Published: 2016
Genre(s): Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction
“Welcome, welcome to Caraval! The grandest show on land or by sea. Inside you’ll experience more wonders than most people see in a lifetime. You can sip magic from a cup and buy dreams in a bottle. But before you fully enter into our world, you must remember it’s all a game.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
As the quote suggests, Caraval is one of the most magical experiences you’ll encounter–if you’re lucky enough to get tickets to the show.
Summary
The Fantasy Fiction novel Caraval follows sisters Scarlett and Donatella who have lived on a tiny island with their ruthless father for their entire lives through an incredibly dangerous and thrilling adventure. Scarlet’s dream is to go and see Caraval, a far-away, once-a-year interactive performance, but that dream is shattered when her father arranges a marriage for her. Miraculously, Scarlett receives an invitation to the show, and is taken there with the help of her sister Tella and a mysterious sailor. However, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s genius organizer, Legend, and the game turns out to revolve around finding her. Although Scarlett is constantly reminded that everything that happens from here on out is just an elaborate performance, she’s nevertheless carried away by the magic of the game along with the other players. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before she disappears forever.
and TBH
This book honestly… was quite captivating. I’ve found that with the Fantasy genre, making ‘magic’ believable tends to be a difficult task and so far, not many books I’ve read have been able to beat the magic of the Wizarding World. But I do believe that Caraval is a strong contender.
The biggest feature of Caraval that made me fall in love with it was the careful smudging of the line between real and make-believe. The fact that even the characters were often struggling to distinguish between the two made me feel even more like I was right there, trying to make it through Caraval at Scarlett and Julian’s side.
The whole book was like taking part in a dangerous and exhilarating game, and that was one thing that definitely kept me needing to turn the page. And, of course, it only got more and more exciting as I got closer and closer to reaching the end.
The relationships established and built throughout the novel were very exciting to see develop as well. I especially enjoyed the theme of sisterhood in addition to the romance, since I’ve noticed that a variety of relationship dynamics can add dimension to characters. In the case of Caraval, this was carried out quite successfully. Although Scarlett’s ambivalence was just a bit frustrating to read at times, I don’t think that her character or her relationships would’ve been as well-developed or meaningful without it.
When I picked up this book to read, randomly, from the room’s unused and quite obviously just-for-show bookshelf, I was honestly just looking for a way to fill 20 minutes. But (and I am not exaggerating when I say this) I read one page and could not put it down. Caraval is a thrilling novel and you are definitely missing out if you have not read it yet. But if I’ve managed to convince you to read it now, make sure you don’t have anything important to do in the next 48 hours and get ready to spend an all-nighter reading Caraval from cover to cover.
Characters: 9.5/10
Plot: 10/10
Engagement: 10/10
and TBH 