Caraval - Review

*This review has some mild spoilers but any big plot spoilers are clearly marked*

Last week I finished Caraval by Stephanie Garber and these are some of my thoughts. 

Caraval is a story centering around a teenage girl named Scarlett Dragna and her younger sister Donatella. Scarlett and Donatella have spent their entire lives on an island named Trisda with their abusive father. For most of her life Scarlett has dreamed of visiting the magical traveling once-a-year performance called Caraval, but she was never invited. However, right before she is set to be married in an arranged marriage she receives tickets to Caraval. Her sister Tella whisks Scarlett off to Caraval with the help of a sailor named Julian. But, as soon as they arrive Tella quickly becomes a part of the Caraval story and Scarlett is forced to participate in the game to find her sister.

I personally felt like Caraval was a somewhat average book. It was not a terrible read but it also did not live up to my expectations. Many of my friends had told me about Caraval describing it as an amazing book and the first time I read it I felt like it was a bit of a let down. Recently I re-read it, thinking that maybe I did not appreciate the full scope of the book the first time. But, even after finishing my re-read I still did not love the book.

Although this was not my favorite read their were some things I really enjoyed about the book:

• I really enjoyed the overall energy of this book. The writing style felt very whimsical and magical which definitely added to the story. Although I felt like some of the language was a little over the top, (More on this later) I did enjoy some of the descriptions of things that made the story feel more 3D

“It looked like a storybook come to life. She peered down at the bright pointy rooftops, mosscovered towers, gingerbread cottages, gleaming gold bridges, blue-brick streets, and bubbling fountains, all lit by candled lamps that hung everywhere” Page 90

This type of description involving the town of Caraval brought the story to life in my opinion. 

• The story concept for Caraval is very interesting. One of my favorite genres is fantasy with some sort of games or trials and a little hint of romance. This novel checked all the boxes and it included some of its own unique elements. I appreciated the idea of the game happening once a year so it felt like a rarity. Also, the idea that everything that happens during the game is an illusion sparked my interests. This one specific line is told to the players at the start of Caraval and acts as a great set up for the story.

“Before you fully enter our world you must remember it’s all a game. What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don’t let any of it trick you” Page 77

This is a good introduction to the idea of Caraval and how it is a game you can easily get swept away in. The passage also provides some foreshadowing for Scarlett's experiences in the game which will frighten, excite, and trick her.

• Lastly I absolutely adored the way the clothing was described in Caraval. At the very start of the story Scarlett is given a dress that changes format with her emotions. 

“No longer dull shades of bland, the dress was now a rich cerise … A stylish row of bows ran down the center of a fitted bodice with a scooped neck set off by a matching bustle.” Page 66

I think that is such a neat quality and allows for the author to ‘show not tell’ how Scarlett feels throughout the book. The author also mentioned cravats a lot during the story and occasionally petticoats and bustles which helped me get a sense of what time period the book is set in.

Despite all these good aspects of Caraval, here are some parts of the book that I did not like as much:

• The writing style in this book was strange and frankly irritating. The main character Scarlett seems to have a form of extreme synesthesia so she often describes feelings with colors and tastes. 

“She escaped into the brittle evening. Crisp like the first bite of a chilled apple, smelling just as sweet with hints of burnt sugar weaving through the charcoal night air.” page 186

“It tasted like the best parts of the cold season, mixed with just a hint of heat” page 188

“Death was the color purple. Purple wallpaper and purple temperatures.” page 213

At the beginning of the book I thought that this was an interesting trait adding to the mysticism of Caraval. However, as the book went on the constant use of overly elaborate and flowery descriptions became repetitive and irritating. It felt like 40% of this book was just adjectives. While I do think descriptive writing generally makes a book better, in this case it was a little over the top. Many times I felt like I was pulled out of the story to wonder things like ‘how is purple a temperature.’

• Another thing that I did not like about the book was Scarlett. She was so irritating and naive at times it was extremely frustrating. Readers are led to believe that Scarlett is clever and ambitious; however, she never displays any of those traits. Additionally, for a majority of the book Scarlett's main goal is to find her sister. But when she finally gets the chance to actually learn more about where her sister is she chooses to ask about her fiance. In the words of Nigel:

“If you really care about your sister, why didn’t you ask about her first” Page 156

Scarlett also makes some comments about how proper women should behave and think, which I found very naive. One example of this is in the scene where Scarlett goes to get her fortune told: 

“Nigel pointed to the heart on the other side of his mouth. ‘Your eyes land here as well. You want love and protection.’ ‘Isn’t that what every girl wants.’” Page 148

I did not like this comment because it makes it seem like girls' only goal in life is to be protected and loved when in reality that is untrue. While some people do strive for love and protection countless others work for things like friendship, knowledge, adventure, and more. 

• I also disliked how the characters instantly fall in love. Julian and Scarlett hate each other when they first meet and then suddenly after FIVE DAYS they are madly in love. The pacing of the relationship made the whole love story feel very forced. Additionally, the author, most likely in an attempt to add more substance to a FIVE DAY relationship romanticized some really strange moments. 

*SPOILER* 

For example, when Scarlett accidentally trades away two days of her life and Julian gives her one of his, it felt like the author was trying to create a romantic moment. In order to give Scarlett a day of his life, Scarlett had to drink Julian’s blood. During this moment of drinking Julians blood scarlet thinks:

“Dimly, she knew she tasted his blood. It was like no other gift she had received, strangely beautiful, alarmingly intimate.” Page 210

I personally found the scene gross and not ‘romantic’ and it genuinely had me questioning whether I was reading Caraval or Twilight.

Also, Scarlett is so Hypocritical towards Tella when she finally finds her at the end of the book. Tella tells Scarlett that she is getting married to someone she met during the game Scarlett says:

“‘Tella, this is wrong.’ Scarlett said ‘You can’t be in love with someone you just met’” Page 335

Meanwhile Scarlett is madly in love with Julian who she JUST MET. And on top of that, Scarlett had been planning on marrying a man she had only ever talked to through letters!

*END OF SPOILER*

• The last thing that I did not like as much about Caraval was its lack of worldbuilding. All that readers are told about the world is that Scarlett and Tella lived on some sort of random conquered island before they were whisked away to another random island where Caraval is held. Scarlett is conveniently knocked out for the entire trip from random island #1 to random island #2 so readers do not know how far away it is or what the journey was like. From the letters Scarlett sends to Legend readers can also notice that the book is set during an Elantine Dynasty. However, besides the date on the letters there is no further information or worldbuilding on the Elantine Dynasty during Caraval. I think the lack of description and information about the world of Caraval made the story feel more 2D.

Overall, I think Caraval was an interesting read. Although, it did not exactly live up to my expectations. It is a cool storyline with interesting characters. If you are looking for a fun read with mystical vibes and okay execution I definitely would recommend this book. (Also the second and third books in this series get a lot better.)

Written by Julia