Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval (Caraval, #1)

by Stephanie Garber

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems...

'If you ever wondered how it would feel to step into a dream, here's your ticket' - Stacey Lee

Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.

When the sisters' long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

A mesmerising, magical and stunningly imaginative debut novel for anyone who loved The Night Circus.

Reviewed by Leah on

2 of 5 stars

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I don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it took a while to get into (well into 100 pages before it actually feels like it's going anywhere) but once it gets going it gets going and I did enjoy it more, or at least find myself more curious as to what Caraval was all about - Tella going missing, Scarlett having to find her, the whole mystical, magical realm of Caraval that promises everything is just a game, but it seems incredibly real...

I'm even more confused as to the ending. On the one hand, the ending was brilliant, the way it all came out, the way everything started to make sense, but it also kinda left me with a lot more questions? Is that how Caraval is every year? Why are people so hot about something that can potentially kill you? That has proven to turn people mad? WHAT'S THE DRAW?

I wanted (expected?!) it to be more like The Night Circus. (It wasn't. The Night Circus is EPIC.)

I just don't know how I felt about the book. There were bits I liked, but the whole thing also kind of felt like a trippy dream? And the world building was terrible. I never felt grounded in any of the places mentioned, it was literally like reading about a different world. It takes two days to get from Trisda to where Caraval is being held The Isla de los Suenos, yet how far away is it? Why is there a Northern and Southern divide/empire? Do people LIVE on The Isla de los Suenos during the year when Caraval isn't there, because the whole concept was Scarlett writing to the Legend each year to get them to come to Trisda, so they can't always be based on one place? I WAS SO CONFUSED.

I basically skim-read this book, I'm not going to lie. It took so long to get going and then it didn't even build the world up correctly (OR AT ALL) and I'm still baffled as to whether Caraval is a real place or if it's all just made up for the duration then it goes back to being a normal island? I feel like the sequel won't even give us these answers since it appears to be going off in another direction. I'll read, or at least skim, the sequel, just out of curiosity but the hype around this book did not pay off in this instance.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 April, 2017: Finished reading
  • 26 April, 2017: Reviewed