Legendary (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber
I received a ARC via Netgalley for a fair review.
“But the best villains are the ones you secretly like, and my nana always said Legend was the villain in Caraval.”*
*Quote obtained from an unproofed ARC and may be different or omitted in the final copy.
Now that Scarlet has won Caraval the sisters should be on their way to happily ever after. Unfortunately, Tella had made a bargain, and the lender is asking for Legendary’s true name. Now Tella must play her own round of Caraval to obtain his identity. Though she knows it’s just a game, this time it seems like it might be just a little too real.
The Story
I am going to admit that the first time I read Caraval I had some mixed feelings. The second time I was able to appreciate the whirlwind that it is. Legendary did not leave me questioning how I felt in the least bit. Despite that it took me a little longer than I anticipated, that was only due to a very busy and exhausting week. Regardless, This book captured my attention and I am here for it.
Where Caraval kept throwing wrench after wrench at us, it was due from the fact that so much could actually happen during the game. In Tella’s story she actually struggles to keep up with the game as well with the real life needs between her sister and her debtor. This added so much more depth to the story that made it much less about the game and more about the characters and what they were willing to do.
The World Building
It was interesting to see how Garber expanded the world that Caraval takes place in. There really isn’t a large amount of political or worldly descriptions. But there is a lot of historical, mythical, and religious world building as the story revolves around the taro like cards for the Fates. I loved that each of the Fates had their own sinister powers that left room for desire. The fun part was how they were wrapped up in the fun of Caraval and Tella’s situation. I was very happy to see at the end of the book there is information about each of the fates as well.
The Characters
I am going to admit here that in Caraval I was not a fan of Tella in the first book. She seemed like a flighty, selfish girl. In Legendary we are given the opporunity to understand why she acts a certain way and what is a major driving factor of her decisions. I thought this line described the sisters’ relationship so well
“Tella was the sister who would destroy the world if anything happened to Scarlett, but Scarlett’s world would be destroyed if anything happened to Tella.”*
The Soundtrack
Alesso feat Tove Lo- Heroes
