Legacy

The Biodome Chronicles, Book 1

By: Jesikah Sundin

Narrated by: Sunny Patel

Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

She is locked inside an experimental world. He has never met the girl who haunts his dreams. A chilling secret forever binds their lives together.

Willow Oak Watson has never met a stranger. Never known the open wide sky. Never seen modern technology.

The experimental world she was born into is built on rules and traditions. Edicts no one has dared challenge - until her father’s shocking death places an invisible crown of power on her brother’s head. A coveted legacy that may be the very reason her father now lies dead.

Unsure of who they can trust, her brother risks their family’s banishment in a hunt for answers. A bold decision that leads them to a hidden communications room and to Fillion Nichols, a young man with a chilling link to her family. A stranger Willow feels a bond with the moment they meet. A connection that has haunted his dreams for years.

Everything about Fillion bends her reality and screams danger. He is the complete opposite of all that she has ever known and from a world she fears. Yet he is the only one who can decode the many cryptic secrets destroying her home.

A necessity if her family is to survive.

Worlds collide in an unforgettable quest for truth, unfolding a story rich in mystery, betrayal, and love.

A salivating blend of medieval meets the near future in this gritty young adult eco-dystopian tale, brimming with psychological thrills, strong nature and found family themes, and an angsty enemies-to-lovers slow-burn fated romance that forever alters the reality of two worlds.

©2014 Forest Tales Publishing (P)2017 Forest Tales Publishing

Critic reviews

"A captivating YA hybrid of sci-fi and medieval fantasy, mystery, and romance, Legacy opens The Biodome Chronicles series with divergent worlds on a carefully planned collision course." (Chanticleer Book Reviews)

"...This book was beautifully written. It was detailed, immersive, and had a subtlety that I cannot help but be impressed by." (Kookie Krysp Reviews)

"This is a fantastic launch to what promises to be a vivid and engaging series." (Pure Jonel Book Reviews)

SO unique!

If you could sum up Legacy in three words, what would they be?

Sci-fi meets Victorian

What was one of the most memorable moments of Legacy?

The epigraphs giving context to the biosphere and the story

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved getting the back story to how the whole system worked-- technology etc. I think the author did a great job of researching and making it really believable.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Choose your world.

Any additional comments?

It took me a little before I could get into the narrator's voice, since most YA novels I listen to are read by young women. I thought the author did a great job of creating two distinct worlds, and making you really think about which future you would rather live in. Two extremes. Really well done.

A fascinating take on the future

The author has created such an interesting world in this story! I enjoyed listening to it. The narrator has a lovely voice.

Lots to like

This book has a lot to offer. It’s honestly hard to classify because it has so many components, but I really liked that about it. The characters are unique, but the world is even more so. The land and scenery is very different from most fantasy novels out there today. The contrast between both worlds is really beautiful and thought provoking. I thought it was beautifully written and the futuristic time frame was really cool. I would definitely recommend. I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Modern Medieval Green Living

Jesikah Sundin has done some phenomenal world building in her novel Legacy. The novel is set in the future where almost everything is dependent on technology. Within that world, there is a medieval village contained within a very large biodome. Inside the biodome, there is no technology and life is lived in a “green” way. People can come out of the biodome if they need medical help (but so far none have). The young adults living in the dome were born there and they know no other life. There are some mysterious events and people being manipulated for unknown reasons. This is not a stand-alone novel and the ending was the beginning of a particular part, I had been looking forward to.

The characters are very different from each other but most are very interesting. As is often the case, the rebel is usually the more interesting character but Sundin has created most of her characters as people you cheer for and they aren’t so good that you become bored. In fact, the mannerisms of the characters are so well written, I could see most of the characters in my mind’s eye. I kept picturing Fillion as a young Judd Nelson from Breakfast Club.

The writing is exceptional. I became really engrossed in the story. And when it was finished, I immediately bought the ebook version of the second book. At the time of this writing, there wasn’t an audiobook for the second or third novel.

