Caraval Review

What would you do for a single wish, guaranteed to come true? Welcome to Caraval by Stephanie Garber! Scarlett and Tella are sisters who live on an island with their powerful and sometimes cruel father. Scarlett has always dreamed of going to Caraval, a carnival style game where the winner receives one wish. The sisters grow up and Scarlett has all but abandoned her dreams of Caraval when invitations to this year’s game arrive. When they finally arrive at the games, Tella goes missing. Scarlett is left with a mission to find her sister in five days while trying to not get carried away by Caraval.

In my opinion the best part of Caraval is the setting. It is filled with mystery, magic, and misdirection and beautifully described. The setting really helps in improving the story and pushing the overall plot forward. However, while the characters are interesting and fairly relatable they lack the character development I normally like to see. Nevertheless the plot is engaging and Garber does a good job of carrying it out throughout the rest of the series. Although it can be a bit predictable at points, Caraval is still a unique story worth the read. I would recommend Caraval (and the next two books Legendary and Finale) for fans of fantasy and mystery. Readers everywhere will love being transported to the magical world of Caraval.

MAYA OEVERMAN

Editor Emeritus at The City Voice | MIPA Honorable Mention Award Winner

I am a Senior at City and I normally write the weekly book reviews! If I'm not reading, you can usually find me at the barn riding and taking care of the horses.