Book Review: Legendary By Stephanie Garber

Legendary is the second book in the Caraval trilogy written by Stephanie Garber

Synopsis

Scarlet has won Caraval, and her wish has brought her sister, Donatella, back to life, but the game has only just started. Tella and Scarlett are still with Legend’s crew, as Julian has invited Scarlett to join him in Valenda, the capital city, for the next Caraval performance. Unbeknownst to Scarlett, Tella has formed an alliance with an unknown partner who has promised to find her mother; the price for her mother’s life? Legend’s name. Now that Caraval has ended Tella is no closer to finding out who Legend really is, and she decides to join in on the next Caraval game in order to find out Legend’s true identity and be reunited with her mother.

During the game, Tella starts to realize that, unlike last Caraval, this game is very real and the stakes are higher than ever before. As Tella unravels what is truth and what is illusion, she discovers that by giving up Legend to save her mother, she might just be risking the lives of everyone she has ever loved.

“Welcome, welcome to Caraval, the grandest show by land or by sea. Inside you may come face to face with Fate or steal bits of destiny. As fantastical as Caraval might feel, the next five nights are very real. Elantine has invited us here to save the Empire from her greatest fear. For centuries the Fates were locked away, but now they wish to come out and play. If they regain their magic the world will never be the same, but you can help stop them by winning the game. Are you ready to play”

This book is a good sequel to the first book and is a very enjoyable read. I was not as emotionally attached to this book as I was to the first one. I’m not sure if it was because I was traveling and busy and wasn’t able to immerse myself fully into it, or if I was just not as fond of Tella as I was of Scarlett. Tella is a more ‘take charge’ character than Scarlett; she makes decisions rashly and then deals with the consequences. This leads to a fast paced storyline, but because I tend to be more like Scarlett than like Tella, I didn’t identify with Tella as strongly. This is a personal opinion, other people might prefer Tella to Scarlett.

I also wish the relationship with the sisters was more thoughly explored in this book, but they spend most of the novel apart; this is due, in part, to the fact that Tella is still keeping secrets from her sister and is unwilling to confide in Scarlett about what is happening.

Like the first book in the series, this book is full of twists, turns, magic and a little madness. I really enjoyed it and think it is worth reading!

Recommended for

YA readers of all ages. No adult sexual content.

Especially recommended for fans of Fantasy, magic and “Alice in Wonderland”

Contraindications/ Cautions

Abandonment by a Parental figure- this is a recurring theme throughout the book. Tella goes through a wide range of emotions regarding her missing mother including hurt and betrayal. Keep that in mind if this is triggering for you!

Side effects

Wishing you had an awesome wardrobe like Tella’s- seriously that girl and her clothes.

Developing Book crushes on both Dante and Julian

Final Thoughts

Great followup to the first book! Perfect for anyone looking for a YA fantasy read or a YA fairy tale retelling.

Buy on Amazon

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Check out my review of the first book Caraval!

If you want to take a peek at my other book reviews check them out on my Book Review Page!