Tag: caraval

Legen-wait for it-dary: Book review of Legendary

Title: Legendary

Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #2

Published May 29th 2018 by Flatiron Books

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance

Pages: 451

“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:

When jumping into this book, I was a little nervous. I really wanted more about Scarlett and Julian.

But, this book is set in Tella’s POV.

From the first book, I was not really happy with her actions. Yes, she saved her and her sister but she had done it in a way that caused her sister so much pain.

This book I think she kind of redeemed herself. You actually see her side of the story. You see why she does the things she does. Sometimes I do not like her. Her relenting mission to hate love is really annoying, but you know, people change.

I think the two love interests in this book were…HOT. Dante and Jacks are great. (Yes, Jacks is a love interest dont at me). Dante is my ultimate choice for Tella but there are some factors that make him iffy. Same with Jacks though.

I really cannot talk much about the two boys because there are a lot of spoilers for each of them.

Pros:

  • DANTE
  • Tella’s character development
  • JACKS
  • Dante’s tattoos
  • More development of the government
  • World-building
  • Interesting new story about the Fates

Cons:

  • Weird addition of the Stars (you’ll know when you read it)
  • Complete abandonment of certain plot lines in the first book
  • No more Scarlett and Julian (sorta)
  • Very indecisive writing
  • Felt like more of a brainstorm than a complete set plot

I think the pros and cons weighed against each other well. I think it was a good book. I felt as though some elements of the plot were not fully developed. I feel like it was really good. I think the focus on only one place to have to world build helped us gain more knowledge about the world. The last book was a little difficult and was not as developed. This one is way better for that reason.

So, all in all, I think this book was really great. I liked it a lot. There were some down falls but they might be made up for in the last and final book, Finale.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

The Thrilling and Mysterious: A Review of Caraval

Title: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #1

Published January 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Pages: 432

“Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.” -Goodreads

My Review:

I do not think I have ever said I disliked a book in a review.

And it will not be today!

I loved this book.

I think it was a really good book. Was it the best? No. Was it great? No. But, was it entertaining? Yes. Did I buy the last two books in the series? Yes.

The last two are wins in my book.

While I have read through a few reviews to get this review, not a lot were positive. A lot said that the characters, setting, and plot was bland. While it may not have been as well-developed as one could wish, I do not think it was horrible.

Twitter @wickandfable

Scarlett was an interesting character. I think she was really unique. Yes, she was kind of static. But, what was she supposed to do, hate her sister? The only idea she had was to protect her sister. That never changed, but how do you expect it too? She learned that she was not to trust people’s words and to trust people for their actions. While she may not have been the most creative character, she was fun to read about. I related to her a lot. I think she was really confused and did not know how to deal with anything.

Julian and Tella were cool. I think I saw the whole Julian plotline sooner than I would have liked. I wish he had a been a little bit more unpredictable. Also, Tella kind of made me super mad. I know she could not technically have been completely upfront with her sister, but she was so rude for the things that happened.

The idea of Legend was really interesting. I think that his storyline will be developed more in the next two but I wish we had a bit more of him. I cant say much without spoiling but I am intrigued.

I think Caraval seemed really pretty. I liked the descriptions. It was interesting to look at the map and the places that they went to. I do agree with others that sometimes it was hard to follow. A few plot points were not on the map and I had no clue how they got to the places they went to so fast.

But other than those things, I really liked it. I think it was quick and entertaining. It has been on my TBR list for way to long.

Angelcat55

Sorry for not making this a long blog. I really am tired and needed to write this. I did not think that it was necessary to write a huge review since most bloggers have already read it.

As always, thanks for reading

A Bookie

Monday Book Haul

Hey guys!

I recently got a Visa gift card from my grandpa. I had no clue what to buy with it but my mom kept saying I should buy groceries and gas.

Well mother is going to be disappointed because guess what I spent it on…

BOOKS

Tehe

I just ordered them five minutes before I posted this.

I consider each book I buy an investment because one day I would like a huge library so, every book I buy goes toward that goal.

I purchased them from the Strand in New York because they are my favorite bookstore in the world. I was going to buy them from a local bookstore in the town where I live, but I did not want to talk to the guy who owned the store. People have told me he is weird and talks too much. I am too anxious to talk to anyone.

So here are the books I bought:

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I am so excited for these to come!

I got them all in hardcover so they were all a hefty sum, but I wanted them. I already have Caraval in hardcover. And I plan on getting all of the Grishaverse books in hardcover.

Let me know what books you guys got recently.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie