Stephanie Garber’s Caraval is a spellbinding and original fantasy story about two sisters, Scarlett and Donatella, who run away from their gloomy home to see Caraval, a magical performance run by the mysterious Legend. What immediately intrigued me by the book is that it starts off with letters from Scarlett, beginning when she was a little girl, writing to Legend and begging him to whisk her and her sister off to Caraval so they can escape their evil father, and ending with Legend responding after many years.
Summary:
Scarlett Dragna and her sister Donatella have never left their tiny home island of Trisda, where their father abuses and neglects them ever since the disappearance of their mother. He arranged a marriage for Scarlett, and so she now thinks she has run out of time to see Caraval, the magical performance held by Legend. But, she receives a letter from him after years of begging for a ticket, inviting her and her fiance to Caraval. She realizes she cannot go because she’d miss her wedding, but Tella gets help from a sailor, Julian, and whisks Scarlett away to the games. But, Tella gets kidnapped by Legend, and Scarlett must win the game, with the help of Julian, to get her sister back home and escape the wrath of her father. As she discovers secrets about Caraval and its history, the game starts to feel less like a fun performance and more and more of a dangerous reality.
Review:
Stephanie Garber is an extremely descriptive writer, and is really good at creating an image of the world she’s created, making it very easy to imagine all the magical things that Scarlett is experiencing. Scarlett has a special ability to see emotions as colors, also helping to really understand the book. Garber is also good at not being too wordy, making the book an easy and light read.
Scarlett is a very relatable character, especially as we get to experience her emotions as colors. She is often anxious and an overthinker, as many people are these days. Tella is a very brave and flighty character, often her sister’s opposite, creating an interesting relationship between them. Julian, the sailor, is a very mysterious character, but we get to know Julian very well as he and Scarlett work together to win Caraval.
Love is the biggest theme in this book. It is one of the things that fuels the magic of Caraval, and also what fuels Scarlett to risk her entire life to look for and save her sister, Scarlett. Love is also a big theme that Scarlett herself encounters as she uncovers the dark secrets of Caraval, and Legend’s, past. Another big theme is bravery, as Tella is brave for what she did for her sister (you can find out what she did by reading the book 😉), and you can also see bravery as Scarlett is pushed farther out of her comfort zone in order to save Donatella.
The plot is very original, as Garber has created a wonderful and magical world within this book, and all her others that occur in this fantasy world as well. There are many plot twists, especially near the end, that I found very surprising. Also, she is very good at giving the reader many small details that all come together at the end. I’ve even found myself realising small connections days after finishing the book!
I enjoyed this book and the world Garber has created very much! I would say that there are many consecutive plot twists at the end, and it can be difficult to follow if you are not fully focused on reading the book, but it’s all in all a very enjoyable story!
Overall, I would rate this book 📚📚📚📚📚, as it is a magical and amazing book to get swept up in and forget about the stresses of the world! I recommend this to any fantasy lover, or anyone wishing to escape the real world for a bit and enjoy the enchanting world of Caraval! (5/5)
Love, Bruna
GFB Ambassador