"Legendary" by Stephanie Garber

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.

I LOVED this book! Maybe not as much as I loved Caraval, but Legendary preserved the same magic that I initially found utterly enthralling. And if it hadn't been for homework and studying, I would have devoured this book in a day or two. It was just as captivating as the first with the same sweep-you-off-your-feet pacing. There's never a dull moment in Stephanie Garber's books. 

Just like with Caraval, I love how magical the book feels which is only expanded and made darker in this sequel. 

Okay, enough raving about the atmosphere and pace and more talk about the actual story!

Legendary is told from Tella's perspective. I loved Tella as a narrator! She has so much more backbone than Scarlet and is very much distinct from her sister. While I didn't find her as relatable (I'm not nearly as close to as badass as she is), she was more fun to read about than Scarlet. Because, bluntly put, Tella takes a lot more risks and is more reckless. Sometimes she's downright frustrating.

Another character we get to hear a lot more about is Legend. No spoilers, but I was really loving reading more about Legend. I've been so curious about him in Caraval and still am especially since I think he's going to play a big part in Finale. 

My favorite part of this book was how the world was expanded beyond Caraval and there was a lot more world building in this book. The best addition was, by far, the Fates and the Deck of Destiny stuff. I loved the tarot card vibes from all of that and thought it fit perfectly with the carnival vibes of Caraval. I would honestly love to know more about the Fates and hope that's heavily featured in Finale.

So, I think it's pretty obvious I very much enjoyed this book. I do feel like it was less of a story in it's own right than Caraval and more like a bridge to the third book in the truly. But that's not a big deal and by no means was it a filler book or just a set up. A lot happened in this book, but it does obvious set up the end of the trilogy.

My rating: 4 stars

Can't wait for Finale!