Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber is so much fun

 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.

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

Spoiler free!

Rating: 5/5

Hey guys

    I'm here to talk about a book that kept me up till almost 9 AM reading! I mean my sleep schedule was already dysfunctional, but this book definitely contributed SIGNIFICANTLY to that. So I thought I'd stop by and write about how much I enjoyed this book and how I'm recommending it to everyone.

    If you liked The Night Circus, this book is for you. It has the same magical atmosphere with a generous sprinkle of romance. The world of Caraval is so cinematic and gorgeous. I tend to zone out sometimes when the setting is described in books, but in Caraval, I found myself intentionally paying attention and even going back to read setting descriptions. The world was so vivid and I didn't want to miss any of the beautiful visuals. This book would be excellent candidate for a movie adaptation. Another reason why I loved this book is because of how suspenseful it was. I was at the edge of my seat and a lot of plot points surprised me. I haven't felt this way about a book in a while (although maybe I haven't been picking the right books). 

    Caraval has characters with a lot of charm; I really enjoyed Scarlett as the main character and I felt like she was different in that she was a little more introverted and cautious than other YA heroines. The dialogue between Scarlett and her sister as well as Julian was so fun to read and Stephanie Garber did a great job of conveying their different personalities through their speech and mannerisms. 

    A final reason why you should read Caraval is because it's incredibly easy to read. I'm in the middle of exams right now, and it helps a lot when I can find a fantasy that doesn't feel like a chore in the beginning like many fantasies do. I was always looking forward to picking this one back up when I had any free time.

    This book is fun, suspenseful, and romantic so DO NOT HESITATE, go read it! I'm excited to read the next book ASAP and I'm intrigued by the fact that the POV is going to shift to Scarlett's sister, Donatella.

Thanks,

Yomna