Review: Legendary - Stephanie Garber

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.

Caraval Series:
Caraval
Legendary
Finale (2019)

Visit Stephanie Garber's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely loved Caraval, it even made my top YA of the year list, so of course I was ridiculously excited to return to this world. It pains me to say this but unfortunately Legendary just didn't live up to my expectations. Yes we have another game at play but this had none of the magic and sparkle of the first story, instead of being a fast paced story full of unexpected twists this is predictable and actually pretty boring.

There's no denying that Stephanie Garber can write and I did enjoy some elements of this book, particularly the extra world building and the way the fates are woven into the story, but there was definitely something missing. This story is told from Tella's point of view and I just don't find her as easy to relate to as Scarlet, I like that she's more independent and that she's willing to take risks but she's so impulsive that she never thinks things through and it leads her to make stupid mistakes. It was so frustrating to see her keeping so many secrets from Scarlet yet again, you'd think she would have learned better than that after the last time. I also thought the romance between her and Dante was on the flat side.

Jacks could have been an interesting character but he's fairly one dimensional, I didn't have any sense of conflicting emotions in him, pretty much what you saw was what you got where at least with Dante you were kept guessing about his motives. I think my favourite parts were the revelations about Tella and Scarlet's mother, I'm really curious to see how that will play out in the next book and I still really want to see Scarlet get her happily ever after. I'm not as invested in Tella's story but it will be interesting to see how she deals with revelations made at the end of Legendary.

As much as this didn't quite manage to live up to my expectations I do still want to read Finale, I really hope that Stephanie Garber can capture the magic of Caraval and give both of the girls a fitting end to their stories.

Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
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Cover Reveals: Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton, Rage by Cora Carmack & Legendary by Stephanie Garber

So today I spotted cover reveals for three upcoming sequels that I'm desperate to get my hands on so I though I'd share them all with you here!

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton:

Alwyn sent out her latest newsletter today and I fell head over heels in love with the cover for Hero at the Fall! I love this series and have been looking forward to reading this for what feels like forever! Just look how beautiful it is:

Here's the blurb:
The rebellion has been betrayed. The Rebel Prince has been captured. And the remnants of the rebellion lie in hands more used to shooting a gun than managing an army: The Blue Eyed Bandit’s. Amani, to those who know her as the girl instead of the legend.

With the Sultan ruthlessly reclaiming the desert with his inhuman army, only a few know that the Rebel Prince is still alive, imprisoned. And if there’s any hope of resurrecting the country’s failing faith in the rebellion, Amani, Jin and their few remaining allies will have to rescue him from a prison deep in the mountains. A place which, until now, Amani thought was a only myth.

Now Amani must return to where she came from, confronting towering walls of fire, dangerous foreign armies, and legendary tricksters. Heading quickly down a road which Amani knows ends in an all out war, and her finding out just how much she can bring herself to sacrifice to save her whole country.

Rebel of the Sands Series:
Rebel of the Sands
Traitor to the Throne
Hero at the Fall (February 2018)

Visit the Alwyn Hamilton's website for more information

Rage by Cora Carmack:

Next up is the cover for Rage by Cora Carmack which was posted on USA Today HERE. I absolutely love the cover for Roar and this one matches it perfectly! I'm really looking forward to reading this one and having both of these beauties sitting together on my bookcase:

Here's the blurb:
All Aurora Pavan ever wanted was a choice, to control her own life. Now she’s got more choices than she can handle.

Princess or adventurer.

Duty or freedom.

Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.

If she knows anything, it’s that choices have consequences— like the storm now tangled with her heart, the alarming disappearance of her mother and friend, and the fall of her kingdom to the Locke family. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan. She puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion, but the Lockes aren’t the only sinister thing plaguing Pavan. The Rage season is at it’s peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. But these storms seem… different than any she’s ever encountered. They churn with a darkness that frightens her, and attack with a will like she’s never seen. This feels like more than Rage. It feels like war.

Stormheart Series:
Roar
Rage (June 2018)

Visit Cora Carmack's website for more information

Legendary by Stephanie Garber:

Last but definitely not least is the cover for Legendary by Stephanie Garber which was posted today by Entertainment Weekly HERE. Of course this is the American cover so we have to wait a little longer for the British one but I absolutely loved Caraval so I'm incredibly excited that we definitely have a sequel coming.

We don't have a full blurb for Legendary yet but if it's half as good as Caraval it's going to be excellent!

