Caraval

By: Stephanie Garber

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 weeklong 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. Nonetheless, she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And whether it's real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over and her sister disappears forever.

©2017 Stephanie Garber (P)2017 Macmillan

One of 11-year old girls, I think...

What disappointed you about Caraval?

I chose after seeing the high reviews but it is written like a pre-pubescent girlish fantasy! The main character has to constantly choose which boy to trust and to kiss. Her protectiveness over her sister is vomit inducing. Almost every male character is a one dimensional villain.I guess this is meant as easy reading for pre-teen girls.

Has Caraval put you off other books in this genre?

Absolutely

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Given the style of the book, the narrator was actually pretty decent. She earned the 3 star performance rating.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance

Any additional comments?

Nope

Confusingly brilliant

This book was my type of genre and I thoroughly recommend it as the story was so thrilling you didn't know what to believe! This mostly circulates the bonds of sisterhood and magic!

was recommended this book will recommend it too.

absolutely loved thus book. captivat3e from the start. a utter wonderful mixture of ups Nd downs throughout the plot line. leaving open the way for a pet two. which I sincerely hope there will be. the narration was on point. Can't fault that in any. anticipating more .

Magic, Mystery and Attraction

I feel Caraval is a romantic fantasy thriller full of magic, mystery and attraction, with lots of twists and turns.
The performance was full of drama and emotion.

captivating story

loved it. the story had me hooked from the outset, and I was desperate to keep listening to find out what happened.

Don’t Waste Your Time

I found this after reading the wonderful ‘Strange the Dreamer’ ... you know, through the ‘you may also like...’ type of links.
I wish I hadn’t. It’s a disgraceful, clumsy, childish, concoction of pretty words trying to disguise the lack of any cohesive plot. The characters are to a last one, uninteresting, shameful stereotypes. The vacuous interview with the author at the end is very telling; if it had been at the start, I could have saved some precious time. Worst Book Ever! Zero stars would be more accurate than one star.

Very good book

At first I was worried that this was just going to be a night circus spin off but it's a fabulous story in its own right. It's very dark in places and it leave you feeling emotionally exhausted! I liked the narration and I would recommend this book. I hope book two comes out quickly as you get left with a bit of a cliffhanger

Remember it's only a game

This book has been on my TBR pile for a long time. I have seen this book on Instagram for a long time and with the final book being released in May it was time to see what all the fuss is about.

The book follows sisters Scarlett and Donatella. The majority of the book is about Scarlett and follows her as she plays the game of Caraval. I won't really add much more of the story because there are layers, twists and turns that you really need to experience for yourself.

I will, however, talk a little bit about the characters. Scarlett is cautious. she's a planner and she's a worrier. Tella is impulsive, fun and a little dangerous! Then we have Julian oh that beautiful infuriating man! There are lots more characters and quite frankly I could go on for hours about them. These characters are well developed and have many many layers

This was a really good story with a good pace. I loved the descriptions and the grandeur of it. The whole thing just sounded so magical.

One thing that appears a lot in this book is roses. At the end of the book, there was an interview with Stephanie where she mentions that her sister gave her the idea for the roses when she said that they can beautiful or creepy. As soon as I heard that I thought you are SO right and then I tried to think back to all the uses or roses in this book both creepy and beautiful

Even at the end of the book, there are a lot of mysteries. I'm not sure what is real and what isn't. What I do know is that I am stoked for Legendary as it's all about Tella and I quite like her character.

Mumbo jumbo Mills and Boon

This was a disappointing story, an unconvincing and not very likable or smart heroine, and an unconvincing one dimensional bad guy.

An Incredible Fantasy World

I haven't really read a fantasy book that was truly fantasy, so this was a first in a sense, but it was amazing! I loved the world the story was set in. There was a tiny bit of romance but just barely a hint. So don't get this book thinking it's a romance. However, it's a great fantasy. I really loved the mystery of it, and even though I thought I knew what would happen the story kept twisting and turning in ways I truly wouldn't have thought.
The narrator was good overall, but the "emotional" scenes she couldn't execute well. I was a bit cringey, but it didn't ruin the book at all, so it shouldn't discourage you from getting it. :)