Caraval (Caraval, #1) in The Introvert Readers

Mar 13, 2024 toointofiction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, young-adult, reviewed-books, fantasy

She remembered thinking falling for him would be like falling in love with darkness, but now she imagined he was more like a starry night: the constellations were always there, constant, magnificent guides against the ever-present black.

I knew this would be good based on most of the reviews I came across and the people who hyped it up for me, but I didn’t know it would be this good. Other than those reviews and recommendations, I went into this almost completely unaware of what it was about. She remembered thinking falling for him would be like falling in love with darkness, but now she imagined he was more like a starry night: the constellations were always there, constant, magnificent guides against the ever-present black.

I knew this would be good based on most of the reviews I came across and the people who hyped it up for me, but I didn’t know it would be this good. Other than those reviews and recommendations, I went into this almost completely unaware of what it was about. In a way, I loved it even more because of it. Lately, the only way I can read a book without knowing too much about it is by reading it as soon as it comes out. Honestly, I've known about this series for years, it's a miracle I knew so little of it. Also, I should be in jail for how long it took me to pick up this series. I am completely, utterly speechless. I did not see such a high level of intelligence and complexity coming. It's giving high-stakes missing person case except...it's all a game and it's with magic. The plot twists alone had me freaking out.

Furthermore, Scarlett Dagna is such an interesting character. She was abandoned by her mother when she was very young, abused by her father for most of her life, and, as the eldest child, she had to make sure her little sister, Tella, was safe and taken care of. All this trauma could have turned her into a cynical, bitter young woman, yet she remained hopeful for a better future, as much as she became kind and cautious. Besides, I expected this vicious game she is thrown in to change her too, but she remained the same only she grew a backbone and learned not to let her fears affect her.

Moreover, Scar's little sister, Donatella, is an intriguing character too. She doesn't have a detailed character development, since her point of view comes in Legendary and doesn't appear much in this book, but it's still an epic transformation. She goes from this seemingly naive, impulsive, and wild young woman that Scar always has to keep out of trouble to this intelligent, cunning person with exceptional acting skills 👀. What's more, as careless as she initially seems when it comes to her sister, she is actually just as protective and caring as Scarlett is. She is willing to do anything to keep her safe, including putting herself in harm's way. The two of them have a fantastic relationship, with the hurt only a sibling could cause you and with just as much love. Not to mention their horrible childhood making their bond even stronger. I can't wait to get into her story in the next book.

Additionally, another thing I did not see coming is how hard I would fall for Julian Santos. He's a fantastic love interest. It is clear from the start that he should not be trusted but both Scarlett and I fell for him anyway. How could we not? He has absolutely no reason or obligation to help Scar as much as he has, yet he goes and risks his life for her regardless. He is always there helping her as best as he can. The things he says and does are enough to make you squeal like a schoolgirl and crumble like a piece of paper on the floor. I adore the way his and Scar's relationship develops as well. They are complete strangers to each other. She has no reason to trust him and he has no reason to help her more than necessary, yet not only do they stick together, they fall for each other too. The things they do to help one another are so pure and wholesome, they warm the heart.

Lastly, I absolutely need to know more about Legend as soon as possible. He is such a fascinating mystery, especially after finishing this book. I want to know who he truly is, what his endgame is, and literally everything else there is to know about him. I’m as fascinated by him as Scarlett. I want to know how much of a villain he is and how much of a hero. His whole vibe is giving unhinged morally gray and mysterious, and that's right up my alley. It's so sexy to me. I must explore more and given the title of the second book; I have high hopes that I will find exactly what I'm looking for. ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Lorelei rated it did not like it