Caraval Series:
Caraval
Legendary (May 2018)
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed

Visit Stephanie Garber's website for more information

So which of these gorgeous covers is your favourite? Are you as excited about all of these new releases as I am?

My Favourite Books from the First Half of 2017

It's always interesting to look back and try to pick my favourite books of the year but it can be really hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number so I thought I'd make a start on my top books of 2017 list early by having a look at my favourites from January to June. I limited it to first reads only (the books I reread are already favourites so would have an unfair advantage!) and no more than one book per author (again some authors would end up on the list multiple times!). The books can be old or new as long as they're new to me but as it happened this time around they're all 2017 releases and there are quite a few debuts on the list which is great.

My favourite YA books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
2. Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder
3. Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
4. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I don't really read contemporary YA so it's no surprise that this list is full of fantasy titles. We are really getting spoiled with the huge amount of YA fantasy being released right now and there are so many more books that I'm really excited to read and already suspect will end up on my final list at the end of the year!

My favourite adult books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews
2. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta
5. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

It doesn't surprise me that my favourite adult tiles are all branches of fantasy either, my favourite genres are still definitely urban fantasy and paranormal romance but fantasy in general always hits my hot spot! This list includes 4 of my favourite authors who are nearly always in my top book lists and Katherine Arden's debut has me incredibly excited to follow her writing career.

What are your favourite books of the year so far? Do any of mine make your lists too? If you have any fantasy recommendations (old or new) please do leave them in the comment, I can never have too many books on my to read mountain!

Review: Caraval Stephanie Garber

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.

When the sisters' long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

A mesmerising, magical and stunningly imaginative debut novel for anyone who loved The Night Circus.

The hardback will have FOUR secret hidden-on-the-board covers featuring stunning foiled illustrations. The one you receive will be random, but all are jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Caraval Series:
Caraval
Legendary
Finale (2019)

Visit Stephanie Garber's website for more information

Review:
It's always makes me nervous when books receive the amount of hype that Caraval did, my expectations are raised sky high and that can be hard for any book to live up to so it often ends in disappointment, especially when you compare a book to two of my favourites - The Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Night Circus! Thankfully in this case Stephanie Garber's debut more than lives up to it's reputation though and I was captivated from the very first page.

Scarlet and Tella's father has gone from overprotective to downright abusive since their mother's disappearance and the girls are desperate to escape his clutches. For years Scarlet has been trying to get them tickets to Caraval, an exclusive performance of magic and mystery held once a year and offering one lucky winner the chance at a price of a lifetime. She had hoped to use that prize to win their freedom but after getting no response to her letters from Caraval's Master Legend Scarlet has found another way to escape - an arranged marriage to a stranger. Then just days before her wedding the sisters receive the tickets they've always wished for but will Scarlet be brave enough to risk her future happiness for a game that she has very little chance of winning.

I honestly don't know if I can do this book justice, especially when I want to go into as little detail as possible about what happens after the girls arrive at Caraval. This is the kind of story that it's best to go into without knowing what to expect, you'll have a lot more fun with it if you just let things unfold as you're reading. Scarlet is repeatedly told that Caraval is only a game and that nothing is quite what it seems but it's very hard not to get sucked into the events that play out around her, especially when Tella is missing and it's up to Scarlet to find her. Stephanie Garber throws twist after twist at her readers and I loved experiencing everything through Scarlet's eyes and seeing how much she grew over the course of the book.

Scarlet and her sister are complete opposites but they both try to protect each other in the best way they know how. Scarlet is the shy sister, the one who overthinks things and tries to plan ahead for every possible outcome, she's less of a risk taker but she's very, very protective of Tella. On the other hand Tella is much more impulsive, she lives for the moment and doesn't worry about the future when there is fun to be had in the present. She wants to escape their father just as much as Scarlet does but she wants to have her freedom rather than finding another safety net. They have very different ways of looking at life but it's obvious that they care about each other deeply and that sisterly love shines through in a lot of different ways. I found Scarlet much easier to relate to and very easy to root for while Tella could come across as a little selfish and rash. One of my favourite characters was Julian though, he's very much a mystery for most of the book and he's keeping some pretty major secrets but I loved the way he brought out Scarlet's more adventurous side and how he was always there to help her. The romance that develops between them was sweet and even though it happened over a fairly short time period it never felt rushed.

