Legendary by Stephanie Garber Review
Hello Again!
My first review in quite a while, I'm finding this a little hard to write just because I'm out of practice. I finished this sequel to Caraval last week and want to review it for you guys because it changed my opinion of the series. Bare with me while I try out this new format. Hope you enjoy this review and it's not too rusty! Enjoy!
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Caraval Series #2
Length: 451 pages
Publication Date: May 29th, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Story Development: Pretty even pacing and story is interesting throughout
Romance: Crucial to the plot but not the main focus, slow burn
Protagonist Strength: Above Average
Re-readable? Yes
Received From: BookCon 2018
Synopsis: 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
This sequel to the much lauded Caraval picks up almost immediately where the first book ended. Whereas Caraval told the story of Scarlett Dragna, this novel takes the POV of her sister, Donatella (or Tella for short). From the beginning, Tella is a more complex, and interesting character than her sister and I wish we had seen more of each other in Caraval. In Caraval, Scarlett plays the game to enjoy the experience and consequentially, drama and adventure ensues. In this novel, Tella plays not because she wants to, but because she seeks answers about her family and herself. This gives Legendary a far more serious air than Caraval had and I really enjoyed it.
One of the things I really enjoyed was how smoothly the plot develops in this novel. This may be due to the fact that it's the second book, but I choose to think it has to do with Staphanie learning by doing and simply writing better. All the events happen in a way that makes sense and I felt like I understood more of what was going on. Another thing, although Donatella is Scarlett's younger sister, she is far more mature and intelligent. In fact, for most of the book, I assumed Tella was the older sister. She is a far more complicated character than Scarlett and I'm hoping the final book is from Tella's perspective.
Another thing that was exciting was the lore and backstory that was explained and hinted at in this installment. This really makes the story much more complicated than Caraval, but also intrigues you in a way that makes you devour the story. We learn about The Fates in this novel and while we learn some of their story, there is so much more that will (hopefully) be included in the next novel. By the way, we FINALLY learn who Legend is! You do not want to miss that ;)
Now onto some of the things I didn't enjoy. Although I prefer Tella to Scarlett after reading both books, I wish we had learned a little more about Scarlett in this book. This book focuses solely on Tella and anyone she interracts with but there are some events that happen or are mentioned in passing that seem SO important. I wish we had got a little information on other things. The only other thing I took issue with is the speed of the story. I'm not sure it was because I devoured the book, but the story seemed to fly by and I wish we could have stayed a little longer in certain parts.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel. Honestly, it was far more enjoyable than Caraval to me. I think the character of Tella is much better written than Scarlett and I enjoyed learning a bit more about her backstory. I wish we had gotten a little more background about what the other characters were doing but I can't wait to see how it all shakes out in the final book. Hope you guys enjoy this book as much as I did!
