Jaclyn’s Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval (Caraval #1)
written by Stephanie Garber
published by Flatiron Books, 2017

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Target, Walmart, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book? I loved this book! The premise is totally unique. I’ve never read anything like this before! One of the strangest things that I liked was how Scarlett would describe her emotions as colors. For some reason, this really resonated with me. It wasn’t just that she would “see red” when she was mad or get “green with envy,” she would experience disgust and everything took on a purple hue. There were colors for everything, and I really began to rely on them to understand how she was feeling. I also liked the uniqueness of the characters playing a game but never really knowing what was real and what was the game. My only complaint is that I think it was too short. There were a number of points in the story that I thought could have been developed more or described in more detail. I would have loved more backstory. Perhaps I’ve read too much George R. R. Martin and Diana Gabaldon . . .

 

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! I read this book really quickly, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

 

About the book – from Goodreads: Remember, it’s only a game…

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. And whether Caraval is real or not, 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.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

 

 

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** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on August 28, 2018.