A review by ambersbooknest
Legendary by Stephanie Garber

5.0

In many series, I find that the second novel does not captivate me as much as the first. But much like with A Court of Thorns and Roses, I discovered that I absolutely loved the second Caraval book so much more. This time around, we follow Tella's perspective in Legendary as she plays Caraval in Valenda, the empire's capital, for the first time. Tella's perspective is far more compelling than Scarlett's, as she experiences far more. She is not the naïve little child that Scarlett portrays her as being in Caraval, in my opinion! Legendary picks up right when Caraval leaves off. Everything I cherished about the first book was elevated to a whole new level in this one. There is a lot more passion in romance, deceit, and secrets. I liked how the game was brought back, but in a fresh way. The key player and the stakes are drastically different this time. I've always been fascinated by tarot cards, so I really enjoyed how this book integrated all of their legends, particularly that of the Prince of Hearts. It truly took all of my strength, I must admit, to not just look up the identity of the legend. I needed the answer to his identification like yesterday, and it was burning a hole in my pocket! Even though I anticipated it, I have one last thing to mention before I end this review: I was definitely shocked by that ending.

“The air tasted like wonder. Like candied butterfly wings caught in sugared spiderwebs, and drunken peaches coated in luck.”