Legendary

Warning!! If you haven’t read Caraval, I recommend not reading this review since Legend is the second book in the series. However, if you’re someone who doesn’t mind spoilers, welcome to my review!

Legend, the first review of the new year, is actually a book I’ve read before and really enjoyed. The author, Stephanie Garber, created side stories inspired by this series, and as these stories became more popular, I decided to re-read the series from the beginning. It’s quite an engaging and entertaining series, and I felt the same excitement as when I first read it. Let me share my thoughts with you…

As you may remember, at the end of the Caraval, Scarlett wins the game, however she learns that everything has been part of a terrible deal between her sister Tella, and Legend. She realizes that everything she’s experienced was a deception. Julian’s feelings for her also become suspicious, making things even more complicated. By the end of the book, we find Tella reading a letter and discover that she’s made a deal with a "friend" in exchange for information about Legend.

When we start reading the Legend, we gain a bit more information about the content of the letter and what is being asked: in exchange for finding her mother, who abandoned her and her sister when they were children, Tella must reveal Legend's identity. She realizes that the only way to uncover the identity is by winning the Mire-themed Caraval game organized for "Empress Elantine." However, she is hesitant to tell her sister about this deal, unsure of how to proceed. (Note: Mire creatures are magical beings depicted in a deck of cards called the "Fate Deck," and supposedly ruled the world centuries ago, only to mysteriously disappear one day.)

Eventually, Tella convinces her sister to join her and follow the Caraval performers to the city of Valenda, where this special Caraval will take place. Once they arrive, Tella gets separated from the group and, through a messenger, receives another letter. The letter reveals that her "friend" (the one she made the deal with) knows she is joining the game and that he will be waiting for her at the Fate Ball, the first event of the game. She also finds a Caraval invitation attached to the letter. When she arrives at the place where they are staying, she is surprised to find her name is not on the guest list. Just as she is wondering what to do, Dante appears and lies, claiming that Tella is engaged to the heir of the Empress. Although Tella is upset with Dante for making up such a story, she decides to let it slide, thinking it’s a small lie, and goes to her room. However, Tella has no idea that the "friend" she made the deal with is actually the "fiance" she’s unaware of.

Legend is truly a legendary book, just as its name. I remember sharing my thoughts on second books in a series before, but let me repeat it once again. Second books are the ones that come after the first book, which introduces us to the world and tries to draw us into the atmosphere. They are the books where we’re fully immersed in the plot. There’s often a boredom that comes from the fact that second books don’t describe a new dystopia, and that’s why they face a lot of pressure to remain engaging. To overcome this challenge, authors usually either send the hero to a new place and describe it, introduce new characters, or deepen the existing characters' stories. Honestly, I believe that writing the second book is the hardest part of being an author. Especially in trilogies, the final book must be perfectly structured, its ending should leave readers wanting more, and it should never feel like just a "transition" book.

Having expressed my thoughts, I must say that Legend does a great job as a second book. While Stephanie Garber admits that writing the second book was challenging for her, I can say that it doesn’t show at all. Besides building a plot that could stand as a standalone novel, in this book, you almost find yourself in the middle of a fantasy movie. Unlike the first book, this one is told from Tella's perspective, and you’ll definitely notice how, despite their similarities, these two characters are quite different. As a result, I can honestly say that it's a fast-paced book, and despite having finals, a part of my mind was always occupied with the parts of the book I hadn’t read yet. If you haven’t read the first book, I warn you that you’re missing out on a magical game. I hope you’ll find the time to read the books that stay in the back of your mind, and share these series with me 🧡

Click here for the review of the first book

Invite the lie to play until you become so comfortable with it that it feels like the truth.

Not everyone gets a true ending. There are two types of endings because most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless. But that’s when hope is needed most. only those who persevere can find their true ending.