Happy Friday, YA librarians!
We’re ending this week with a *legendary* book recommendation! [insert How I Met Your Mother pun here]
LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber
9781250095312
Available now from Flatiron Books
Also available in audio
Ages 13 to 18
You all know how much I loved CARAVAL, with its magical circus and evil mastermind, and now Stephanie Garber is back at it again with LEGENDARY (an instant #1 New York Times bestseller!!). This time the story is told from Scarlett’s sister Tella’s point of view (whom I adore), and oh boy, does she have a story to tell.
After the prologue, this book picks up the morning immediately following the end of the first book. The game we read about in CARAVAL has ended, and Tella wakes up on the forest floor with blurry memories of the previous night. As Tella’s head begins to clear, she’s reminded of the bargain she’s made with a mysterious “friend.” In exchange for information about her mother, Tella has promised to uncover the identity of Caraval’s master, Legend, and hand it over to one of his many enemies. No one has ever learned Legend’s true name, and the only way for Tella to do so is to win this new, bigger game of Caraval. If she fails, she risks losing everything, even her life, but if she succeeds, Caraval-and Legend-will never be the same. The stakes have never been higher and Tella must decide where her loyalties truly lie.
This world that Stephanie Garber has created is so dreamy, I could stay lost in it forever. It’s full of magical twists and mysterious turns, which kept me constantly surprised. And Tella is just delightful. I already loved her sass and charm from the first book, but getting her point of view in this one is such a treat. She’s so independent and brave, but she’s also complex, and there’s a lot from her past that we aren’t privy to in the first book. I’m trying so hard to keep this review #nospoilers, but it’s near impossible. So, if you haven’t read CARAVAL yet, DO IT. And then get your hands on a copy of LEGENDARY. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
CARAVAL is also now available in trade paperback.
Happy reading!
<3 Emily
Day’s YA Archives:
THE RAGING ONES by Krista & Becca Ritchie (posted 5/17/2018)
DEAR READER by Mary O’Connell (posted 5/9/2018)
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell (posted 4/26/2018)
THIS HEART OF MINE by C.C. Hunter (posted 4/13/2018)
I’M NOT MISSING by Carrie Fountain (posted 3/30/2018)
CHOOSE WONDER OVER WORRY by Amber Rae (posted 3/15/2018)
GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust (posted 3/1/2018)
IN SIGHT OF STARS by Gae Polisner (posted 2/15/2018)
BRING ME THEIR HEARTS by Sara Wolf (posted 2/1/2018)
CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber (posted 1/18/2018)
HOW I RESIST by Maureen Johnson (posted 1/4/2018)
13 MINUTES by Sarah Pinborough (posted 12/21/2017)
I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin (posted 12/6/2017)