Beasts of Carnaval is an atmospheric novel written in exquisite prose. The setting is fantastic and the premise unique, and it sounds like a novel that should be right up my alley. Unfortunately, though, I found the latter parts of this book to be less than enthralling. That's not necessarily the fault of the book – obviously others have enjoyed it much more than I did – but for whatever reason, I could not get into or bring myself to care about anything that happens in the second half of this story.

The beginning, though, is fabulous. Sofía is a freedwoman who travels to Isla Bestia (a hedonistic island where revelers party the night away with abandon) with her friend (and former owner) Adelina to search for her brother who disappeared there five years prior. But something dark is lurking under the glamor and glitz of Carnaval, and Sofía and Adelina begin to lose themselves to the thrall of the island. And, well … yes! This is the reason I picked up this book, and it was exactly what I hoped it would be – Sofía attempting to solve the mystery of her brother's disappearance while navigating the dark underbelly of paradise. But then the narrative shifts, things get fever dream-y for a while, and then there's no more Carnaval. The setting changes, the tone of the story changes, the supporting characters change, and most of the magic is lost. I probably would have been a lot more tolerant of the abrupt switch had this book been about 75 pages shorter (and provided most of the pages had been cut from the second half of the book), but unfortunately I mostly just found it tedious. Even the climax is just … meh. I came here for Carnaval, not to read about Sofía wandering through caves and writing letters.

But, again, this is probably mostly just a “me and my unrealistic expectations” thing. The prose really is lovely and it's obvious that the author put a lot of care into writing this novel. Lots of reviewers will probably love it, and I do look forward to seeing what Rosália Rodrigo will come up with next.

My overall rating: 3.35 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 29, 2025.

I don't think I have read anything like this before. The writing was beautiful and poetic. It is striking and imagery is a great addition to the story. The book is based in Carribean folklore and mythology which I have not read a ton of, but found very interesting. Because the writing is a bit flowery, some passages seem a tiny bit too long, but I was still enjoying the book so much.

Sofia's realization and coming to terms with her identity along with mysteries of the past was very well done. I highly recommend this one.

this was a beautiful, devastating fever dream. so gorgeous, intoxicating, but laced with something darker underneath. Beasts of Carnaval is one of those stories. it pulls you in with its lush world and dazzling spectacle, only to unravel into something much heavier: a tale of stolen history, lost identity, and the ghosts of a past that refuses to stay buried.

Sofía’s journey isn’t just about finding her brother—it’s about finding herself in a place that was never meant to hold space for her. Isla Bestia is breathtaking, a paradise of endless music, glittering feasts, and performers who seem almost otherworldly. But beneath the revelry is something sinister, something that tugs at the edges of her mind. The deeper she sinks into the island’s spell, the more the lines between past and present blur. the echoes of her Taike’ri ancestors hum through the performances, their language and culture twisted into entertainment for those who once took everything from them.

this book hurts. not because it’s tragic in the way you expect, but because it forces you to sit with the weight of history, with the knowledge that some things—some people—are lost forever. Sofía fights, she searches, she unravels. and through it all, the island watches. there are no easy answers here. no simple victories. just the ache of remembering, of reclaiming, of realizing that some wounds never fully heal. this is stunning and cruel in equal measure—a story that lingers, that haunts, that refuses to let you go.

5 stars

~~ I received an ARC copy of Beasts of Carnaval from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~

What a beautifully written book. Rosalia Rodrigo paints a colorful picture of the island of Carnaval, a "pleasure island" that has drawn the rich and influential from the Hisperian empire to its shores. Her main character, Sofia, is a freedwoman looking for her brother Sol, who has gone missing after a number of years.

Rodrigo creates a complex work that touches on the realities of slavery and the death of indigenous cultures in the Caribbean in her piece and honors the cultural ancestry that has been long lost to colonization. I couldn't put this book down and the read felt like a technicolor experience. I can't recommend this book enough.

Beasts of Carnaval is a wonderful book steeped in mythology and wonder. The prose of the novel is lush and takes a little longer to read. In this novel, a woman searches for her brother at his last known locale, Isla Bestia. As Sofia discovers more and more secrets, its mysterious nature begins to be revealed. There are themes of friendship, family, and Post Colonialism. This is a novel to take some time with and let it saturate your senses. 5 stars.