Book Review: Caraval 

By Stephanie Garber 

3 Stars 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a very interesting novel and a good one for beginners to the romance-fantasy genre. The story follows Scarlet and her sister Donatella Dragna into the hyper-realistic theatre game called 'Caraval.' At every game, all participants have to look for a certain item using a series of clues. If they succeed, then they will win a prize that may potentially change their fate. Scarlett has always dreamed of seeing the Caraval, so when she receives some invitations, Donatella is quick to drag Scarlett to the game.  

Unfortunately, the sisters get separated and Donatella falls into apparent danger, Scarlett starts to work with Julian Santos: a mysterious sailor from nowhere, in order to find Donatella.  

First off, I loved the premise and magic system of the book. Caraval consists only of actors, but it is easy to get swept away in the magic of it all and lose yourself. I think that Garber did an amazing job of making the world just the right amount of whimsical and foreboding. There is a constant feeling of "is-it-real-or-not", which I really enjoyed.  

Also, the romance between Scarlett and Julian was extremely cute. It never felt rushed and both characters were quite dynamic. It was harder to connect to side-characters.  

My complaint with this book is that it left much to be desired, especially thematically. It had a very promising premise, but it felt like the plot never really matured and always stayed surface-level. Personally, the story would have felt a lot more fulfilling if the author leaned more into the darker aspects of the game that is Caraval. Instead, everything stayed a bit too simple.  

In conclusion, Caraval is an entertaining and fun read, but I do not see myself re-reading or reading the sequels. 

Reviewed by Avni 

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