The Caraval Series is in the young adult genre, and is very much written as such. Which I have no problems with. If a novel is marketed as young adult, it should be written towards a young adult audience, which gives it a little bit different feel. It has all the elements a young adult novel should have, the battle between good and evil, the journey of the heroes, the transistion of the someone becoming more than they were. Finale has all of these wrapped up in an exciting and unexpected story. 

We loved that the book was written from both Tella and Scarlet's point of view. Stephanie Garber balanced the two perspectives very well, each sister's voice was consistent and strong through their chapters. 

Stephanie has a beautiful way of showing and not just telling, she paints striking pictures with her words. The one element I had a hard time with was how much she used blood in this last novel. There has been glimpses of it in the other two, but it seemed a little overwhelmingly used in this one. Instead of an interesting twist in the story it became something that pulled me out and made me go, "weird".

Both love stories were developed really well and left the readers delightfully satisfied at the end.

Y’all I expect to LOVE this book. I adored the first two books of this series so I just knew this would be a five star read. However, the characters and the length was a bit too much for me to enjoy this fully.

Let me get what I did enjoy out of the way. Garber’s writing is lyrical and always entrances me in a spell. The way she paints a picture of the world in her books is always so beautiful.

My main gripe is that this could have been so much shorter! My goodness, this dragged in so many spots. We got quite a bit of repeated information and that was a bit annoying to keep going over.

Character wise, I have to say my favorite was Jacks. Is that an unpopular opinion? Oh well! I feel like he was the only one who either wasn’t on a high horse or making terrible decisions. Also, He was nothing but honest about his intent from the beginning.

Scarlett annoyed me back in Legendary, but she straight up made me want to smack her in this book. Between her wanting two men to compete for her down to her “I’m better than you” attitude, I was fed up with her. However, I still loved Julian.

Tella. I still love her and think she’s strong when she needs to be. However, some of her choices really made me scratch my head.

Legend was where I was so conflicted. I wanted to root for him but so many times I felt myself pulling back. I could get his way of thinking most of the time but his actions didn’t always match. Let me be real honest here, I almost didn’t really see a difference between him and Jacks most of the time.

The ending felt WAY too easily wrapped up. After everything that we went through with the fates and Caraval, I thought that we would have a more explosive ending. I mean, there twists that I didn’t see coming, but that couldn’t make for me feeling disappointed. Basically, this was rushed and not the ending I thought we would get.

All in all, I’m disappointed and hope that I enjoy her next book much better than this one.

When I finished Legendary, the second book in this trilogy, I assumed the story was over. I kind of feel like maybe it should have been over, leaving some of the story unfinished but still with a satisfactory "ending." Instead, we get this third, somewhat bloated installment in the trilogy, which did nothing except raise more questions and let the entire story just kind of fizzle out. The book itself is enjoyable enough and fun, but it does nothing to add depth to any of its characters, and instead leans on a love triangle to carry much of the plot forward. I would encourage readers to pick up the first two books in the series, but give this one a pass, as the story still feels complete without it.

⭐️Book Review⭐️
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Thank you so much @flatiron_books for the free copy via @netgalley for review.
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I can’t believe it’s over! I feel like I’m way more emotionally involved when I read a trilogy or series as they’re being written. Maybe it’s because I have to wait a year between books. I fell in love with Caraval and the world that @stephanie_garber created.
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I liked that the fates played a larger role in this book and I enjoyed the alternating perspectives of Scarlett and Tella. I liked how Garber wrapped up her trilogy, but I think I have to say that Caraval is still my favorite of the three. There’s just something so magical about the first book!
4⭐️ for the series!
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1.5 Stars


This book was a hot mess.

To be fair, I did not really enjoy the first book of the series. I gave it a solid two stars. It was okay, but had major flaws. The second book was three stars for me. It was a good reading experience and greatly improved from the first book. This final installment... a complete and total mess.
Here are my main issues.

#1 There was great potential for the fates. The second book set up for an amazing plot. But that's largely ignored in this book in favor of running around after TWO love triangles.

#2 Granted, Scarlet's is pointless and never should have been included. Thankfully it wrapped up quickly, but it was still a distraction and served only as page filler. There was no tension there. We all saw through it.

