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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
** 4.5 stars
Legendary was a stunning follow up to Caraval, and I think it’s one of the rare times when the sequel is better than the original. For starters, there’s a noticeable improvement in Stephanie Garber’s writing in Legendary compared to Caraval. Her prose is still pretty consistent with what we see in Caraval, but there were some scenes, particularly in the beginning of Caraval, that I thought were a little clumsily written and almost awkward to read. That is not at all a problem I had with Legendary. I think the improvement has to do with her growth as a writer (since I’m pretty sure Caraval was her debut novel?) and a greater sense of confidence in the direction of the series.
Beyond just her improved writing, I think Legendary is overall a more compelling story than Caraval was. The game is more dangerous, the stakes are much higher, the romance is better, and Tella is more interesting of a main character than Scarlett was. While I did enjoy Scarlett and Julian’s romance, I have to say that Tella and Dante’s was better. Their build up takes longer and Tella’s fake engagement to Jacks introduced a dynamic between Dante and Tella that we don’t get to see with Scarlett and Julian. You could argue that we get some of that in Finale (which I will touch more on in a separate review), but the Dante-Tella-Jacks triangle is more organic than the Julian-Scarlett-Nicolas of it all.
The main storyline of Legendary follows Tella’s desire and attempts to find her and Scarlett’s missing mother, which she has to win Caraval to be able to do. I do think having two Caravals back to back diminishes the credibility of what we know about it being very sought after because of its supposed rarity. Nevertheless, I think finding their mother and uncovering the secrets of the Decks of Destiny made for a much better overarching plot than Scarlett trying to find Tella and escaping their father did. Marcello Dragna was a pretty run of the mill villain as far as bad guys go and he was only a direct threat to the girls in the very beginning and at the end of Caraval. Jacks, however, posed a very real and very unavoidable threat to Tella’s life. The consequences of which we were constantly reminded of. I said in my Caraval review that I thought it was obvious Garber was setting up a romance between Julian and Scarlett, but I thought it was just as obvious that Jacks would be both the Prince of Hearts and the “friend” Tella had been writing to. I mean, there are only so many characters in this series lol. Regardless, I loved Jacks and I understand why people would love OUABH with him as the main love interest.
Legendary was a stunning follow up to Caraval, and I think it’s one of the rare times when the sequel is better than the original. For starters, there’s a noticeable improvement in Stephanie Garber’s writing in Legendary compared to Caraval. Her prose is still pretty consistent with what we see in Caraval, but there were some scenes, particularly in the beginning of Caraval, that I thought were a little clumsily written and almost awkward to read. That is not at all a problem I had with Legendary. I think the improvement has to do with her growth as a writer (since I’m pretty sure Caraval was her debut novel?) and a greater sense of confidence in the direction of the series.
Beyond just her improved writing, I think Legendary is overall a more compelling story than Caraval was. The game is more dangerous, the stakes are much higher, the romance is better, and Tella is more interesting of a main character than Scarlett was. While I did enjoy Scarlett and Julian’s romance, I have to say that Tella and Dante’s was better. Their build up takes longer and Tella’s fake engagement to Jacks introduced a dynamic between Dante and Tella that we don’t get to see with Scarlett and Julian. You could argue that we get some of that in Finale (which I will touch more on in a separate review), but the Dante-Tella-Jacks triangle is more organic than the Julian-Scarlett-Nicolas of it all.
The main storyline of Legendary follows Tella’s desire and attempts to find her and Scarlett’s missing mother, which she has to win Caraval to be able to do. I do think having two Caravals back to back diminishes the credibility of what we know about it being very sought after because of its supposed rarity. Nevertheless, I think finding their mother and uncovering the secrets of the Decks of Destiny made for a much better overarching plot than Scarlett trying to find Tella and escaping their father did. Marcello Dragna was a pretty run of the mill villain as far as bad guys go and he was only a direct threat to the girls in the very beginning and at the end of Caraval. Jacks, however, posed a very real and very unavoidable threat to Tella’s life. The consequences of which we were constantly reminded of. I said in my Caraval review that I thought it was obvious Garber was setting up a romance between Julian and Scarlett, but I thought it was just as obvious that Jacks would be both the Prince of Hearts and the “friend” Tella had been writing to. I mean, there are only so many characters in this series lol. Regardless, I loved Jacks and I understand why people would love OUABH with him as the main love interest.
