REVIEW | "Legendary" by Stephanie Garber

Title: Legendary
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Macmillan USA
Genre: YA, fantasy
ISBN: 978-1250192226
Page Number: 451 pages





Blurb
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

Execution
I really loved Caraval, so I had very high expectations going into Legendary.
However, I was not disappointed. No, my expectations were even exceeded. 
I just loved everything about it, I don't even know where to begin.
I loved following Tella's viewpoint this time because it made me understand the story a bit better.
I loved how the world was expanded in Legendary and how you got to know so much more about how the magic works and also Caraval's history.
I loved how still, I could never be sure what about Caraval was a game and what was real and how it played with my emotions.
I loved all the intricate, devastating and shocking plot twists that always seemed to happen when you were least expecting them.
And I loved Stephanie Garber's beautiful, magical, unique writing style that made me wish I could write like her.

"He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels and bottles of fresh moonlight."

Characters

This time, we follow Tella's point of view which gives the reader a whole new perspective of the world.

While Scarlett is a bit naive and too scared to really question things sometimes, Tella is outgoing, daring and almost stupidly brave. 

I really fell in love with her character - also with Dante's character, whom you get to know a bit better in this book either.

Thinking about them, it just still makes my heart ache because they're so perfect and precious and I just love them so much.

All of the characters are, as in the first book, very well crafted and Stephanie Garber did an amazing job creating them and giving each and every single one of them their purpose. No character seemed to be there just out of randomness, everyone was there for a reasons and that's what I really liked about the book too.

Emotions

I was VERY emotionally invested in the story. 

Actually, I think it's impossible for someone not to be emotionally invested in a story if they love the characters as much as I love Tella, Dante and everyone else.

Also, that ending. I mean, THAT ENDING! 

Can I pretty please have the next book? Like, yesterday?

Overall

I can say for sure, Legendary is now definitely on my all time favourites list. There is no single thing I have to criticize about this book - everything is perfect just the way it is. And I want more.