And there needs to be. (hint, hint)

Production: In the beginning, there was background static/hiss but that goes away eventually. I listened to the beginning of this audiobook on several audiobook player apps, through the computer and my phone and the beginning static was on all the apps and devices. If that bothers you, I highly recommend you bear with it for a bit because this book is magnificent and Sunil Patel is a fantastic narrator.

Patel, does a straight reading but it is well done. I’m usually a fan of the narrator’s who do “voices” but I quickly became very engrossed in the storyline and Patel’s narration. He is an excellent narrator who is lovely to listen to. The only negatives I found were that at times the dialogue was written in such a way that it was difficult to tell which character was saying what and a couple of times, his narrating sped up but he soon went back to a more relaxed speed. Something I thought was humorous was that the narrator acted out the spitting noises. I’m still not sure what I think about that. It felt like he really got into the story and I don’t blame him as the writing is superb. All in all, though, these are very small things and didn’t distract too much from his narration.

Yes, this is a young adult book but this middle-aged wench was thoroughly enthralled with it. I highly recommend this series.

Note: There are drug references, underage drinking, and profanity if you keep track of that sort of thing.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.
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A world of of the past set inside the future

When Leaf and Willow's father suddenly dies, they are adrift as to what will happen next. Little do they know, but they are really part of a bigger secret- ​with too many lies and hidden purposes that the siblings may not be able to live up to. On the outside of their hidden world, Fillion is disinterested in his life, just waiting the days until he will be sentenced for his hacking crimes. But instead of jail time, he is informed of a secret, one he will now be part of. These three teens from very different worlds will soon cross paths even though they don't know it yet.

​The story was interesting and very complicated, with some surprise twists and secrets. The author has a poetic writing style, very descriptive and flowery, creating a vivid imagery that came to life for the reader. Everything was so descriptive, yet at times I feel like the detail overwhelmed me and the plot transitions were lacking. The idea of the book was also really creative and unique, a simple society with no technology or advancements bubbled safely within a futuristic society with the most advanced of technology. The clash between the two elements made for some interesting interactions and ideas that I had never thought of before.

The narration in the story skips between three character: Leaf the practical and reliable son of the Earth Element who has lived his whole life in the dome, Willow aka Oakley the fiery impetuous younger sister to Leaf, and Fillion (named after the actor who just so happens to star in one of my most favorite show- Firefly- I loved this random reference thrown into the story!) the rebel hacker who lives adrift in the futuristic world. I found Leaf to be a very one dimensional character and not very interesting, his parts felt more like am ambivalent narrator watching over everything instead of a part of it. Oakley was intense and slightly crazy, giving hormonal girls a run for their money for sure with her out of control mood swings and hot anger- she was 100% unpredictable and headstrong. Fillion, ah, Fillion, my favorite. He had so much depth and thought put into him I could not help but be intrigued.

I found the narrator to have a very interesting voice as well as great enunciation and timing, but I was a little disappointed since it was hard to distinguish between voices. The narrator was great at doing one voice but I did not like when there were conversation between the characters because I had no idea who was talking​, there was no differentiation at all between the speakers. It made it hard to follow the story and I noticed myself checking out at times since I was a little confused.

​I thought this book over all was interesting and different, a nice mish mash of worlds and technology to create a new kind of fantasy/science fiction journey. Legacy is the first in a trilogy and there is no way I could even predict what will happen for the characters or what secrets will come out next. ​I am glad that I got the chance to listen to this book and I would like to continue the series, but I think I will read a physical copy for the next installment.

​I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. ​

An interesting series, a fresh approach

This is one heavy book to read. The audio is a far better way to enjoy it. Wait, I’m not saying that reading it would not be enjoyable, not at all. It’s just that it has so many technological terms, descriptions and world building that it may take a while for the reader to be captivated by the plot. But once you’re there, it’s awesome.

