“Remember… It’s only a game.”
Caraval by stephanie garber
đâScarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister Tella live with their powerful, and cruel father. Now Scarlettâs 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 showâare over. But this year, Scarlettâs 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 Legend, Caravalâs mastermind organizer. It turns out that this seasons Caraval revolves around Tell. Find her and you win. Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.âđ
âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
4/5 STARS
Caraval is the first book in the Caraval Trilogy.
First off, I LOVED this book! It is whimsical and intriguing. The characters are well developed, and you instantly fall in love with them. This book also kept me on the edge of my seat and had so many twists and turns that blindsided me. It was such a creative and fun story and captures you from the first chapter.
That being said, I did have to knock off 1 Star, only because I didnât like the lack of world-building. I am find with Character-driven stories, but like… Where are these islands and places they live? Don’t ask me, because Garber doesnât explain. This and a few other key elements to the end of the story (things that are spoilers, so I wonât mention them) had me…??
Overall this is an excellent book that I would highly recommend! Canât wait to finish off the trilogy. I’m hoping that the issues I had with this book will be resolved with more detailed world building in the other novels.
Alicia Reads It 