Caraval contains a bit of everything from action and romance through to magic and mystery. The island is like a huge playground for adults where every dream can come true but so can every nightmare, anything you could wish for is there for the taking but you have to be very careful you don't end up bargaining away something you can't live without. I was completely captivated by Stephanie Garber's beautiful writing, the story is very cinematic and it's easy to picture events unfolding in front of you so it's no surprise that movie rights have already been optioned. I would absolutely love to see this on the big screen so I'm really hoping that the movie will go ahead. This was a fabulous debut and I'm already looking forward to reading the sequel, Stephanie Garber is definitely an author to watch out for.

Source: Received from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review

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My Most Anticipated 2017 Reads

As we close out 2016 I wanted to talk about some of the fabulous books that I'm looking forward to reading next year. I'm going to focus on releases from the first half of 2017 and I'll try to make a similar list in the summer to cover the rest of the year.

Young Adult:

1. Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder - I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Ixia series, Yelena and Valek are two of my favourite YA characters of all time so I can't wait to read the latest book even though I'm incredibly sad it's the last one.
2. Traitor to the throne by Alwyn Hamilton - Rebel of the Sands was one of my favourite books of 2016 so of course I have very high hopes for the sequel.
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - If you've read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone you'll already know why I'm looking forward to this one, I just adore Laini's writing.
4. Caraval by Stephanie Garber - There is so much hype surrounding Caraval which makes me a little nervous but Hodder publish some of my favourite books so I think this will be awesome, especially since it's described as perfect for fans of The Night Circus.
5. Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima - I first discovered Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series this year and I was hooked from the very beginning, I devoured all four books as well as the first book in the Shattered Realms spin off and I can't wait to see what happens next.
6. Heartstone by Elle Katharine White - This is a debut novel that turns Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice into a high fantasy story with dragons. With dragons people, Pride and Prejudice with DRAGONS! Do I need to say any more than that?
7. Roseblood by A.G. Howard - I love it when authors take a well known story and put their own spin on it so I'm very excited to see what twists A.G. Howard is going to add to the Phantom of the Opera.
8. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth - I absolutely loved the Divergent series (even though I've refused to read the last book since someone spoilered me!) so I've been waiting a long time to see what Veronica Roth would come up with next.
9. The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine - I really love fairytales and retellings and this series combines the two so I'm looking forward to reading this one.
10. Silver Stars by Michael Grant - This is a little different to the other books on my list since it's not high fantasy but Michael Grant has imagined WWII as if women had been allowed to fight on the front lines. I enjoyed every minute of the first book so I'm looking forward to continuing the journey these women are taking.

Adult:

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews - This is a bit of a cheat since I've already read White Hot (twice!) but it's so absolutely awesome that I can't wait to read it again and we also have the third book in the series, Wildfire, to look forward to later on in the year so I'm all about this series next year.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - This debut fantasy is being sold as perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Uprooted which happen to be two of my favourite books so I'm expecting great things from this one.
3. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh - I love everything Nalini Singh writes and her Psy-Changeling series is absolutely fantastic so of course I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta - I discovered Pippa DaCosta in 2015 and completely fell in love with her writing. Since then I've devoured her entire backlist but luckily for me she's quite a prolific writer and I can't wait for the next book in her Ace Dante series. 
5. Blade bound by Chloe Neill - Well the end is here, the last book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. This is going to be a bittersweet read because I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters but at the same time I can't wait to see how things turn out for Merit and Ethan.
6. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson is one of my favourite urban fantasy heroines, I reread this series regularly but it's been a couple of years now so I'm hoping to find time to read them all before Silence Fallen releases.
7. Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet - A Promise of Fire was another of my favourite 2016 debuts so I'm sure this will be just as awesome.
8. The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz - I'm a huge fan of Tiffany Reisz's writing so of course this is at the top of my wish list.
9. Ride Rough by Laura Kaye - I may not read much contemporary romance these days but there are a couple of authors who I automatically preorder and Laura Kaye is one of them.
10. Too Wilde To Tame by Tonya Burrows - This is another series that I love and have been waiting almost a year for the next instalment of.

Are any of these books at the top of your list? What other books are you excited about reading in 2017?

Cover Love: Caraval - Stephanie Garber

I've been excited about Stephanie Garber's debut novel Caraval ever since I was given an arc at the Chapter Five Proof Party back in July. We were told it was perfect for fans of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, both of which happen to be favourites of mine, so I have extremely high hopes for this book! I've not read it yet (it's not publishing until the 31st of January 2017 so it hasn't quite got to the top of the TBR pile yet) but I definitely think it's going to be a book to watch out for and I thought I'd share the fab animated cover with you in the meantime!

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.

When the sisters’ long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show’s mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

Doesn't it sound brilliant? Who else is looking forward to Caraval as much as I am?