The LeNoir Legacy

The LeNoir Legacy, Book 1

De: Cristen Jennette

Narrado por: Robert Cagle

Princess Rosealyn LeNoir refuses to remain the sheltered heir. Studying and training in the comforts of the castle will not assist a country at war. When additional soldiers join her father at the border, she evades her personal guard, Captain Charles, to follow. Hoping to help her father discover those responsible for the blighted fields across their nation, Rosealyn finds herself thrust into a battle which leads to an unlikely answer.

For the past decade, Charles has adhered to an agreement which allowed him to leave his past behind. As Rosealyn continues to discover what is myth and what is reality, Charles worries the truths she learns will hurt more than they may help.

Between fantastical creatures, magic, the legendary Twin Blades, and the myth of the Lost Prince, Rosealyn fears that understanding the LeNoir Gift may cost more than her family’s legacy.

©2022 Cristen Jennette, Cristen J. Faulkenberry (P)2024 Cristen Jennette, Cristen J. Faulkenberry

A fantastic set up to a promising epic series.

A vibrant world, complex characters, and an interesting magic system combine to make the first installment in the Lenoir Legacy a strong series starter. Also, there’s dragons! Because who doesn’t love dragons?!

This book very much feels like the beginning to an overall epic series. We have our mc Princess Rosealyn, who’s just coming in to her duties as royal of the kingdom. She’s very much torn between duty and accomplishing something much larger, and that plays a big role in her journey. You can very much feel that she’s destined for something on a much grander scale. Her relationship with Charles is a definite slowburn. There’s chemistry for sure but they take a long time to act on it. I liked them together, but I wanted something…more. More spark maybe. More banter for sure, I don’t know, but I did overall enjoy their friendship-turned-more.

Filled with action, adventure, political intrigue, and personal struggles and associated growth, this one kept me hooked from the beginning. The narrator, @bobcagle3, did such a fantastic job giving voice, life, and even more depth to the overall story, and I really enjoyed his performance. All told, an immersive first installment that sets the stage for much more to come with these characters and this fantastic world, and I’ll definitely be picking up the other audiobooks in this series when they’re available.

Incredible start to the series

🎧🎧AUDIO BOOK REVIEW🎧🎧
Story line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The truth of your past actions is different from the truth of your character.”

The narrator Robert Cagel III did such a fantastic job reading this story! I really enjoyed listening to his voice. Usually I love a full cast for epic fantasy books but he had a very pleasent voice to listen to I can only compare it to Henry Cavil in the Tudors show which is my obsession so this was an incredible experience!
I really enjoyed this story! If you want a fantasy book with an FMC who takes no shit and rises to her power this is going to be the book for you! There is also dragons, magical swords, elves and such incredible world building!
I honestly cannot wait to dive into the second book this was such a gripping tale that had me on edge the entire read!

Pulls you in from the beginning

The story started off very well. You get introduced to Princess Rosealyn, a stubborn yet determined princess who won't back down from being more than what others want her to be. Then there's Charles, her personal guard who wants to make sure his past is far behind him, making sure no one knows about it. I found the story to be exciting, very adventurous, and surprising that the more you dived into the book, the more secrets you find that you might want to reconsider uncovering which in this case is the LeNoir gift that is passed down to every heir after a certain events takes place. This book was actually my first time listening to an audiobook since I was a teenager, and boy, am I glad Robert Cagle III did a fantastic job narrating the story his voice was very soothing making it easy to follow along and enjoy the story. It has made me really consider listening to more audiobooks, especially for this book, which I can't wait for the second book, Audiobook, to come out cause I can't be left on a cliffhanger.

Epic World-building

3.5/5 stars

The LeNoir Legacy is an ambitious and richly imagined fantasy that feels like a love letter to classic epic fantasy. It is full of political intrigue and a complex, rich world teeming with magic. The scope is impressive, and Cristen Jennette’s writing is vivid and confident, pulling readers into a setting that feels truly lived in.

That said, this is very much a world-first kind of fantasy. The plot moves quickly, sometimes with time leaps and shifting perspectives, and while that builds scale, it also creates distance for me. I found myself admiring the complexity rather than being immersed. The characters, though well-rounded and interesting, never quite broke through that emotional barrier for me. I never felt especially emotionally attached, even though the writing itself is polished and clearly crafted by a talented author. Rosealyn and Charles’s relationship develops slowly and makes sense within the story, but it lacks the spark I usually crave in a romance; likely because we don’t sit long enough in their inner worlds. That said, this feels like the start of much bigger character arcs, and I can easily see later installments delivering more emotional payoff.

Still, the world-building is incredibly rich, and you can feel that this is just the start of something larger. For readers who love detailed, lore-heavy fantasy with a touch of mythic grandeur, this will absolutely hit the spot. Personally, I just wanted a bit more emotional intimacy to balance all that epic scale.

The world is rich and fascinating, though the story’s structure sometimes works against it. The fast pace, time jumps, and multiple POVs made the plot a little confusing at times, and the ending felt abrupt. Some scenes also came off slightly choppy. Still, the imagination on display here is undeniable. I listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job bringing clarity and personality to such a layered story.

Thanks to the author and Hidden Hollow for the ALC. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

Wonderful fantasy book

This book was a great listen. I did not read the book first, as I usually do so I was taking this on as fresh as can be. As someone who’s still working on enjoying audiobooks and remembering details, this was a lot for me. I don't mean it in a bad way. Just a lot seems to happen. Social dynamics, suspense, drama, intrigue. Just the right amount of everything that made this really enjoyable as a fan of fantasy and adventure.