Tennessee Russo isn’t having the best week. His boyfriend has been cheating on him, and all his friends know about it. Worse, they expect him to just be fine and make nice with his ex’s new relationship. So when his father, a famous archaeologist and reality show celebrity who Tennessee hasn’t seen in two years after a major fight, shows up unexpectedly and offers to take him on an adventure, he can’t say no. The quest that will hopefully result in Tennessee uncovering the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes and make queer history known might just end up to be much more as old resentment comes up between father and son, a new romance blossoms in the sunlit Greek landscape and ruthless enemies vie for the chance to have the powerful rings for themselves.
Stories like Lion’s Legacy are so, so important. Rosen here highlights queer history and how often it’s been erased or argued to be something entirely different just to fit the heteronormative narrative—for eons!
What’s more, Lion’s Legacy draws you right into the action. There’s danger, betrayal, adversaries, a hint of magic, and tough challenges to make it to the ultimate prize.
Also worth nothing is that the pacing is incredible. There’s no dull moment and the inner conflicts mesh really well with what’s happening on Tennessee’s adventure. I kind of really want this to be a movie because it feels like it could be Indiana Jones (but make it queer) for young adults.
We also have unforgettable characters. Tennessee is such a fun protagonist to follow, not just because of his thoughts and sassy commentary but also because you genuinely can tell how much it means to him to be able to show the world more of the queer history that is so often erased or destroyed. A thing that I always appreciate about L.C. Rosen’s books is the casual sex positivity. Tennessee meets quite the special guy on his journey and I love how there’s just this casual “I like you, you like me” dynamic there without having to question these impulses.
I also loved the major conflict between Tennessee and his father. While I won’t take too much away, I do love stories that show you at odds with your parents and traverse fragile relationships in an approachable manner. Of course we all want our parents to be picture perfect but I live for these stories where they make mistakes and their kids call them out on it.
There are also discussions surrounding making yourself palatable for straight people which I thought was done so well—Tennessee struggles with different friend groups at the beginning of the novel (and it influences his choices throughout the book) and it was so interesting to see the different dynamics between him and these two groups. I loved how we got to see that being yourself is never the wrong choice, no matter what others say. All in all, this was a homerun for me.
An incredibly fun adventure filled with a dangerous quest, riveting characters and the strong premise to make queer history known, Lion’s Legacy is sure to make you want to chase all the queer history!
Lion’s Legacy is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 2nd.
Will you be picking up Lion’s Legacy? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Tennessee Russo’s life is imploding. His boyfriend has been cheating on him, and all his friends know about it. Worse, they expect him to just accept his ex’s new relationship and make nice. So when his father, a famous archaeologist and reality show celebrity whom he hasn’t seen in two years, shows up unexpectedly and offers to take him on an adventure, Tennessee only has a few choices:
1. Stay, mope, regret it forever.
2. Go, try to reconcile with Dad, become his sidekick again.
3. Go, but make it his adventure, and Dad will be the sidekick.
The object of his father’s latest quest, the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes, is too enticing to say no to. Finding artifacts related to the troop of ancient Greek soldiers, composed of one-hundred-and-fifty gay couples, means navigating ruins, deciphering ancient mysteries, and maybe meeting a cute boy.
But will his dad let Tennessee do the right thing with the rings if they find them? And what is the right thing? Who does queer history belong to?
Against the backdrop of a sunlit Greek landscape, author L. C. Rosen masterfully weaves together adventure, romance, and magic in a celebration of the power of claiming your queer legacy.
