I have been hearing so much about this book it’s crazy. It was all over my Instagram and all over my Goodreads and so about a month ago I was in New York and had a free day so I decided to buy it and go to town. I now know why this book is everywhere. It is a fantastic read.

I have a sister and she’s basically my whole world so just the entire premise of the book for me was very close to home. It was heart-warming and aside from that there’s magic and romance, adventure, mystery, you name it this book has it. Stephanie Garber has now become one of my favourite authors and an instant buy. She could write poems on toilet paper and I’d probably buy it.

Caraval came out just a couple of months ago and while it introduces us to two sisters Scarlett and Donatella, Caraval focuses on Scarlett’s story. Both have an opportunity to escape the drab island of Trisda which they call their home and alongside it their abusive father to go and play the magnificent Caraval a show and game of sorts held by the enigmatic Game Master Legend. Scarlett finally manages to win tickets right before her wedding after years of begging Master Legend to invite her, but refuses to go because of her wedding. And so Tella does what all good sisters do and uses the charming sailor Julian to drug her sister and take her to Caraval. And that is where the story begins.

I think one of the best things about this book is the writing. Descriptive writing is a talent such few people possess and I am so insanely jealous of how much talent Stephanie has. The writing is exquisite. I can build the roads of Caraval through my entire mind from the gowns and the fragrances to the colors all over the Isle to the tattooed body of Nigel. It’s brilliant. The writing is just a breath of fresh air and for the first time in many books I finally felt completely immersed in the world.

World-building was spot on. I want to live on Isla de los Sueños forever and not just as a player of the game. I want to be a performer. I would kill for Nigel’s job. Like forget law and publishing and travelling and writing. I want to be a performer in Caraval. It’s such a fantastic world. The magic brims from every corner and cobblestone and I want a sip. Every character that she introduced, was fleshed out and had a purpose small as it might be. It was fabulous. The entire magic system, the game, the purpose behind each character, even the clothes and every stitch was thought out to perfection.

I was hoping that the story would follow Tella, because I found Scarlett’s character to be a bit of a prude, but I enjoyed reading about Scarlett. I loved the romance and so I liked the entire story following Scarlett well enough. I liked her personal growth as she goes from quiet, reserved and cowed to empowered and independent. And above all I loved how much she loved her sister. A lot of YA books these days delve into this ‘sisters killing sisters’ trope and those are so unrealistic and just not my taste at all. So I adored the relationship and love Scarlett has for Tella and Tella’s faith in her.

I wanted to smack Julian a bit, but he was a rakish love interest who I ended up quite liking. This was a five star read for me. I found the ending a bit ambiguous so I am hoping that there’s a scope for a sequel. One that follows Tella hopefully! This was a five star read for me.

UPDATE: THERE’S A SEQUEL A SEQUEL A SEQUEL! AND IT’S BASED ON TELLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA!