Tella , Tella...she sucks! Hopefully she will redeem herself in the next book. In Legendary, we see Tella finally being able to play the game and boy does she play. Tella told so many lies it was hard to keep up. I might be biased but Scarlett is ten times a better person, that is saying a lot. In Caraval, Scarlett spent the entire worried about her sister, and trying to find her. In Legend, Tella basically spent the entire time avoiding Scarlett, and manipulating any and everyone. Tella was so fearless at times it made her do dumb things, that if were thought through properly could have been avoided...i know I gripe about Tella but I did enjoy the book, the pacing at times was slow but then it picked up! Tella also defended Scarlett, which I loved there relationship is amazing! When you get pass the lying and manipulation, great girls really. We got to see Tella question things that Sacrlett would have just let go, Tella refused to be pacified. She was quite refreshing at times, If you get a chance definitely check out this series!

Such an exciting second installment of Caraval! I am already looking forward to reading the next book!

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2018 June 12

BOOK REPORT for Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber

Cover Story: Aces
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 8
Talky Talk: Quit Playin’ Games With My Heart
Bonus Factors: Tarot, Series Standalone
Relationship Status: Wicked Game

Cover Story: Aces

While not quite as pretty as Caraval, Legendary is still a pretty good cover. It definitely screams “mystery and fantasy,” but in a more elegant way than most other YA fantasy I’ve seen. I’m so glad the designers went with generally abstract covers for this series, because it easily could have gone oh-so-very wrong. (I don’t know how they resisted Fancy Dress Cover temptation, given Scarlett’s wardrobe in Caraval—but I digress!)

The Deal:

Warning: if you haven’t read the first book in the series, spoilers abound!

After winning the game of Caraval, sisters Scarlett and Donatella (Tella) are free—or so Scarlett thinks, anyway. She doesn’t know that Tella made a bargain to uncover Legend’s identity in exchange for finding their mother, and that the next game of Caraval, which is happening almost immediately after the previous one ended, has even higher stakes than the last.

Tella’s determination is destined to be her downfall. Somehow, she has to protect her sister and herself in her quest for their mother. If she fails, she dies. But if she succeeds in unmasking Legend, the glittering, enchanted world of Caraval may be lost forever. She has a deadline to meet, and all the beautiful dresses and eerily handsome princes in the world can’t stop her.

It’s only a game…but tell that to Tella’s ever-slowing heart.

BFF Charm: Yay



I wasn’t the biggest fan of Tella in Caraval, thinking I liked circumspect Scarlett better—but that’s because we didn’t get the chance to get into Tella’s head. Tella is not nearly the flighty, fragile thing that Scarlett thinks. Sure, she likes drinking champagne and kissing boys (me too!), and makes some bad choices in kissing partners occasionally (haven’t we all?), but Tella has a steely core that belies her outward appearance. Even when she’s angry with her sister and mother and the world, she’s fiercely loyal and fiercely determined. You can’t help but admire that.

Swoonworthy Scale: 8

Stephanie Garber writes a heck of a kissing scene, you guys—and since Tella likes to kiss boys as a hobby or general lifestyle choice, we get some more action than in Caraval. It’s as if Stephanie Garber read my mind: MORE KISSING! More putting of the face upon another face! The people [me] demand it!

Talky Talk: Quit Playin’ Games With My Heart

I love this series: first, because Garber’s writing is so lush and beautiful without going full purple prose. Second, because I love the sheer instinct-upending terror of a game that may or may not be real. As someone who thrives on routine and reliability, the very idea of entering a world where illusions abound makes me feel like somehow I just time traveled back to my first year of law school (but sexier, and with better clothes).

I didn’t know how the stakes could get any higher than the last game of Caraval, but Garber has indeed upped them, and her pacing is top-notch. Once you pick up this book, it’s incredibly hard to put it down: the world of Caraval is beautiful and dangerous, and who needs to do things like “dishes” or “work that pays you in real human earth dollars” when you could be living vicariously through Tella? (And how much longer does she have to live?! How can you put it down without knowing how it will end?)

