While I loved Caraval and bought this book as soon as it was published, it took me a long time to pick this book up off my shelf and read it (almost seven years). I think this was mostly due to the fact that the end of Caraval, while interesting, was not quite as much of a cliff-hanger as other books that have had me squirming for the next book in the series.

That being said, I found myself enjoying this far more than I expected to and I deeply regret allowing it to collect dust on my shelves for as long as it did.

The glimpses of magic we caught in the first book were explored more deeply within this one, but still left enough mystery to keep me coming back for the rest of the series. The way the author spoon fed us bites of the lore of this world worked well to avoid overwhelming the reader with too much information.

I loved the way the Fates were introduced and explored in this text, especially with Jacks and the complex character he presented. I also loved the further exploration into Legend and the history of Caraval, which was hinted at but mostly disregarded in the first book in favour of more immediate actions.

Tella as a character was so interesting to read, especially when set up against the stark contrast of her sister. Where Scarlett was quiet and reserved and focused only on her sister, Tella is explosive in her desire for more. There is love for her sister there, sure, but Tella did not have the same burden placed upon her and was able to dream of a world outside the cycle of abuse they experienced, while Scarlett focused on enduring long enough to be saved by outside forces.

Caraval had Scarlett reacting to the plot and trying her best to stay afloat, while Legendary had Tella actively pushing the story forward herself. Although, I do love that we have begun to see Scarlett take more control of the narrative in this book and I look forward to seeing what comes of her new confidence in the next instalment.

I did find that the main mystery of this book was a bit too obvious but I am giving it leeway as a YA book. There were enough other twists to keep me interested without feeling let down by the predictability of the main plot and the end of the book promises more twists to come so I shall reserve judgement until I read the next book.

Overall, this was a fantastic sequel that kept the sense of magic, mystery and romance from the first book.