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A review by barbarianmissy
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
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
3.0
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol