As a young adult fantasy series, it would be easy to underestimate Legacy and the Queen and its sequel, Legacy and the Double. However, these books continue to surprise me with their emotional depth and tennis insight. Created by the late Kobe Bryant and written by Annie Matthew, the setting of this book blends athletic competition with a magical system powered by emotion. The result is a universe that feels a little like the Harry Potter series crossed with The Hunger Games, but revolving around tennis. The combination remains irresistible to me.
I enjoyed the first installment of this series so much that I felt compelled to dive straight into the second and final volume. Legacy and the Double opens shortly after the conclusion of Legacy Petrin’s earlier triumph, as her life has briefly settled into the mundane. But the saga was never meant to be that simple. In true hero’s journey fashion, success only ushers in a new kind of challenge. Here, the story begins to resemble The Hunger Games in a different way as victory itself becomes a threat to authority. Those in power conspire to keep Legacy from rising further, forcing her to navigate not just personal adversity but the politics of recognition and leadership.
This sequel expands on the original themes of self-belief and resilience, delving into a meditation on what happens after achieving success. It examines how champions carry the weight of expectation and how systems often resist change, even when inspired by brilliance. Legacy’s struggle isn’t only about magic or tennis. It’s about finding the courage to keep growing when the world pushes back.
As was the case with the first book, there is much here that translates to the non-magical version of the game of tennis that we all play. Life on court is full of ups and downs, moments of triumph, and stretches of frustration. Legacy and the Double illustrates once again that mental and physical resilience are the real keys to enduring success. It’s a story about how to keep showing up, how to compete with integrity, and how to stay true to one’s true purpose, even when the game changes around you.
Legacy and the Double (<- Sponsored Link)
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