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A review by ritsukas
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
4.0
rating:3.75 stars
i really don't know why i loved caraval as much as i did. because in all honestly, it wasn't incredible. but something about it kept drawing me back in. so much that i finished the last 200 pages all in one sitting, past midnight while needing to wake up early for school the next day.
the plot of the book was pretty straightforward. scarlett has been whisked away to the land of caraval, a circus type carnival that moves around and happens every so often. she arrives with a cocky pirate named Julian, and when she realizes her sister has been kidnapped to be the main prize of this year's game, she and Julian race to solve the clues to save her. simple right?
there was never really a dull moment in the plot. from the beginning, i always felt like at the very least it was moving forward, not being stagnant and staying in the same place. although i didn't feel like it was the best written (some of the clues were solved fairly easily in my opinion), it made you always want to come back and find out what happen next.
the characters on the other hand, were sort of the opposite for me. i never really connected with any of them. scarlett has the usual "super safe and cautious turns into more rebellious and outgoing" arc. she wasn't the worst main character i've ever read but definately not the most interesting.
julian mostly stayed static with his cocky personality, smirks and nickname calling. he did however, seem to have some sort of backstory that was hidden or a secret he was keeping, which kept the intrigue there.
as for everyone else... character development where? the father was the usual "big bad" that seemed to have no motive except for being mean. tella was just the bubbly outgoing sister, foil to her sister. and... that's about it?
in general, i'm definitely down to read [b:Legendary|36329818|Legendary (Caraval, #2)|Stephanie Garber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506803153l/36329818._SY75_.jpg|54501288]. the end of the first book left me craving more. all i can hope for is that there's more development for everyone in the sequel, as well as less of those weird metaphors and similes (how does something taste like nightmares? and nostalgia?)
i really don't know why i loved caraval as much as i did. because in all honestly, it wasn't incredible. but something about it kept drawing me back in. so much that i finished the last 200 pages all in one sitting, past midnight while needing to wake up early for school the next day.
the plot of the book was pretty straightforward. scarlett has been whisked away to the land of caraval, a circus type carnival that moves around and happens every so often. she arrives with a cocky pirate named Julian, and when she realizes her sister has been kidnapped to be the main prize of this year's game, she and Julian race to solve the clues to save her. simple right?
there was never really a dull moment in the plot. from the beginning, i always felt like at the very least it was moving forward, not being stagnant and staying in the same place. although i didn't feel like it was the best written (some of the clues were solved fairly easily in my opinion), it made you always want to come back and find out what happen next.
the characters on the other hand, were sort of the opposite for me. i never really connected with any of them. scarlett has the usual "super safe and cautious turns into more rebellious and outgoing" arc. she wasn't the worst main character i've ever read but definately not the most interesting.
julian mostly stayed static with his cocky personality, smirks and nickname calling. he did however, seem to have some sort of backstory that was hidden or a secret he was keeping, which kept the intrigue there.
as for everyone else... character development where? the father was the usual "big bad" that seemed to have no motive except for being mean. tella was just the bubbly outgoing sister, foil to her sister. and... that's about it?
in general, i'm definitely down to read [b:Legendary|36329818|Legendary (Caraval, #2)|Stephanie Garber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506803153l/36329818._SY75_.jpg|54501288]. the end of the first book left me craving more. all i can hope for is that there's more development for everyone in the sequel, as well as less of those weird metaphors and similes (how does something taste like nightmares? and nostalgia?)