Legendary: A Caraval Novel (Caraval, #2)

by Stephanie Garber

Rebecca Soler (Narrator)

Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, but she isn't yet free. She made a bargain with a criminal and owes him a secret near-impossible to uncover: Caraval Master Legend's true name.

• ISBN10: 1427293384
• ISBN13: 9781427293381
• Publish Date: 29 May 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 24 October 2023
• Imprint: MacMillan Audio
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 11 hours and 20 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Hilarye]

The first book follows Scarlett as she plays the game & tries to save her sister, Tess. On the way she falls in love with Julian, learns who she is, what she wants, & what she’s capable of.

This book follows Tess as she plays the game & tries to save their mother, Paloma. Dante helps her along the way & of course, they fall in love. Sounds like the first book, but trust me, it’s very different. And Dante. Oh Dante, you sexy, tattooed, secretive, morally grey, beefcake. Your conflicted, brooding & brilliant character arc made this story. As the story unfolds, you are also introduced to several other new faces. Specifically, Jacks, who both terrifies me & intrigues me. He’s one of those characters that keep you guessing whether or not he’s pure evil or has some good somewhere in him. Honestly, I still don’t know. Book 3 will hopefully answer some questions I have.

I love how this book really focuses on fate vs free will. Is what’s happening to you fated, and totally predetermined? Or are you making choices & acting in ways that cause you to manifest the destiny you think you deserve.

These books are so beautifully written, with descriptive prose that is positively alluring & dreamy. I don’t want the series to end, but at the same time, I CAN

[pamela]

Making Tella the protagonist of this story was a stroke of genius by Stephanie Garber, as she is about 1000 times more interesting than Scarlett. Legendary was just pure, unadulterated fun, from start to finish. Sure, it was spectacularly overwritten in places, and the plot held no surprises as every "twist" was pretty much precluded by a flashing neon sign above it, but literally, none of that mattered because this book was pure escapism and I loved every second!

[ladygrey]

v2.

After rereading Caraval, I didn't expect much going back into Legendary. I was mildly curious about the threads the story opened at the end of the first book but since I didn't love it, I expected mostly the same from this book.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The first third to maybe half weren't great. It was a bit maddening to have one sister forget it's a game in the first book and the other sister deny that it's real in the second book. But once she gets over that, the deeper worldbuilding is more than interesting, it's intriguing even knowing a little how it will play out. I remembered much less of this book. Mainly, I only remembered that Tella puts herself in a card and it upsets Dante. So I knew all along Dante was Legend, though not much else. That knowledge seemed to deepen the scenes with him and Tella, letting them resonate more than they did in my first reading where I was trying to figure things out.

The one annoying bit in the second half was that it kept repeating the choice of Jacks or Legend almost as if it was a litany. Perhaps it wouldn't have annoyed me quite so much if I didn't know which she would choose. But the stakes had been well established, they didn't need to be reinforced again, and again…and again.

That being said, I have greater appreciation for this book the second time around. The story threads are intricately woven and the characters are emotionally resonant in a way I enjoed.

v1.

From the first page, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy Legendary. I really didn't like Donatella in the first book, so I wasn't sure what I'd do with a whole book from her point of view. Like Caraval, however, the story is carried by the supporting players. Jacks and Dante, and even Julian a bit, kept me engaged. Donatella could have died along the way and as long as there was someone else to pick up the story, I'd have kept reading.

My biggest annoyance with Tella is that she's one of those characters who decides things and the refuses to consider anything else, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. It took her far too long to accept that the game was real. Everyone kept telling her and she kept experiencing these things and then dismissing everything she was experiencing. And that quality of being obtuse drives the whole book which is annoying.

Also, her whole thing with fate bothered me. She thinks she's destined to unrequited love because she turned over a card once when she was six or seven? That is ridiculously unsubstantial to then influence her choices. It's a bit refreshing that Dante finally tells her she's ridiculous because she's making choices and her choices are creating the life she says she's fated to. She's spent years making choices based on a stupid assumption. And she runs away before she gets all the information in a few scenes which is just stupid, especially in a game where you need all the clues and information you can gather. I get it because if she were actually as smart as people say she is then the story wouldn't have as many bumps in the road. But it's frustrating as a reader for the author to use her character being stupid to fuel the story and then have other characters tell her how smart she is.

The writing had moments that were pretty and evocative but then the sentence keeps going and going and dilutes what Garber did well. So much so that at some points I skimmed through the descriptions because there were a lot of them and I knew they wouldn't fuel the story. Which was disappointing because in many ways this is a book with a puzzle to be solved and if the reader isn't afraid of missing a clue and skips text then it's not really as intricate or layered as it could be.

