Caraval (Caraval, #1) in Spines With Wines

Dec 13, 2016 Kristin Hackett (Merrily Kristin) rated it it was amazing

Originally posted on :

Personal Thoughts: It鈥檚 been so long since I鈥檝e written a book review since I鈥檝e been giving all of my recaps on my BookTube channel at the end of the month but I really wanted to get back into them and it seemed perfect to do so with Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Caraval is without a doubt, a new favorite of mine. I love it so much that I preordered an additional copy once I was less than five chapters in. I鈥檝e been talking about this book on my channel for Originally posted on :

Personal Thoughts: It鈥檚 been so long since I鈥檝e written a book review since I鈥檝e been giving all of my recaps on my BookTube channel at the end of the month but I really wanted to get back into them and it seemed perfect to do so with Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Caraval is without a doubt, a new favorite of mine. I love it so much that I preordered an additional copy once I was less than five chapters in. I鈥檝e been talking about this book on my channel for quite some time- it was my most anticipated read from BEA but I somehow put it off until recently and I鈥檓 so happy that I did! While I would鈥檝e loved to welcome this story in my heart earlier than I did, it was quite nice to read it with all of the lights, scents and general coziness that the magic of Christmastime provided as a backdrop.

Plot Summary: Caraval is the the story of Scarlet and her sister Tella who live on a conquered island with an abusive father. Having heard tales of the magic of Caraval, a traveling immersive performance that occurs annually, from their Grandmother, the girls both write to Legend, the mastermind behind the game. After years of unanswered letters, Scarlett finally receives a response along with three tickets to this year鈥檚 game- one for Scarlett, one for Tella and one for Scarlett鈥檚 fiance. When Scarlett arrives on the island, she discovers that this year鈥檚 game hits very close to home as her sister Tella has been kidnapped and the object of the game is to find her before the other participants she鈥檚 competing with. Participants are reminded two times before the games begin that everything occurring in Caraval is just a game and to not get swept away no matter how real things feel. But really, is it?

Critique: Caraval is one of the most sensory reads I鈥檝e ever had the pleasure of diving into. I鈥檓 basically obsessed with the descriptive language Stephanie Garber used and I鈥檓 still amazed that she was able to so perfectly capture and relay the experience of Caraval to the reader. There was not a single drop of magic lost in translation. Each of our three main characters (Scarlett, Julian and Tella) were so well developed that they felt like actual people. The story is told from Scarlett鈥檚 perspective and the amount of character growth she underwent throughout the game is overwhelming. I love reading about characters who live within a set of boundaries, often self inflicted, who then break out and challenge their norms and Scarlett fit this description to a T. Despite Tella being kidnapped and therefore absent from the majority of the novel, I still had no trouble knowing her character. She is just as developed as her sister who graces every page. And then there鈥檚 Julian, to trust him or not to trust him? Either side you fall on, you will inevitably fall victim to his charm. As for side characters, everyone is important and I especially love the air of mystery surrounding Legend. I became so intrigued with the story and so addicted to Scarlett solving the cryptic clues and finding her sister that I can honestly say I let Caraval sweep me away (I even had to text Alexa at the climax of the story since she had finished earlier for moral support because I was laying in bed screaming WHAT IS REAL LIFE?!?!). Another incredible selling point of Caraval is that despite it being labeled as the first book in a series (THANK GOD BECAUSE I NEED MORE) the story wraps up very nicely. There鈥檚 no cliffhanger ending that leaves you dying for answers BUT there is an intriguing piece of information that you鈥檒l be eager to explore.

