Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Caraval

“We will try to convince you it's real, but all of it is a per-formance. A world built of make-believe. So while we want you to get swept away, be careful of being swept too far away. Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won't wake up."

5 ⭐️

Oh the nostalgia of reading this dreamy book again. Within the world of Caraval you never know whats real or make believe, both the main character and the reader always guessing but never being right as there is always something else to make what you thought ruined. Rereading this has given me some hindsight for the series and the spin off, I hope to pick up more hints throughout the reread to see if I can come up with any theories for later on.

I adore Stephanie’s writing style and the world building, its so magical and whimsical but always has an edge. I also love how our MC links colours to feelings, almost like auras.

TWs: kidnap, suicide, abuse

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abookisthegatetothesoulgabi's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

5.0

My fave book series since it came out!

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melodyramirez's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

The mystery and plot twists are pretty intriguing and fun but the writing is kindof cheesy and the author really over uses similes. The conclusion is also infodump-y.

Spoiler

personally I would never forgive them for any of that

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gillshea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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kiwij96's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Good lord this book is messy. There's so many supposed twists that makes it feel like a coiled spring. I couldn't keep track of all the lies and deceptions and the twists that kept happening. Also the way it was written: I couldn't imagine any of the scenery because it was just Scarlett's internal monologue with a couple of glimpses at what things looked like.

I found Scarlett too whiny. The whole time she wasn't her own person, she was like an extension of other people. Her intire thing was just "that's my sister" or "Julian" without any let up and that bothered me. Donatella was just outright selfish the whole time and she was just infuriating. Also the fact that they were like 16/17 years old and Donatella tried running away with boys from age 12? Like good lord. Maybe their immaturity plays a greater role in how unlikeable the two girls are. It definitely gave me an insight to what a fantasy book looks like with people who want nothing to do with the fantasy aspect of their world.

The only thing that will probably keep me reading the series is the cliffhanger it ended on but also saw coming.

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steen19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This is totally YA for a reason. The main character is painfully immature.

The final ~15% of this was really fucked up. Like serious psychological trauma.

This book is like 80% telling and only 20% showing. The MC kinda just walks up on situations and people recount it all. There weren’t really game-like challenges or carnival ambiance.

Content Warnings

jessicaludden's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

“Hope is a powerful thing. Some say it’s a different breed of magic altogether. Elusive, difficult to hold on to. But not much is needed.”

I loved Scarlett. I loved Julian. I loved how this world was so unpredictable and full of risk. The magic left me with a simultaneous feeling of wonder and unease. The ending felt a little rushed and there was a lot going on. Everything in Caraval is truly not what it seems and I’m excited for the rest of the series.

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