Skip to main content

Caraval by Stephanie Garber Takes the Crown as My Ultimate Literary Delight!

This book is my all-time favorite one. I read it instantly when it came out in 2017 and then I waited for so long for the whole series to be completed to read it again. And here this year finally I have come around to reading the book series. currently, I am reading the second book. I thought let's write a review for the first one so I don't forget the feelings and emotions it stirred within me. Here is the description of the book;

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

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.

GENRE
Fantasy, Magic Mystery Romance.
THEME AND TONE
Beautiful and Poetic. Not poetry but the theme is whimsical....like faraway lands and fairytales. It's different from any other fantasy book you have ever read.
LANGUAGE AND WRITING STYLE
Easy to read and Gripping
CHARACTERS
Oh, I love the characters. There isn't a higher power or inherently wicked individuals; instead, there are people who carry their own unique scars and beauty. There is no hero and villain. Every character is just intriguing and mysterious.
TROPES
☙ Magical Game
☙ Allies to Lovers
☙ Sister Bond (One sister trying to save the other one)
☙ Mysterious Game
☙ Magical Mystery
MY REVIEW

When you read the book the first time you might not like it much...you might not understand it much...but I guarantee you the second it's just 🤌.

There is not much world-building in this book. It's all vibes. It's the vibe of a magical dream which doesn't make sense. Well, you will feel like it until everything starts making sense. Stephanie Garber has a unique style of storytelling....and you will get used to it.

Donatella and Scarlet are sisters and they both are invited to attend Caraval this year...What is Caraval...well...

“Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or performance. It's the closest you'll ever find yourself magic in this world.”

Legend is the master of Caraval and he is portrayed as that mysterious person about whom people talk about a lot in good ways and bad ways. He orchestrates an elaborative game every year that brings out the most depraved and deep parts of people. They do things during the game that they normally won't do and this is the best part of the game. It brings out the person you really are. and people playing the game mostly forget to differentiate between reality and the game.

On the whole, the book is whimsically beautiful. But YOU ARE WARNED...it's all a game.


MY RATING

Overall: ★★★★★| 5 Stars
Plot: ★★★★★ | 5 Stars
Characters: ★★★
|5 Stars
Ending: ★★★★★| 5 Stars 😭
Fun: 
★★★| 3 Stars 
Bookcover:★★| 5 Stars 
THE BEST PART
☙ Scarlet sees emotions in the form of colors
☙ Whole Caraval setting and the shops
☙The way you pay when you want to buy something; 5 secrets for a dress, 5 days of your life for a kettle, etc etc
☙ Scarlet's Love for her sister
☙ Scarlet and Julian
THE WORST PART:
☙ There is no worst part. The story is simply perfection
BEST CHARACTER
☙ Scarlet ❤
☙ Legend ( ooh he is so mysterious and that is why I like him)
☙ Julian
☙ Donatella
WORST CHARACTER 
☙ Governer Dragna
MY FAVOURITE QUOTES 

“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.”

“Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won't wake up.”

“He tasted like midnight and wind, and shades of rich brown and light blue. Colors that made her feel safe and guarded.”

“What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don’t let any of it trick you. We will try to convince you it’s real, but all of it is a performance. A world built of make-believe. So while we want you to get swept away, be careful of being swept too far away. Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won’t wake up.”

“Every touch created colors she had never seen. Colors as soft as velvet and as sharp as sparks that turned into stars.”

“She'd disappeared like a broken star, leaving the world untouched, save for the bits of missing light that no one would ever see again.”

“Hope is a powerful thing. Some say it’s a different breed of magic altogether. Elusive, difficult to hold on to. But not much is needed.”




Comments