Legendary is the second book in the Caraval trilogy. It is from the viewpoint of the other sister and it was different but familiar. The “twist” was well-written into the story and was merited. Some of the writing stumbles in the justification of decision-making, but drives the plot forward enough to not be too frustrating.

The plot is mostly about Tella and how she owes the mysterious party, who helped her in the last book, Legend’s true name. As she tries to uncover this information, she becomes the center of attention in a “love” triangle between her, Dante and a new guy named Jacks. Jacks happens to be a Fate that cannot actually love, but he becomes obsessed with Tella which results in he and Dante fighting over her. This back and forth is enough to pull you along because even though Fates “can’t love” you wonder if Jack actually does feel something for her. This plot device puts Tella in an awkward position constantly and though she does make some off-the-wall decisions, you can’t help but root for her success.

Tella is not as timid as her sister, who’s perspective we viewed the first book from, and her rashness is a nice change of pace. She isn’t as naive as Scarlett and her suspiciousness at times can be a bit far-fetched, but not unwarranted. Tella and her sister are in a fantasy world where many things can be illusions or tricks, so her skepticism is warranted and refreshing.

The sisters are constantly hiding things from one another in this book and it is a bit frustrating. Tella’s predicament with Jacks would have been much easier to deal with had she confided in her sister. Though they have their reasons, it seems a bit unrealistic for them to not share their burdens with one another given the circumstances.

Tella’s relationship with Dante feels tiring and a bit strange. He never gives her a straight answer and constantly reassures her of his love. It seems like he’s hiding something from her and near the end we figure out what it is. This reveal is not very surprising, which isn’t inherently bad and explains a lot of things, but also raises a few more questions that set up well for Finale.

Jacks presents another type of “love” that some reading may be able to relate to experience-wise. He is obsessed, not in love. This viewpoint made their interactions uncomfortable for me to read, but they kept me invested since I wanted her to break free.

I enjoyed the pace of the story and the revelations within. Though it stumbled a bit with character motivations, it does well contrasting the sisters’ different viewpoints and showing their love for one another.