Caraval
(Caraval #1)
Author: Stephanie Garber
Reading Level: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Published: January 31st 2017
Review Source: Flatiron Books
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.
This was an interesting read. This month for book club, The Penniless Readers book club, we picked both Caraval and The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova. So having already read the latter I dusted Caraval off my shelves and settled in as I’d never read it before. Some books just wait for me to get around to them.
Overall I liked the book, it was a really quick read for me though, I’d finished it in two days. Is that a good thing or a bad thing you ask, well it was good but that’s the only adjective I can think of to describe it, but that’s not so good. It’s complicated. We start on the small island, The Conquered Isle of Trisdawhere, with Scarlett’s wedding day coming only a few weeks away. She’s never met her betrothed, a dark foreboding for our two sisters, Scarlett and Donatella, and the abusive relationship with their father. The younger sister steals them away aboard a questionable boat bound for Caraval and the infamous magically impossible game that only Legend himself can prepaire.
I did like reading it despite how short it felt. The author was very attentive to details, bordering excessive, putting lots of emphasis on colors and the emotions relating to them. The world of Caraval (because it really is a unique place in the world of this book found no where else) is bright and enticing, it’s wild dreams and promises, and a wicked game. However, I found myself a little lackadaisical on some of the details. There were a lot of them, Scarlott is the main protagonist, shes the one trying to win the game to get the one wish she desperately needs while looking for anything that doesn’t contradict itself to the world around her or her beliefs.
Would I read book 2 or continue in this series, maybe but probably not immediately. I think this is a reflection more of myself, the me at 16 probably would have tried to paint the pages to match how colorful it was to read but the me now, at 30 felt it was a little silly. I’d rate this a 3 outta 5 stars for sure. I don’t think I felt myself as invested in the romance aspects of the book, they weren’t bad but in a world of illusion how can anything be believed probably held me back in really enjoying anything at face value.
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