"An intriguing and enchanting mix of The Hunger Games, The Night Circus, and the dark carnival from Something Wicked This Way Comes" Garber has created an elaborate world with complex, mysterious people and I'm eager to see more of it as the series continues.
4 Stars
Pros: The idea of Caraval is intriguing, like Morgenstern's The Night Circus meets Bradbury's dark carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes, it was an adventure but a serious and deadly one.
Cons: Points of the novel were pretty predictable but there were times where I was surprised, so it wasn't that bad. There were times at the end where it felt like "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" where it could have ended but it didn't.
Full Review:
Scarlett (Scar) and Donatella (Tella) are the daughters Governor Dragna, the ruler of Trisda, a small island of the Conquered Isles. Ever since their Mother disappeared without a trace and their Father turned abusive and cruel, Scarlett has taken it upon herself to write to the master of Caraval, a mysterious traveling circus that appears at random throughout the land. Not much is known of Legend, the master behind Caraval or what exactly it entails. All that's known is passed along through memories and gossip. Scarlett learned of Caraval from her Grandmother and she writes to Legend in hopes that he'll bring Caraval to Trisda, so she and Tella can take part in the game, win the reward of a single wish and try to escape the miserable, controlling tyranny of their Father.
For years she never received a response until one day a letter comes for her. It's from Legend himself, inviting she and her sister to join him at Caraval and also including one extra ticket for a person of their choice. Scarlett immediately goes to find Tella to reveal the good news, only to find her in a compromising position with a young sailor passing through Trisda, named Julian.
Pushing aside frustration at her sisters constant flirtations and recklessness, Scarlett explains to Tella that Legend has finally written her back and enclosed tickets. They're going to Caraval. The moment is quickly ruined when Governor Dragna appears. They manage to keep Caraval a secret but that's not what Governor Dragna is interested in. He's more curious about the random boy he's found in his storeroom. He quickly puts two and two together and asks Julian, which daughter was he with. And after some hesitation Julian lies and says that he was with Scarlett.
In a startling twist, Governor Dragna doles out punishment on Donatella, instead of Scarlett. It turns out this is the way of things. When one girl is caught doing something, the other sister is punished, to make the real culprit suffer the guilt. After the ordeal, Tella is convinced, more than ever, that they have to leave Trisda and take Legend up on his offer. Julian offers to bring them to Island where Caraval will take place.
There's one problem though. Scarlett is engaged to be married to a man she's never met, but she's convinced anything, even an arranged marriage will be better than remaining under her fathers thumb. She plans on marrying this man, a Count and bringing Tella with her, so they can finally escape their Father. And before Governor Dragna punished Tella for Scarlett's "indiscretions" with Julian, he announced that Scarlett's wedding date had finally been decided. It would be ten days from now.
Even as Donatella rushes off to prepare to leave Trisda, refusing to listen to reason, Scarlett realizes that there's no way she can go to Caraval, win the game and the promised wish and still return to Trisda in time for her wedding. Unbeknownst to her though, things are already in motion and as she'd hoped, she'll be swept up in an adventure that's magical, enchanting, frightening and truly life changing.
This was a fun, quick read that had a few surprising twists and turns, just enough to keep you guessing. And though it felt as if the book could have ended at about five different points, overall, the conclusion of the novel was both satisfying and a fun cliffhanger. I'll be getting my hands on Legendary as soon as possible so that I can continue the adventure.
Comments
Post a Comment