But it is interesting. While Donatella is not a more interesting character, the other players in the story are and the bigger mythology is an excellent next tier to the simple game of Caravel. Legendary goes bigger and goes further and even goes deeper as one would hope. 
 

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

Definitely prefer Scar to Tella (although I do LOVE Tella’s scrappiness & her witty sarcasm!), overall, but actually liked this book more than the first! The stakes felt so much higher in Caraval “the game that is just a game, that is, but isn’t or is it just a..." Game No. 2— the plot has so much more depth for the series as a whole & what we possibly (?) will see in Caraval, Book 3... which better be a damn spectacular Finale!
(I feel like I'm making mad dad jokes/puns/whatevers rn

[kalventure]

I just accidentally deleted this book from my shelves because I am an idiot. Thank goodness I have a book blog where my review was safe.

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The magical game of Caraval is about bravery and sacrifice, and friends let me tell you that the magic isn’t yet over as there are some debts to be paid. This world is so magical and ethereal that it is easy to get swept up into the narrative, and while I slightly prefer Caraval, this installment of the trilogy lives up to its predecessor and shatters all notions of Middle Book Syndrome!

“Legend has chosen you to play a game that may change your destiny.
In honor of Empress Elantine’s 75th birthday,
Caraval will visit the streets of Valenda for six magical nights.”

Signed copy of Legendary: The magical performance typically only happens once per year, but within a week the troupe is heading to the Meridian capitol Valenda for a special game. But is this one just a game? Or is it something more?

I absolutely love how this book expands the worldbuilding! With the moving to another location, we get not only a sense of the history of this world but also more details about the magic Legend wields during Caraval and the origins of that magic. I am really excited to see where this goes in Finale because everything is set up so well for an amazing ending.

Legendary is told in the third person perspective of Donatella (Tella), which I really appreciated because I felt like I didn’t get a sense of who she was in Caraval. But she is strong, brave, and fiercely loyal to her sister above all else. While she has limitless amounts of love for Scarlett, she has never allowed herself to fall in love because of a prophecy that she was doomed to unrequited love.

“Tella wanted nothing to do with love; she’d learned long ago it was not in her destiny. She gave herself the freedom to kiss as many boys as she liked, but never more than once.”

But the thing about this series is that the notion of fate and free will is explored, and just because something is prophesied doesn’t mean that it will come to pass. In this way, Scarlett and her journey is a foil to Tella’s. This book and Tella’s journey is learning to take control and not letting prophecy rule her actions; allowing her to love and be vulnerable.

“But the best villains are the ones you secretly like.”

Garber really knows how to write villains, my friends. I love morally grey characters so much: they are vastly more interesting than someone who is just pure evil. There is a line where humanizing the villain makes me feel all wormy inside, but Garber manages to craft these characters that are flawed and not good, but you can’t help but root for despite it all. Watching their journeys is almost as interesting to me because I really love a villain redemption arc.

“She’d underestimated Love in the past. She’d imagined the romantic sort to be a stronger type of lust – but this moment had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with caring more about saving […] than saving herself. It made her fearless in a way she’d never been.”

I loved the romance (which is saying something because I am typically indifferent). I think the main reason is that it is as much about Tella accepting that she is worthy of love as it is about her slowly falling for someone that she thinks she hates. Again the time period is a week here, so I am sure that people will find this to be insta-love but there is something about the pacing and their journey together that makes it not feel that way to me.

“I know you were willing to sacrifice yourself for her, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice you.”

While Scarlett and Julian are very much in the background of this installment dealing with the after-effects of all the lies in Caraval, at its heart, even with the romances, this series is about two sisters and their unbreakable bond and their personal journeys. And I like that this book centers on sisterly love.

Legendary is fast-paced and consuming. I devoured it in one sitting (this marks Day 2 of my immersion into the World of Caraval) and it is plotted incredibly well. The stakes are high for Tella and the anxiety I felt reading the first book carried over: I didn’t know who to trust, but I knew who I wanted to trust. Just like Caraval, this book reads like an act in a play and sets up Finale well while still providing the reader some resolution. By the end, the identity of Legend will be known and I just have to say: of course. I can’t believe that I missed it because it makes so much sense!

Overall, I loved Legendary and am excited to dive into Finale as soon as I finish this review. It is just as magical and beautiful as the first installment, and it adds so much to the world of Caraval. I really connect with Garber’s writing and her characters, especially her villains! I cannot wait to see how it all ends.

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[bgsbooks18]

Review coming

[liz089]

It took me a bit longer to get into it, but once I was in it I could not let go. I really liked Tella as our MC, she is very brave and spontaneously. I liked the setting, and how the story became bigger than just the game this time. Hopefully I have time to read Final this week, very curious how it will continue (and end) !!

