Thank you Hachette Australia for the review copy!

Finally got around to reading CARAVAL which has been sitting in my kindle forever and I'm really glad I did. I loved both Scarlett and Tella and I'm so excited to read about their further adventures in the rest of the series which I can now binge all at once now the whole trilogy is published!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - magical whimsy with a hint of mystery, echoes of one of my top 10 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgansten.

Stephanie Garber’s debut novel is a finely wrought Young Adult Italianate fantasy. It has elements of gameplay, cautious romance and danger but is always keen to assure characters and readers that it is ‘only a game’.

The book opens with seven years of letters from Scarlett Dragna to the mysterious ‘Legend’. Legend runs an annual event called Caraval. Not much is known about Caraval except that it involves players and magic and possibly a little adventure. But all Scarlett can do is dream, stuck on an island with an abusive father, engaged to marry a nobleman who she has never met and sworn to protect her impetuous younger sister. When tickets arrive for Caraval a week before her wedding, Scarlett baulks at the chance but her sister has other ideas.

Caraval, it turns out is a giant game. For five days, competitors try to solve a mystery in a magic city that is a little reminiscent of Venice. Gameplay can only take place at night and it turns out very quickly that the object of this year's quest is Scarlett’s missing sister Tella. Scarlett is helped by the mysterious, good looking sailor who helped them travel to the island and to whom she finds herself attracted.

There are some effective twists in the story but most are authorial sleight of hand and, being YA fantasy, the ultimate result is never really in doubt. But the target readership – teenage girls mainly – will have a lot of fun getting there. The setting is gorgeous, sometimes dangerous and full of interesting nooks and crannies, the costumes are lush and described in detail, the mystery is played out at a good pace and the romance is appropriately pitched. There is a wider world only vaguely hinted at in Caraval which no doubt Garber will be exploring in coming volumes of this series.

Rating: 4/5 stars

What a whirl-wind of a book! This story was frenetic and colourful and magical. It had elements of The Night Circus and many of Cassandra Clare’s novels- the same circus magic and enchanting imagery of the former, but the teen angst and romance of the latter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, but there’s somehow something a little off about this book, but for the life of me I can’t pick it, and that’s why I’ve given Caraval a 4 out of 5 star review.
This book was a bit of a marathon- knowing there’s now a sequel in the works makes me quite excited, but goodness what an emotional reading journey that I know I’ll have to prepare for all over again when the next book is released.

Because I will very much be reading it.

{ WRITING }

The writing of Caraval is so mystical and poetic. The care that is taken to describe scenes is absolutely stunning from the beautiful word choices to the alluring imagery. It has such a good flow to it where you find yourself so deeply immersed in the world that you have no idea where all your time has passed! The writing just sucks you into the story and transports you to this amazing, mysterious and dangerous world where nothing is as it seems.

It is also quite easy to read. I read the book in two days because of how short and easy it was to get into. It was so addictive and hard to put down, especially after you hit half way as the plot began to thicken.

The writing worked so well for this style of book because it just added to the magic and mystery of Caraval with the alluring and beautiful prose. Stephanie Garber worked wonders with her writing of this novel.

The only criticisms I can give the writing are that at times things seemed to happen a bit too…fast. There would be one or two sentences to describe something important and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would miss it and have to go back and re-read. I feel like more lengthy descriptions would have worked very well for this book but hopefully next time!


{ IDEA }

I haven’t read many circus books, including The Night Circus so I would say that this idea seems pretty original to me! But even if it isn’t, I feel Garber did an amazing job of making this stand apart from other YA novels.

Firstly, it is quite deceptively dangerous. Looking at the cover and the blurb, you would definitely think it’s quite mysterious but not many would say dangerous. But as you continue to get swept away with the magic and mystery, you definitely feel yourself not being able to trust anyone, even Scarlett at times as her mind begins to play tricks on her.

Secondly, it has such a huge focus on sisterhood rather than romance, which is quite refreshing. Being an only child, I can’t say I really understand sisterhood but the selfless actions of Scarlett to save her sister Tella are quite well written and realistic. Also, they are quite different to other YA novels!

Thirdly, A CIRCUS THAT IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE??? SIGN ME UP! While I don’t read a lot of mystery, I do enjoy it and this book was such a perfect blend of mystery, magic realism and romance. Those three elements combined together so well to create such a spellbinding and unique story!


{ PLOT }

I feel like this is where the story let me down a little bit. While the plot was very addictive, the slow start had me feeling a little ‘meh’. The book didn’t really pick up until half way and when it did, I kinda felt it would be…more?