Do I Recommend?: A THOUSAND TIMES YES. ...more

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Dec 08, 2016 Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) rated it really liked it

Shelves: friends-with-arcs, favorites, flights-of-fantasy-2016

4.5-4.75 stars. Seriously though, Caraval was a magical reading experience. The depiction of a world lush and magical and wonderful and terrifying completely swept me up, as did the compelling story of Scarlett and her time at Caraval as she attempts to find her sister. It is seriously impossible to stop reading once you've started, and I'm so thrilled to be able to say that I truly loved this book and I look forward to the next one. ...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Cassandra Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-reads

ORIGINALLY POSTED:

Marketed at fans of The Night Circus, Stephanie Garber鈥檚 debut novel is set in a world where lucky participants are invited to take part in an immersive performance slash magical game called Caraval. The winner will receive one wish, but at what cost? Full of characters you can鈥檛 trust, a fantastical new world and twists and turns you didn鈥檛 see coming, Caraval is a truly enchanting read. ...more

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Sep 09, 2024 fer ba帽uelos rated it liked it

Shelves: own, read-2024

*3.5*

Caraval es de esos libros que desde que escuchas de 茅l quieres leerlo. Tiene cierta vibra que lo hace muy intrigante, raz贸n por la cu谩l basicamente se ha mantenido vigente casi 10 a帽os.

A pesar de que el mundo me confundia a veces, no era una confusi贸n que me molestaba. Es muy enigmate el universo de Caraval y como funciona este. It kept me on my toes por eso mismo. Me gusto pensar una cosa y luego darme cuenta que era una completamente diferente. Adem谩s, I'm a sucker for anything Wonderlan ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Jane (It'sJaneLindsey) added it

Shelves: 2017-read

Can't rate this yet. I enjoyed the story and the writing/imagery is AMAZING, but...basically everything else was underwhelming or made no sense. This is especially true for the characters, and the complete lack of anything real to anchor the story. Very confused as to how to rate this. ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Angie Elle rated it really liked it

Review to come.

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Feb 09, 2017 Brittany rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Wow is about all that I can say about this book. This book was simply fantastic and so refreshing to read. I have heard it compared to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which I loved but this one is totally different from that book. This book blew me away. First off it's a debut novel and Stephanie Garber hit it right out of the park on this one! This book managed to capture the whimsy of Caraval and the danger of it all in one go. I loved all the characters in this and I was ALWAYS at the ed ...more

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Feb 05, 2017 Kylana rated it it was amazing

I think finishing this in one day says enough on it's own but I greatly enjoyed this book. It was captivating, and obviously failed and putting it down to get other things done. I'm unsure how this will continue, I actually think I would enjoy this more if it was a standalone and I'm going to tentatively give it 4 stars because I don't expect a followup book to keep me quite as engaged. I'm satisfied with where things stand.
It had a very alice in wonderland vibe to it throughout the whole book. ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Danielle 鈾� rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, read-a-thons, series-to-finish, buddy-read, fya, 2017, audible

This would be a 5 star but I feel like the characters' dialogue was a little ... unseasoned.

Actual Rating: 4.75/5 ...more

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Nov 27, 2018 Heather rated it it was amazing

Oh my gosh! My heart was set on two of the characters the entire book. You never know what to expect from paragraph to paragraph. Stephanie Garber is a genius with the way she has written this book. Absolutely amazing, I can鈥檛 wait to read the next two books in the series. My heart was broken and put back together at least 4 times.

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Jan 28, 2018 Huda rated it liked it · review of another edition

"Hope is a powerful thing. Some say it鈥檚 a different breed of magic altogether.鈥� 鉁�
Caraval isn't the best book ever but it's also not the worst book either. It's your middle-of-the-road, soon-to-be-forgotten kind of book.
Sure, I liked it enough when I was reading it but it's not one I think I'll remember much of in a few months time.
Some positives to take away though were that I enjoyed Garber's writing as well as the world she created. There is definitely some potential here and I will be wil ...more

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Aug 04, 2018 Christine rated it did not like it

Didn't really enjoy this as much as I wanted too.

The characters were very 1 dimensional

The villains also seemed one dimensional

I was expecting so much for the circus and the magic... and it just didn't have good descriptions that I wanted or storytelling for that matter. Don't need to read the second book. ...more

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Apr 09, 2017 Laura Mauro rated it liked it

I gave this book 3.5 stars.
I love the world building and the characters. I think the stakes were not as high towards the end of the book but i really loved how the story was told. It was very fast pace read. I will def read the next one.

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