REVIEW: "Legendary" by Stephanie Garber (Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult)

LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber
	Publisher: Flatiron Books Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Publication Date: May 29th, 2018 Series: Caraval, #2 Standalone: Could be, yes, but first book is highly recommended
Categories:
A Whole New World, Alter Ego, Enemies to Lovers, Love Triangle? (Not really, but sort of), Strong Heroine, Not Your Hero/Anti-Hero, Magic
Other Books by Stephanie Garber:
#1 #3 #3.5 Spin-Off
Description from Publisher:
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.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I was so blown away by the first book, Caraval, I started this immediately afterwards. Which was great, as this picks up just after that first book. This is Donatella("Tella")'s book. Tella is vivacious and up for adventure, though also prone to bouts of recklessness. She and Scarlett go with the Caraval crew to a special version of the game, off of the usual island, to the empress's birthday party at the capitol. I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of her character in the first book (I'm more of a Scarlett myself), but it didn't take long for her to grow on me once I got inside of her head. Stephanie Garber continues to enthrall with the magic and vibrancy, though this book is a little darker than the first. It's still very much Young Adult, but just has a bit more edge. Tella finds herself wrapped up in a love triangle of sorts, being involved with both Dante and The Prince of Hearts (Jacks), and there are definitely a lot of questions about who the real villain is. I absolutely love this book, possibly even more than Caraval!
My Source: I rented this in both eBook and audiobook from a public library. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Stephanie Garber
#1 NYT & international bestselling author of the Caraval series and the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

REVIEW: "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber (Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult)

CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber
	Publisher: Flatiron Books Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult Publication Date: January 31st, 2017 Series: Caraval, #1 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Enemies to Lovers, Finding Yourself, Stuck With You (Forced Proximity), Magic, A Whole New World
Other Books by Stephanie Garber:
#2 #3 #3.5 Spin-Off
Description from Publisher:
A legendary competition. A mesmerizing romance. An unbreakable bond between two sisters. Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My year started out with me in a terrible book slump. I DNF'd no less than 6 books, and was struggling to find something new. Then, my sister sent me this for Christmas. I typically have loved Fantasy (The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind is a big favorite!), but hadn't ventured too far into "Romantasy" as most seemed to be more instalust/erotica, which just isn't my cup of tea. The cover of Caraval was gorgeous, and it sounded like a fun story, so I gave it a shot. Holy hell, this book cured me of my book slump and just blew me away! From the first pages, I was intrigued and curious about Caraval and our heroine Scarlett. As the pace really picked up, I grew to adore Julian (hero), and absolutely fell in love with Stephanie Garber's writing style. Her descriptions of everything, and her world-building, were incredible. I especially enjoyed how she had Scarlett describe feelings using colors! The magic, mystery, and vibrant colors of the Caraval world were a real joy for my imagination. Scarlett starts off as a dutiful daughter and loyal sister, preparing to marry a man she has never met. She hopes to get both herself and her younger sister away from their abusive father. For years, she has written the mysterious "Master Legend" who hosts a magical experience for people on a private island, hoping to get an invitation. Just before she is to be married, her writes back and gives her three tickets. Her sister, Donatella ("Tella"), conspires with a sailor who is passing through to get all three of them to Caraval, despite Scarlett's protestations. Once they arrive, Tella disappears. Which leaves Scarlett alone, with little choice but to team up with Julian, who she barely trusts, as they try to win the game. I loved seeing Scarlett grow more into herself throughout the book! The arc was a very natural progression for Pre-Caraval Scarlett, which has you rooting for her to succeed. There were many twists I expected, but they all kept me guessing and finding myself to be wrong!
My Source: I received this as a gift from my sister. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Stephanie Garber
#1 NYT & international bestselling author of the Caraval series and the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

REVIEW: "Spies, Lies, and Allies" by Lisa Brown Roberts (Young Adult, Romance)

SPIES, LIES, AND ALLIES by Lisa Brown Roberts
	Publisher: Entangled TEEN Genre: Young Adult, Romance Publication Date:May 1st 2018 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Nerd Romance
Description from Publisher:
Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for. My boss is running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting––in a good way. But I can’t even think about him like that because fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved. As if that’s not enough, an anonymous informant with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad’s company on social media...and I’m afraid it's working. Much as I’d love to quit, I can’t. Kristoffs Never Quit is our family motto. I just hope there’s more than one survivor by the end of this summer.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
So this was cute at times. It had a Breakfast Club vibe (as was obviously intended). There was a bit of everything, and a LOT of pop nerd culture references, even a visit to Denver Comic Con. Laurel's father owns a company and is a workaholic, so she begs him to give her a summer job, hoping to see him more. He agrees to hire her on to assist the interns he has hired as part of an internship-for-a-scholarship program he is starting. She spends the summer getting to know the interns, and more about herself, as well. It was an entertaining read, and I was invested in figuring out which intern would get the scholarship money. The scene where they all make confessions fanned those flames more, which was a goos thing. I wasn't a big fan of Laurel, though. She grew over the course of the book, but was still so very immature for someone who was 17. There were so mnay instances that she frustrated me by not just miscommunicating, but being literally silent when just a word (even via text or email) would have made a world of difference. She dialed the romance factor down significantly, as a result, which was disappointing. She and Carlos were so often angry at one another, and not in a sexy way! There were also some random comments on race or gender that seemed to come out from left field and served no purpose... And Laurel's dad was so quick to anger (like Carlos or Laurel, I suppose), biting Laurel's head off over things like her wanting to go to lunch with him. It was a bit sad, really. So, that all is to say that this was an enjoyable read, but not without some things that brought it down a bit, in my opinion. It is worth a read, but my expectations may have been a bit high (I've enjoyed this author's other books quite a bit!).
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About Lisa Brown Robert
Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way.