Sometimes you read books and have to wait a while before you can start writing a review. Unfortunately, on this occasion I waited too long between reading and reviewing, so this particular review may be a little brief compared to those I usually write. Nonetheless, I would like to emphasise that I did really enjoy this book.
Caraval* is a fantasy young-adult novel following the story of Scarlett and her sister, Tella. Tella is eager to leave home and get far, far away from their father. Naturally, Scarlett is wary of doing this for fear of their father finding them, but when the girls receive tickets to Caraval, things finally start to go Tella’s way.
I enjoyed this book so, so, so much! The magic, the relationships, the never knowing what to believe, who to believe! It was spectacular and really put me in two minds as to whether or not I’d want to actually visit Caraval myself.
The entire plot of was interesting and full of action. It made it an exciting, tense and fast paced read, so I did manage to get through the entire thing in one, maybe two days. In Caraval it’s tough to be able to trust anyone, so while we knew from the start that betrayal was likely, it didn’t stop us, and Scarlett herself, from trusting people and it didn’t hurt either of us any less when she was ultimately betrayed. Despite the fact that I could sort of guess parts of what would happen, I still managed to be surprised when they occurred and there were also other moments which were able to shock me, so I never really knew what to expect.
I do want to acknowledge the similarities Caraval has to The Night Circus. The Night Circus was an incredible book which I also loved very much and have raved about on my blog numerous times over the past year (you can read my review here). While both stories are magical and secretive and based around some sort of game or competition, I don’t exactly feel that one is better than the other because they are also so different and spectacular in their own rights.
I personally did prefer The Night Circus as I felt it was more aimed at adults while Caraval is more young adult. The Night Circus felt more sophisticated with a magical eeriness to it and even pacing and in contrast, Caraval was a bit more fun and action-packed. The former also seemed very mysterious and while Caraval did have a lot of mystery about it, I also found it to be more exciting to read and fast paced which suited the plot well. Overall, both books are highly enjoyable and are brilliant books and preference will depend on what you’re more interested in reading.
Overall, I loved Caraval and rated it 5/5. I am even more excited about it too because it is the first of a series although I do not have any details about the sequel since Caraval itself hasn’t even been released yet, but have no fear, Caraval will be out later this month on the 31st!
-driftinglexi
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*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review, giving my honest and unbiased opinion.
driftinglexi 