Caraval by Stephanie Garber
(Format for this read: Audiobook)
YA books are my go-to as my “for fun” books while my current “growth” book is having me do some hard ass internal work.
And if you read my last review on “White Fragility”, you know there was DEFINITELY hard ass work involved while consuming those pages.
Important and VITAL work for sure (that really never has an end to it)…but HARD.
This book was a good choice for a fictional break from reality while I was simultaneously working thru White Fragility….we all need a bit of escapism now and then.
THIS book right here had two of my top three things I love in a YA novel: A touch of magic and some unrealistic romance. 😆
*que my happy dance by my inner teenager*
Plus this book is also #1 in a series…which is also a favorite thing of mine…because THEN the story can go on and on and I can cling to the characters a little longer than usual…
which I guess is only a good thing if the story is enjoyable and not a piece of junk (because it is SUUUPPPER rare I will quit a series…even if it is terrible CRAP I just HAVE to finish it to see how it all wraps up in the end!)
Here is the official summary:
“Welcome, welcome to Caraval—Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of the unbreakable bond between two sisters. It’s the closest you’ll ever find to magic in this world…
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved 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 far-away, 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. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.”
This story was enticing and unexpected….
At first, I would read a description of a moment or a character or an event and I would visualize it one particular way.
But then…..a slight twist of words and my viewpoint would change completely.
There was this whole constant juxtaposition of something being gorgeous yet also a bit grotesque…enchanting yet also a bit eerie….tantalizing yet also a bit terrifying…fascinating yet also a bit frightening.
For instance…a beautiful bouquet of roses on a bedside table may seem like a pretty gesture of affection….until an attached note turns them into a threatening reminder.
The line between what is real and what is fantasy is never clearly drawn…just when you think you know…YOU DON’T.
You are constantly wondering “Is this part of the game? Or is it part of reality?”
The mystery and wonder of the game of Caraval plays with every hidden corner of one’s imagination…and it is totally fantastic.
But this novel isn’t JUST about the game…it is also about how far a person will go to save and protect someone they fiercely love.
What sacrifices will one sister make—both physically and emotionally—to rescue the other?
This question is repeatedly addressed in this story as the game is being played.
So this story had me some magic, some romance, some adventure, some mystery, some weirdness (which BTW I also really enjoy!) and some strong sisterly bonds.
Absolutely what I needed floating around in my brain right now FOR REALS.
I also enjoyed that even though this book is the first in a series…and the ending sets up the second book quite nicely….I think you could totally read this as a stand alone novel.
I mean, I DEFINITELY want to see what happens in book 2 (I just downloaded it from the library this morning actually!) but I think you could be satisfied if you just read book 1 and didn’t continue.
But you are SO gonna want to!
If you’re looking for a semi-dark YA novel, this is IT.
PS…. the title of the book Caraval is a play on the word “carnival” and also “carnivale”…I learned this while listening to an interview with the author that was at the end of the audiobook. I love when audiobooks do that…it is so fun for me to hear the thought process and creation strategies writers use while making fictional worlds come to life.
PPS…the woman who read the audiobook sounded SOOOO familiar to me that I was CERTAIN I’ve heard her read other books before. So I went to the Google machine…and found out she was the voice actor on all of the Lunar Chronicles which I ferociously devoured last year! (if you haven’t read those…DO IT….dystopian reimagined fairy tales with BA heroines is all I gotta say)
Looking at her Audible list of books she has narrated (which I did not even know was a thing you could see until now…I know I know I am completely challenged in technology… this is so so cool because there are some audiobook narrators I have FRIGGIN LOVED listening to…I’m excited that I can look for more of their work!), I guess YA books are her niche because that is all I saw for pages and pages. I applaud her work and think her voice always adds to the story being read.