Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Caraval

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

348 reviews

spttsn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This was a really great book, up until the end. I enjoyed being swept away in the world of Caraval, the mystery and the otherness of it all. I was not a fan of how everything was wrapped up, and not a huge fan of the dynamic between the two sisters either.

Up until the last 100 pages, it was a 4 star read, but the ending really brought it down for me. I'm not overly interested in reading the sequel, but I'm not completely opposed to it in the future.

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khernandez44'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

4.0

Caraval had me hooked from the beginning. It was definitely a page turner. I felt like the ending was a rushed and the imagery was kind of hard to keep track of, but other than that, it was a fun read!

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britbauman's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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uselesspirateraven's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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tobias_lmn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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.

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This was the book club’s pick of the month for August. This has been on my TBR for a while, and I always walk past it in bookshops and just never caught my eye enough to start it. I’m really glad I started this book, even if it did mess with my head a little bit.

This book is based on Scarlett, and she has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her younger sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father. When the sisters’ long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived that Tella vanishes and is kidnapped by the show’s mastermind organizer, Legend. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

I liked the storyline; it reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka. The way that this book kept twisting and turning. It was magical and the game had me stressed. I didn’t want to trust anyone – Dante, Julian, no one. It had me on EDGE. I wanted to hug Scarlett throughout the whole book, she was going through it and all she wanted to do was enjoy the games and then she was more worried about her sister that she couldn’t enjoy it. Also, the way that she stood up for her father was so brave and I was screaming and dancing for her at that point and I'm glad that her and Tella got out and are safe. Julian took a while to grow on me, mainly because I didn’t trust anyone from the games and thought he was going to betray Scarlett which he kind of did but for good reasons, so I'll forgive him.

Is it bad that I was more intrigued on who was Legend rather than if Tella was going to be saved? Like I understand Tella’s behaviour because her father is a jackass, but she still needs to warm up to me because her character was annoying me throughout the book especially with the reveal at the end and how she had a plan the whole time but couldn’t trust her sister? Like Scarlett was getting married to save you and you were plotting behind her back? I feel like Tella needed to grovel for forgiveness more for what she put Scarlett through, the first thing she was focusing on after all that was going to the party and bringing Scarlett, like girl. Scarlett might want to sleep, or you know take a breather not go to a party. I am aware this is a young adult book, but their father got off WAY too easy for my liking. I wanted him punished or even killed for what he did, and I hope he doesn’t get a redemption arc because he doesn’t deserve it. If I see that man again in this series, I'll cry.

The ending left more questions than answers and I have a feeling Tella is going to become a problem rather supporting her sister with whatever they do next.

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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

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sadie_g'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

5.0

I was obsessed with this book from the start and just kept thinking about it.

Loved the banter and the romance in this, and the bond between Donatella and Scarlet is so strong and beautiful. This is such a magical and unique setting and I could imagine it all through the writing. I really thought I knew where things were going but it kept surprising me in the best ways. I’m so excited to read the rest of this series.

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deadly_kitten777's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was an emotional Rollercoaster, the plot was messy and all over the place plot, yet I am so addicted to this book for seemingly no reason, it was very interesting and i will defiantly be reading the others but I'm so confused on why I like it this much, like easy cheese which is undoubtedly terrible yet so addicting, worth a read for sure, one other note is they really excuse Tella's actions but she does some really terrible things and is in genera kind of a terrible person

and the entire game thing being just for funseys was very messed up as scarlett was terrified the entire time and genuinely thought everyone including the boy she loved to ge in severe dsnger or dead

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gossanna's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

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