Review: Caraval

Lady Midnight
Jul 10, 2017
2 min read

Hey everyone! Today, I'm going to be reviewing Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I had the privilege of receiving this book in one of my OwlCrate boxes and got to meet the lovely Stephanie at BookCon! THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!

This book is about two sisters, Scarlett and Tella that have received an invitation to see Caraval - a fantastical, once a year, performance few are lucky to see. With the help of a sailor, they leave their father's grip and sail to the island the performance is held on. Upon arrival, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind Legend with the main task of the performance being to find her. Whoever finds her first, wins. Everyone knows what happens during Caraval's performance is not real - but it's hard not to be fooled. Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of Caraval are up, or her sister will disappear forever.

When I first received this book, it took a little bit of persuasion from a friend to even start it. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book, and I had never read anything from this author before. Once I started reading though, I was hooked.

My overall rating for this book is 4.7/5 stars.

So here is how I got my rating: I give reviews based on five separate categories: plot, characters, description, pace, and extras. Each point earns a total of 1 star - which is what gives my five star rating.

Plot: 1/1 stars. At first I was wary about the plot - I wasn't sure if it was going to be something I actually enjoyed or not, but once I got past the first three chapters I really enjoyed it. Garber mixes the lines of reality and imagination through characters, events, actions, and speech - you find yourself just as confused as Scarlett and believing everything you're not supposed to. If you're into magic, fantasy, and slight romance - this is the book for you!

Characters: 0.8/1 stars. Most of the characters were great! They played their part, were entertaining, and three dimensional. There were just a few characters I thought that could have been developed more, but they were minor characters, so it's not as detrimental. Overall, great people, great cast, great book!

Description: 0.9/1 stars. The world is so fantastical and many scenes include magic and trickery that I got lost a few times. Garber describes them well and tries to help the reader follow Scarlett's mind, but sometimes it's overwhelming.

Pace: 1/1 stars. The book was neither too fast, nor too slow. I could feel the roller coaster ride that Scarlett was on and I think Garber did excellent with pacing.

Extras: 1/1 stars. This book is so fantastical, magical, energetic, crazy, and exciting. Gotta love magic! It was definitely a great ride.

If you're a fan of fantasy or YA - this is definitely a book I recommend for you! But don't try and follow along - just enjoy the ride.

If you like this review, or didn't, please let us know in the comments below! Or feel free to message us on Instagram or Twitter @ladyandstar.