Reviews

Caraval, by Stephanie Garber

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tillybaileyy's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

spideyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I felt like I was reading a Baz Lurhmann movie.

Delectable, yes delectable, imagery and descriptions make this a worthy read. I loved how easy it was to dive into the world of Caraval, and I will definitely be finishing the series. I do recommend this book!

eeread247's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

lexieesrw's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked the premise, very theatrical and carnival-esque. However, I found Garber skipped through plot steps at different points that made it difficult to focus, eg suddenly Scarlett is describing herself on land and I thought she was still in the water because connecting the two sequences wasn’t clear enough. I found the secrets within secrets within secrets aspect kind of annoying towards the end, but I guess the not-knowing-what’s-real is kind of the point! I enjoyed a lot of the world-building and imagining the scenery, and I could sympathise with a lot of the inner monologue and choices that Scarlett makes. Overall, it wasn’t fantastic but the premise made it memorable and I will be reading the next book to find out what happens next.

snowbenton's review against another edition

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1.0

This felt like a cheap ripoff of the Night Circus, yet somehow still managed to be the most boring book I've read in years. Caraval was so suffused with magic that had no rules that there were no consequences and precious few actions, so my entire reading experience was just one eyeroll after another. The characterizations made no sense as behaviors changed from scene to scene, and the touches at attempted artistry (such as the main character's emotion-color synesthesia) felt forced. Would not recommend to anyone.

anne_e's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

klaculus's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

Spoiler

WHY IS JULIAN LIKE 100 YEARS OLD?????

rrs's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

2.0

laurenski's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

addibelle12's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this book with all the twists and turns but I’m not gonna lie sometimes i was a bit confused. Definitely a good book and it wasn’t boring but sometimes I was a bit confused on where it was going or sometimes just confused with the characters but overall would read again.

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