Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
***May Contain Spoilers***
***Scroll to the end for my rating***
This book was one of my first influential buys from BookTok and Bookstagram. I’ve had Caraval on my shelf for so long, but I never felt it was the right time to read it, despite how badly I wanted to.
Once I finally got around to it, I was such a fan of the concept behind Caraval. The magic, the mystery, the drama, the games, the riddles, the relationships - all of it was so fun and entertaining, I wanted to play alongside Scarlet. I especially wanted her dress that changes with her emotions (how cool would that be?)!
As the story progressed and Scarlett delved deeper into Caraval, I found myself liking it a little less. It was very entertaining, but it didn’t fully meet my expectations. It did manage to surprise me and scoop me up in the magic of it all, but it was missing something for me. I can’t quite pinpoint it, but I think it had something to do with feeling connected to Scarlett. As in, I really couldn’t connect with her.
Perhaps it is being the second daughter and youngest sibling in my own life. Although I would equally do whatever it took to get my sister back, had she run away or been captured. I think I would approach the situation differently, being less concerned and more bold, like Donatella, confident in my sister’s capabilities. So, when Donatella wasn’t as present in the story, I started to disconnect.
Garber’s worldbuilding was robust. There were multiple layers to this story: the world, the magic, and the connections between all characters flowed so well with one another. There were also a variety of moments that came full circle, which were nice to see (even if some didn’t make sense until book two).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the world and games of Caraval. I was very interested to continue the series. I was so glad I did, because book two was exactly what I was looking for! BookTok chose correctly with this one, and I’m so happy I listened. I am rating Caraval 6.5 stars out of 10.
As always, thanks for reading! 💜
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