By that I mean more mystery and magic and more difficult clues and quests. Not to say it wasn’t but I guess I was hoping for it to be more shocking!

But in saying that, I still really enjoyed it and managed to read it in two days despite my busy schedule so it was pretty enjoyable!

I can’t say too much more about the plot as this is a mystery book after all so you’re just going to have to read it to know more!


{ CHARACTERS }

Scarlett was such a sweet heart! I felt Garber did a pretty good job of writing her because as a reader, you could sense her desperation and want and longing and fear. She played the role of a concerned and cautious older sister so well and I liked how that drew a stark contrast to the relaxed, carefree and spontaneous younger sister Tella.

And while you can feel the sisterhood bond from Scarlett’s side of the story, I guess I didn’t connect to it that much because you don’t see it returned from Tella.

I also found it quite hard to connect to the characters. Even though I liked them and felt for them in their situation, it was difficult to develop that bond that I have with some of my favourite characters in the past! Nonetheless though, the two sisters were great protagonists.

And another character I wanted to chat about was of course Julian! It was so hard to know whether he was to be trusted or not but you couldn’t help but love him. He was the perfect addition to the story with his aura of mystery and knack for knowing so much more than he let on.

Overall the characters were pretty good but a little hard to bond with!


{ FINALLY… }

Caraval is such an intriguing, alluring and mysterious novel. From the very beginning where you are told ‘remember, it’s just a game’ you are drawn in and it’s absolutely impossible to put it down! Everything about this book is absolutely stunning from the drop dead gorgeous cover to the drool worthy writing to the amazing and unique idea!

While I do feel it is a little overhyped, I still enjoyed it a lot and really recommend you check it out!

Caraval is a story about magic, mystery, and love.

Magic - Everything about Caraval is so magical. It wouldn't exist without magic. I love how magic was described by the author. The details were vivid and I can easily imagine them, making it possible to experience the magic myself, in a way. This made me realize that words are magic themselves. They can create worlds that become alive when we read. And the author is responsible in creating the magic that the words provide. Stephanie Garber was able to remarkably write the words that are able to create magic, which made her book magical aside from the fact that the story involves magic.

Mystery - I love how there are so many mysterious stuff involved in this story - the identity of Scarlett's fiance; what happened to their mother; who is Legend; is Julian really Legend; where is Tella; why did Legend chose to respond to Scarlett's letter after so many years... so many mysteries! And the turn of events never ceased to surprise me. Every time I thought that I already know what's gonna happen, or who's who, it will eventually turn out that I got it all wrong. It's so amazing! I really love it when a book surprises me, and my predictions are wrong, because after reading so many books, I already find a lot of books predictable. This book didn't disappoint in giving surprises, it just kept on coming, thus reaching the point when I find surprises very normal in this book. Haha.

Love - I really like the fact that this book doesn't only involve romantic love but also sisterly love. Scarlett and Julian are soooo cute together and I really like them together. Scarlett's love for Tella was overwhelming. She is willing to go through anything and sacrifice everything for her sister. It's so heartwarming. I just felt a little pitiful about Scarlett because she was the only one clueless about what's really happening. She also experienced losing both Julian and Tella, only to find out in the end that they're still alive. If I were her, I might have gone mad with all that has happened!

Caraval is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I love everything about it! The gorgeous cover, the story, the characters... I can't wait for the next book!

I am glad that I waited a few days to review Caraval, as it has made me not get up in all the hype that occurs whenever I read a book. Coming straight out of it, I would have said that it was a great, memorable read; but now I am struggling to remember what happened.

The premise of Caraval is a young girl (her actually age is never stated, but I believe that she is 16) who’s wish is to go to this Caraval. She does not really know what Caraval is, only hearing rumours and not entirely true anecdotes of time spent their. Even now, after having read the entire book, I am still struggling to understand what Caraval was exactly.

I am also kind-of disappointed that this is being made into a duology, the premise of Caraval did not need to be spread out over another 500-odd page novel. Especially since it does not seem like it will be anything like Caraval with the way that it ended.

