Legendary by Stephanie Garber| (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Review

Title: Legendary
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Genre(s): YA, Fantasy, Mystery(ish?)
Source: Purchased
Pages: 307
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Synopsis

Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut Caraval

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

Okay, so if you’ve read my Caraval review, you’d know I had some mixed feelings. I loved the world building, magic system, and most of the plot. I just didn’t love the MC, her sister, or the ending. That being said, Legendary was still one of my most anticipated releases of this year and boy did it deliver.

I think having this book from Tella’s POV was it’s biggest strength! We didn’t get much of Tella in book 1, and I personally didn’t like what we did get. Having an entire book following her story helped flesh her out as a character and help us understand many plot points from book 1.

This book honestly fleshed out so many things. The introduction/expansion of the Fates really added a layer to this story that I ate up. Learning about them and their antics was so captivating. I also liked how the Caraval game in this one was similar enough to book 1 but different enough that it didn’t feel repetitive. It was great to see some familiar faces though!

I think my favorite thing about this book is that even after finishing it, you still don’t know what’s real. The mystery behind the game allows for several red herrings that you can miss the obvious or even doubt a blatant reveal. I can’t wait to see what’s actually confirmed in book 3!

I really want to talk about more in this review, but I think going in blind is the way to do it. However, there are a few things I just need to get out there. They are kind of spoilery though so:

Spoiler Corner (vague bullet point version)

Dat Legend reveal! Not surprised, still kind of shook.
What’s the deal with Tella’s mom?
How bad are the Fates exactly?
Still shipping Scarlett and Julian, but curious about what happened & about mystery ex-finacé
That final reveal….what’s real?! Is he her son or isn’t he?

Final Thoughts

So, this book completely delivered on everything I was hoping it would and more. It built on book 1, addressed some things I didn’t love and answered so many questions. This book also set up an interesting conflict for book 3 and was able to use familiar concepts without being too repetitive.

If you loved Caraval, you will definitely love this sequel. If you didn’t love (or even like) Caraval, I still say give this one a try. It was so much better than the first book.

Here’s to waiting another year until book 3.