Book Talk…7/13/18

Traci Kenworth

Legendary: A Caravel Novel by Stephanie Garber. Flat Iron Books 2018.

As always, Amazon blurb: The instant #1 New York Times bestseller! 

Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut Caraval

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.

My review: This book is AMAZING! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! I think I even liked it more than the first book, lol. The mystery is even more tangled. From the moment Tella sweeps onto the page, her dislike of Dante and yet being reluctantly attracted to him, is mesmerizing! She is beholden to a criminal and must find the name of Legend or lose her mother forever. As the games begin, that fate is turned further as the Prince of Hearts kisses her and if she doesn’t win Caravel, she will die. With a slow beating heart, she struggles through the game, not sure who is on her side, even her sister, Scarlett, hides things from her. Will this be the end for Tella?

The characters are fantastic! Tella and Dante are just—breathtaking. Scarlett and Julian take a back seat here, but you can’t help but feel that both couples are in for more than they bargained. I’m pretty sure there will be another Caravel novel given the ending. Can’t wait for it!