Caraval

Welcome, Welcome to Caraval... a world of magic, romance, and mystery (September 2016).

Stephanie Garber’s Caraval is a 416-page ticket right into a dream. From the first page, Caraval spins you into a world that I can best describe as part magic show, part luxurious carnival—with the enchanting backdrop of fantasy-embellished Venice canals. Garber’s rich descriptions and language practically shimmer with magic, sucking readers right into Scarlett Dragna’s story as she explores the depth of a sisterly bond.

Living in the fear of her abusive father, Scarlett has long since given up on her childhood dreams of Caraval, instead opting for an arranged marriage that will keep both her and her sister Tella safe. But just 10 days before her wedding, her childhood wishes finally come true when she receives three unexpected tickets from the mysterious Caraval master—one for her, one for her sister Donatella (Tella), and one for her fiancé.

Scarlett rapidly finds herself immersed in the adventure of Caraval, forced to abandon her original plans as she becomes swept into the game. Yet nothing is as it seems, and when events spiral out of control and Tella gets kidnapped, Scarlett finds that the game and her reality are more entwined than she thought.

I started Caraval with a clear idea of where the book would take me, and I am pleased to say that my expectations were completely refuted—both by unexpected plot twists and by an unlikely romance. Garber expertly places the reader at the same speed as Scarlett so that your shock mirrors hers and you experience the same “aha” moments when she figures out a clue. And while the game rules may seem a bit nebulous at times, I found that the mystery only added to the suspense.

Scarlett is not your typical narrator, which I also appreciated. In a fantasy like this, the narrator is often confident, bold, and sometimes borderline reckless—which Scarlett is none of. We can sense how her earlier years of abuse and the pressure she feels of being an older sister have made her cautious, reserved, and sometimes indecisive. Though the plot sometimes moves slower because of this, it felt refreshing to have a narrator that seemed like a real person that I could relate to. Scarlett starts out the story with clear motives: keeping Tella safe and finding a way for them to both safely escape their father. Throughout the story, Scarlett is both driven and challenged by this, building complexity to her character and leaving the reader rooting for her.

But the reason I most enjoyed the book was because of the romance. I’m a sucker for long, steady buildups, which Garber writes beautifully. Nothing felt rushed, and even though both characters have flaws, I fully fell in love with each of them and their relationship. Garber kept me hooked with the brief moments the characters shared, fleshed out with the beautiful writing of lines like “[he carefully] brought her finger to his mouth, and when his soft lips touched her skin the entire world shattered into a million shards of colored glass.”

However, while Garber’s exquisitely poetic writing is a hallmark of the book, I could understand how it seems overwhelming at times, and sometimes distracting from the plot. Scarlett’s emotions have a tendency to be described in a palette of colors—for example “[disappointment] came in cool shades of forget-me-not blue” or that her feelings were “the urgent red of burning coals”—which sometimes got on my nerves a little bit (however, I must note that Garber later reveals a purpose for this!). For the vast majority of the book, though, Garber’s writing only added to the magical world she describes, and made me ooh and aah at its beauty. “[A]n iridescent blue waterfall streamed down like melted peacock feathers, disappearing into the ring of sunrise-tinted clouds that pirouetted around the surreal isle” is one of my favorite world building lines.

Garber’s ending wraps up the story with a surprising twist, and left me in (breathless) anticipation of the next book. However, I was a bit disappointed by some of Scarlett’s reactions as she struggled to make the best out of her circumstances. In the rest of the book, we see her as an analyzing character, slow to heal when hurt and trying to make careful judgements. With that respect, the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I would have liked to have seen her piece her emotions together more slowly.

But despite these minor flaws, Caraval was undoubtedly the best book I had ever read, and it remains my favorite to this day (although its sequels are tough competition…). If you enjoy magical worlds, beautiful writing, romance, and are looking for a page-turner, Caraval is for you!