Review by Brie: CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber
Whatever you've
heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than
just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic
in this world . . .
Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved 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 far-away, 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. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved 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 far-away, 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. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.
Rating: 5/5 epic stars
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of 2
"Nothing we do is safe. But this is worth the risk."
I absolutely loved this book from page one! It starts out with letters of correspondence between Scarlett, the female protagonist and the Caraval Master, Legend. As a young child she was told stories about a mysterious game her grandmother has never forgotten. These have always stuck with her and she has been trying to get an invitation to Caraval for years with no response. When finally the day comes that she is invited! Scarlett can barely contain her excitement. The only problem is how to escape her fathers watchful eye long enough to leave the small isle where they live and get there in time. Once we enter the Caraval all bets are off. What would you trade to get a ticket to Caraval? Once you're there, don't believe everything you see.
"Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won't wake up."
CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Advanced Copy. When I first started reading the book I was super wary. There's been so much hype surrounding this book. I’m always nervous about books that are over hyped. You guys, I was blown away by Stephanie’s writing and storytelling. I got carried away and completely immersed in the story. Before I even finished reading it I was feeling the need for a reread. Not because I felt like I had missed something but because it was just that good. For me this book more than lived up to my expectations. To give some perspective, I finished this book almost 3 weeks ago and it's STILL in my head. I keep going over scenes and characters. I don't want to let them or this story go.
"Every Person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything."
Stephanie Garber did a superb job of sucking me into the world and story. I wanted to go to Caraval as badly as Scarlett did. I found everything about this book absolutely magical! Stephanie blended fantasy with reality and kept me on my toes until the very last page. Caraval is full of secrets, half-truths, and will make you question what is real. The series is currently set to be a duology and I'm already dying for the second book to release. I highly urge everyone to pick this book up and experience it for yourself!
"Hope is a beautiful thing. Some say it's a different breed of magic altogether. Elusive, difficult to hold on to. But not much is needed."
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| (Photo from Stephanie's Instagram) |
And have you seen the UK finished copies yet? Under the cover of every UK Hardcover you will find one of the following foil prints. Head on over to Stephanie's Twitter account for more pictures of these beauties. Because... WOW
My favorite place in the world is Disneyland because it’s the one place on earth where I feel as if the fantastical stories I love to write about could actually come to life.
When I’m not writing, I teach creative writing at a private college in Northern California, where I’ve been known to turn assignments into games and take students on field trips that involve book signings. I’m also a blogger on PUB(LISHING) CRAWL. But I probably spend most of my time on Twitter where I tend to overuse exclamation points and emojis.
To help pay my bills during college, grad school, and the breaks in between, I worked as a barista, a waitress, a bartender, a customer service representative for an energy consulting company, and as a sales girl at Bath and Bodyworks. I also spent years working with youth; I worked as a counselor at space themed summer camp, volunteered at a school for deaf children in Mexico, and I took multiple groups of college students overseas to spend their winter vacations serving at youth hostels in Amsterdam. But out of everything that I’ve done, writing young adult novels has been my favorite job.
My debut YA fantasy novel, Caraval will be published January 2017 (Flatiron Books/Macmillan—US and Hodder & Stoughton—UK). Caraval has sold in twenty-five foriegn territories and the movie rights were pre-empted by Twentieth Century Fox.
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