bravery | redpillows

About the Book:

Legendary (Caraval, #2)

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 Thoughts:

Legendary is the second book in the series and follows the story just after Caraval has finished. In fact, it is wonderful that this story takes up from the next day! The story follows Donatella, the younger sister as she moves forward from one Caraval game to the next. In the first, she was just a prop while her older sister Scarlett had to play to find her. Moving on from this, the two sisters are free and can try to start their lives again, but Tella has a debt to pay. As the magic and adventure unravel, the reader is once again drawn into the depths of a story where nothing is at it seems or maybe, for once, everything is as real as it seems.

Is it just a game or is it reality? These questions plague not only the characters in the book, but also the reader. The journey to discover Caraval Master Legend’s true name is also a journey of bravery, and love. Tella has many choices to make, even though her path seems clear and in the end, she has to make the ultimate sacrifice for the ones that she loves.

Though Legendary is very well-written and a wonderful sequel, it is not as thrilling as the first book. It is a little slower with more focus on the characters and their identities. We meet a lot of new characters as well and are introduced to the sisters’ past, their family and learn many truths about many of the people! As Scarlett struggles to find her footing between the one she loves and the one she was arranged to be married to, Tella navigates the game of Caraval again trying to find the answers she seeks. The characters are compelling, you’ll love some, you’ll hate some and there are those that fall in between.

The story is definitely worth the read and the hype and is a fitting sequel to the first, clearing up many things and giving the reader much more in the form of love and friendship. The cliffhanger at the end leaves us wanting for more and will definitely force the reader to pick up the third and final book in the series, Finale!

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Book:

Someone Else's Summer by Rachel Bateman

Anna’s always idolized her older sister, Storm. So when Storm dies in a tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation, Anna is completely lost and her family is torn apart. That is, until she finds Storm’s summer bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever—which includes taking an epic road trip to the coast from her sleepy Iowa town. Setting out to do everything on Storm’s list along with her sisters best friend Cameron—the boy next door—who knew that Storm’s dream summer would eventually lead to Anna’s own self-discovery?

My Thoughts:

This was a quick read for me, finished off in one sitting. I really enjoyed the story and the plot is quite heart wrenching and sad but well written.

The story follows Anna as she tries to deal with the loss of her sister, who was about 11 months older than her. She finds a list written by her sister, a kind of bucket list of things she had wanted to do that summer (which was just after her graduation). Anna thinks that completing the list will be the best way to remain close to her sister and her memory. Along with Cameron, their childhood friend, she sets off on a journey of adventure , self-discovery and healing. We watch them as they try to deal with their grief and come to terms with their loss, the death of Storm affecting them each in ways they never expected.

The authors brings out the emotions and feelings very well, ensuring that the reader will empathize. Though a part of the plot seemed straight forward and cliched, the author gives us a twist at the end that will change the readers perspective entirely. We meet various people, Anna’s parents, who are trying to come to terms with the loss of their elder daughter in a freak accident when she had managed to battle cancer and survive. We also meet Piper, Anna’s best friend and Jovani, her ex-boyfriend and though he seems irrelevant to the main plot, he does say some things in the end which justify his presence. Perhaps the best character of all was Anna’s aunt, who understands her and supports her the most.

This is a bitter-sweet story with a mixed ending and an assurance that everything will be alright at the end of the day. Time goes on and is the best healer.