Legenadry continues the story of Scarlett and Tella, as this time Tella competes in another of Legend’s games in order to settle a debt. Win, and she could end Caraval forever. But lose, she could end her own life instead.

Intriguing premise. I would advice reading Caraval before approaching this as it starts right where Caraval finishes, and alludes to a lot of the plot from the previous novel and I found I’d forgotten a lot of the tale. That said, I thought this did a good job of building on the mysteries surrounding Caraval and expanded the known mythology well and in a cohesive way. The magical system and religions build on what we already know about Legend and his magic and still manage to describe enough without getting me confused, yet aching for more. It was well done.

The rest of the world building is also good and wonderfully descriptive. I could imagine myself within Meridia walking the streets of the spice district, or exploring the forgotten corners of the Fallen Star temple. I’m hoping that the finished edition will again feature a map, much like Caraval did, as this would be a great way to visualise the distinct districts.

The plot is interesting, and had me wanting to read on until the end. I was actively looking forward to finding out the answers to the game and the mysteries Tella becomes embroiled in, and it’s built up well over the course of the book. If anything, as with the previous book, the game itself seemed to be a little bit too ‘easy’. The threat of death is easily overcome, without any clear answer, and the conclusion was easily reached and not difficult to work out for both the reader and Tella with a ‘Deus ex Machina’ feel about it.

Tella takes over as main character here, a role her sister Scarlett plays in the first instalment. I would say Tella is definitely more charismatic than Scarlett - she’s got a bit more spark, independence and ingenuity. She’s more willing to fight (sometimes physically) for what she wants, and is more selfish than Scarlett’s more ‘perfect’ persona. The only issue I had with her character was the repeated statements declaring she’d never fall in love, and then immediately falling in love with a man she kisses once. For this reason alone, I wasn’t a massive fan of her relationship with Dante, as I found Tella relies too heavily on him for support when he’s around.

The secondary characters are also interesting and enigmatic as you’re never quite sure if they’re part of Legend’s game or not. The introduction of the Fates this time added another level of intrigue and threat that pushed this above Caraval in terms of tension. I really liked their backstory too, and hope it’s expanded on in further novels. In particular I liked the introduction of Jacks and the sort of love triangle that develops. He’s a deeply charismatic character, and carries a lot of the scenes where he’s present. His relationship with Tella is infinitely more original and interesting than the one she shares with Dante.

I wasn’t keen on the writing style. Some phrases used just seem to be there for added flowery effect without making any sense. I want writing that excites me, not confuse me. Good descriptions and less flowery writing will get you a long way. I also found some phrases rather clunky and awkward, such as the one description of Dante by Julian that unravels a certain mystery pertaining to the game that could have been executed better.

Overall, this was better than Caraval in its originality, and has kept me interested enough to continue with the series if there are any more to come. The writing just needs to be a little bit more refined, and this has the potential to really shine.

I am a massive fan of Stephanie Garber’s debut, Caraval, so, as my friends could tell you, I was more than a little excited to get my hands on this little beauty. The enticing world of Caraval is full of magic that is both wonderful and terrible in equal measure. The vivid descriptions of the world that the mysterious Legend creates draw you in and make you wish that you could join the game, but at the same time make you pray that you never find yourself there. In a world of games and make believe, you can drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of what is real, and what is just a performance for the participants.

Legendary starts just hours after the end of Caraval, but although the game is over, it is still impossible to tell who can really be trusted and who is playing a role. Told from Tella’s point of view, the new game of Caraval, held in honour of the Empress Elantine, has an altogether darker feel. Set in the very real streets of Valenda, rather than a magical world of Legend’s creation, it becomes harder than ever to know what is real and what is just part of the game. This lends a sinister air to the whole book, and creates an even higher level of tension.

Whilst Scarlett remains my personal favourite of the sisters, this book would not have worked if she was the one playing the game. I find that Tella comes across as somewhat conceited, but it is her impetuous nature that is essential for the game to play out as it must.

Stephanie Garber’s world building, with its beautiful descriptions and fatally flawed characters, draws you into the book, much as the Dragna sisters were each drawn into the game of Caraval, and leaves you doubting whether you can truly believe what you have read. All I can say is, I hope there is a third book to follow this one, because I have many, many questions that need answers! Now, if I can just track down my very own Deck of Destiny…

Thank you to Netgalley, Stephanie Garber and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC of Legendary, the sequel to Caraval.

It's no secret that I wasn't the world's biggest fan of Caraval while I loved the story I thought the world and characters to be very underdeveloped and it never lived up to its potential for me.

So I was a little unsure about whether or not to read Legendary but I thought I'd give it a chance and I'm so glad I did. Everything that was lacking for me in Caraval was present in Legendary. The world building and back story was incredibly detailed and incredibly interesting. I really felt that I was getting to know that world and the characters who inhabited it.

Legendary focuses on Tella who was the prize from the game at the last Caraval. It's only been a short while since the last Caraval but Legend has decided to throw another one in honour of Empress Elantine's birthday. Tella who is desperately trying to find her mother cuts a deal to win the game and get her back, but the deal may be one she later regrets, because this time Caraval is not just a game.

