Legendary by Stephanie Garber Book Review

 

Title: Legendary (Caraval #2)
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publish Date: May 29th, 2018
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Source: Purchased my own copy!

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.

Penelope's Review

The magic continues in the second installment of the Carval series! This book is told from Tella's point of view, rather than Scarlet's and I wasn't sure how it would come across. But I ended up really enjoying her as a main character! The writing style in this book is also quite different from the first - perhaps because Tella sees the world differently than Scarlet or perhaps it's just that Garber has grown as a writer. Either way, I really liked the writing style here. 

In this book, the girls have remained with the Caraval cast on their way to the next destination - but Tella has a secret that has her entering the competition once again. We see alot of familiar faces in this book - I really loved Julian in the last book so I was happy to see his appearances in this one. And Dante also comes back, more as a main character than in Caraval. And then we have some new faces as well like Jacks (Loved him. So. Much.). While I didn't love Dante in the previous book, he definitely grew on me in this one. 

I liked that we still got to see a bit of Scarlet and Julian's story, but Tella was just as great as a main character. She's super brave and knows what she wants. She's willing to take risks for those she loves and is more of a "do now, think later" kind of girl which I love. We also get to see a bit more of the relationship between the sisters and I am living for it! I love love love how close Scarlet and Tella are, while still living their own lives. 

This books was just more - more magic, more drama, more surprises, more love! It really was a great read and I look forward to the finale - aptly named Finale ;) 

Rating: 4.5/5 Devils!

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber Book Review

 

Title: Once Upon a Broken Heart
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publish Date: September 28th, 2021
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy for review!

A new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.

But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

Penelope's Review

So I'm actually glad that I waited a few days before sitting down to write this review... because now I can tell you how this story will sit in your mind and slowly take over every piece of it until all you can think about is what's going to happen next and if what you wish would happen is what's going to happen, and how all of this thinking and wishing will slowly drive you mad. The first book hasn't even officially been released yet and all I can think about is getting my hands on the second!

That being said, let's get down to reviewing this book. 

Evangeline. First off, love the name - I think it fits her character perfectly. She was so full of hope and whimsical notions and love and my heart just... 💘 Ugh she put into words what every hopeless romantic feels on a daily basis and it was everything I needed and more.

Jacks. Omigod. Need I say more?! Well yes, clearly I do lol. The Prince of Hearts was the sexy, morally grey villain that I NEEDED in my life. I didn't know whether to love him or hate him, root for him or kick him to the curb... I loved EVERY. SINGLE. SECOND. of his character in this book. Mostly because I loved him even when I wasn't sure if I was supposed to love him??? I still have no idea what is truly going on in his head, and it's driving me insane. Props to Ms. Garber for this one - Jacks is one of the best written characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about.

On that note, I have to add that I have to read the Caraval series - they've been sitting on my TBR for YEARS but I just always seem to pick something else up. Phew let me tell you that is about to change. I am so impressed with Stephanie's writing style and art for storytelling. This world she's created, this fairytale she's spun, these characters she has invested her blood, sweat, and tears into... it was all worth it. A brilliant book from a brilliant author. 

The only thing I can say is that there seems to be this incredible magic system in this world and I just wish that it had been explored more in this book! It absolutely has it's moments at the forefront but I feel like I could have delved deeper. Overall, really excellent book and I can't wait for the next!

Rating: 4.5/5 Devils!