The Last Legacy

Parents need to know that The Last Legacy is a coming-of-age romance by Adrienne Young, author of the popular Sky in the Deep, which also stars a formidable female hero. Here, our hero is 18-year-old Bryn, who instead of warrior garb, dons high fashion of the time (probably Victorian era, though it doesn't say) and works to make her crime family more reputable. She's constantly at odds with her controlling Uncle Henrik, who's responsible, either directly or indirectly, for most of the violence in this story. Someone's beaten while someone else is forced to watch as punishment. People are slapped hard enough to bleed and bruise, including a 10-year-old boy. There's much talk about the murders of Bryn's parents when they are caught stealing and how she can't remember them, along with talk of past crimes of the family including the dumping of bodies in the harbor. Other mature content includes one scene of heterosexual sex with just undressing and kissing described, the regular drinking of rye -- excessively as a numbing agent when Bryn gets a tattoo -- and some minor swearing. At first Bryn tries to find her place within her complicated and abusive family, but she eventually learns how it's more important for her to stay true to herself.