If you love YA, then Caraval has just the right mix of everything to make you fall in love with it. If YA is not your cuppa tea, then the mystery element probably won’t be enough to keep hold of you.

caraval went above and beyond all expectations that i had for this book. i actually can't believe it was so good. the first few chapters were disappointing and a little off putting. i didn't particularly like the way it was written, but i'm glad i continued reading as things picked up once they left scarlett's home island.

i have no idea if/what this book was inspired by, but it made me want to watch the labyrinth all over again. there are quite a few scenes that are similar to the movie (the main antagonist is a huge inspiration to the protagonist; trying to find a sibling that's been taken by the antagonist; the scene where all the people are trying to take her sister's things, which is nearly identical to the labyrinth where those people were collecting sarah's things), honestly, i can keep listing similarities if you want me to but i'd rather not spoil anything.

and i'm not saying those similarities were a bad thing, it just made me really nostalgic.

i really loved the writing style. everything flowed with a nice pace and i was never bored. the world building was phenomenal (i hope there'll be a sequel, i'm dying to know more). there were quite a few plot twists, none of which i expected. it wasn't predictable at all.

scarlett was an enjoyable character. she's just so lovely and sweet. i didn't particularly like the romance between her and julian, as it was so rushed and didn't feel real. although in saying that, i found julian rather boring. i absolutely love the relationship between scarlett and tella.

i adore tella's character development. i didn't like her in the beginning, she irritated me. but by the end, i wanted to know more. she's so underrated. she's so cunning and strong.

if you haven't read this book yet, please read it now!! it's so good. it's been one of my most anticipated for so long, and so far it's the only book that's lived up to those expectations. i don't like reading hyped books as i find them disappointing, but this book was far from that. please. read. caraval.

Published in January 2017 by Hachette Australia, Caraval is Stephanie Garber's debut novel. Full of magic, deception, romance and incredible writing, Caraval is sure to delight and confound every reader.

To start with Caraval was a bit slow. We meet Tella and Scarlett, and the handsome Julian, and debate going to Caraval for a few chapters. Quickly though, the pace picks up, and we are immersed in beautiful, descriptive writing that drowns us in the sounds, smells and sights of Caraval.

Every chapter explores new aspects of Caraval, and you're never quite sure what is real, and what isn't. The entire book is a maze of deception and trickery, magic and romance, and I loved every second of it. I really enjoyed following Scarlett's perspective, and seeing her love for her sister, and watching a potential romance bloom.

Caraval is a beautifully written trick of a novel with a cliff-hanger style ending that has me wanting more. Loved it so much. 5 stars.

This was a great fun, quick YA read with some very imaginative and creative elements .

Title: 5 Things About Caraval by Stephanie Garber

INTIMIDATING HYPE
I was scared to start CARAVAL. Every book that gets a lot of hype is incredibly daunting because of that fear of “What if I don’t like it?” There have been times where I’ve had high expectations as a result of overwhelming praise from book bloggers which the book couldn’t meet and so I was left disappointed. Fortunately CARAVAL is a fantastic novel. It’s easy to see why there is so much love for it, even if I wasn’t as infatuated with it as most others (probably due to some high expectations)

Gif: http://readerswonderland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/intimidated.gif

CARAVAL REMINDS ME OF THE NIGHT CIRCUS (ON STEROIDS)
The main setting of CARAVAL is Caraval (what a surprise!), a week long festival of magical novelties and, if the participants so choose, a scavenger hunt. The atmosphere and stores, etc of Caraval itself reminded me a little of the Night Circus in terms of its magic and wonder, though Caraval is a hell of a lot more sinister and potentially deadly.

SISTERS BEFORE MISTERS
SO MANY SISTER FEELS!!! I can’t remember the last time I read a book where sibling relationships were the core of the story and character motivations. Tella and Scarlett were so incredibly dedicated to one another. They truly love each other and everything they do is done with the goal of protecting or helping the other. As someone with two younger sisters I could definitely relate to it and it made me so very happy.

Gif: http://readerswonderland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sisters.gif

I WAS LOST IN THE GAME
I really shouldn’t have been surprised that I became lost in this book. In the first sitting I read 35% and would have read more if I didn’t get tired. It’s so easy to read and keep the pages turning. The plot is engaging and suspenseful, the setting intriguing, and the romance full of tension!