Shelves: owned, buddy-reads, 2021-books

~~~0.5 Stars~~~

TW: physical abuse, kidnapping, murder

~~This book was ok. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.~~ I HATED THIS BOOK. Thank you to everyone who was in the buddy read with me! I loved talking with you all

The Characters
Scarlett:
Nope, nope, nope. There was no character development here. None. Where did it go? Where has it gone? Authors have just given up on character development and I HATE it. STOP IT. STOP IT NOW. She was just so naive and it annoyed the hell out of me. It took ...more

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Aug 02, 2021 Faith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-favourites

I’ve been re-reading the series with carousel by Melanie Martines playing on a loop. 🎪🎠
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Caraval was a very twisted, well crafted and almost an endless riddle.

It felt like I was in Wonderland, it give a major Alice in Wonderland vibes. By the time I was half way through the book I believed wholeheartedly that EVERYONE in this place was mad. Absolutely crazy. And I loved that!!

You can see the abuse that Scarlett has gone through as a child and was still going through at the beginning of the b ...more

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Feb 27, 2021 akacya ❦ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: buddy-reads, genre-fantasy, own, audience-young-adult, format-ebook

Buddy read with Lorelei, Savannah, and Teanna!

Although this book felt a bit slow at times, I still thought it was amazing and the pace didn’t ruin it. So excited to see what happens in the next book!

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Jul 23, 2019 Naaytaashreads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Welcome, welcome to Caraval! The grandest show on land or by sea. Inside you’ll experience more wonders than most people see in a lifetime. You can sip magic from a cup and buy dreams in a bottle. But before you fully enter into our world, you must remember it’s all a game.”

It took me so long to finally pick this up.
I love The Night Circus so much, hearing about Caraval, I know there are similar traits of the storyline so I was hesitant to pick it up because i have high expectation of it.

I fina ...more

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Nov 19, 2017 Sylvs (NOVELty Reads) rated it liked it · review of another edition

In the magical world of books there are terrible novels that makes you want to just throw the book out the window and onto the street and cry in agony at all those precious hours your eyes darted over each word and then there are those books that make you scream: OMG YAS!! THIS WAS AMAZING! And makes you want to hug the book close to your chest and never let it go. You would love this book so much you almost hiss at anyone who so much as breathes onto the book.

Caraval was this book.

I can’t beg In the magical world of books there are terrible novels that makes you want to just throw the book out the window and onto the street and cry in agony at all those precious hours your eyes darted over each word and then there are those books that make you scream: OMG YAS!! THIS WAS AMAZING! And makes you want to hug the book close to your chest and never let it go. You would love this book so much you almost hiss at anyone who so much as breathes onto the book.

Caraval was this book.

I can’t begin to describe how amazing this book is and how much of a wondrous adventure it was to read. It was filled with the magic of a Harry Potter novel with hints of the adventure of Pirates of the Caribbean and the wonder a child (or an adult for that matter) gets after watching a grand Cirque Du Soleil circus show. The whole reason why I put off from writing this review was because I was suffering from an emotional book hangover because I just emotionally couldn’t deal with the twists, turns and cliff-hangers that enriched the whole book and made the magic of Caraval that whole lot more incredible.

So I will basically simplify and put into my own words what the blurb already says but this book was about these two sisters called Tella and Scarlett who live under the roof of an abusive father with a high status in society. They try escaping him by entering the magical game of Caraval where they have to work out clues in order to win the prize of a wish. However, the thing they need to find in order to receive the wish is Tella herself and Scarlett and Tella’s boyfriend Julian are sucked into the game and the stakes get raised even higher than before.

The thing that made this book so incredible were not only the fascinating clues and mysteries but the world-building. Stephanie Garber (the author) didn’t tell the scene but she “painted” it quite literally. Some of her descriptions were as such:

“Shades of the rich ruby love she’d felt during the game mixed with hues of deep-indigo hurt, turning everything just a little bit violet.”

And this sort of writing was something I’ve almost never read before and that was what was so incredible because it made the writing and the world that more real and magical. I find that lots of writers struggle with making world seem real to themselves as they write and also to make them so real that the readers are going on this journey with you as if also discovering this world as well. Garber’s book reminded me a lot about the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas as well as The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I wish that this series was longer because it is definitely something to check out and something I will most likely be obsessed with when the next book gets released next year. That’s if I survive Caraval.
...more

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