Far more engaging, far more well written Legendary is a gripping story with a fierce female protagonist at its centre. Not to mention a dashingly, dark and dangerous young man.

I'm so glad I decided to give Legendary a go because I am now completely hooked on this series and can't wait to read the next instalment after that cliffhanger!!

When it’s about a sequel following a very good first book, it’s always the first question: Is it as good as the first one? And the answer is a straight YES! It’s as good as Caraval. I really can’t decide which one was better, let’s conclude I love them both 🙂
When I was reading Caraval, the most striking thing was Garber’s imagination and how she brought it to life. There are lots of series with kingdoms, princes, queens fighting, etc. But, Caraval was quite refreshing coming with a different set up. It was one agonising year to wait for the sequel! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher so that at least I read it couple months earlier 🙂
In the second book, we have another Caraval coming right after the first one. This time, Tella needs to win it to see her mother again. The winner also gets to face Legend at the end of the game. Quite soon, we see that Caraval may be real this time with real consequences. So, the concept is a bit different than the first. Tella has a lot to lose if she can’t win Caraval, including the life of her mother or even herself!
We follow Tella’s narrative in this book, and Scarlett takes the back seat. Like the first one, it’s full of energy, mystery and magic. There are lots of twists. And during the book, you keep guessing who the hell is this Legend??? Until the end, there’s no being sure 🙂
Garber masters her atmospheric story telling yet again. I loved Tella as a character. She’s quite different than Scarlett, so it was refreshing to follow her in the second book. We got to know a few more new characters, who were quite interesting as well. The pace was high throughout the book that I couldn’t put it down.
Overall, we have another very rich, delicious, energetic sequel to the first book! I absolutely loved it.

Going into this book I expected a continuation from Caraval but this time focusing on Tella which I did get and I really enjoyed and became invested in right up until the last 3 or so chapters. The twists and turns it took from that point on just left me feeling a little let down. Which is a shame as I really really enjoyed Caraval and hoped to adore this one as much. 3 and a half stars for me.

I absolutely fell in love with Stephanie Garber’s first book Caraval and as soon as I spotted the sequel i pre ordered it straight away! Just from the book description Legendary had me sucked right back into the magical world of Caraval and the mysterious host, Legend!

I have been extremely fortunate to receive this book as an arc and i can not thank the publishers, author and NetGalley for this opportunity.

But as i have said many times before, arc’s are both a blessing and a curse! I will now have to wait even longer to read the third instalment! There better be a third as the way this book ends it leaves countless directions it could take!

Where as the first book centred around Scarlett and Julian, this book centres around the other sister, Donatella and Dante. And i must confess it was Dante that had me intrigued from book one – Think it’s the tattoos that drew me to him!!

Legendary literally kicks off from where book on ended which I loved, so if you haven’t read Caraval yet I highly recommend you do now so you are prepared for this one on publication day which is 29 May 2018!

The magic is so wonderfully brought to life before your eyes and is so easy to get caught up in the flow of the story that you can’t stop reading! I wanted to stay in Caraval and never leave!

Tella is more of a feisty character than her sister but this time around things seem more real than they did when Scarlett took part in Caraval and a lot higher stakes than the first book.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers as this book needs to be read and im sure there will be a lot of different ideas as to who Legend really is and where the story takes Tella to next!

The characters from the previous book are all reunited with the reader with their own running undercurrents of storylines that makes things even more intriguing. I can tell you that Legends identity is finally revealed! I don’t think his identity was a massive surprise but it was nice to know I had it correct all along!

Not only do the other cast members continue through from Caraval, new characters are introduced, the Fates. None of which sound particularly like you would want any of them as friends!

Tella’s reason for joining in with the game has been manipulated by an unknown friend that has been writing to her with the promise of if she wins and learns Legends true identity they will reunite her with her mother who disappeared years ago. But that would make it all a bit easy, who would she be handing Legend over too and for what purpose? Being pulled and manipulated in several directions at once whilst also trying to save her own life kept me engrossed through out, I didn’t even want to put it down long enough to make a cup of tea!

All of this will make sense once you have read the book i promise! I am trying to not give anything away and ruin it for anyone!

It is full of magic, charisma, intrigue and all the time you never know what is real or which bits are just the charades of Caraval and carries you to the dangerous, enchanting world where not all is as it seems!

This is going to be a Must read of 2018 and i can not express to you how good it really is!

I did not enjoy this book as much as Caraval. I think this is in part due to the character of Tella being less likable. I found it unbelievable that such a short time after the events of book 1, the sisters would spend as much time apart. The ending has been left wide open for a third instalment, but with the mystery surrounding Legends identity solved, I'm not sure I would continue reading the series. Such a shame as I loved the world conjoured up in Caraval.

I struggled with this one. As much as I loved the first book, I was a times annoyed with this one. I could not fully immerse myself in the story and found that the characters annoyed me