NEVER ENDING MIND GAMES
Caraval is just a game. Or is it? You’re not always sure what is real and not real. This book plays games with your head as much as it plays with Scarlett. There are hints and foreshadowing every now and then, but I’m fairly certain I missed a tonne because so many things surprised me. It’s going to take a couple of rereads to try and figure out all the clues (only to have my brain be thrown for a loop again when the sequel comes out!) Also THAT EPILOGUE

Gif: http://readerswonderland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/mind-games.gif

IN SUMMARY:
CARAVAL was an intimidating book to begin because there was so much hype surrounding its release. Fortunately, it is a case of well deserved hype! With a plot that plays games with your head, a romance filled with tension, and a pair of dedicated sisters giving me lots of feels, CARAVAL was incredibly enjoyable and easy to read. After that intriguing epilogue, I’m more than eager to get my hands on the sequel (so long to wait!). I’d recommend CARAVAL to fans of books with dedicated sisters, scavenger hunts/ suspenseful games, and those looking for a light/ faster fantasy read.

This book was magical, whimsical, compelling and spellbinding. Stephanie Garber has weaved a world that is at once dark, sinister and mysterious, but also romantic, curious and fantastical. I don't know how many more words I can come up with in my head that can fully capture just how engrossed I was with this book!

It may be early in the year to call this my top pick of 2017, but I will say that any other book competing for my top book of the year will have big competition with this one!

Caraval is a magical book, and it's very easy to see exactly why it has been gaining so much praise in the bookish community even before wide release. The premise grabs your attention immediately (especially with the comparisons with The Night Circus) and within the first few chapters, the setting captures your imagination and shows you the wondrous Caraval. I was pretty satisfied with the book overall, despite there being a few things that I didn't like.

I have to say, the romance was pretty mediocre. It's a bit hard to 100% nail down why, but it was possibly because I just disliked the character of Julian, who was quite flawed and initially actually pretty irritating in how he treated Scarlett. Thankfully, the romance wasn't a massive part of the plot, and the other things in the novel were interesting enough that the crappy romance didn't affect my view of the novel too much.

Scarlett was quite naive, which I suppose was not completely a bad thing from the view of the reader, as it gave her room to grow throughout the novel and gain knowledge about the world outside of her family home. It was great to see her move through the various challenges of Caraval. I'd definitely say that the best part of the novel was the fact that you could never really know who to trust. Even towards the end, it wasn't completely clear and you'd keep reading with a fair bit of suspicion of basically every character.

That ending though! While the story of the performance of Caraval is wrapped up in this first book, the ending makes certain that you know what adventures are next in store for the sisters. Adventures that I am very much looking forward to reading about.

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 2/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 3.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3/5

It's hard not to hear about Caraval in the Young Adult upcoming releases this year with how much people are talking about it. It hasn't even been released yet and it already has almost 700 reviews on Goodreads! There have been a couple carnival/maze type books that seem like this book but actually I don't think you could compare this book to anything else because it was such a fantastic read and none of them could measure up to it. I'm so impressed that this is the first book that Stephanie Garber has had published and that will introduce her to the world because it's a shining star immediately in her career. I hope it does so well and everyone picks it up and reads it because it's amazing.

I love that this book starts with a collection of letters from Scarlett to the Caraval Master, Legend. She begs him to come to their small island so she and her younger sister can experience the magic they've only heard about in stories from her grandmother when Caraval came to the island before fifty years ago but Caraval never visits the same place twice and Legend never responds to her letters until she writes one last time to tell him she's about to be married so she no longer wishes him to come. Then, finally, he responds with three coveted invitations for herself, her sister and her fiance but Scarlett has no intention of going to the game with only a week until her wedding to a man she's never met before.

Lucky for us, she manages to end up at the gates of Caraval anyway. She has the plan to go in, find her sister and leave before her wedding but that isn't what is planned for her. All throughout this book Scarlett is told that Caraval is only a game, that everything is setup to be realistic and that some people even go mad throughout it but to remember that it's just a game. At first, that advice is easy to remember but very soon the lines become blurred they are invisible and everything that happens feels like real danger and life or death. Scarlett has to make quick decisions, solves impossible puzzles and even trade her life for an answer to the game.

Caraval sounds awesome even if I know it would be terrifying to play and I don't think I would want to do it if I had to go through the events Scarlett did but I would love to just be there and watch the game unfold because it sounds like such a magical world to just walk through and experience while all these wild things are taking place all around you. I hope the next book has another big twist to the story like this one did but now I am a little worried that the second book can't top this one because it was so incredible. I really hope she has a big plan for the next one.

(Full review at https://thebookishkirra.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/book-review-caraval/)

Beautifully written, engaging plot and characters, somewhat disconcerting story line. I loved the interplay between Scarlett and Julian, and the side characters all had their own delightful quirks. The plot moved at a steady pace, sometimes seeming to double-back on itself and take a number of strange and sometimes disturbing twists.