LION'S LEGACY
Lion's Legacy
By: L.C. Rosen
Book Quote:
"History always questions queerness and always assume it's heterosexuality...Our history is forever being overwritten. If you do this...then you get to control the story. You get to fight back against that erasure." (p59)
Library Cat Rating: 😻 😻 😻 😻
Review:
Lion’s Legacy by L.C. Rosen is a contemporary queer adventure story, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson looking to level up. Tennessee (Ten) Russo hasn’t spoken to his father since he abandoned him two years ago after filming an epic adventure for his father’s popular archaeology documentary. But when Ten gets dumped days before the winter break an early escape is just what he needs and his father provides in the form of a hunt for a Grecian artifact. Leave behind his ex, go to Greece, and hunt for the magic rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes, an army of gay couples from 379 BCE? Yes please.
Special shoutout to Ten as a native New Yorker and for opening the chapter (following a preface being chased by supernatural skeletons) as he describes his love for the city and the queer community he feels innately a part of as he walks through the Village to school.
VERDICT is this novel is a standout for me in 2023 where I didn’t see a lot of classic adventure stories. There is some fantastic queer history in this novel that I think will spark a lot of conversations for teen (and adult) readers. I hope it prompts everyone to look more closely at how we research, preserve, and celebrate history. Ten is a loveable and relatable character and I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
Lion’s Legacy by L.C. Rosen is a contemporary queer adventure story, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson looking to level up. Tennessee (Ten) Russo hasn’t spoken to his father since he abandoned him two years ago after filming an epic adventure for his father’s popular archaeology documentary. But when Ten gets dumped days before the winter break an early escape is just what he needs and his father provides in the form of a hunt for a Grecian artifact. Leave behind his ex, go to Greece, and hunt for the magic rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes, an army of gay couples from 379 BCE? Yes please.
Special shoutout to Ten as a native New Yorker and for opening the chapter (following a preface being chased by supernatural skeletons) as he describes his love for the city and the queer community he feels innately a part of as he walks through the Village to school.
VERDICT is this novel is a standout for me in 2023 where I didn’t see a lot of classic adventure stories. There is some fantastic queer history in this novel that I think will spark a lot of conversations for teen (and adult) readers. I hope it prompts everyone to look more closely at how we research, preserve, and celebrate history. Ten is a loveable and relatable character and I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
Awards:
NYPL's Best Books for Teens 2023
Citation:
Rosen, L.C. (2023). Lion's Legacy. New York, NY: Union Square & Co.
Annotation:
Ten Russo's father has just reappeared after disappearing following an argument they had two years ago. He's asking Ten to go on a quest for the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes (and help revitalize his flailing documentary tv series). Ten wants to turn him down, but not as much as he wants to get out of town post breakup and help reclaim queer history so he accepts.
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Extras:
To learn more about the author and book, visit L.C. Rosen's website here.
Checkout more information about The Sacred Band of Thebes from the Legacy Project here.
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