Caraval

Author: stephanie garber

General information:

Caraval is the first book of the Caraval trilogy. It is 405 pages long and I recommend it for readers from the age 14 and up. It was published in 2017 and is a fantasy romance. 

Summary:

Scarlett Dragna has been hoping and asking for an invitation to Caraval for her sister since forever. She is now about to be married off in an arranged marriage to a duke when she finally gets the invitation. At first hesitant, Scarlett, together with her sister, Tella, and a sailor, Julian, sails away from her island but as soon as she arrives at Caraval her sister gets kidnapped and it is revealed that this year's Caraval revolves around finding her. And even though Scarlett knows that caraval is just an elaborate performance she gets whisked away in a world filled with mystery, magic and love. 

Review:

The main character in CARAVAL is Scarlett Dragna and I really really loved reading about her. She is a really relatable main character. Someone who would do anything for the people she loves but is also held back a lot by fear. I loved her character development throughout the whole book. Throughout the book she is with Julian, a sailor who helps her through CARAVAL. He was really mysterious throughout the book and I was really intrigued by his character. At the same time the banter between Scarlett and Julian seemed natural and I loved reading about both of them. The whole plot in the books is based on the yearly games of Caraval too which Scarlett and her sister get invited to. The object of that year's CARAVAL is to get to Scarlett's sister, Tella. I really loved the idea of the game being set in a town and that it turned magical. The game idea is unique and not like other books where games are played for example the Hunger games or Powerless since it is based more on riddles, mysteries and magic.  The first part of the book was a bit slow but after I got to the second night of Caraval I finished the book in one sitting and it was a lot faster to read. I really, really loved the writing in this book. The way it was described what you could smell or see was so unique and especially the connections of colours and feelings. Scarlett wears a dress throughout the book which mirrors her feelings and the imagery in this book is just amazing. 

Buchbuzz Opinion: 

5/5 - a must read fantasy romance but remember its all a game