Bonus Factor: Tarot



Garber has created a tarot-like deck of cards that have far more to them than meets the eye. If you love tarot and its imagery, you might find some similarities; even if you don’t know a thing about it, her descriptions of the cards are far more eerie than anything Rider-Waite has to offer.

Bonus Factor: Series Standalone



What I loved about Caraval was that even though I knew it was to be a series, it read like a standalone, which makes waiting for the sequel so much easier. Legendary is the same: its ending could function as the end of the series, but there is one more book left. (That was news to me up until recently—when I finished the book a few months ago, I indeed thought it was the end of the series, and was perfectly satisfied.)

Relationship Status: Wicked Game

I jumped at the chance to go out with the beautiful world of Caraval once more, and our date kept me guessing the entire time. Usually I don’t go for game-playing, but when it looks, smells, sounds, and even tastes so rich, who am I to say no? Now I hear that we’ve got a third date planned, so I’m off to find the next magical ballgown—and maybe some protective charms so I won’t lose my head.

Literary Matchmaking:



If you like games come to life with dangerously sexy gamemasters, read the classic Forbidden Game series by L.J. Smith. (Posh and I both regard this as a favorite from our actual teen years!)

If you want more lush, gorgeous writing (and a good dose of tarot), you’ll naturally have to read (or re-read) The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater.

For deadly-serious stakes and a fierce, stubborn protagonist (plus bad Fancy Dress covers that will make you extra-grateful for the Caraval covers), make sure you read The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a free review copy from Flatiron Books. I received neither money nor a pet unicorn for writing this review, despite how hard I wished for one. Legendary is available now.

Loved the first one and this one was even better! This book was exactly what I wanted and it left me wanting so much more! Stephanie Garber did a fantastic job of expanding her universe and creating colorful and enjoyable characters.

Rating: 3.5. I enjoyed this book as a whole, a lot more than the first one. I liked following Tella's point of view. She was a much more interesting character than Scarlet proved to be in Caraval. Dante proved to be very similar to Julian but I still liked his scenes. I liked learning more about the Fates and Legend and his magic and the ending sets up the 3rd book nicely. I definitely want to see how this trilogy wraps up.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the second installment in the Caraval series which promised to get to the heart of the mystery. While the story did do that, all was revealed unenthusiastically with recycled elements from the first book.

We unfortunately read from Tella's POV this time and I have to say that the author didn't make me like her much more than I did in the first book. There's something about her arrogant personality that I just can't connect with. Our previous main character, Scarlett, still made appearances throughout this story but had no further development. Honestly, she could've been written out and it wouldn't have made much of a difference to the plot.

The Caraval game itself started almost exactly the same as the first book, just with a different sister being the star of the show. After hardly learning about the allure of this traveling carnival in the first book, I was really hoping to get more atmospheric descriptions this time around. While the author did become more descriptive, it was only in regards to the city they were playing in rather than the game itself. This is honestly such a missed opportunity.

It was interesting to see how the two separate Caraval games connected and that there was a secret purpose for these teenage girls to be included from the very beginning. However, it was often very dull as Tella roamed the city looking for clues. I was really expecting shocking twists and turns, like in the first book, but was thoroughly disappointed. The reveal of Legend's true identity was given away too early in the story and in a way that didn't offer any surprises.

Finally, the magical backstory was extremely hard to follow. So much so that the author included a glossary of historical magical elements at the end. Readers shouldn't need this reference material; we should be made privy to this information in a concise way as the plot is built up.

Nothing about Legendary made me excited for the third book in the series and I haven't decided if I'll bother reading Finale to see how the story ends when it's released.

The second I had this on my NetGalley dashboard, I downloaded it and dove right in. Legendary was one of my most anticipated releases for the year. Caraval was fantastic, and more than that, I have some very special memories related to that book: it was the book I was reading when I went into labor, the first book I finished after Rosalie was born. This series is very deeply embedded into my heart now and I am so happy to tell you all that Legendary does not disappoint.


In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it was better.


