5 Reasons Why I Loved LEGENDARY

5 Reasons Why I Loved...
Title: Legendary
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: May 29th 2018

"Tella might have been many things, but she was far from silly or worthless or whatever labels people liked to affix because a person was young and female."

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.

So, in 2016 I was lucky enough to get my hands on a highly coveted proof/arc of Caraval. It came with this amazing personalised ticket inviting me to Caraval. It was definitely one of the best book deliveries I had ever received.

Then about 3 weeks ago, I saw some pictures of UK Legendary arcs on twitter. Hodder had seriously stepped their game up! They had personalised (some of) the actual proofs and printed names on them. Crazy right?! As soon as I saw that, I just knew my chance of getting an arc had dwindled down to 0.0001%.
BUT that 0.0001% obviously counted for something, because 3 days later, I got this beauty in the post...

I honestly have no words. Just...WOW! 😍 #StillNotOverIt #WillNeverBeOverIt
*Insert Gollum's creepy voice saying 'my precious' here*
One part of me wanted to wait till we were closer to the release date before reading it, but the other part of me couldn't wait.
The latter obviously won in the end.
And let me tell you, this book exceeded my expectations. Here's 5 reasons why I loved Legendary:

🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤

1.) Donatella Dragna:

Being completely honest, I never expected Tella to make the list. After reading Caraval, I liked Tella's character, but I wasn't in love with her like some other people. When it came to Tella, I was more interested in her relationship with Scarlett, than her as a person. It sounds bad, I know, please don't hate me! But, we didn't really delve into her character much, so I never held a strong opinion of her.
Well, now that I've finished Legendary, I do have an opinion of her and my opinion is that she is amazing & I love her! (Even more than I love Scarlett.) Tella was brave, fierce, confident, determined and so damn SASSY! She's also has the perfect mixture of selfishness and selflessness.

 2.) Magic:

If you think Caraval was magical, wait until you read Legendary! The magic in this world has been turned up about 10 notches. Alongside the game, we are introduced to the Fates, which were such a great addition to this series! I loved reading about the back story behind them and their powers/abilities - It really upped the stakes for Tella. Are they real? Are they fake? Are they just part of the game? Who knows??? (Well, I know but I'm not saying anything.) But yes, the magic in Legendary was so much more intoxicating and spellbinding.

3.) The Writing & World-Building 

Kind of relates to the last point. The reason why the magic was so legendary (😉) was because of Stephanie's writing! The writing in Caraval was great, but it has improved SO MUCH in the sequel. Stephanie has the kind of writing that really sucks you into the story and makes you feel part of the game. And the world she has expanded? Just brilliant.

I am in awe of the world of Caraval/Legendary. It's magical, vibrant, captivating and oh so wonderful.

4.) The Twists and Turns

Reading Legendary was definitely a frustrating experience (in a good way!) Why? Because you never know if what's happening is real or not. Is it all a game? Is it real this time? You think you know the answer then Ms Garber throws in a curveball and you begin to question everything again. This book constantly keeps you guessing! I had an inkling of who Legend might be and at one point I was 99% sure I knew who it was, but then of course Stephanie had to steer us away from that direction and I didn't know if I was crazy for thinking that this certain person was the infamous Legend! *sigh*
I ended up predicting some of the plot twists, but not without constantly questioning myself. And even though I guessed correctly in some instances, the reveals were still ah-maze-ing! (I got allllllll the feels!)

5.) Dante (and other questionable individuals)

 Where do I begin?
To put it simply, I love Dante (more than I love Julian.) This tattooed bad-boy stole my heart. I didn't truly know if he was a friend or foe to Tella, but every time he spoke, I fell a little harder. I'm so happy we got more of him in this book, he did not disappoint.
Can't really go much into the 'other questionable individuals' aspect, because spoilers, but let's just say, I love a good antagonist and the one in Legendary was no exception. They were absolutely fascinating and although a part of me disliked them for their actions, part of me also loved them for how complex they were. I wouldn't be against getting a companion novel about them...

🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤🎩🏶🖤

SOOOOOOO, there we have it, 5 Reasons Why I Loved Legendary! I could go into so much more detail and explain countless other parts of the book I adored, but then this entire post would be a spoiler fest, which we don't want.

Overall, Legendary was a mesmerising sequel. It was magical, vibrant, captivating and constantly kept me guessing with it's twists and turns - I never wanted it to end 🖤

And after the way it ended, all I want - no, all I demand - is a 3rd book

Thank you to Hodder for the gorgeous proof copy!
Don't forget to pre-order a copy (the UK edition once again has stunning secret covers underneath the dust jacket): Amazon | Waterstones | Book Depository