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A review by obliviousdream
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
3.0
Put the pitchforks back, folks, because this installment was definitely an improvement over the first book.
Will this book (and series) become an all-time favourite for me? Still a definite no.
Was this a more enjoyable read than "Caraval"? Definitely.
Interestingly enough, "Legendary" read like the other side of a coin in comparison to "Caraval". Was it intentional? I am not entirely convinced, but it's how I felt anyway.
While book one proved Caraval is just a fantasy, albeit a rather realistic one, book two showed us it can be reality, disguised as a game.
While pretty much nothing had any true consequences in "Caraval", the events in "Legendary" had very real and world-changing consequences.
In a way, we've come full circle and I definitely liked that approach to the storytelling.
The plot was still predictable but the over-the-top meaningless comparisons were kept to a minimum here, which made the narrative more enjoyable overall. I am still unable to devour this trilogy with the speed and fervor I am usually accustomed to, they are a slow read for me, but I'm starting to see what other people probably find in these books.
And then there's Dante and Jacks.
"I know you were willing to sacrifice yourself for her, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice you."
Well, excuse me while I swoon over another morally grey character over here.
"There's somewhere else I need to be. And, no matter what this looks like, I'm still not the hero in your story."
Look, I am not going to lie - both Dante and Jacks could have been developed a bit better. They still suffered from some two-dimensional personality, but both made me care for them to an extent, so... mission accomplished?
All in all, definitely better than "Caraval", I need more Dante and Jacks in my life and I need the two sisters to stop bitching so much. Fingers crossed for "[b:Finale|40381392|Finale (Caraval, #3)|Stephanie Garber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540221721l/40381392._SY75_.jpg|60623348]".
P.s. WTF is up with these needless love triangles?
Will this book (and series) become an all-time favourite for me? Still a definite no.
Was this a more enjoyable read than "Caraval"? Definitely.
Interestingly enough, "Legendary" read like the other side of a coin in comparison to "Caraval". Was it intentional? I am not entirely convinced, but it's how I felt anyway.
While book one proved Caraval is just a fantasy, albeit a rather realistic one, book two showed us it can be reality, disguised as a game.
While pretty much nothing had any true consequences in "Caraval", the events in "Legendary" had very real and world-changing consequences.
In a way, we've come full circle and I definitely liked that approach to the storytelling.
The plot was still predictable but the over-the-top meaningless comparisons were kept to a minimum here, which made the narrative more enjoyable overall. I am still unable to devour this trilogy with the speed and fervor I am usually accustomed to, they are a slow read for me, but I'm starting to see what other people probably find in these books.
And then there's Dante and Jacks.
"I know you were willing to sacrifice yourself for her, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice you."
Well, excuse me while I swoon over another morally grey character over here.
"There's somewhere else I need to be. And, no matter what this looks like, I'm still not the hero in your story."
Look, I am not going to lie - both Dante and Jacks could have been developed a bit better. They still suffered from some two-dimensional personality, but both made me care for them to an extent, so... mission accomplished?
All in all, definitely better than "Caraval", I need more Dante and Jacks in my life and I need the two sisters to stop bitching so much. Fingers crossed for "[b:Finale|40381392|Finale (Caraval, #3)|Stephanie Garber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540221721l/40381392._SY75_.jpg|60623348]".
P.s. WTF is up with these needless love triangles?