Name: Legendary
Series: Caraval #1
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodderscape
Format: Paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
Noted Tropes: Games and Trials, Fake Dating, Reluctant Allies to Lovers, Arranged Marriage
Steam or Spice: None
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.
The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever…
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.
Review:
Legendary is book 2 in the Caraval series, and so there might be open spoilers below for book 1. Spoilers for Legendary will be hidden.
If I really think about it, Legendary probably get’s a 4.5 star review instead of the 5 I initially thought it got. Purely because the start was a bit slower than I would have expected following the ending of Caraval. Once I found out the book was from Tella’s point of view, I was already worried that this would just esentially be Caraval from Tella’s persepective. And as I started reading I really worried I was right, a new set of games sure.. but it just felt like it was a repeated story.
Oh how quickly I was proven wrong! Stephanie had me hooked once again. First off, Tella. Not my favourite FMC but I actually think I liked her more than Scarlett! She didn’t really suffer with the annoying the reader trait that unfortunately a lot of FMC’s are given… Scarlett even managed to annoy me again! Even though the book wasn’t from her POV and she was hardly in it!!
If you remember my review from Caraval, I said I wanted more Dante. Well, I got my wish! Dante was our main MMC and I was thrilled for it – after a bit. Dante kind of had the Julian effect at first – it was one of the things that had me thinking Legendary was just a re-skinned Caraval. There really wasn’t much of a difference, in my opinion at the start, between Julian and Dante. It was a bit crushing honestly. But Dante was given a life of his own, and it was beautiful. I loved it. The eventual twist in the book still has me somewhat… conflicted as I cannot tell if this is another set up for another game, or if it’s genuine – I suppose Finale will answer that question!
Big spoiler on Dante’s character
I may have spent the majority of Caraval thinking Julian was Legend… but I continued to think he’d be revealed as Legend in Legndary!! Dante’s reveal(s – yes plural) were excellent!!!
Then we have Jacks, our other MMC and I feell like all things considered there is still so much more for us to know about Jacks so I hope he’ll show up in book 3 – I mean, really, I think he has too.
Big spoiler regarding Jacks character
The Prince of Hearts element of the story was brilliant. Though completely predictable, it was also unpredictable? I fully expected Tella to be Jacks’ one true love, the one who’d fix his heart and all that… and yet the way it played out? Brilliant. With the whole Fates thing going on, I really think we haven’t seen the last of any of them!
I loved the romance’s in this book, even the fake confusing one – confusing for me, I couldn’t pick which out come I liked the most… At first. I made my choice quickly – though part of me still worried come the reveal that Tella would spite me and choose the other!
I loved the story, and because of how different it was from Caraval (yet similar in some aspects – after all, Stephanie already had created magic so some of that would carry over!) I couldn’t bump the rating below 4.5. It was a brilliant read once the pace picked up – the slower start is the main reason for the rating not quite reaching the 5 (I could forgive the reskinned feeling because it didn’t stick around long!).
I love this series so far, it’s a nice easy read! I mean the language isn’t taxing, the story is simple to follow and yet if you let yourself get lost in Legend’s magic, you may – like me – not see the twists coming! Gosh, I love it when authors catch me off guard.
“Every good story needs a villain. But the best villains are the ones you secretly like.”
Reading With Tyler 
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