It was hard not to compare the two books while reading. Caraval was narrated by Scarlett, but Legendary starred Donatella and I think it was all the stronger for it. I loved Scarlett, don't get me wrong. But Scarlett's life at the beginning of Caraval was very much ruled by fear. Tella, on the other hand, is much more of a go-getter, a protagonist who really drives the story instead of being lead around by it. Tella is the kind of person who takes chances and leaps of faith, she's sometimes too reckless but she's also very cunning and very smart. She is often grossly underestimated by her opponents. I just found her to be a great, engaging, exciting main character. I loved being in her shoes.


Legendary has another round of Caraval, which is only supposed to happen once a year, but this time is happening just a few weeks later for a special occasion. I usually dislike this type of plot, where it's just a rehash of the first book (think Catching Fire.) But I just LOVE the game of Caraval so much, I didn't mind it at all. I loved it, in fact. Garber just has this way of completely messing with your head. You're told over and over again that it's only a game, none of it's real. You're explicitly told this! And yet you can't help but fall for it all anyway. This round of Caraval swept me off my feet entirely. It was so much more magical and fun this time around, even though the actual magic was kept to a minimum this time. (There are no magically changing dresses, for instance. Though I promise there is not a lack of costume porn.)


There is a love triangle in Legendary. Kind of. It may just be my hate-to-love shipper heart that's reading more into things that it should be. But there are two guys vying for Tella's attention. I will not say anything more about their identities but I loved them both so much. I truly could not pick a team because there was the guy I loved and the guy I think Tella was better with. But then there were TWISTS. Ahhh. Also for my fellow hate-to-love shippers, feast your eyes on this beauty:

(He's carrying her in his arms after doing a REALLY NICE THING FOR HER and also she's injured.)


"I still hate you."

"It's probably for the best."


I nearly fell out of my bed, okay. There is a lot of this with BOTH ships! Both are hate-to-love! If this is at all your jam, this book is definitely for you.


The world is also expanded a bit in Legendary. Scarlett's world felt very close and small, but in this book we're traveling some, to the city of Valenda. There are different districts and castles and palaces and temples. We get to see a bit of the religious belief of this world. We even get some creation myth stuff, which was awesome. I loved the expansion of the Fates especially. The myths and the truths surrounding them are fascinating and I really, really want to learn more. That said, some of the world building felt a little silly at times. Not in the big pieces, but just the small ways, like technology and magic. The every day stuff. It felt almost "throw at the wall and see what sticks." But at the same time, that just fed into the whole whimsy and Wonderland feel of the story, so I couldn't really complain that much.


My one true complaint is the writing. In Caraval the writing was flowery, colorful, and overly descriptive, but I always assumed it was because of Scarlett's synesthesia. She experiences her senses differently from normal people. But the same over-the-top descriptions happened in Legendary too. I rolled my eyes a handful of times at phrases like "he smelled like secrets." The writing is not my favorite and I can see how others would find it distracting. Everything else was just so amazing for me that the writing style barely affected me at all.


I loved Caraval. I know it's a polarizing book and some people really hated it. But I LOVED it. Legendary was twenty times better. A complete level-up from the first book, taking all the great things about book one and making them better, while leaving behind the not-as-good bits. So much dark whimsy, magic, romance, and a sense of unreality I've never seen before in any other series. The romances made it even better for me. I'm a megafan and I really, really need to know if a third book is coming because I need more.

I loved Caraval so I had to read Legendary and see how the story continues.
It took me several weeks to finish Legendary. It was slow paced and boring at times. Some chapters were interesting and others were dragging. Sometimes I found it overly descriptive. I felt like it could have been 50-100 pages shorter. I liked the characters. I think the description of the settings and the events were a bit too much and long.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Much like my review of Caraval, it's difficult to contain my thoughts on Legendary in a single review. This is the kind of book that makes me want to throw a copy at everyone I know because the pain of getting hit by a book wouldn't be as painful as reading the ending of this book. My heart goes out to Tella. Talk. About. A. Cliffhanger.