#3 Now Tella's love triangle? That was pretty much the entire story. The book focused far too much on who Tella was kissing or sharing blood with instead of saving Scarlet and the entire city from the fates.

#4 Legend didn't shine in this book, either. No one did. Even Tella (a much stronger character than Scarlet) was largely useless.

#5 Rescuing Paloma turned out to be 100% pointless. Not satisfying at all.

#6 Too many new characters were introduced with no true development. Even Nicholas and Paloma and "essential" characters felt like an extra in this book.

#7 That ending. W. T. F. (SPOILERS FOR THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH) .............. Scarlet on the throne? Scarlet as empress? That undoes everything that Legend worked for as Dante. Plus, Dante was still alive, so the throne would have gone back to him. I get the whole "what if Elentine was Paloma's mother" shtick, but it doesn't mean Scarlet would be accepted on the throne. She even says the people didn't like her after the discovery that she was half fate. This doesn't seem like something that fits her character or Julian's as her fiance by the end of the book.

Yeah. This had potential, but it missed that potential on nearly every mark. I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone above junior high now. It wasn't terrible as a series, but it was a huge disappointment over all.

I guess it's weird that I'm both smiling and have tears forming in my eyes. Happy tears of course and yet sad at the same time.

Caraval opened up a new world filled with intrigue, adventure, deception, and hope. I was smitten before I got my invitation. The idea of Legend and his performers was like opening up a present as a child. So much potential, so many possibilities, and all just for me! Legendary brought a while new set of emotions. Love, longing, and betrayal as well as the mystery and adventure. I found myself addicted to the illusions and the wonder in every page. Stephanie Garber has a wonderful imagination and an enchanted way with words. But Finale....

Oh Finale is a breath stealing, heart clenching ride of ache and more illusions than ever before. Nothing is as it seems and yet I couldn't be more in love with these characters and this world. Maybe being older gives me a better appreciation for the wondrous things, the dating adventures, and the epic emotions... or maybe I'm just a big kid at heart. Regardless, Stephanie Garber has given me an adventure I will cherish and share. Finale is the end of this adventure but I'm hoping it's just the beginning of many more!

Finishing Finale has made me far more nostalgic for Scarlett, Tella, Julian, and Legend than I'd like to admit. I can't wait to snag the audiobooks to share them with my kids.

After Legend freed the Fates to save Donatella’s life, he installed himself as emperor. However when one of the Fates wants to take the throne, Donatella must take action to save the kingdom. Secrets are revealed as Donatella and Scarlett risk all to save the kingdom from the Fates. Finale has two parallel story threads, one focusing on Donatella and the other focusing on Scarlett. While there is a split focus Donatella gets more page time, especially earlier in the book. That’s too bad because Scarlett is the more interesting of the two sisters. Part of the problem is that Donatella spends most of her time pining over two guys who spend most of their time manipulating her and/or holding her at arm’s length. Plus Scarlett comes off as more of an active character than her sister even though both characters make questionable decisions and rely on convenient deus ex machinas to get them out of the situations they find themselves in. If either displayed more problem solving skills this book would have been more enjoyable. This book is probably not for me but I didn’t find much to enjoy about this series.

Thank you Netgalley for providing the ARC for this book.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

This book was an excellent end to an interesting series. While I loved the first book Tella's voice was a little too annoying for me to fully get into the second book. Though, that could have been because I was listening to it instead of reading. I loved the balance of this book between the two sisters and getting to see both their stories play out together. Tella grew on me more until I came to enjoy what she had to say even if some of her actions were a little too impulsive for my tastes. There were moments I felt like some important scenes felt too rushed for my tastes. Information was brought up that could have a whole book dedicated to just that plot line. In the end, this was a pretty enjoyable read that surpassed the second book but could not beat the creative beauty of the first.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Caraval will always be my favorite in this trilogy. I’ve recommended it to so many people.

Finale was a good ending to this magical and mystery world. I enjoyed it. I liked the characters. It took me awhile to get into it, and it dragged at times. But overall good book. The covers of all three books are so gorgeous.

This book was amazing!!! I’m so in love with these characters... the writing is great and keeps you hanging onto every word. This is my absolute favorite series!

