Caraval – Book Review

Title:- Caraval (Caraval series book 1)

Author:- Stephanie Gerber

Date published:- September 29th 2016

No. of pages:- 407 pages

Genre:- Fantasy/Romance/Young Adult

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

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.

For some reason, I have more fantasy genre books more than thriller genre books. I heard so many raving reviews on the Caraval series through bookstagram and booktoks and thought maybe, I should try out this new fantasy series. And I have to say, I did enjoy reading the first book of the series.

Caraval follows the story of two sisters, Scarlett and Donatella. They are living under their brutal father’s house and Scarlett is getting married to a count in a few days. Scarlett then gets an invitation from the master of the Caraval games, Legend, inviting her and her future husband to attend this year’s game as special guests. Scarlett instead goes to the Caraval with Julian a handsome sailor. However, this year, in the game, Donatella was kidnapped and the players must find Donatella and whoever finds Donatella will get their wish granted. Scarlett must solve the clues and reunite with her friends before the game can ruin her.

This book was actually well written in my opinion. The author’s writing style was great and as a result, using the descriptive words and sentences, the author managed to do a good job, making the reader feel like they are also part of the game with Scarlett and Julian. I couldn’t put the book down as I felt I was in the fantasy world while reading the book. The premise itself was unique and I actually did like the chemistry between Julian and Scarlett. I also liked how the story ended with a small cliffhanger– a letter to Donatella from a mysterious friend who wanted her to pay the debt. And by reading that last sentence, I cannot wait to read the second book of the Caraval series!

If you haven’t read Caraval yet, then go ahead and put this book in your TBR. You would have to read the first book first as the second book will follow the events immediately after the first book so you could keep track. Worth fie stars!