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.
- Author: Stephanie Garber
- Release Date: May 29, 2018
- Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
- My Rating:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
- Spice: None
Get Legendary
What an extraordinary book of magic. Reminds me of the odd character, crazy colors and unexpected magic of Wonderland.
After “surviving” Caraval, getting free from their father and saving her sister from an odd engagement Donatella still has one more bargain she must follow through with some criminal she’s never met. They want one thing no one else ever been able to get a hold of: Legend- Caraval Master’s name.
Of course the only way to find out his true identity is for Tella to actually par-take in the game of Caraval and win. But why would Tella want the help of some criminal, unless she needed them to help her with something no one else has been able to find in over seven years?
Spoilers head
Caraval usually isn’t this close together but Legend pulls out all the stops for Empress Elantine. An Empress only turns 75 once. Where she will meet her “friend” to help get information about her mother. Unfortunately Tella doesn’t seem to be on the list for the Empress’s birthday, but good thing charming Dante is around for his idea to get Tella inside the party; being the finance to Elantine’s murderous heir.
Turns out Tella’s criminal, mysterious “friend” is none other than her fake fiance – Jacks. A familiar face to Tella’s as it takes her a bit to figure out where she knows him from. From a deck of playing cards from her childhood.
Who knew that playing with a deck of cards as a child would impact Tesla’s life so much. And three cards stuck out to Tella the most; The Prince of Hearts, The Aracle and Maiden Death.
Not a lot of people or anyone really know the murderous heir’s true identity, The Prince of Hearts. But why does he want Legend? And how did he get out of the Deck of Destiny?
It seems the Prince of Hearts still has some of his magic, but not all. The only person who will be able to get him to full power would be Legend. But why? The witch who locked away the Fates and sealed them into the Deck of Destiny, taking away some of their magic then giving that power to Legend.
With Jacks free, he wants to be able to control human emotions again. And the only way he will be able to do that again, is finding Legend’s true identity. Tella and Jacks strike a bargain; Tella wins Caraval and gives Jacks Legend, Jacks will tell her how to free her mother from the same Deck of Destiny he was locked in. And to seal the deal with a kiss, little did Tella know that the Prince of Hearts kiss would slowly kill her.
Throughout the book we noticed Tella’s heart beat start to slow down, her body as well at times when she pushes herself too hard
Beat…
Nothing
Beat…
Nothing
Beat…
Nothing
Soon all that would be left was nothing
No one seems to have heard of Paloma before, but this mysterious criminal who Tella has been conversing with over the last while to help her find her mother. Throughout Caraval Tella starts to learn more about her mother, the big secret? Her name isn’t Paloma (no wonder none had ever heard of her before), found her mother’s real name on a Wanted poster -Paradise the Lost. A famous thief in the empire.
While learning more about her mother, Tella is still in the game of Caraval and this year seems to be different then last as Jovan welcomes all to Caraval, her welcome is different. She normally says that Caraval is not real and to not lose your minds but this year? The next five nights are very real.
Dante pops in and out with helping Tella. If I remember correctly Julian did the same thing with Scarlett, in Caraval. Something the brothers have in common. The relationship between Tella and Dante is starting to become more than “friendly” banter. The dark angel himself can’t seem to stay away from Tella, now that the Prince of Hearts has shown interest
“I’ve never wanted to be someone else until that moment when I saw him kiss you on the dance floor”
“You should have asked me to dance first.”
“I will, next time” His lips swept a kiss across her forehead “Don’t give up on me Donatella. If you stay with me long enough to get you somewhere safe and warm, then I promise I won’t let go of you like I did that night. Together we’ll fix this”
I highly recommend reading this book. You’ll have to read the book to see if Tella’s heart stops, if she wins Caraval and if she can rescue her mother from her prison. I wish I read this book as a teenager, it’s so freaking cute. If you’re like me and love Disney movies and the magic that comes with them, this is perfect for you. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you feel about spice, there is no spice here. Just outstanding magic that transports you to a different world.
One of my favorite quotes/scenes is from Tella meeting with Empress Elantine and may be useful when you read Finale
“… Don’t be like me and settle for the ease of an almost-ending, when you could have the true ending”
“I’m not sure I understand what that even means.” Tella said.
“Not everyone gets a true ending. There are two types of endings because most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless. But that’s when hope is needed most. Only those who persevere can find their true ending.”
Tropes
- ♥️Love Triangle
- 🤍Age Gap
- 😇Destructive Fates
- 💍Fake Engagement
- ⚔️ Quest
- 🤐Secret Identity
The Caraval Trilogy
- Caraval
- Legendary
- Finale
Leave a Reply