But I could spend this entire review lamenting over the ending so backtracking to the book as a whole, Legendary is pure magic. ALL THE FEELS I had from Caraval returned but not in the way I expected. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about reading from Tella's point of view. We meet her in Caraval but it's her sister, Scarlett, who steals the show so I never really developed any interest in Tella's tale. And then I read Legendary and I can't believe I ever considered not reading the sequel (it was the briefest of moments, I promise).

The strength of sisterhood and family came forward once more. Even though Tella and Scarlett were together again, there was a good deal of tension and I felt like the sisters had both gained and lost something during the last Caraval. This time, they're in a new city and secret lurk in the shadows. Foreshadowing for the third and final book, Finale? I mean, I hope so!

I liked that Tella doubted everything. As someone who does the same, I immediately connected with her, a connection that only grew stronger the more I read. Tella has that air of uncertainty and combined with the illusions of Caraval, constantly questioning what is and isn't real, she made for an intriguing point-of-view character.

Tella made this story magical. Plain and simple. If she hadn't been doubting herself -- her choices, the game, her feelings -- then I wouldn't have started doubting. And I needed to doubt as the reader. That's the beauty of these books. Garber sets the scene but the characters lead (and mislead). Combine the mystery with deadly stakes and Legendary stole the show.

I think I actually liked this book more than Caraval, if that's even possible. Here, there are lives on the line, hearts stopping (literally), powerful and elusive Fates walking the earth. . . there's magic. There's love. There's excitement. There's tragedy.

There's hope.

Without that underlying light, the smallest of chances that things will work out, the magic makes no impact. But Garber packed Legendary full of hope. . .

. . . and then smashed a wrecking ball through my heart.

Just. That ending. Did the Prince of Hearts curse me too? Because I think my heart stopped a bit. And that's not even all of it because WE LEARN LEGEND'S IDENTITY.

Like WHAT.

I had a guess. There's a moment in the book where you start thinking and I'm both glad and upset that my guess was right because it made the ending that much more heartbreaking.

BUT. . . but. . . there's another book. Told from the point-of-view of both Scarlett and Tella, from what I've heard. So hopefully we get some answers.

In the meantime, go read Caraval. Grab a copy of Legendary and read it too. And then happily suffer with me while we wait for Finale!

Newly released fantasy novel LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber is the sequel to Caraval. And you should read those two books in order so as to fully understand the story of Donatella and her sister Scarlett and the imaginative fantasy world in which they live. I am keeping my review brief and relying on the recommendations of several fans (ranging in age from teens to mid-80s!) who are eagerly looking forward to this addition to the series where Tella is on a quest to learn the true name of the Caraval Master Legend. To do so, she must solve puzzles and riddles and win Caraval.

LEGENDARY received a starred review from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and was on many "most anticipated book" lists. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to read the preview so I am giving this a neutral 3 stars, recognizing that it likely merits more.

Overall this book was a quick and enjoyable read. We once again enter the world of Caraval, in all of its magic and mystery. A lot of lore was introduced that wasn't mentioned in the previous book, which made the story feel very jarring to get into. While the details of the plot were completely new, a lot of the larger plot paralleled the first book in a way that felt too repetitive. That said, I bought in and was happy to enjoy the journey. I'm looking forward to the third installment.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I remember reading Caraval last year and absolutely loved it! It totally gave me Alice in Wonderland vibes and the whole storyline was so magical, to say the least. I think I had the initial idea that it was a stand-alone, so when I heard about Legendary, I was very excited to get another installment, especially through the eyes of Tella!

We're starting off almost immediately after the end of the first book. Tella is alive and is, unfortunately, waking up next to Dante after celebrating, only to find out that another Caraval is going to happen for Elantine's birthday celebration. However, this time, Tella has made a serious bargain with a mysterious criminal. She wants to find her mother and, in order to do this, she must find Legend himself.

I'll be honest. I'm not too crazy about Tella like I was with Scarlett, but she grew on me as the story went on. I missed Scarlett, though. She is in this story, but not as often as I had hoped she would be. I'm glad that there is going to be a third novel because a lot of things were missing from Scarlett's storyline. Since it's going to be both of their POVs, I'm hoping some details will be tied up.

