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“Where’s my sister?”
Each was printed in a variety of languages. Some said Open: Sometime Around Midnight. Other signs said Come Back Yesterday.
It's giving Wonderland in the best way
it was twisting into a sun with a star inside and a teardrop inside of the star—the symbol for Caraval.
the space between his shoulder blades. Two more crossed his lower back. As if someone had stabbed him multiple times.
She tried not to imagine what could have happened to him. She wouldn’t want anyone seeing her scars.
Mostly her father just left bruises, but for years she’d dressed herself without the help of a maid so no one would see.
No longer dull shades of bland, the dress was now a rich cerise—the color of seduction and secrets. A stylish row of bows ran down the center of a fitted bodice with a scooped neck, set off by a matching ruffled bustle. The skirts beneath were scalloped and fitted to her form, five slender tiers of different fabrics, alternating between cerise silk and tulle, and bits of black lace. Even her boots had changed, from dull brown to an elegant combination of matching black leather and lace.
But deep down Scarlett knew there was only one explanation. Legend had given her an enchanted gown.
in theory so fucking cool, in practice literally awful.
tickets—and Scarlett wondered if she’d found a way to escape her father’s deadly games on Trisda, only to become a well-costumed piece on a new game board.
sage-shaded colors of suspicion as well.
i love this style of witing but there are moments where I just have to nod and smile bc i have no idea what i'm reading. it sounds pretty tho!
“But what if I’m not asking for money?”
“I said I’m offering a bargain; I’d just like to borrow your voice.”
they can never just take something easy
Scarlett only knew how to survive through caution.
girlie is just getting through life one trauma at a time
For a brilliant moment Scarlett glimpsed the other side: a passionate sky made of melting lemons and burning peaches.
Tella never worried about the future or consequences; it was Scarlett’s job to do that for her.
being the oldest sister is a curse
But there was no sign of her former companion.
🎵 he'll be baaack 🎵
“No need to be scared, Crimson, it’s just me.”
All of the laziness she’d witnessed on the boat had vanished; Julian was now a boxed coil, tightly wound as if preparing for some sort of fight.
“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. What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don’t let any of it trick you. We will try to convince you it’s real, but all of it is a performance. A world built of make-believe. So while we want you to get swept away, be careful of being swept too far away. Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they
...more
The citrus scent from before was gone. Now the air was syrupy and thick, still much sweeter than the air on Trisda, yet Scarlett only tasted bitter.
Legend likes to—play.”
which is 100% the reason Tella falls for him lbr
“Don’t look at me like that,” Scarlett said. “It doesn’t work on me.” “That’s why it’s so fun.”
How she’d once worn a purple dress during Caraval that was the envy of every girl.
It resembled the cobbled streets Scarlett and Julian had just ventured through, only this hamlet was not abandoned: it looked like a storybook come to life. She peered down at bright pointy rooftops, moss-covered towers, gingerbread cottages, gleaming gold bridges, blue-brick streets, and bubbling fountains, all lit by candled lamps that hung everywhere, giving an appearance of time that was neither day nor night.
the way a word feels bigger with an exclamation point tacked onto it.
thats such a cute comparion
“It’s just a very elaborate theater.”
“Once inside, you will be presented with a mystery that must be solved,” said Rupert. “Clues will be hidden throughout the game to help you on your way. We want you to get swept away, but be careful of being swept too far away,” repeated Rupert.
“What happens if someone does get swept too far away?” asked Scarlett. “That’s usually when people die or go mad,” Rupert answered, so calmly she wondered if she’d misheard him.
Pictures painted by a woman who saw the past as she wished it had been rather than as it actually was.
When she took it away, the world became even brighter. She felt as if she could taste the red of the curtains. Chocolate cake drenched in wine.
This was Caraval.
“My sister is shorter than me, and very pretty, with a bit of a rounder face and long spirals of blond hair.”
thats a shit description lol
At the end of it, a searing green door watched Scarlett like a glowing eye.
why does this make me think of that one scene from Rugrats in Paris?
but she swore the sailor looked haunted, as if those moments outside had cost him something valuable.
My little liar, Julian mouthed, his lips parted slightly as he slowly leaned in closer.
Her father liked to wink, usually after he’d done something nasty.
i also love to wink after a cheeky murder
The innkeeper hesitated. Scarlett swore she recognized the name.
If she’s here, you’ll have to find her on your own.”
“I know you want to find your sister, but on this isle secrets are valuable.
Scarlett knew it was dawn, but the crooked halls of La Serpiente smelled like the end of the night, sweat and fading fire smoke mixed with lingering breath from words whose ghosts still haunted the air.
i lowkey need SG to write a gothic fantasy
She remembered her first impression of him, tall, roughly handsome, and dangerous, like poison dressed up in an attractive bottle.
“I didn’t say we were in love—I only said we’re engaged.”
You think everything is going to destroy your life.”
i mean...
Scarlett’s nana used to say the world of Caraval was Master Legend’s great playground. No words were spoken that he didn’t hear. Not even a whisper could escape his ears, no shadow went unseen by his eyes. No one ever saw Legend—or if they did, they didn’t know it was him—but Legend saw all during Caraval.
When she opened it, several red rose petals fell onto her palm, along with a key.
“Scarlett!” Tella’s voice rang loud and clear, as if she could see her sister reaching for the knob. “If you open that door I will never speak to you again.”
a little harsh, no?
Scarlett shouldn’t have been surprised. Her sister had always been wilder; Tella liked the taste of trouble. But it wasn’t the wildness that hurt Scarlett. Tella was the most important person in the world to Scarlett, but it always broke Scarlett to know her sister did not feel the same way.
if Paloma had just stayed on Trisda. Scarlett vowed she’d never leave Tella alone the way their mother had left them. She would protect her. Even though Scarlett was only one year older, she didn’t trust anyone else to take care of her sister, and as Tella grew up, Scarlett didn’t trust Tella to take care of herself. But while she had sheltered Tella, she’d also spoiled her. Tella too often thought only of herself.
While Scarlett often feared men, Tella was the opposite, always chasing after the wrong ones, hoping one might give her the love their father withheld.
damn
“I’m Dante, by the way,
hi. bye.
