Caraval Book Review
Caraval by Stephanie Garber book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 11-20-24 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Book Cover Rating: 9.1/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
Pages: 407
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Subplots: Romance, Mystery
Series: Caraval #1
Publisher: Flatiron Books
First Published: 2016
Number of Editions: 123
Goodreads Rating: 3.97/5
Number of Goodreads Ratings: 802,631
Amazon Rating: 4.3/5
Number of Amazon Ratings: 28,469
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 13+
Book Type: Standard
Hook: Scarlett has wanted to visit Caraval- the magical ‘fair’ like performance and game- for years. But, her dreams seem to be crushed when she hears of her arranged marriage made by her father. Scarlett knows the marriage is likely for the best. Tella, Scarlett’s sister, completely disagrees. She thinks the whole arranged marriage is an awful idea. So, once they finally receive invitations to Caraval, impulsive Tella, with the help of a sailor, takes Scarlett to Caraval. However, once Scarlett wakes up and realizes what her sister did, her first concern is for Tella's safety. And, Scarlett doesn't know where Tella is. Then, she discovers the ultimate goal of this year’s Caraval. Finding someone. In this case, the winner of Caraval is whoever finds Tella first. Scarlett doesn’t want to know what will happen to her sister if she doesn’t find her first. Scarlett’s only option is to win the game, and be reunited with her sister. While she has been told everything in Caraval isn’t actually real, it gets hard to believe once emotions, concerns, and even outside family members get mixed up in the game. Can Scarlett really accomplish the seemingly impossible… and if so, what is she willing to sacrifice to get there?
Overall Book Rating: 7.9/10
I would recommend this book
Review: This was a good book. I LOVED how much detail it had. Every aspect of this book was described so perfectly (It really was like the magical world it was describing 😊). The plot was active and kept moving. Near the end of the book though, I did admittedly get confused. Once the ending was truly revealed I finally kinda understood what happened (though in my opinion it could have ended better (but it was still good)). The characters were in-depth and honestly, they were really interesting. I really liked the magical world this whole book took place in as well. It was full of magic, wonder, and awe. So……. yeah. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I didn’t completely like was the lead up to the ending (because it was a little confusing to me). But still, good book with great characters and a great world.
Main Characters:
Scarlett Dragna - Scarlett is the main character. She is shy and originally distrustful.
Donatella Dragna - Tella is Scarlett's sister and is a 16 year old girl with an impulsive and reckless personality.
Julian - Julian is an 18 year old boy with careless and relaxed personality.
Character Rating: 9.2/10
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Stephanie Garber is a bestselling author of multiple series
She lives in North Carolina
She is a creative writing teacher
For more information, view Stephanie Garber’s website: stephaniegarberauthor.com
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