Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval 
by Stephanie Garber

Read: March 2-3, 2017
Published: January 31, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world...

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved 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 far-away, 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. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...beware of getting swept too far away. (Amazon)

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Why did you read this book?
I found this book on Amazon while I was searching for books similar to The Night Circus. I'm a big fan of circuses and while the premise of this book doesn't necessarily center around a circus, it was close enough for me. It intrigued me enough to buy it anyway. Also, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover.

What did you like about this book?
First off, I really enjoyed the world building of Caraval itself. It was so easy to forget that there was a world outside the game...and the fact that it was, in fact, a game. The descriptions in this book are just fantastic. One thing that confused me, but I actually really liked even though I didn't understand it was the use of color in Scarlett's emotions. Whenever she feels anything, it's described as a color. For example, when she's afraid it's usually plum colored. The color thing was never really explained, but I liked it anyway. I hope that gets expanded upon in future books. One big thing I loved about this book was the romance. It was a slow burn that you could see coming a mile away, but that just made me more excited for it to finally happen. And the book wasn't about the romance, which I appreciated. It was about Scarlett trying to find Tella before the five nights of Caraval ended. The romance was just an added bonus. The novel's pacing was also very excellent. It didn't start too slow and the tension built with increasing intensity throughout the book, which of course left me speed reading by the last quarter of the book just to find out what was going to happen.

What didn't you like about this book?
As fantastic as the world building was, the characters were a little lacking in comparison. Scarlett and Julian saw the most character growth, presumably because they got the most page time. Scarlett and Tella's father was a very flat character. He seemed to be evil for the sake of being evil without any real purpose. I hope is story is developed further in future books. The other thing that kind of turned me off to this book was the juvenile writing. I understand that it is a YA novel, but I don't feel like that should be an excuse for not expecting more out of an author. The plot was good, the world building is great, I didn't hate the characters, but the writing overall was just kind of...meh. It's difficult because I automatically compare it to The Night Circus, which is definitely more mature and for a more advanced reader.

Bottom-Line:
I really did enjoy the book. It was one of those books that I just wanted to read in one sitting...and I would have if my schedule had allowed it.  Unfortunately for me, this book left us with a killer cliffhanger and I have to wait for the next book to come out. So if you're as impatient as I am, I'd suggest maybe waiting until the next one is out or almost out before you read the first book.



"She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out." -Caraval by Stephanie Garber