Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Caraval

I just got into reading again, so idk if my opinion is actually useful at all, but I can tell you I read this in six days and only bc i had things to do. I literally couldn't stop reading.

Tho I didn't expect the amount of romance that was in this, I actually enjoyed it, even tho I'm not a big fan of romance. I loved Julian, but I also loved the way I could empathize with him AND Scarlett.

Also, about Scarlett, I'm not gonna say that she's the best character development I've read in my entire life, but it is true that I enjoyed the way she slowly started to care more about herself and what she wanted than what her sister needed, or "what had to be done".

ALSOOOO, I loved that she didn't instantly gave in to Julian when she met him again like I first thought she would (I would've, he's so hot, I don't think I have ever been this gay about a character before hahaha). THO I did find it weird that he was definitely more than 60 and she was 17, like why'd you do that to me, they were so pretty just like that

Basically, if you're looking for a romantasy, I think this is your book, and if you're not, I insist in giving it a chance, it is actually good even if not everyone on "booktok" agrees, do NOT listen to them.

I'm sorry about my english, but I'm actually from South America, so Spanish is my thing but meh.

Content Warnings

kymboh78's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I teeter between four and five stars, overall giving it 4.5 but Goodreads doesn’t have that option yet.

I can say this is the fastest I’ve read a book in a minute. Having a three hour flight helps—but what helps even more is getting wrapped up in the story. The magic of Caraval easily sweeps off the page and captures you much as it captures the players in the book.

But let’s breakdown the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Ugly—
My biggest grievance with this book, and the biggest reason I knocked off half a star is because I found the main character incredibly irritating on more than one occasion. You might be asking, well then how and why did you keep reading? For me, it wasn’t a deal breaker because it wasn’t constant. There was enough going on (and I think the story being told in third person really helped) that we weren’t always in her head hearing her regrets or having her narrate everything she was going through. Although, I will admit, I think the author has more freedom with adding details in the first person.

The Bad—
Some might argue this is literally the ugly of the book, but what I mean by “the good, the bad, and the ugly” is what I found my least favorite to favorite about the book. So take that with a grain of salt.

There weren’t any trigger warnings at the beginning of this book.

I understand the book was published in 2017 and trigger warnings weren’t really a thing then, but as the book has gained more popularity and new editions have been released, I wish there was a list of trigger warnings (I also think we as reviewers have a duty to mention these as well). Although these weren’t necessarily heavy throughout the book (depending on your definition) I do believe that for some, even the smallest blindsided mention of some topics can lead to hard traumatic triggered events.

With that being said, here are some trigger warnings.
- Domestic violence/parental abuse: this is the most prominent
- Suicide: mentioned a couple times
- Death
- Arranged marriage: this is a focus of the book

Content Warnings

joongarten's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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treeleef's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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barbarianmissy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This was a neat one! It was really well paced and kind of refreshing and cool having a fantasy book in a surrealist setting.

For the positives, this book had really excellent world building. There was a continuous guessing game throughout it. What may be magic, may also be illusion, but may also be real, so you never truly knew what to believe. And due to the unpredictable nature of the game there were lots of really cool twists and surprises I didn’t see coming! It was fun to try to figure out everyone’s true intentions, as you could truly trust no one.

As for what I felt was a smidge meh. The character development felt a little undercooked for me. Some of the conversations felt a little out of place and the reasonings for certain actions felt too simplified for the complex emotions that would undoubtedly come from the consequences of them. (If that makes sense).

Another thing is, I liked the romance plot, but it never felt genuine because, as with every single character in this book, you could never fully trust it.

Overall, it was a really fun read. BbI’m gonna try book 2 next and see how it goes!

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bfogleman's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

Far too many similes and descriptive words and some plot elements/“twists” that were so obvious it evoked an eye roll from me, but overall an enjoyable read.

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aralalala's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh, dang. This book is a lot of things.

The writing is so good, I get transported into its universe with no problem. There were no unnecessary pop-culture references that slap me back into reality. It’s its own story and I’m so… stressed. I probably felt more than the character’s did in that moment. I felt myself seething around 85% in (iykyk).

My heart is still beating fast. The tension was insane. The story is exciting. I wasn’t sure what to expect next and it was honestly just so stressful and I get why people are so drawn to it.

I read this after I’ve read the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy, and though most people I see recommend reading this first, I actually seem to like it more that I read that first because it feels a lot like how Star Wars 4-5-6 is recommended before 1-2-3. Lol.

I also feel that the line (spoiler for A Curse for True Love)

“He’d heard every person gets one impossible wish—just one—if the person wants something more than anything, and they can find a bit of magic to help them along.” foreshadows not just Scarlett and Tella’s story but also Jacks and Evangeline’s in OUABH. That, at least, lets me reconcile something I felt was left unanswered in my head.

Overall, I love it but it is not for the faint-hearted. The stress of the last few chapters was beyond what I could normally bear.

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