Caraval - Stephanie Garber
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
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.
Review
I read the whole book one Sunday afternoon! The feel I got from it as was a little Alice in Wonderland-esque, with all the crazy rule-defying things and how nothing was ever as it seemed, mixed with some of the the grandeur and magic of The Night Circus (which I loved).
I loved the feel of magic. I loved the beautiful dresses and imaginative scenery. Black and white and red and roses and magic. The prose was very poetic, which helped move the story along and gave a sense of magic and wonder to the words.
We have about five main characters. There's Scarlett, who is the main protagonist and we see the story unfold from her eyes. There's her sister, Tella, and their father, who is the main "villain". Legend is the head of Caraval, and Julian is a mysterious sailor who takes the sisters to the island.
Scarlett as a character drove me crazy for the first 80% of the book. She is very naive, insecure, incompetent, and doesn't come off as especially clever as she doesn't seem to get some very obvious clues. But! by the last few chapters I felt she finally came into her own, where she started challenging and overcoming her fears and standing up for herself. Her sister Tella was a brat. I didn't like her from the beginning and the ending confirmed it, no matter her motives. I felt really bad for Scarlett, as Scarlett was super loyal to Tella throughout the book, and I didn't really think Tella deserving of that, especially after the trauma Scarlett has to go through to try and find her.
Julian was the mysterious sailor and then love interest. The romance felt a little weird, especially in that you knew something was up since Caraval is all a game and everything is a lie. It was a little *insta-love* as this story takes place over five days, but since Scarlett had never left home before, of course she would fall for the first guy who gives her attention (even though she's engaged to someone she's never met). That being said, there are some redeeming aspects of Julian and their romance, especially toward the end, and some swoon-worthy kisses!
The setting at first came off interesting, with the sisters living on this island that's been conquered by an Empire, but unfortunately we don't get much more than that. Caraval itself takes place on another island, but we don't get any background about the world itself. I'm hoping the second book explores that more.
The plot of Caraval felt very confusing, despite the beautiful descriptions and poetic prose. In the beginning of the game, the people who run the show say that nothing there is real, and yet you come to find out there is a darker--and very real--underside to the whole show. They warn Scarlett not to get too caught up, but how could she not? I felt like at some point the "game" crossed the line and turned to traumatic abuse. I know it was supposed to be confusing, in that Scarlett couldn't ever really know what was real and what wasn't, but at times I felt a little overwhelmed. It always seemed like she kept making the wrong choice because she was told one thing and then, surprise! That was a lie. I felt like the novelty of all the twists and reveals began to wear off and by about halfway through the book I was annoyed because I couldn't follow anything. At the end, most things are made clear, thank goodness, and the way is paved for the sequel.
Overall, a mysterious, somewhat dark, fantasy tale. I liked it, despite the failings I mentioned above. The prose was beautiful and the story itself was interesting, though I felt the characters could have been fleshed out better and the plot culled of so many confusing twists.
Rating
I give this book 3 stars.
Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Language: None
Sex: None, though some allusions to it.
Violence: Some violence, though not excessively graphic.
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
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.
Review
I read the whole book one Sunday afternoon! The feel I got from it as was a little Alice in Wonderland-esque, with all the crazy rule-defying things and how nothing was ever as it seemed, mixed with some of the the grandeur and magic of The Night Circus (which I loved).
I loved the feel of magic. I loved the beautiful dresses and imaginative scenery. Black and white and red and roses and magic. The prose was very poetic, which helped move the story along and gave a sense of magic and wonder to the words.
We have about five main characters. There's Scarlett, who is the main protagonist and we see the story unfold from her eyes. There's her sister, Tella, and their father, who is the main "villain". Legend is the head of Caraval, and Julian is a mysterious sailor who takes the sisters to the island.
Scarlett as a character drove me crazy for the first 80% of the book. She is very naive, insecure, incompetent, and doesn't come off as especially clever as she doesn't seem to get some very obvious clues. But! by the last few chapters I felt she finally came into her own, where she started challenging and overcoming her fears and standing up for herself. Her sister Tella was a brat. I didn't like her from the beginning and the ending confirmed it, no matter her motives. I felt really bad for Scarlett, as Scarlett was super loyal to Tella throughout the book, and I didn't really think Tella deserving of that, especially after the trauma Scarlett has to go through to try and find her.
Julian was the mysterious sailor and then love interest. The romance felt a little weird, especially in that you knew something was up since Caraval is all a game and everything is a lie. It was a little *insta-love* as this story takes place over five days, but since Scarlett had never left home before, of course she would fall for the first guy who gives her attention (even though she's engaged to someone she's never met). That being said, there are some redeeming aspects of Julian and their romance, especially toward the end, and some swoon-worthy kisses!
The setting at first came off interesting, with the sisters living on this island that's been conquered by an Empire, but unfortunately we don't get much more than that. Caraval itself takes place on another island, but we don't get any background about the world itself. I'm hoping the second book explores that more.
The plot of Caraval felt very confusing, despite the beautiful descriptions and poetic prose. In the beginning of the game, the people who run the show say that nothing there is real, and yet you come to find out there is a darker--and very real--underside to the whole show. They warn Scarlett not to get too caught up, but how could she not? I felt like at some point the "game" crossed the line and turned to traumatic abuse. I know it was supposed to be confusing, in that Scarlett couldn't ever really know what was real and what wasn't, but at times I felt a little overwhelmed. It always seemed like she kept making the wrong choice because she was told one thing and then, surprise! That was a lie. I felt like the novelty of all the twists and reveals began to wear off and by about halfway through the book I was annoyed because I couldn't follow anything. At the end, most things are made clear, thank goodness, and the way is paved for the sequel.
Overall, a mysterious, somewhat dark, fantasy tale. I liked it, despite the failings I mentioned above. The prose was beautiful and the story itself was interesting, though I felt the characters could have been fleshed out better and the plot culled of so many confusing twists.
Rating
I give this book 3 stars.
Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Language: None
Sex: None, though some allusions to it.
Violence: Some violence, though not excessively graphic.
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