Caraval (Caraval, #1)

by Stephanie Garber

[Sam@WLABB]

This book was hyped, and it lived up to the hype in my opinion.

This is a magical story of two sisters, who are looking to escape their oppressive lives. They've dreamt of Caraval as young children, and right when they had given up hope of ever being part of the magical experience, they received an invitation to be part of the festivities and the game.

This wasn't simply a story, it was an adventure. Garber created such a magical world for the characters to explore. I found her descriptions quite vivid, and I was easily pulled onto the island. The story unfolded beautifully with perfect pacing. I loved the way Garber revealed the pieces, and kept me wanting more. She also created wonderful characters. I found myself very invested the outcomes, and felt sad/mad/glad/etc when appropriate for Scarlet and Tella. Caraval really had so much to offer. It was a story of redemption, a romance, a mystery, a beautiful story of sisterly love. I must also say, that I loved Garber's writing. It was beautiful and flowing and descriptive, but I never felt it was overdone. I think that balance is difficult to find, and she did it stupendously.

Overall: a magnificent adventure filled with romance, mystery, and magic.