Caraval Review!

Hellooo my minions!

I greet thee with another review this month! Today, I would have spent most of the day in hospital, but as this is a scheduled post I can’t really say what’s happened as well… because it hasn’t happened yet!

On with the review!

For me Caraval was very much an impulse buy, as I found it for £5.00 online in HARDBACKKKKK!! And IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL, you KNOW I LOVE A HARDBACK. I heard really great things about it on Epic Reads from Margot (a book tube that I watch religiously) and I was just needing to read it.

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.

(GOODREADS)

At first I thought that Scarlett, the main character, was a little bit naive, even though she was in this new exciting place, that was utterly confusing and wonderful at the same time. I didn’t feel overly connected to the characters at the beginning, but over the course if the book, I was really connected to the characters and I felt SO MUCH FOR THEM MY BEANS!!!!!!!

The book was really descriptive, and magical, and I could really picture the world and all, but I sometimes felt that there was this little something missing???? I don’t know what it was, maybe it was a bit of world building that was missing??? The history of the characters was really well developed, so I don’t know what it was.

WHY AM I POKING HOLES IN THIS REALLY GOOD BOOK??

ME,,, TALKING TO MYSELF RIGHT NOW.

I think it may have been because of the fast pace which continued through the book. I think I’m not used to really fast paced fantasy books. I found that the fast pace made it really exciting, and maybe the reason why I felt something was missing was because I read it so quickly, I read it in three days… whooooops!

LU.. WHY READ IT THAT QUICKLY???

It was so mysterious! I was trying to guess what was happening the entire time and was suspicious of so many people. I think that the reason that I found it so quick and exciting because I had no idea what the plot was and I went into the book totally blind. I don’t think that I would have gotten into the book as quickly if I knew what it was about, because I had a lot more exciting moments to keep me reading.

AND THE MYSTERIOUS SAILORRRRRRRRR, WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I LOVE HIM.

There were so many great characters that were added in along the way. I really liked them all!

Along the way there were loads of amazing plot twists and turns and I WAS REALLY SHOCKED BY THE ONE AT THE END!!!! Some were a little predictable, in that afterwards I could see that all the clues point to it.

I really loved how this book challenged what was real and not real, and the sense of adventure and mystery!

If you like books like Six of Crows I think that you’ll really enjoy this one!

See you next post!

Luuuuuuuuuu.