[alisoninbookland]

I liked the shifting of the story from Scarlett’s perspective to Tella’s perspective. I wasn’t big Tella fan in Caraval. She was just too reckless for my taste. I’m starting to warm up to her now. She does have an idea of what she’s trying to accomplish. She’s not just acting foolishly. I actually grew pretty annoyed with Scarlett in this story. Her behavior with Julian just makes me want to bang my head into the wall.

The Caraval part deux storyline was a bit lacking. I wasn’t thrilled to be going back into world of Caraval right away. It was interesting to see a different set up of the game though. There just wasn’t enough of the actual game going on for my taste. It was just taking a backseat to the other storylines. The Fates storyline was confusing. The Lost Mother storyline was a bit boring. There were a lot of storylines trying to compete for page space so things get convoluted.

I KNOW it’s part of the game but I’m growing weary of trying to figure out what’s real and what’s a part of the game.

Romance really isn’t my thing so I wasn’t into all of the romance stories going on. It didn’t help that it felt like love triangles were being hinted at/forced when there wasn’t a need for them. The ridiculous flirting with other people just made things worse.

The purple prose is back. I can’t tell if I’m just used to Garber’s writing or if there was less of it in Legendary. I didn’t hate it as much as I did the first time.

I DID enjoy the book though! I promise. I know my review seems a bit harsh but I did enjoy the ride. I’m off to Finale now.

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I wish I liked this book as much as the first one. Unfortunately, it all felt very similar for me. Only with a main character that made dumber choices.

She was running around and talking to people, while nothing at all happened. I did not care for her, nor for her secrets towards Scarlet nor her struggles about who Legend really was. I did not find any plot twists in this book, since the one about Dante being Legend was so foreshadowed that it was honestly a surprise that our main character refused to believe it. She knew throughout the whole book, yet she never tried to wrap her head around it?
Oh and I am sure that the fades were very intriguing, but I could not make myself care about them. I hoped for more world building and a better understanding of how the magic works, but there is none of that in this book. It expends without rules and I excuse it anymore. One book like this is enjoyable, a second should improve or it is just the same concept all over again.
I flew through the audiobooks so I will give Finale a chance, but I am prepared not to love it. It was enjoyable, but not good.

[Quirky Cat]

Legendary is the second novel in the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber. The second novel follows the other Dragna sister, Donatella, better known as Tella. She's just as good at getting into trouble as her sister. Actually, she's quite a lot better at it. Here she is trying to save her mother, all while surviving to tell the tale. It's no easy task.
If you haven't read the series yet, I strongly recommend that you give it a try, because it has been worth the hype. I only picked up the series recently – the last book coming out motivated me to do so. I wish I had read it sooner though.
I regret not reading this series sooner. I ended up reading both of the first two novels within two days time. I hope that gives you a good idea of how much I ended up enjoying them! So if you've been wavering on picking them up, go for it!


I was surprised by how much I loved Legendary. I'll be honest with you here, during Caraval I didn't like Tella all that much. I wanted to, but it seemed like she put herself (and her sister) in a lot of reckless situations. But Legendary lent a new perspective to her actions. And while she is certainly still reckless, she's also passionate and caring.
I wasn't really sure what to expect with Legendary, to be honest. Part of me was worried that Caraval would turn out to be a one hit wonder. Though I was aware of how well received Legendary was, so I didn't think that was too likely.
What I got from Legendary was more than I could have ever expected. I already mentioned that it made me care for and like Tella, but it further enhanced the danger and intrigue of the world of Caraval.
Stephanie Garber really managed to up the ante in this novel. It truly became a high risk, high reward situation. The reward was obvious; Scarlett and Donatella's mother (as well as Tella surviving the situation, ideally). The risk was much more complex and difficult to suss out. It didn't help that it seemed to constantly get added to throughout the novel. But it did make for a great read.
I particularly enjoyed the introduction of one element, but I don't want to say too much for sake of spoilers. There was one character introduced whom I found to be a fascinating addition to the plot. It increased the intrigue, risk, and complexity.
As for the romantic subplot in this novel...I think it was well done. I can't say that I ship them, but I imagine that's something that'll be addressed with more detail in the next novel. I did enjoy seeing the bits and pieces of Scarlett's romantic subplot though! That was a nice touch.
Stephanie Garber's descriptions of this magical and dangerous world further enhanced it. The lush details of scent and magic made it feel almost real – like it was a world that the reader could almost walk right into (though they'd probably regret that choice, I know).
I know that Caraval ends with the next book, but I really hope (and expect) that Stephanie Garber will continue writing after this. Her writing techniques are excellent, and I'd love to see what she could come up with next.
And now, with no further ado, I'm off to read Finale – because yes, I've enjoyed the series so much that I'm going to read them all at once.


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks