Friday, June 30, 2017

Book Review: Caraval

Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Teen Reviewer: Nanditha Prashanth



Imagine a world, a fantastical city which is entirely created by the most infamous magician known as Legend. A city that is the star of a 5-night game played by real life players and an audience. A game known as Caraval which presents the unthinkable beyond the point of imagination. This very game was the only motivation for a young girl named Scarlett. Scarlett had only one dream: to experience Caraval and perhaps meet the legendary legend. This is the only dream this young reserved girl had to keep her sanity. To keep herself and her sister Tella alive from their abusive, manipulative father and marriage opposite a count whom she has never met. But this one dream just happened to come true but not the way she or her sister expected. A letter came suddenly promising two Caraval performance tickets. Scarlett was intrigued and amazed but at the same time heartbroken over the promise of her unwilling marriage. Unable to decide between her love for her brave sister Tella and her sister’s life. After many twists, turns and complications they both set out to Caraval with the help of a young sailor named Julian. But by doing this Scarlett feared the worst by her father who had done much worse than just physical abuse to Tella at this point. The fear of losing her sister, love coming too close too soon and the magical dismay of Caraval shapes the rest of the plot. The book follows through with Scarlett’s journey as she ventures to find her sister through tragedy.


This book is a mystery fantasy novel which follows the life of a young girl who has lost a dear sister and is indulged within a fantastical city. This book is definitely one of a kind and very entertaining.  Caraval kept me interested the entire time although it started off slow and very dry. It felt as though I was really at Caraval. There are exceptional descriptions of the setting and plot that keep you on your toes and ready for the next event. I rated Caraval 4 out of 5 based on my interest as a mystery lover. Personally I would recommend this book to anyone but specifically someone who loves suspenseful mystery novels with a great sense of imagination. Imagination is the key to enjoying this book at its best. Being an imaginative person helped me understand and stay interested in the book the entire time. Caraval will bring the childhood dream and aspirations out of you along with a very imaginative personality. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in a fantasy novel. 

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