Image and blurb from Goodreads
Title: Caraval
(Caraval #1)
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publication date: January 31st, 2017
Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Remember, it’s only a game…
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.
Buy Links: Amazon
4.5 “Beware of Illusions” Stars
I’ve been anxiously
waiting for this release since I first heard of this book more than a year ago.
It first showed up on my blog in July 2016 for a #T5W post, but I’d already
heard of it before that day. To say that I was eager to get my hands on it is
an understatement, but the time finally came.
Let me just tell you
that I was surprised at how long it took me to finish this book. Normally, when
I start reading something I’d been dying to get my hands on for a long time, I
tend to devour the story in a matter of hours. Caraval was different, though. For some reason I wanted to savor
the story and read it slowly. In all honesty, it also didn’t really strike me
as the kind of book that begged you to sit and read it all at once, and the lack
of that “addictive quality” was one of the reasons I didn’t add another
half-star to my rating.
That doesn’t mean Caraval wasn’t interesting or
intriguing. In fact, intriguing is exactly the word I’d use to describe it.
Caraval took me to the circus and added a
whole lot of spin to it. It came with a warning that I forgot with every
beautiful sentence Stephanie Garber’s created: Remember, it’s only a game.
Like Scarlett, the main
character, I got lost in the magical world Legend created and started believing
the impossible. That, right there, was exactly what made this book special to
me.
The thing I loved the
most about this book was how Stephanie Garber straight out warned me about the
two most important things about this story in the beginning, then spend the
rest of the time tricking me into forgetting it, just to bring those two things
back in the end. For me, the ending was a “Told you so” moment in all its
glory.
I’ve already mentioned
the first important element about the story, and the second most important thing
to remember about Caraval is the
relationship between Scarlett, the leading character, and her sister, Tella.
Theses sisters’
obsession with protecting each other moves the story, whether I saw it
happening or not. Whether it seemed that way or not. For me, it was obvious
from the start that Scarlett was willing to do anything to protect her sister. Tella’s
motivations and desires weren’t as clear at first, but I never got the sense
that Tella didn’t love Scarlett. I knew they cared for each other. I was just
surprised at how much.
Stephanie Garber used
many tools to take my attention away from that relationship. She gave me a
romantic relationship I could invest my time in (I seriously shipped Julian and
Scarlett), magical elements that caught my attention (I’d pay a lot of money
for that dress Scarlett was wearing) and a “villain” that, although mostly
absent, was still more than just intriguing.
Legend, Caraval’s
organizer and a man known for his magical powers, had the kind of backstory
that had me eager to learn more. At times, I felt like Scarlett, so desperate
to know who he truly was that I suspected every new (and old) male character to
be him. My feelings for Legend went from good to bad to so-damn-good. I can’t
say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll say this: I haven’t
had nearly enough of him. I need way more Legend, and I’m truly hoping book 2
gives me that.
Another thing I wouldn’t
mind getting another dose of is Stephanie Garber’s writing. I was impressed
with this author’s prose from the beginning, and I thought it was the perfect
fit for the magical theme. I know it went a little too heavy on some
descriptions and metaphors, but it still worked for me.
The chemistry between
Scarlett and Julian was also another positive. There was a lot of mystery surrounding
Julian with all the secrets he was keeping, and a heavy tone of forbiddance
since Scarlett was supposed to marry someone else, but that only made their
love story stronger. Sure a week isn’t a lot of time to get to know and fall in
love with someone, but when you look at all those two went through, it seems a
lot longer than that. Besides, mysterious, hot and charming Julian was hard to
resist. I can’t really blame Scarlett here.
While I LOVED Julian, I
can’t say Scarlett completely won me over. I identified with her insecurities
and her need to protect her sister, and I recognize she had an interesting
character arc, but there was something lacking. Maybe it took her too long to
get over her fears. Maybe she acted a little too innocent and naïve at times. Maybe
I was too confused by her ability to see emotions in color, which was never
explained and didn’t serve a purpose other than help her with one of the clues.
Probably all the above. I also suspect it had something to do with the fact that
I liked Tella a little bit more. The younger, braver sister had a fire to her
that Scarlett lacked. From that prologue, I’m guessing I’ll get to see more of
Tella, so yay for me!
The ending of this book
was pure perfection. No matter how hard I tried to guess what would happen, I
never pictured it like that. It took me by surprise and it brought everything
full circle. It spoke of the author’s ability to not only put beautiful
sentences together, but also choose a theme and stick to it. Now that I’ve read
it, I can’t think of a better way to end that magical story. Well done,
Stephanie Garber, well done.
*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.
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