The Panther’s Legacy is part of the world A Spellbound Consortium, but may be read as a standalone story. 36,000 words. Adult content.As a self-professed adventurer, Dahlia has visited hundreds of exotic locations during her decades as a vampire, but nothing brings her the peace she finds in the Amazon rainforest — until she meets Felipe, a werejaguar from a local tribe. His people are in … His people are in trouble, and as their future leader, it’s his job to root out danger.
But he needs Dahlia’s help if he’s to save his village from the predators stalking them. Vampires and werejaguars are natural enemies, thrusting Felipe into the most difficult decision of his life. Torn between duty and desire, he’ll have to go against years of tradition and trust his instincts to face the danger threatening his people… before the sinister presence in the rainforest consumes them all.
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I’m a bit ashamed to say that the pretty cover is what drove me to read this book. After all, you should never judge a book by its cover. Still, I was a bit suspicious of the book going in since I literally and deliberately knew nothing of the story, not even the plot. Turns out, not reading the reviews and description of The panther’s legacy was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It made the story so much more suspenseful, mysterious and a absolutely wonderful read. Paint me happily surprised!
What surprised me the most was the setting and world build. I did not expect such a setting as in the jungle and such a rich unique culture, yet similar to humans original inhabitants of the area. When I saw the book cover and started reading I had this prejudice that this was going to be one of those typical “were-animal” or “good vampire” sappy romance stories you usually find in lesser known YA books. I am so happy this book proved me wrong! The storyline was excellent as well as the characters and the intriguing romance blossoming between Dhalia and Filipe. I was afraid that there were going to be this instant connection and suddenly they are in love kind of deal. I find that so underwhelming and lazy. The relationship between them had a rocky start however and instead of having to suffer through insta love as you find in a lot of YA I got to really see and be a part of their relationship developing and their feelings growing for each other. That is exactly what a great romance should be! Read this and learn YA authors out there!
I don’t know much about this author and book, but I think this is a stand-alone novella from a series. I could kind of see it while I was reading. Some detailed and explanations were brushed by or left out like me, the reader should already know this world and it’s supernatural aspects. While too much details can make a story slow-paced and boring, this book just went the opposite way and lacked to much information for me to completely understand everything. It made it confusing sometimes and it felt a bit rushed lacing in depth because of that. I mean, I get why it is that way if it’s part of a series, since the information is already put in earlier books and the author doesn’t want it to become too repetitive. If this is a standalone story however, then you are supposed to be able to read it without having read the series. And sure I could read it, and as you already gathered I enjoyed it a lot. But reading it did not come without difficulty.
The panther’s legacy have made me curious about the author and the reset of the series and that is awesome sign that the book is working out and pulling in readers. Now I just have to look more into the series and this fictional world!