Legendary by Stephanie Garber -- Review

Title: Legendary
Author: Stephanie Garber
Pages: 451
Publishing: May 29th 2018 by Flatiron Books
ISBN: 125009531X

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: 

Legendary picks up pretty smoothly from where we left off in Caraval and I was happy to see that Garber didn't waste too much time retelling portions of the first novel. The novel starts with a bang and I have to say, the stakes felt much higher. The game is different, the setting is different, and it even felt a little darker. I loved hearing about the game from Tella's perspective because she is a little more daring and willing to take risks and just a badass character all around. 

The novel is full of twists and turns that are very different from the last novel and I loved how Garber kept me guessing from the very beginning. There were many more secrets and lies in this novel and I loved seeing Tella's character growth as the story unfolded. Caraval was a fascinating story, but Legendary really took a few steps above it for me because of the deeper elements like introducing the fates and the deck of destiny. I think this portion of the novel made the game more interesting and I couldn't get enough. 

Legendary  was an entertaining and well thought out novel filled with twists and turns. It constantly left me wanting more and wondering what was real and what was fake. I can't wait to read book three! I highly recommend this series if you enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review. 


Rating 3.5/5