Review: Legacy and the Queen by Annie Matthew and creator Kobe Bryant

LEGACY AND THE QUEEN, Annie Matthew, Kobe Bryant. Granity Studios, $11.88 (208p) ISBN-13: 978-1949520033
Publication date: September 3, 2019

From Kobe Bryant’s Granity Studios, comes the unique and beautiful middle grade fantasy novel, Legacy and the Queen, penned by the talented Annie Matthew. Endearing as it is inspiring, the tale centers on Legacy, a selfless tween from the Republic of Nova, who, when she is not helping her father manage a struggling orphanage, indulges her love of tennis.

It’s when Legacy learns of a tennis contest with a cash prize that she decides to put herself first for a change (and even then, her biggest motivation for participating in the competition is the money to help her father).

It’s a risk, especially since Legacy is doing this behind her father’s back, and the journey to and during her time at the castle doesn’t get easy. Like many of us, in the real world and in alternate realities, we are tested.

Legacy is a likable protagonist and heroine and the other characters add necessary shape to the story. The book’s beauty is not limited to lovely themes about family, friendship, community, work ethic, confidence, etc., the exterior of the book is just as lovely. The story doesn’t end at the pages, the overall design adds to the experience of reading the book with lighting features, wrapped in a velvet texture–excellent packaging!

Furthermore, a children’s novel about tennis is a rarity, and with the likes of 15-year-old tennis player Coco Gauff, the book couldn’t be more timely. Kudos to Bryant for stepping out of the box because of course most of us would have expected sports-themed books by him would only focus on basketball.

Rating: Booking Cool

Rating Scale

Cool: Decent

So Cool: Good

Booking Cool: Excellent

So Booking Cool: Masterpiece