed men at her ceremony, has permission from her parents, or what. I'm just as much in the dark as her.

Immediately after the ceremony, they depart on their journey to her new home and the wrinkles started to smooth out. One thing in particular that I found to be interesting and challenging for the romance was that Carson and Kalista were not able to verbally communicate with each other. She spoke several languages, but none of them were his native language. There was a monk companion assigned to her whose duty was to translate when necessary, but he did not translate substantial chunks of conversation. It was generally a few sentences at a time. Kalista used a lot of body language and single words to try to get her point across. This lasted for most of the book. Remember, she's having to study and learn a new language from the ground up, so realistically that's not going to happen overnight. It makes sense.

Kalista is not a romantic woman with expectations of true love with her husband. In fact, she resists falling in love or exposing her emotions to him. I think their inability to have long, deep conversations with each other hampered her ability to see him in a new light. But as a reader, we see signs of respect and concern for each other's well being grow. We know when she starts to fall before she's even aware of it or able to acknowledge her feelings.

Kalista had a strength of character that was admirable. She's plucked from everything she's ever known at home, dropped in an unfamiliar, dangerous environment where she can't communicate, and is expected to slay a monster that has virtually wiped out the royal family. She discovers that her monk translator, Emmett is what's called a Winnower. This is described as a special sect that "winnows out" those that commit the highest blasphemies. An assassin in the name of their God Aris, though this is pretty vaguely described as well. She eventually decides that Emmett must train her to be a winnower so she has the necessary skills to protect herself and fulfill the prophesy. This decision is agreed on with reservation, and they agree that it must be done in secret.

This plot point never really made sense to me, to be honest. Exactly what is so wrong about her learning the skills to do what the kingdom expects of her? Is she to kill a monster without any preparation beforehand? Her husband Carson gives every impression of being proud of her archery skills, and boasts that she is a worthy wife because of it. I don't know, for me it didn't quite add up.

There was a character with secret, corrupt intentions which admittedly I recognized immediately. In the end, there's a final showdown between Kalista, the monster, and this unnamed character. I really liked how the action played out and the conflicts were ultimately resolved. But the book could have used more consistent action to keep the story flowing faster through the middle. For a solid chunk, things seemed to just be routine. She would train, have brief attempts at talking to her husband, and study. Day starts over and repeats. I need a little bit more, but on the positive side I did appreciate the unique aspect of falling in love with your husband without being able to speak. To recognize what's inside their heart through their actions and warmth. I also loved both main characters and thought they were well developed.

In summary, although this wasn't the perfect YA fantasy for me, it was a decent read, especially for a debut. I enjoy the author's writing style quite a bit, and would like to read more from her in the future.

Thank you to Entangled for sending me a free copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
4/5 stars.
I really enjoyed this story! I liked the basics of the plot, and I liked the relationship between Carson and Kalista. I wish the characters would have been a little more fleshed out, but I can understand why Carson, especially, was such a mystery. Adding his POV might have added that extra element to the story that would have made it 5 stars for me because we would have been able to see who he really was, as well as his own motivations and fears.
Kalista is supposed to marry her betrothed, but when she walks down the aisle a stranger is waiting for her instead. A prophecy has been found that says Kalista can help rid the country of the monster that plagueus it, and so she is married to Carson.
Right away, there are problems. Kalista has spent her whole life learning the language and customs of her betrothed's country, and she knows nothing about Carson's. Carson comes from a country that is very isolated and keeps to themselves. Kalista and Carson have not only a cultural barrier, but a language barrier, and they can barely communicate without an interpreter. The language barrier made for some pretty funny moments while they were trying to get to know each other. I felt like the romance and humour elements were the main focus of the story, and I would have liked to see some more world building and get more explanations about their different countries, as well as more development with the whole monster plotline. I did figure out what the "twist" with the monster was so the plotline was developed enough for it to be logical.
Overall, I thought this was a good read. The language barrier was funny and realistic, and I enjoyed seeing how the relationship (and romance) between Carson and Kalista was able to work and evolve even through their communication issues.

Look out for my review on my IG page (alli_the_bookaholic13) later today!

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

To be published on June 1st, Live Kike Legends by Kate Cornell follows Kalista, a princess born in order to fulfill a treaty when she is married off to an enemy prince. But when a prophecy comes to light, she finds herself suddenly married to another prince, heir to the throne of a foreign kindgom, one that is plagued by a monster she is prophesied to rid them of.
I loved this book, it hooked me from beginning to end.
The world is beautifully built and the characters relatable and likeable. I felt I could understand and sympathise with their problems.
This is a tale of the heartbreaking reality of an arranged marriage into a foreign kingdom, of a princess thrust into a kingdom where she knows no one, does not speak the language, and where she is expected to save them all from a terrifying monster.
It's a tale of hope, and love, and a strong woman. Highly recommend, 5 stars.

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.