We get to see a lot more of Dante and it's so obvious that he has a thing for Tella. He follows her around all the time, flirts with her and keeps touching her and being such a huge tease. He's also got plenty of secrets and the biggest secret is simply mind-blowing, yet sort of obvious. However, I totally accept that because it definitely will make the third book incredibly interesting!

I feel like there might be a love triangle in the third book between Tella, Jacks and Dante. Dante and Tella is pretty obvious, but her relationship is very interesting with Jacks, even though he is a total douchebag.

I want to talk about the freaking twists in this book. I stayed up until nearly midnight and this book left me with a freaking huge hangover that I have never experienced in a long time. I just needed something sweet and/or liquor. It caused me to tweet with GIFs. The twists were just so mind-blowing and the ending made my heat pound. No. This entire novel made my heart pound and I'm just so dead.

Naturally, this is being posted from beyond the grave.

Truth be told, I like this a lot more than Caraval. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the first book, I just didn’t really care for the main character, Scarlett, and found Tella to be far more interesting from the very beginning. Garber does a fantastic job of keeping us on the edge of our seats, questioning everything we know about Caraval, and making us wonder–just like the Dragna sisters–if this is just a game or something more.

Garber pumps up the world-building game in Legendary, introducing the ominous Deck of Destiny and the Fates, magical beings who once ruled the world but are now stuck inside the Deck, which ones belonged to Scarlett and Tella’s mother, Paloma. From the first book, we know that the two girls’ mother is supposedly dead. But Legendary introduces a whole new side of the game, one that makes even seemingly cool and collected Tella question how far she’ll go to find her mother. What a thrilling game! I will admit, though, the world-building confused me in some parts just because it was so immersive. The main characters aren’t on their home island of Trisda, so we get bits and pieces of culture and history.

I wasn’t disappointed in Tella at all, though I was concerned about her daring nature as well. I will say, though, I was confused–concerned?–about Scarlett. I wasn’t sure how to interpret her actions, and thought she acted quite differently than how she is in the first book. I wish the two sisters could have talked more and worked out what was happening in this Caraval game. But Scarlett seemed extremely distant, and now that I’ve finished the book, I wonder how (if?) it’ll come to play in the third and final book, Finale.

Tella plays a dark and twisted game with Jacks, who already has rumors spread about him. I’m not sure what to make of him. But one thing’s for sure, Legendary is darker than Caraval, and really asks us what risks we’d be willing to take in order to save our family. I’m not even sure what to make of Dante either. While I don’t mind his and Tella’s attraction to one another, we’re often reminded that he (and Scarlett’s love interest, Julian) is a performer in Legend’s game. I’m just not sure who to trust or even what to trust, and maybe that’s the whole point. Garber certainly has me questioning even the main character’s intentions.

Overall, I found Legendary to be a dark, thrilling sequel to Caraval, with twists and turns, questions upon more questions of the truth and intent behind Legend’s game. Yet there’s also…more, and I’m certainly glad there will be one more book to explore.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber: A Review
By Kaitlin Moran for online YA journal Fterota Logia

http://fterotalogia.com/legendary/

(ARC provided by NetGalley)

“As fantastical as Caraval might feel.

The next five nights are very real.”

Caraval has ended, the game is over and the revelry has begun... but player beware, it is all to be short lived. Isla de los Suenos, “The Island of Dreams”, the once mystifying island, with its charmed competitions and changing landscape, is now dormant of magic. Those who were once actors in the game have shed their personas. As we discovered at the end of Stephanie Garber’s dizzyingly magical novel Caraval, Donatella Dragna is alive. Tella and her sister Scarlett, our protagonist in Caraval, have a brief moment of reprieve before the illusions and games of Caraval begin again. This time, things are far more sinister than either could have imagined, and the stakes of the game are more real than ever before. Caraval has always brimmed with mischief, magic, and mayhem. Caraval is a tournament of trickery and deceit, while also offering amnesty to those seeking an adventure of their own, or an escape from their lives. At least, that’s what it once stood for.