I liked it so much! The author is absolutely fantastic. The way she described the two different worlds, showing the beauty, nativity and ugliness in each one. What made me appreciate her more was how she adapted her writing to each character. She transformed into Leaf, Willow and Fillion easily and gracefully. And the character development is amazing as well. Yes!

Now, this combination between uncovering mysteries from Fillion’s past, his ties with the biodome are beautifully weaved in with the romance aspect. When he first sees Willow, he is taken aback by the purity in her appearance. No makeup, no additional items that cover her true looks. I liked how this scene was presented. And from here on, a world of mystery and secrets unfolds and lives will be changed forever.

I was not very comfortable with the narration. Sunil Patel has a lovely voice but it was very difficult to realize which one of the characters was talking. I did not observe any voice acting or something special when it comes to intonation. It was more of a normal reading, nothing out of the ordinary. However, I was so attached to the story that I started not to pay attention to who was reading it, as long as it kept going. The foreign language insertions here and there confused me a little and I think that Leaf’s little sister was as little neglected.

With all these comments, I died appreciate “Legacy” and I can’t wait to read more. I heard that the story keeps getting better and better. Enjoy!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jesikah Sundin. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Fantastic narration for my new favorite series.

Second place tie between the cover, narrator and character development. First place definitely goes to world building. I haven't loved being inside a story world so much since Harry Potter. However, I don't think the narrator could've done a better job. He was fantastic!

I enjoyed how the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter are woven into the story and the extra touch they give.

Perfect Blend of old meets futuristic.

Intriguing science without so much that the details become distracting.

A growing mystery with wonderful characters.

I'm grateful that this first story was finally made into an audiobook since I can't currently do any reading due to migraines. I devoured this and will be eagerly awaiting the audio books for the rest of the series. I received a free review copy.

One of the best I've listened to!

Formed around the bond of a brother and sister, we are transported into a world that seems stuck between its future and its past; and the characters must make the appropriate choices to keep everything from falling apart. 

I absolutely LOVED this story! It is so unique and captivating, not only the story itself, but the characters too. The narrator was simply stunning, perfectly capturing the tone of the book and providing the correct emphasis in every sentence. At one point while listening, I caught myself looking to the TV thinking that I was watching a show instead of listening to a book! 

As for the cleanliness of the novel, there always seems to be mild violence in YA novels, so in addition to that, there is a descriptive scene of grieving the loss of a loved-one that some audiences may be able to relate to a little too well and therefor may be disturbed by this scene. Aside from this, I was very pleased with how this book ended and await book two with eagerness. 

Legacy comes highly recommended! 5 out of 5 stars! 

This review was originally published on LiteratureApproved .com. I received a free copy of this book from Audio Book Worm for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Great story

This series just keeps getting better! Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, there was a plot twist and the unexpected happened. I love when I can’t see exactly what is going to happen next. I love the characters, even the ones I love to hate. Again, the narrator does a superb job of bringing this story to life.

Great world building, intriguing characters . . .

Can I just say, woooooooooooooooh. I don’t really know what say or how to say it. This was a fantastical ride with adventure, action, intrigue, mystery with touches of sci-fi, fantasy, dystopia, and fairytale. I found much here to make this a fantastic adventure. I went on a ride with first Leaf and Willow, then latter adding Fillion. There are many others that you get to know, some you like other you just don’t care about and others you just right out hate. The world that takes shape around each and every chapter change was intriguing. The writing had an element of something more. There were things I did not understand and other that I became comfortable with as the story went on.

I could not just sit down and listen to this in one setting. After a few hours, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed or underwhelmed it depended on where I as in the story. I applaud those that were able to do this in one setting it just did not work for me. There was much to take in with each session spent listening to this world become more and the characters become richer in depth and concise.

Narrator Review of . . . LEGACY (The Biodome Chronicles, #1) . . . Sunil did a good job. The richness of his voice. The diction. The accents. The pitch. All came together to provide a listening enjoyment. I took the time to listen with more than just my ears. This was a full senses experience. I was captivated by the vivid imagery that was conjured with his voice.