I liked the first one better but this world is so interesting
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this a little less than Caraval, but still really enjoyed the story overall! I actually much preferred Tella and Dante as the two main characters in this compared to Scarlett and Julian in the first book. I think I was thrown off a little by the introduction of Jacks - he's completely unlikeable (one of the reasons I couldn't get into OUABH!) and I'm not sure what point he had in the end... I'll be reading finale though as I feel like I want to round up the plot!
No puedo con la protagonista ojalá haver seguro siendo scarlet.
Y dante siendo legend? Necesito explicaciones
Y dante siendo legend? Necesito explicaciones
So I absolutely love Garber’s stories but really dislike her writing. Nothing smells of “ink and other dark, seductive things” or is “the color of disillusioned dreams and bad decisions”. This book definitely had less of the overly flowery language than Caraval, but it’s still hard to look past.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Paradise The Lost", "Wanted for thievery kidnapping and murder"
Oh this book ... Oh this series ... Oh those characters and Oh that plot *scream*
I can't express my love and enthusiasm for this book and its characters, when you think that this can't be real, it is real. And when you think this is just a game, it's not! Whatever happens in that book from the beginning until the end gets you hooked and you don't want it to end. It moves very fast, you just can't put it down.
Loved everything about it,all the characters were perfect and this time we see Donatella and Dante play the main characters.
I can't wait for book 3 Finale to come out next year :D
Oh this book ... Oh this series ... Oh those characters and Oh that plot *scream*
I can't express my love and enthusiasm for this book and its characters, when you think that this can't be real, it is real. And when you think this is just a game, it's not! Whatever happens in that book from the beginning until the end gets you hooked and you don't want it to end. It moves very fast, you just can't put it down.
Loved everything about it,all the characters were perfect and this time we see Donatella and Dante play the main characters.
I can't wait for book 3 Finale to come out next year :D
I didn't think I'd like the sequel better than the first book, yet Legendary exceeds all expectations. Though I had to get used to the pov of Tella, I quickly realised I liked reading from her perspective more than from Scarletts.
I loved the plot of this book, and although a second Caraval right after the first one ended can make the book seem repetitive, it was entirely different. The storyline was pretty similar though; she had to play Caraval, she needed to win, there was a boy....
There is also a lot of really good worldbuilding in Legendary, which I thought helped a lot with the enchantment that encapsulates their world, but it did make the first book seem very lacking..., in all sorts of ways. We never learned about the religions, beliefs, people or history of much of the Meridian empire, yet Legendary unpacks it all. And I get that every book you sort of build up to a bigger villain, with greater risks and more complicated relationships, but Caraval seems very meager compared to Legendary.
Anyways, that can only mean great things for Finale:))
I loved the plot of this book, and although a second Caraval right after the first one ended can make the book seem repetitive, it was entirely different. The storyline was pretty similar though; she had to play Caraval, she needed to win, there was a boy....
There is also a lot of really good worldbuilding in Legendary, which I thought helped a lot with the enchantment that encapsulates their world, but it did make the first book seem very lacking..., in all sorts of ways. We never learned about the religions, beliefs, people or history of much of the Meridian empire, yet Legendary unpacks it all. And I get that every book you sort of build up to a bigger villain, with greater risks and more complicated relationships, but Caraval seems very meager compared to Legendary.
Anyways, that can only mean great things for Finale:))
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I liked the first book more. The second was much similar, and so this went slower for me. It was good, but a bit meh. The concept was fun one book but the second it falls more flat and the MC are super flat