Legendary: A Caraval Novel: 2

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The aching in Tella’s head returned, and this time it had nothing to do with the drinks she’d consumed the night before. She couldn’t shake the sense something was missing from the letter. She swore there’d been more to it when she’d read it at the party. Scarlett isn’t in her room when Tella goes to retrieve her. Tella goes out on her own to find the woman of parchment and ink. She doesn’t spot any actors she knows on her way. The other contestants seem to be on a different path than Tella. Swallowing a curse, she hastily pushed up from the ground, away from his stilled, skilled fingers. She didn’t care if he saw her sneaking off; it would be far less uncomfortable than exchanging any forced pleasantries before one of them became bold enough to make an excuse for why he or she needed to rush away. Tella had kissed enough young men to know that anything said by a boy right before or directly after she kissed him could not be believed at all. And she really needed to leave. Once I reached the second half of the book, I was kind of finished with it all. I'll talk about all of my dislikes next. I can't even say I liked the ending. Oh but Tella is embroiled in her own love triangle, don't you worry. I know she is in love with Dante by the end of the story, and I know he loves her, but there is another guy that seems to be in love with Tella and noooooooo thank you. I actually LOVE this character and I wouldn't mind a Tella/This Character pairing IF Dante had never existed. Meaning, This Character as a love interest is so unnecessary. Why though. Why.

girl… what? just say he tasted like toothpaste or something. this isn’t beautiful, descriptive writing… it’s literally nonsense. 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.this was why love was so dangerous. love turned the world into a garden, so beguiling it was easy to forget that rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually they would wilt and die, leaving nothing but the thorns.”

Wow, this was so much more enjoyable the second time through, so much that I’ve bumped my rating up a full star. I love the narrator and am finally ready for the Finale! First things first: I didn’t really like Caraval. Sure the world was great and the story was pretty cool, but I hated Scarlett and I didn’t really like Julian. Tella is supposed to walk until she hears something that makes her stop. She stops at a door when she hears her sister’s voice. She’s in her room with Julian, telling him she wants to trust him again but can’t. They refer to Julian as Legend’s brother. Maybe this was the clue she was intended to hear. Random side note: “He smelled of ink and other dark, seductive things.” I mean to each their own on ink kinks, but how are we seduced by ink? This dude did not just get a tattoo! What in his line of work would make him smell like ink??? If someone has the answers, please tell me because I don’t mind being corrected, but I cannot with this! It’s like when authors say someone smells like air? HOW? The count is so concerned with himself he probably wouldn’t recognize me even if I walked up to him and gave him a slap in the face, Tella said. We only met for a moment, and I was not looking my best.Noble, Barnes &. "The Ballad of Never After|Hardcover". Barnes & Noble . Retrieved September 22, 2023. trust me no ones more upset i didnt like this than me. i read this whole book and felt next to nothing. Next to this undecided love interest there is the love between Scarlett and Tella. I know there are sisters and all, but Scarlett was so so annoying and her stupid secretiveness was even worse. 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...

ANMOLLLL! THIS BUDDY READ WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE SAME WITHOUT YOU, SIS! You made the experience of this second book what it was! Can’t wait for book 3 with you now! ONE STEP CLOSER TO OUABH! Count Nicolas d’Arcy was Scarlett’s former fiancé whom Scarlett’s father had arranged for her to marry. Before Caraval, Scarlett had only written him letters, but she’d believed herself in love with him. She’d also thought the count would keep both her and Tella safe—until Scarlett met him during Caraval and learned what a despicable human being he was. 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: This book also deepens our understanding of another grey character: Legend. After much buildup, the shroud of mystery surrounding his identity is finally lifted, and the reveal is perfectly executed. You will be wondering right up to that moment who Legend is. Is it Julian? Dante? Or someone else entirely?

Goodreads Summary:

Garber is clearly a talented author; her writing is easy to connect with and appealing to a wide age range, and while I didn't love Legendary as much as I did the previous novel, I'm still looking forward to Finale in 2019. 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.