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anicoletoo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookscents's review against another edition
4.0
Immediate reaction: I didn't LOVE this like everyone else but there were things that I REALLY liked. But also things that really bothered me? I don't know I'm so torn. I really liked the imagery and the whole world of Caraval was just so MAGICAL like I could feel and taste and picture it all in my head and it felt magical. But... the game itself had no rules or rules that would bend and it made it hard to trust anything or anyone and it made me hold back from the characters. I couldn't ever feel like I was invested in any of them because I didn't know if I could trust anything. And I also have thoughts that are spoilery about things that bugged me about the game itself. But I'm so intrigued by what could come next so I'll prob read the sequel.
My Review Thoughts:
Caraval is seriously one of the most hyped books of 2017. It was hyped last year at BEA and the hype only grew as more people read and raved about it. I really meant to get to this way earlier, it was one of my top books from BEA that I wanted! Anyway, I'm kind of conflicted about this one! Don't get me wrong. I REALLY liked quite a few things about this book but there are just these little things nagging at me that give me pause.
Let's start with what I really enjoyed! The writing is beautiful. I loved the imagery so much, it really brought the world of Caraval to life! I felt like I could picture, taste and feel all the magical things found in Caraval! The world is so vivid and it FELT magical. I loved the setting of this magical place where anything could happen and magic left an imprint on everything.
I also enjoyed the concept of the game and I was so riveted and curious to find out more. I couldn't put the book down. The plot is fast paced and I never felt bored. I kept coming up with theories of my own.
However, I felt a huge disconnect from the characters. I think the problem is I felt like I couldn't trust anything or anyone. In this world of Caraval, nothing is real, right? It's just a game. What's truly real and what is part of the game? Is anyone who you think they are? The problem with no rules or rules that keep bending or breaking is that there's no consistency and I couldn't get invested in any character. Along those lines about the characters is the fact that I didn't feel what is supposed to be this huge sisterly love. Yes, Scarlett repeatedly says she wants to take care of Tella no matter what and says she loves her the most but while we hear this, I never saw the why. Like I felt like we didn't SEE a close sister relationship at all. Not to mention, Tella is a manipulative, conniving little twerp!
Then, while I liked the twists and reveals at the end... it brought to light other issues. These are all spoilers so obviously don't click the spoiler tag if you haven't read this. Wow, I just ranted a lot in the spoiler tag, hah. I almost feel like I should drop my rating now. Clearly, I had quite a few issues with the plot. I just wish the story was a little different and I cared about the characters a little more. Because the world of Caraval is very cool and magical and I wanted to love this so much. I didn't love it but ultimately still had many parts I truly enjoyed. Sidenote: seeing as how much I liked the carnival/circus feel, I want to read The Night Circus! I never have and I feel like everyone else has? How did I miss that boat?
In Short...
Caraval had some truly mind blowing imagery that I really really loved. I loved the feel of this world and seeing everything come to life in my mind. I liked the subtle magic that we see and the almost fairy tale feel of the story. I ultimately just had some issues with plot details and a disconnect with the characters. However, the sequel sounds like it has a lot of promise and I'm still very interested to read that!
My Review Thoughts:
Caraval is seriously one of the most hyped books of 2017. It was hyped last year at BEA and the hype only grew as more people read and raved about it. I really meant to get to this way earlier, it was one of my top books from BEA that I wanted! Anyway, I'm kind of conflicted about this one! Don't get me wrong. I REALLY liked quite a few things about this book but there are just these little things nagging at me that give me pause.
Let's start with what I really enjoyed! The writing is beautiful. I loved the imagery so much, it really brought the world of Caraval to life! I felt like I could picture, taste and feel all the magical things found in Caraval! The world is so vivid and it FELT magical. I loved the setting of this magical place where anything could happen and magic left an imprint on everything.
I also enjoyed the concept of the game and I was so riveted and curious to find out more. I couldn't put the book down. The plot is fast paced and I never felt bored. I kept coming up with theories of my own.
However, I felt a huge disconnect from the characters. I think the problem is I felt like I couldn't trust anything or anyone. In this world of Caraval, nothing is real, right? It's just a game. What's truly real and what is part of the game? Is anyone who you think they are? The problem with no rules or rules that keep bending or breaking is that there's no consistency and I couldn't get invested in any character. Along those lines about the characters is the fact that I didn't feel what is supposed to be this huge sisterly love. Yes, Scarlett repeatedly says she wants to take care of Tella no matter what and says she loves her the most but while we hear this, I never saw the why. Like I felt like we didn't SEE a close sister relationship at all. Not to mention, Tella is a manipulative, conniving little twerp!