“Legend has chosen you to play a game that may change your destiny.”

Now, the game has taken a strange and deadly turn. Donatella has found herself swooped up in her very own game of suspense, riddles, and mysticism. The mysterious Legend, creator of Caraval, has some wicked vendettas to settle and if Tella isn’t careful, his feuds may just consume her.

In Caraval, Stephanie Garber twisted a tale for Scarlett, the eldest Dragna sister, made up of immense adventure, magic, and love. Garber’s first novel is the journey of two girls escaping the terrible grip of their deranged father. Garber’s writing depicted the incredible bond of a sisterhood built on the foundations of trust and love. Legendary, Garber’s much awaited sequel, focuses on Donatella, the younger Dragna sister. Tella’s story is a story of loyalty, affection and hope between mother and daughter. Tella’s journey is a cataclysmic chain of events that lead her through trial after trial in the pursuit of finding Paloma, her long missing mother. Tella often speaks of choices. These choices, though incredibly trying and often resulting in placing herself in otherworldly danger, are relished by Tella because they are something all her own. She is the decider of her own destiny and this is something that has always been lacking in her life. She herself embodies the very mischievous essence of Caraval;

“She loved the feeling of doing something bold enough to make her future hold its breath while she closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation that she’d made a choice with the power to alter the course of her life. It was the closest she ever came to holding real power.”

Like Tella, there are countless readers who feel their choices are hindered by circumstance, or perhaps that they have no choices at all. Tella represents an evolution of what happens when we begin to realize that our every choice acts as a catalyst. These choices, whether they are large or miniscule, alter the layout of our path. It is through our choices that we create real opportunity, triumph, and change.

Tella’s realization of the power she possesses when taking authority of her own actions, leads her to understand that, no matter what type of deceit or misfortune is battling to control her, the loyalty and affection that she holds for her mother is steadfast and true. It will not be affected by the adversity she faces. Tella has to make hard decisions, taking stock of what she is and isn’t willing to lose to rescue the one person in the world whose love she craves. Tella is not without flaws, and she often questions herself and her motives, but her inquiry also provides moments of reflection, spaces where she realizes that fate is nothing more than the cumulation of our decisions.

In Garber’s Legendary, we encounter a world that reads like a criticism of our modern consumerism. Valenda, the capital of the Empire and the place where Legend will host his second set of games for the year, is a place built upon economic consumption and rather blatant greed. In Valenda, religion is used to justify extortion and the need to increase profit margins. It is through the pairing of economy and religion that the world of Valenda makes its profit, praying on those who wish for protection from a higher power while ultimately taking advantage of that need. The relation between the two, as constructed by Garber, is an undertone throughout the entire novel. These moments are subconsciously understood by the reader as it feels familiar to our world.

The coupling of greed and religion permeates the story in other ways as well. In particular, this can be seen in the presence of the Fates. Fates. These otherworldly entities, similar to the Fates from Greek mythology, set the pace of the story. The Fates are intertwined with playing cards, and each possess their own sinister and formidable powers. Tella’s almost instant connection with the beings gives us insight into their dynamic and hierarchy. Each are said to be vile, preying on humans as their source of entertainment. The Prince of Heart takes a particular liking to Tella. He spends much of the novel manipulating and goading her toward dangerous decisions. Like all other tribulations Tella will face during the game, the Fates are only a representation of the mountains she is ultimately capable of traversing. Though often certain she is underestimated by the people around her, Tella learns that she is the only one with the power to make such assumptions true.

Stephanie Garber’s lyrical writing, incredible imagination, and wonderfully layered characters combine to create a lavish, lustrous story sprinkled with enough humor and romance that it will satiate many reading preferences. The second installment in the Caraval trilogy is absolutely enchanting, written with such care that readers will find leaving Caraval even more heart wrenching than before. We here are looking forward to the third installment in this sensational trilogy.

Impressive follow up after a very divisive ending to the first book. I look forward to what's in store for these sisters and what other situations they'll find themselves in.

