Legendary

TEST

Stephanie Garber’s début novel, Caraval, was one of the most highly-praised young adult fantasy novels of 2017. Its richly-imagined world and lush prose took the book world by storm, and fans were elated to learn the author was planning a sequel. I didn’t fall in love with Caraval the way so many of my fellow readers did, but I found myself invested enough in the story to give this second installment a try, and I’m so glad I did. Legendary captures so much of the mystery and magic I found lacking in the first book, and now I, too, am hoping Ms. Garber will give us more stories in this lovely, treacherous world where absolutely nothing and no one is what the reader expects it to be.

Legendary picks up just a few days after the first book ends. Donatella Dragna, sister of Scarlett from book one, isn’t ready to give up the magical world of Caraval, so different from the miserable years she spent with her heartless father. True, no one really knows which events are real and which ones are only staged as part of the fabulous game that is Caraval, but Tella is all right with that. It gives her a chance to be the smart, courageous woman she’s always dreamed of being. After all, through her adventures in the first round of the game, she managed to save her sister from a loveless marriage. Just think what great things she could manage to pull off if the game were to continue.

Fortunately, the mysterious man behind Caraval, half-carnival half-tournament, is ready for round two, and he’s got big plans for Tella. They may not be plans she’ll be particularly fond of, but pretty much anything goes when it comes to Caraval. Someone deeply imbedded in the game knows the truth about the long ago disappearance of Tella’s mother, a truth Tella has been desperate to uncover for years. So, when an enigmatic criminal approaches her with a promise of helping her in her quest, Tella jumps at the chance to have all her questions answered. Of course, there’s a price for the help she’s been offered, a terrible price that could spell the end of Caraval forever, and, if Tella doesn’t play her cards right, it could also cost her her life and the lives of those she holds dear.

Legendary is not an easy book to describe. It’s a story based around a series of things that may or may not be true featuring characters who may or may not be real people. It’s a book that confused me as I read, but it also compelled me to keep going in hopes of finally making sense of things. I enjoyed it, but I do see where some readers might become frustrated by what could feel like a lack of clarity in the plot.

Tella  came off as a spoiled brat in the first book, and I didn’t like her. She lied and schemed to get what she wanted, and it never seemed like she cared much about the effects of her behavior on those around her. Fortunately, Ms. Garber has managed to make her much more sympathetic this time around. She still acts rashly from time to time, and I wasn’t nuts about the way she treated other people, but the author does a great job showing readers why Tella is the way she is. She’s a very flawed heroine, but she has quite a few redeeming qualities I didn’t see when I originally encountered her.

This novel contains strong romantic elements, but I can’t say much about them without spoiling things for you. The romance isn’t the main focus of the plot though, something that could be off-putting for readers who like romance-heavy stories, but the author strikes a good balance between exploring the fantasy world and allowing Tella to fall a little bit in love.

If you loved Caraval, I imagine Legendary is already on your radar, and, even if you didn’t end up loving Caraval as much as you hoped to, I still urge you to give the sequel a try. The writing is gorgeous and the plot is totally immersive. There were a few plot points that didn’t thrill me, but I came away from the book with a smile on my face.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Reviewed by Shannon Dyer

Grade: B+

Book Type: Young Adult

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date: 28/05/18

Publication Date: 05/2018

Review Tags: fantasy

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

I'm Shannon from Michigan. I've been an avid reader all my life. I adore romance, psychological fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and the occasional memoir. I share my home with my life partner, two dogs, and a very feisty feline.

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