Helloooooo, one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. You were brilliant. The day I received this book in the mail, I screamed and did a little spin in my desk chair. Apologies go out again to my coworkers for disturbing the peace, but I will not hold back my glee.

LEGENDARY is the hotly anticipated sequel to last year’s CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber. And I’m just going to make the wait even more difficult for you (#sorrynotsorry) because I loved this so much.

The 411: Let’s backtrack just a tad. If you’re unfamiliar with this series, here’s a brief rundown: In CARAVAL we are introduced to sisters Scarlett and Donatella “Tella.” Scarlett has long dreamed of attending Caraval, a renown performance spectacle that happens once a year. What makes Caraval special, is that it requires audience participation. Think a murder-mystery party amped up to the extreme. Scarlett found herself deeply immersed in the game when Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind, Legend, and must play to get her sister back…

So here we are. *spoiler* Tella may be rescued, but still not free. She made a seemingly impossible deal with an anonymous Friend in exchange for her freedom: the true identity of Legend. To discover this, Tella must rejoin Caraval and uncover the mystery behind its maker.

Ok. Okokokokokokok this is a near perfect sequel. And I only use “near perfect” because I’m super picky about my five star ratings. I read this book in a few short hours and I’m confident there will be a reread in the future, especially since it was announced yesterday that there will be a third book in the Caraval series and I am throwing confetti in excitement.  I’m super interested to see where Garber ends this story.

The world of Caraval is incredible. I love the magic, the deception (oh the deception!), and the complex relationships between our “players” and “actors.” If you liked CARAVAL, I (obviously) highly suggest LEGENDARY. If you didn’t like CARAVAL, I still suggest giving LEGENDARY a try. It’s the same atmospheric feel, but Tella as the main gives it a different tone (in my opinion). And I found myself enjoying Tella’s POV more than Scarlett’s. Tella’s a bit more feisty and sarcastic, which is my personal fave in a narrator.

Ooh and the love story, peeps. If you are a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you will be immensely happy.

MY RATING:  ✰✰✰✰1/2
RECOMMENDED FOR: fans of THE NIGHT CIRCUS and DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY

Thank you Flatiron Books for my galley! Legendary is available May 29.