Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
ISBN: 978 1250 0952 51
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 407
Source: Private copy
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.
Official Summary
30 March 2023
This book follows Scarlet and Donatella “tella” Dragna. Scarlett has been writing to the master of Caraval, Legend, her trying to get tickets for her and her sister and after many years they finally get invited. The two sisters get a chance to go to Caraval and escape their abusive father and try to start new lives. Caraval is a magical game that is played once a year. Not everyone can go, but the lucky ones are sent tickets, and once they arrive they can choose if they’d like to watch the game or actually play the game.
So I decided to read this book after I found out that Once Upon a Broken Heart was a spin-off from this series. I think I went into this book with my expectations too high and because of that, it was only a four-star read from me. But I think overall if you take into account the fact that this was Garber’s first-ever published book, it is super impressive. It is also super impressive how much better her writing has gotten if I think of how much of a chokehold Once Upon a Broken Heart had me in, which is one of Gerber’s newer works.
This book is perfect for people like me who don’t love world-building. As the book sort of just throws you into the plot immediately, which I know some people hate because sometimes the rules of the world can get a little confusing. But, I love when books do this.
I really hope in the next two books the characters will be fleshed out a bit. As both Scarlet and Tella both don’t seem all that developed. I think Scarlet has the potential to be a great character and that Tella needs some serious character development. However, I find something that was done perfectly in this book was the dynamic between Scarlet and Tella. The devotion that Scarlet has to her younger sister, Tella, is so amazing.
I think my favourite character is Julian. I felt like he was the most well-rounded out of all the characters. I hope we get to see more of him throughout the rest of the series.
After finishing this book my hands are itching to get a hold of the next book in the series. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced light and fun read.
Also by Stephanie Garber
Once Upon A Broken Heart
A new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.
Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.
But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy…
About The Author
Author Bio from the Author’s Site
#1 NYT & international bestselling author of the Caraval series, Once Upon A Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After, and A Curse for True Love (2023)
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Goodbye…
