Born of Legend is a story of love, war, the misery that follows betrayal by one’s family neatly webbed in a sci-fi/fantasy packaging. Sherrilyn Kenyon begins the story of Julian, Ushara, and Visili with a runaway Julian on the brink of a bitter death when he runs into a sweet, yet frightened Visili on the escape from a group of slave traders intent on selling him to the highest bidder. A dying Julian sees saving this unknown boy from a fate many would classify as a fate worse than death, as his perfect change for redemption in a life he sees as worthless and torturous.
The start of this book is relatable not so much because we all have literally been on the brink of death and had to choose between ourselves and a strange, runaway slave child, but because everyday we are forced to choose between ourselves and something unknown that may not on most days be more pressing. However, during the fight with the traders, Ushara burst in with the intent to kill and a deadly look in her eyes. As a mother I can understand that grizzly mama bear, ready to kill for my young. Especially when it’s a kidnapper. With the help of a wounded Julian and his attitude of fight until I’m dead and a willingness to protect Vasili with his life Ushara gets her son back. As thanks Ushara brings Julian aboard her ship to get showered, patched up, and feeling good.
It’s at this point in born Legend that you see Ushara and Julian forming an attraction, but even this small act of kindness in thanks for saving Ushara’s child was too much for him. This starts the development of Julian’s short-comings and the stem of his low self-esteem, untrusting nature, and the other results of a lifetime spend abused and neglected by his own family. Julian truly feels that Ushara should have let him die. Whereas Ushara feels that a man who was willing to lay down his life for the life of an unknown child was truly someone special.
While this book has no shortage of war and fights, it also tells an amazing narrative of a man who thinks he’s unworthy fo even life it’s self can find himself on a path of love, family, and sanity. This book tells you that even when we think we are the most worthless, meaningless, empty, and completely devoid of any chance of retribution or love that there is a person who can see through all that black smog in your soul into the light that shines within ourselves and help you dig your way into that happy light. Born of Legend is a book worth reading and a story worth understanding so do yourself a favor and check it out!
Between The Tales 