REVIEW: Caraval

By Denise @ Life With No Plot on March 10, 2025 • ( 0 )

After my re-read of this book a few weeks ago I was shocked – shocked, I tell you! – to find out that I never reviewed it on the blog. This needed to be remedied immediately.

About the Book

Title: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 407

Edition Read: Kindle eBook

Dates Read: May 2022 (first time), February 2025 (re-read)

Blurb: 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.

Review

I really, really love this book. I have a thing for dark carnivals and circuses and this book scratches all those itches.

As always, I like to start with the main character. I love Scarlett. She is kind, generous and forgiving to a fault, and while she doesn’t start out as being brave, she definitely learns how to be, at least a little, by the end of the book. That said, there were many times that I got really frustrated with her because of these things. Her sister, Tella, is really a brat and very self-centered, and Scarlett pretty much lets her walk all over her. I know part of this is because Scarlett feels guilty since she couldn’t protect Tella as much as she wished from their abusive father (he is AWFUL and I hate him so much) but there are several times that I wanted to just shake her and tell her to stop.

The real centerpiece of this book is, of course, Caraval. It is dark and beautiful, elegant and twisted. There were parts of it that very much gave off Wonderland vibes and absolutely NOTHING is what it seems to be. It is easy to get completely lost in it, which is what a lot of people come to Caraval to do. Many people come to just experience the atmosphere, but most come to play “The Game.” We spend most of the time trying to figure out what is real and what is not, who can be trusted and who can’t, and what path to follow that won’t lead to complete madness.

Add to that a cast of characters who are as ambiguous as they come. Julian, a “common” sailor who knows a little too much about Caraval. Dante, another guest at Caraval who seems to have an agenda of his own. Jovan and Aiko, two people who work for Legend who may be helping Scarlett, but also may not be. And of course, the mysterious Legend himself, who definitely has a sadistic streak and keeps you guessing what will happen next.

In short, this book is spooky, beautiful, full of mystery and imagination. I love it.

GoodReads Rating: 5 stars