I gotta say this, though: the descriptions of everything were so off the wall they were unintentionally hilarious. By the end of the book, I was caught between rolling my eyes and laughing out loud when Tella would say some shit like:

Stephanie Garber is the author of the popular Caraval series, a fantasy series intended for young adults (although anyone can read it!). The first novel in the series has the same name– Caraval. It was released in 2017. The second novel is titled Legendary. It came out in 2018. Present day…Tella wakes up in the forest next to Dante the morning after the Caraval after-party. She sneaks away and runs into Julian and Scarlett emerging from their room. Julian wants them to accompany him to Empress Elantine’s special addition of Caraval.Her pulse danced faster as she hid her friend’s letter and opened her smallest trunk—the one she’d not allowed the players to rifle through during Caraval. She had filled it with money pilfered from her father. But that was not the only treasure it concealed. The interior was lined with an unappealing burnt-orange and lime-green brocade that most people would never look at closely enough to notice the slit along the edge of it, which allowed her to hide the catalyst for this entire situation: The Aracle. Scar, I know you think I wasn’t being serious out there, but I think we need to start being happy rather than serious. I’m not saying we need to participate in Caraval, but I think we should at least go to Valenda with Julian and the others. What’s the point of all this glorious freedom if we don’t enjoy it? Our father wins if we keep living as if we’re still trapped beneath his heavy fists. But overall, I really did love reading this. Again, I know not everyone does, but I just love Stephanie Garber’s writing and purple prose so much. I completely connect with it, and it completely immerses. I always feel like I’m there for all six nights of Caraval, in the castles, carriages, balls, and cathedrals. Also, these books and their settings are such aesthetic goals, I swear! Plus, this entire series is such a love letter to morally grey characters! I can’t wait to see how this all wraps up in the last book, Finale.

Also, there wasn’t as much of a positive sibling emphasis in this book. Like, Tella was 100% committed to Scarlett, and we know from Caraval that Scarlett was 100% committed to Tella, but Legendary didn’t do anything to help enforce that percentage. Scarlett was honestly kind of a hot mess in this book, from start to (especially) end. I pray that Finale is either entirely in Tella’s point of view or it switches between Scarlett and Tella’s point of view. I don’t think I can deal with another solo Scarlett book after her actions in Legendary. Until yesterday, this estate had contained the entire world of Caraval. Its grand wooden doors had led visitors to elegant balconies draped with lush red curtains, which surrounded a city made of canals, streets that had minds of their own, and uncanny shops full of magical pleasures. But in the brief time since the game had ended, the turreted house had shrunk in size and the ephemeral wonderland hidden within its walls had disappeared, leaving behind only the parts that would normally belong inside of a grand house. a b Paxson, Caitlyn. " 'Caraval' Is A Dark Circus Where The Clowns Don't Like You". NPR.org . Retrieved January 18, 2020.When you truly care about someone, aren't you supposed to be honest, even if it means you might lose that person?”

In her debut fantasy novel Caraval, Garber takes readers on a whirlwind ride through a fantasy world. Readers will love the novel that others are calling enchanting, mysterious, decadent, intoxicating, inventive, delightful, and darkly magical. Updating this to thank everyone who wrote in Legendary for the Goodreads Choice awards. I was so grateful and excited when I woke up this morning and saw that it had made e it into the Semifinal Round!! You are all the best!!Scarlett is assured that anything that happens during the festival is part of what is an elaborately planned performance. But she cannot help but worry as she goes further into a game that is more complex and engaging than it first appears. With love, magic, heartbreak, and illusion all coming into play, Scarlett is part of a game that seems like it will never end. I like characters that no one really can shove into a role. He’s not the hero, the good guy of this story. But he’s also not the villain, the bad guy. He’s something in between. But again, decide for yourself. I would say that if you're on the fence, maybe just stop with the first book. Wait until the third book publishes and binge-read the series. Or just stop with Caraval. Caraval had a lovely ending and you can imagine an epilogue of Scarlett and Julian 40 years down the road, happily ever after. No need to read about unnecessary drama. Scarlett was right to worry about the count. If Scarlett’s former fiancé discovered Tella was alive, he could send word to their father—who believed Tella was dead—and it would shatter everything. i actually finished this two days ago but for some strange reason i forgot to update here. i don’t even have the energy to spend hours writing a detailed review so this will be short.

Thankfully the world remained asleep as Tella reached the edge of the forest, and then, Legend’s turreted house.

There you go! That’s what happened in Legendary, the second book in this series. Garber will release Finale, the third book in this trilogy, on May 30, 2019. even though Tella was less annoying here, i couldn’t really love her. i mean, she had a few good moments and there were times where i sympathized with her, but overall she is still meh. an unremarkable character sadly. i’m not that fond of her, i thought this book would make me love her and it obviously didn’t. let’s see if she will be capable of change my mind in Finale (i’m honestly not hopeful). Dante, on the other hand, was a nice character. he’s so swoony and charming! this man won me over. i enjoyed reading his scenes with Tella, the romance was far from perfect and i found it undeveloped, but i think they have good chemistry together and i hope it stays that way in the next book.