Finale wraps up a series that has romantically mysterious while demonstrating the unbreakable bond between two sisters. Magic and fantasy collide in this world that demonstrates the same issues we face in today’s world.

"Finale" is the much anticipated third installment of the Caraval series penned by author Stephanie Garber. With main characters Scarlett and Tella leading the story, the novel offers a fresh combination of perspectives. This multiple point of view approach was a welcome change as I wanted to hear more of Scarlett's story. I felt more connected to her character and was excited to see her path unfold. However, although the book featured both sister's points of view, I felt that Scarlett had less air time and I was left a little disappointed by this. Tella's characterization was well done, but I didn't feel a strong camaraderie with her.

Like the previous books, Stephanie Garber does an excellent job of scene building and uses imagery to transport the reader into the setting. The genius of this book was really the world building and the author's ability to immerse the reader in a magical immersive tale. I also loved the fact that this novel revisited Scarlett and Julian which I had been waiting for! Overall, I felt that this book was well worth the wait! I will definitely be heading out to the store and buying a hard copy to keep for years to come!

Finale is a story about the meaning of love and how that meaning changes for each of the characters in this story. Tella’s love for Legend is tested by her confusing feelings for Jacks and Scarlett’s love for Julian is never wavering but her definition of love changes when she uncovers some truths about her past. Both of their journeys are tested but eventually love conquers all, and in this novel you can’t take that statement literally.

Stephanie Garber continues with the beautiful prose from the first two novels. Each word is imbued with ribbons of color which seems appropriate to the theme of love that runs through this story. At times though her lyrical style seems to distract rather than draw attention to, and I’ll admit my mind wandered a bit. I found myself scanning back through the pages wondering what had happened since I last tuned in. I still enjoyed the story, but it took a really long time for it to reach a conclusion.

Tella and Legend continued their tale of unrequited love. If an immortal feels the emotions of love it turns them human and Legend fights his fears through most of their storyline. I found Jacks’ emotions the more interesting of the two men, since he gave into his obsession and seemed to turn Tella’s head with his feelings, even though those feelings were rather unhealthy.

Scarlett’s story with Julian remained unchanged, however her character grew a lot more than Tella’s did in this conclusion. She learned a lot about why she could see the color of other people’s emotions and how she dealt with that knowledge uncovered strengths that she previously hadn’t really shown. I cared a lot more for the resolution of her story than I did for her sister’s which seemed a lot more shallow a tale.

Finale was my least favorite book in the series, but part of that was that the newness had dulled slightly. Some new characters (the Fates) were introduced and time was spent allowing us to get to know a few of these characters so that it helped build more of an impact to the conclusion of the story. The end felt a little too pat for all of that prior build up, but I did feel like I got the conclusion that I wanted for these characters and I was left feeling pretty satisfied. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

What a great ending to this magical series. I'm often skeptical when the sequels don't follow a similar theme as the first book, and while this book was vastly different and more complicated in some ways than Caraval and even Legendary were, I feel like Stephanie did a good job of keeping me as the reader hooked and pulling for the characters I had grown to love. The magic had a very different feel to it than in the first book, but it wasn't disappointing. The stakes escalated in this 3rd book to an exciting place and I loved how she wrapped up everything, and her concept of the almost-ending and the true-ending.

Garber, Stephanie. (2019). Finale. New York: Flatiron Books. ISBN: 9781250157669

One sentence description: Sisters Scarlet and Donatella return for their finale adventure in the Caraval series where winning might mean losing everything that matters most.

Why I chose this book: I had read and enjoyed the first two and was happy when I was able to access the electronic galley.

What I liked: The ending is very satisfying for any fans who have stuck it out till the end. I also enjoyed the glimpses we are shown of the different Fates. Perhaps best of all, for me who has a sister I love very much, the sisters’ relationship is never second to anything else.

Pro tip: I suspect that only true fans (of which there are more than a few) will enjoy this entry in the series. While I enjoyed it, it dragged quite a bit and some of the writing was over the top.

Reviewed from publisher provided electronic galley. Amazon affliate: if you click through and buy something, I receive a portion of the purchase price.

This review pains me to write because I was truly expecting a 5 star read.

