Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Summary from Goodreads:

Remember, it’s only a game…

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.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

Review:

This was another perfect summer read. I really enjoyed this one. The darkness, magic, and suspense made it seriously hard to put down. The one thing it was lacking was character development. The main character felt a bit like a giant trope. I’ve read so many books with the same main character. And I do tend to enjoy books for characters and character development, so it was a little surprising that I loved this as much as I did. I guess sometimes, all the other stuff is just so good, that the lack of character development can be pushed aside a little.

The other stuff was fantastic. I loved the setting. It was like a floating Disney Land mixed with Hunger Games arena…The islands, the boats, the magical places were just so beyond fascinating and unlike any other setting I’ve come across. And the game! I loved the game and the clues. It was like a giant murder mystery party that spanned days, giant prizes, and lots of parties.

I loved the back-story, the history of the game. I loved the story of Legend, and the stories the girls’ grandmother used to tell them. There were so many layers to everything, and I ate it all up.

I found the romance to be okay. There was some definite sizzle….I just never shipped the main character with her guy as much as I would have liked to. Maybe I could sense how much he wasn’t telling her? I don’t know. I also never loved the sister. She came off as an adventure-seeking snob, who stole things from her sister. I just wasn’t seeing the love. And their love is supposed to be the motivation for everything…I just wish I understood and saw the sisterly love more. Then everything would have made a lot more sense.

The main character and her sister were lacking serious development. However, the world, the game, the suspense, the back-story, and everything else was just pure magic and fun to read. I definitely intend on reading book 2. I can’t wait to see where everything goes. I give this one an 8/10.