(by Stephanie Garber)
"Remember, it's only a game..."
These books rival for attention in my brain with Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. I absolutely cannot stop thinking about the world of Caraval, of Dante or Tella, or even Aiko! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, was hesitant about the second book Legendary, but I quickly swept aside Scarlett and Julian for Tella and Dante. The magic leapt off the page and I was truly brought into their world with them.
Caraval: *****/5
Legendary: *****/5
Finale: ****/5
CARAVAL (mild spoilers)
CW: This book deals with child abuse and death quite a bit.
Scarlett and Donatella Dragna are sisters who dream of escaping their abusive father, the governor of their small island. Scarlett has been writing letters to Legend, the Grand Master of Caraval, for years asking for an invitation to the magical but exclusive magical phenomenon. When she finally receives one, she and Tella, and the mysterious sailor Julian, travel to Isla de los Sueños for the game. It quickly turns sour when Scarlett realizes that her sister is the prize of the game, a game where the lines between what is real and what is magic are too blurred to see.
I loved this book because it gave me the magical circus experience with high stakes and character development that I felt I missed from The Night Circus (sorry to those who loved it...). I was immediately transported into another world and found myself questioning what was real in Caraval along with Scarlett. I was wrong many, many times.
LEGENDARY (mild spoilers)
The sequel followed Tella as she sought to bring her anonymous friend from the end of Caraval the payment they have required. As she and Scarlett join the travelling troupe of Caraval to Valenda for Empress Elantine's 75th birthday celebration, Tella finds herself back in the game of Caraval, but this time as a player instead of the prize. We're given more insight into the sisters' history as well as their missing mother. There was infinitely more worldbuilding in this book, with a mysterious Deck of Destiny and the 32 Fates the world was obsessed with. The Fates are magical immortal beings, sometimes equated to gods, that cannot be killed except by a specific weakness. Tella must join forces with a mysterious, and rather evil, heir to the throne and Dante, a roguish actor of Caraval, to win the game herself.
THIS BOOK. I was skeptical about this one because a.) I didn't particularly like Tella's character in the first book and b.) Dante creeped me out in the first book. Following their story instead of Julian and Scarlett didn't particularly appeal to me, but I was already very emotionally invested in the story, so I couldn't keep away. Stephanie Garber proved me so wrong. These two took the spotlight and I fell in love all over again. The climax of this book broke my heart and I wept. Seriously. I had tears streaming down my face at 1am.
FINALE (mild spoilers)
A true finale. I devoured this book as well. Told from the POVs of both Scarlett and Tella, it was a race to the end to try to save their world from the mistakes made in the second book. The mysterious Legend has finally been revealed, and he's continuing to play his game while everyone else tries to follow. Tella is once again thrown into Jacks's presence as she tries to solve as many problems as she can while Scarlett learns a secret about herself that could destroy them all if she isn't careful. This time, they aren't playing for a magical prize: they're playing for the fate of their entire empire.
We dive even deeper into the worldbuilding by learning more about the Fates and the powers they wield. This was absolutely fascinating and I wish there had been more about the Fates in Caraval. It would have brought the whole trilogy together so much more and been the cherry on top. This book was even more stressful than the last because I wasn't sure if there would be a way to end where everything turned out okay. I suppose that depends on your definition of "okay". The stakes had truly never been higher.
Things I Loved (major spoilers):
I adored the world! The history of the Fates and their unique abilities was fascinating to me and really added to the depth of the world! I honestly would read short stories on all of them and be thrilled beyond belief.
The vibrancy of Garber's prose was astounding. Doing more than saying "the blue sky" or the "red dress", she gave us specific shades to add to the atmosphere of magic. Some people mind find that irritating, but me, an extremely visual reader, found it perfect. It hooked me and gave me even more vivid pictures in my head.
The romances were swoonworthy. I am a sucker for the "damsel in distress" trope, sue me. I love it when the guy saves the girl from the brink of death. And, Legendary has that one line all readers love: "Who did this to you?" insert fangirling screaming here* I loved every minute of these books because of the romances Garber composed.
Things I Didn't Like (major spoilers):
I was NOT a fan of the amount of blood there was in these books and how the characters occasionally had to drink another's blood (usually not a lot) to transfer power, health, etc. It was vampiric and strange and occasionally made to be strangely sensual and intimate. While I can't imagine a different way Garber could have written this particular point, I still wish it was.
I was a little disappointed by the end of Finale, after they had taken care of the immediate threat. The entire book it's obvious that Tella and Legend are fighting their feelings for each other, and while Tella has accepted her love of Legend and his inability to love her due to being an immortal, she still fights for him and tries to convince him. I only wish that there was a little bit more given from Legend other than his more possessive and carnal side that showed tenderness and love even when he denied it. It almost felt that he conveniently gave into loving her at the end for the sake of a happily ever after for them both. BUT, I was in a mad dash of reading so my opinion on that might change after reading it for the second time.
Also, personal pet peeve, I was so unsatisfied by the fact that after all was said and done at the end of Finale (which I wish had just a little more character development and explanation with Legend, I feel like I was missing something but maybe I was just reading too fast...) he still kept the name Legend. All I wanted was for Tella to refer to him as Dante again. *swoons*
Parental Guidance:
I would definitely let my child read these books. While there were various implications and innuendos regarding intimacy and sex, there were no scenes. Heavy makeout kissing scenes? Yes. But no sex scenes so a win there! It would still be something to be aware of when giving a teenager these books to read. We also deal with the ageless/immortal falling in love with a mortal teen/young adult. Their apparent age might be young but they've lived a long time. Garber did an excellent job of not making this completely creepy and honestly helping us forget it a lot (except if you think about the fact that Legend originally was in love with the sisters' grandmother when she was their age...) but it's still an important point to take note of when letting your child read this.
The topic of magic is touchy here, because all of the actors in Caraval are obligated to fill their role and cannot stray from it. This has some consequences with our main characters due to lies being told under the guise of the game. These books can be a great teaching tool in the topic of honesty.
I can't wait to read Once Upon a Broken Heart and see what happens with Jacks, and hopefully see some more of Dante and Tella. *fingers crossed*
Meanwhile, I'll still be over here sniffling over this line: "Then open your eyes and speak to me."
If you know, you know.
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