Caraval

Caraval is by debut author Stehphanie Garber and is the first book of a duology of the same name.

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.

The Breakdown:
1.  Garber weaves a fantastic adventure in her debut novel.  It is a lovely mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance in the book. I adored the world building of this book. The magic of the Caraval is expressed beautifully in Garber's writing. The Caraval players are an interesting mix of people, and you never know who is a player in Caraval and who is working for Legend.

2.  Scarlett is an interesting character.  She wants to keep her sister safe, especially from their father.   She sees her upcoming marriage as her way out, but has never met her finance and only has letters from him to give her clues to what kind of man he is.  She has basically lived her life in fear of her father, and Caraval is what truly seems to bring her alive and help her to find passion.

3. Julian is quite the mysterious character. He is full of secrets, and a times I am not sure if he is helping Scarlett or hindering her.   He definitely knows more about the Caraval than he lets on to Scarlett, and yet, as the story progress, you can tell he is really starting to care for her.

4.  Legend is a very mysterious, and as the story progress, Garber lets on that he has a interesting connection to Scarlett and Tella. I am never quite sure if he is really a villain or just very good at playing at one.  Speaking of villains, Scarlett and Tella's father is a horrible person.  The things he has done to them to keep them under his control are truly horrible.

5.  This book in a intricate tale with lots of twist and turns in the story.  The ending was quite the surprise for me, and I am excited to see what Garber does with the second book.

To Read or Not to Read:
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