I have always thought highly of this series. I loved how Caraval focused on a game and the actors within the game. I loved how Legendary expanded that world and introduced us to the Fates. I truly believe this series could’ve just been a duology; extend Legendary to be a slightly longer book, tie up some loose ends, and call it a wrap. I really don’t understand the point of Finale at all.

Finale introduces us to a new villain which… seems like an odd time to bring in a new villain. We already met Jacks in Legendary, and in my opinion, he was the perfect “bad guy.” But we get introduced to the ACTUAL villain who is a Fate. And this Fate wants to destroy basically everyone and take Legend’s place. I just really didn’t understand the point of him at all and he was so “mustache twirly” that I had to roll my eyes at all his scenes.

So let’s talk about Tella and Scarlett. In this book the POV’s alternate between the two sisters, which I actually did like because we got to follow their own little journeys within the story. However, Scarlett was so childish in this book I JUST CANNOT. From the very beginning of the book she decides she wants to string Julian along, and then have Julian and Nicolas compete for her? What kind of childish game is this? I truly do not understand her motivations behind this AT ALL.

Tella is my favorite of the two sisters but she also did some things that were questionable. She kept seeking solace from Jacks, who is, you know… a villain… and would then be surprised that he *gasp* did a villainous thing. Girl, why? Also, Jacks literally tries to give her a heart attack in order to get what he wants from Legend, but then later tells Tella he “didn’t mean to” and would never hurt her? Excuse me? But you literally just gave her a heart attack, dude. I was always Team Jacks but that scene was so unnecessary to me.

And speaking of Jacks (who was my favorite character from Legendary.) His character really got reduced down to be a minor side character who only showed up at convenient times to sweep Tella off her feet. I truly didn’t understand his purpose and felt zero closure with him.

I was also really excited to be introduced to the other Fates, but they all also felt like very minor side characters who didn’t seem to play a pivotal role in the entire story.

Here’s the thing: I’ve always loved the world of Caraval, but in Finale I felt like most of the time we were being TOLD. It’s full of characters speaking in long paragraphs telling us about the history of something or about another character. It really dragged and made me lose focus. I don’t want to be told everything; I want to see it. Also I refuse to even acknowledge the time-travel loophole because that’s my least favorite trope used to tie up a loose end.

This was my most anticipated release of 2019 and I am just kind of feeling neutral about how it all ended? I didn’t hate it, but I just didn’t love it either. I know my review sounds super ranty, but I loved being back in the world and with these characters again. I will also forever love Dante because he’s such a sweet guy. Also I think Stephanie Garber is the loveliest human and I will still read everything she writes. I guess I can hope there will be a spin-off for this series?

~ARC provided by NetGalley~

I so wanted to love this book, I really did. It really just fell kind of flat for me. This one actually took quite a bit of time for me to finish too. I won't say I was super disappointed, I did like the last few chapters.

I think I may have set my expectations too high for this book.
While it did tie up a lot of loose threads in the trilogy, I a;most felt as though a different author wrote it. There were too many departures from the intrigue and magic that I enjoyed so much about the first two books. Instead, there was a lot of cringe-worthy romance that felt unnatural and forced, as well as stilted conversations. As a result, the whole book seemed forced and awkward.

Stephanie Garber gives her readers a worthy finale to her much-loved YA series. The world-building, story-weaving, and magic keep her readers invested until the very end. Garber delivers a solid trilogy that will remain a favorite on reader shelves.

Finale is the epic conclusion to Garber's Caraval trilogy, and it includes the same magic and storytelling as the first two). The first novel, Caraval, gave us the point of view and development of Scarlett, while the second novel, Legendary, gave us the development of her sister, Donatella. Finale successfully gives us perspectives from both sisters and a satisfying ending. While the first two novels focused more on the magic and wonder of Legend's Caraval, this third novel shifted focus to the individual couples/romance. I grew a little tired of the romances (I preferred it as part of the background as it was in the first two), but found myself enjoying the action/adventures the sisters were drawn into throughout the book. Despite the plot being a bit predictable in it's ending, Garber managed to throw a few surprises into the story to help keep me invested and interested in what happened to the characters. I highly recommend this conclusion to fans of the first two books, and look forward to future books by Stephanie Garber.