Spoiler
I mean, honestly, if I were Scarlett, I'd be PISSED at Tella for making me go through all that!Then, while I liked the twists and reveals at the end... it brought to light other issues. These are all spoilers so obviously don't click the spoiler tag if you haven't read this.
Spoiler
1) if this was all a big game to get the sisters free from their father and it was aimed ONLY at Scarlett, how is this any sort of huge magical game that is legendary? Like, what did the other players even DO? Clearly the clues were just meant for Scarlett and even if by some CRAZY chance, another player found Tella? Then what? no prize? Umm. Given the huge hullabaloo Caraval is, that just seems weird. Also we didn't really meet ANY other players, every single person we had any interaction with in this book was a performer. 2) some of the things just don't make sense. Why did Dante even leave a letter for Julian about his sister going missing and Legend being on to them? Just to further the background of convincing Scarlett that Legend is... scary? I mean, none of that really contributes to what Legend had planned from the beginning so why did the performers even do it? I guess I'm just annoyed that most of the things told "in the game" wasn't real so it's kind of like the... it was all just a dream! trope which I am not a fan of. Also Julian giving her the pocket watch? What did that even matter? Just to make "Legend" kill him in front of her? Why? To cause her unnecessary pain? I mean she's already going to have to watch Tella die. And if not that, then why? Julian is just a performer, he knows that at the end she's going to be able to go wherever, the coordinates in the pocket watch DON'T MATTER. If the game indeed was because Legend was holding Tella against her will and was going to kill her for real, then it DOES make sense but because of the twist of Tella orchestrating all this, what Julian did makes NO sense to me. There are just all these aspects that don't match up at least in my mind. Speaking of Julian, seeing as how I never trusted him ever, thanks to the game telling us not to trust anyone, I couldn't ship it and also didn't believe in the romance at all. I honestly feel like we know nothing about him.In Short...
Caraval had some truly mind blowing imagery that I really really loved. I loved the feel of this world and seeing everything come to life in my mind. I liked the subtle magic that we see and the almost fairy tale feel of the story. I ultimately just had some issues with plot details and a disconnect with the characters. However, the sequel sounds like it has a lot of promise and I'm still very interested to read that!
kjposkie's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book the first time I read it. Unfortunately the magic faded for me the second time. It’s been about three years so I didn’t remember all the details. And I didn’t remember how annoying Scarlet was. She literally resists any and all help then flips when no one is around to help her. I get the trust issue thing because of her father but come on.
Scarlet also makes many many mistakes in this book. It’s refreshing to have a bumbling heroine because it does make her relatable. She has no idea what’s going on and her indecision for every choice is written with excruciating detail. Her fear and uneasiness boarded on annoying and understandable.
The metaphors grated me the second time around. “She smelled like sunshine and dreams” what does that smell like? This was done over and over again in the book. Apparently Scarlet can hear, smell, and taste absolutely everything, even ideas.
Even with those annoyances the story is still fantastical and fun.
Scarlet also makes many many mistakes in this book. It’s refreshing to have a bumbling heroine because it does make her relatable. She has no idea what’s going on and her indecision for every choice is written with excruciating detail. Her fear and uneasiness boarded on annoying and understandable.
The metaphors grated me the second time around. “She smelled like sunshine and dreams” what does that smell like? This was done over and over again in the book. Apparently Scarlet can hear, smell, and taste absolutely everything, even ideas.
Even with those annoyances the story is still fantastical and fun.
desertcat10's review against another edition
5.0
This book was SOOO good! I was so not expecting to like this book so much. It left me in all the feels! I enjoyed seeing Scarlett become braver and stand up for herself. I liked the sisterly bond throughout the book. I also loved Julian! A morally gray character but so good! I cannot wait to read the next book. This book had me saying "What"!! Or "Noo" so many times haha. I felt everything that Scarlett was going through.
thebestemma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
ixmcmxcvii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
annavangeest's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
barcasey's review against another edition
3.0
It was a bit too cliche for my liking, and the writing was definitely not a style I liked, but altogether it was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to a fan of typical YA romances.
katiedurben's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 this world is so cool and I can’t wait to learn more about these characters!
kyrapretre's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
not super well-written (really wacky descriptive language), but fun concept & interesting characters. will finish the series. *update, did not finish the series lol*