Stephanie has done it again in this sequel to Caraval. Last year I devoured Caraval so fast and fell in love with Scarlets story. I was so happy to hear the story would continue with Tella’s side. This book lived up to the hype and my expectations. Gorgeous writing and a,aging characters.

“But the best villains are the ones you secretly like, and my nana always said Legend was the villain in Caraval.”*

Now that Scarlet has won Caraval the sisters should be on their way to happily ever after. Unfortunately, Tella had made a bargain, and the lender is asking for Legendary’s true name. Now Tella must play her own round of Caraval to obtain his identity. Though she knows it’s just a game, this time it seems like it might be just a little too real.

The Story-
I am going to admit that the first time I read Caraval I had some mixed feelings. The second time I was able to appreciate the whirlwind that it is. Legendary did not leave me questioning how I felt in the least bit. Despite that it took me a little longer than I anticipated, that was only due to a very busy and exhausting week. Regardless, This book captured my attention and I am here for it.

Where Caraval kept throwing wrench after wrench at us, it was due from the fact that so much could actually happen during the game. In Tella’s story she actually struggles to keep up with the game as well with the real life needs between her sister and her debtor. This added so much more depth to the story that made it much less about the game and more about the characters and what they were willing to do.

The World Building-
It was interesting to see how Garber expanded the world that Caraval takes place in. There really isn’t a large amount of political or worldly descriptions. But there is a lot of historical, mythical, and religious world building as the story revolves around the taro like cards for the Fates. I loved that each of the Fates had their own sinister powers that left room for desire. The fun part was how they were wrapped up in the fun of Caraval and Tella’s situation. I was very happy to see at the end of the book there is information about each of the fates as well.

The Characters-
I am going to admit here that in Caraval I was not a fan of Tella in the first book. She seemed like a flighty, selfish girl. In Legendary we are given the opporunity to understand why she acts a certain way and what is a major driving factor of her decisions. I thought this line described the sisters’ relationship so well

“Tella was the sister who would destroy the world if anything happened to Scarlett, but Scarlett’s world would be destroyed if anything happened to Tella.”*

The Soundtrack-
Alesso feat Tove Lo- Heroes

*Quotes were obtained from unproofed ARC

I am so excited to be reviewing my second eARC from NetGalley! If you didn’t already know, Legendary is Stephanie Garber’s second book in the Caraval trilogy. When I requested it (a million years ago), I never dreamed that they would send it to me. I’m so glad that they did because it was fantastic! I do recommend that if you are planning on reading this book, and read Caraval when it came out, it’s worth your time to do some Googling for a summary*. This book picks up right where Caraval left off, so it’s good to have it fresh on your mind.
One of my favorite things about this book was that it focused on Tella this time around, rather than Scarlett. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Scarlett, but making Tella the focal point of this book gave it a new flavor. I think if Stephanie would’ve chosen to make Scarlett the main character, the book wouldn’t feel fresh. In this book, we got to see Tella take shape. I hope that in the last book, we will get to see them take center stage together and watch their relationship blossom on the page.
Another great addition to this book was the Fates and their mythology. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the Fates are the “godly” figures in the Scarlett and Tessa’s world. They all represent different things, (like love, luck, hard choices, etc.) and are frequently used to predict the future with the use of their worlds tarot cards. From a young age, Tessa is intrigued by them, and their appearance in the book is used to make this round of the Caraval game more real than it was in the past.
I think that what makes this book different from its predecessor is the added reality within the game. In Caraval, the character's actions had no actual impact on the events outside of the game. In this book, Tella had to make some tough decisions because of the consequences that would follow her actions. Legendary had a chance to be a “knock-off” Caraval, and I’m so glad that Stephanie decided to turn the world upside down. It made for a great story, and I can’t wait to see what Finale brings to the table.

Absolutely loved this enchanting sequel. Mystery, love, relationships, magic, and family. A perfect summer read to escape into!

I loved it! I enjoyed it more than the first one. I love Tella and her strength. She’s a tough character and I wish I would handle the game like she did if I was in it. The author really creates such an interesting and vivid setting. You get so caught up in the story.