Caraval

By: Stephanie Garber

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler

This program includes a bonus interview with the author.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval - Stephanie Garber's sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful - and cruel - father. Now Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the faraway once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season's Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

©2016 Stephanie Garber (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Actor Soler's lively narration swiftly draws listeners into the magical spectacle at the center of Garber's YA novel." (Publishers Weekly, best audiobooks of 2017)

A Dazzling Debut

I can’t get Caraval out of my head. It was the first book I listened to this year, and I have the best kind of anxiety that I might not listen to anything better for the rest of 2017. It was just.that.good. I have been pushing it on my coworkers for a few weeks now, and two of them are finally listening and I simply can't wait to have friends to obsess over it with.

Two sisters – Scarlett and Tella – escape the tyranny of their abusive father and join an elaborate performance game hosted by the enigmatic Master Legend. Once at Caraval, Tella is kidnapped and finding her becomes the object of the game – but the lines between reality and the game quickly blur, and Scarlett begins to lose herself as she desperately searches for her sister. Garber’s language is gorgeous, as a listener you experience the rich colors and setting in the same way that Scarlett does, and narrator Rebecca Soler (Cinder) is the optimal companion through the dazzling and twisted world of Caraval.

different

the entire time I was listening to this book I was torn between intrigue and frustration. it started to really bug me that the author was making descriptives with make believe colors and comparisons of colour to things like dreams and midnight, etc. it just felt like alot of fluff and didn't really add to the story. a little bit was fine but it just went over the top. the end of the book felt like a let down. sorry

BORING

Warning: might contain very minor spoilers

“Caraval” is a young adult fantasy novel about two sisters who live on a remote island with a tyrannous father. Scarlett, the elder sister, is willing to do anything to save both herself and her younger sister Donatella, including accepting the arranged marriage. She has a dream, though, of seeing a mysterious performance, Caraval, and one day she gets the invitation from the master Legend himself. When Scarlett is brought to the island to partake in the game, almost against her will, she is faced with the fact that Donatella is missing, and now Scarlett has to win the game to save her sister.

I was very excited to get my hands on Caraval, but since I had never heard about this author (and only later found out that it is a debut novel), I got it from the library. Unfortunately, I failed to read the book and had to return it. So, when I found out that Caraval was narrated by Rebecca Soler, I immediately went to Audible and got my copy of this audiobook.

I finished the book surprisingly quickly. I felt, however, very much let down by it. Very similar to my experience with “Heartless” by Marissa Meyer (but only worse in this case), the book left me feeling as the author had poured all efforts into creating visually appealing world and characters, but the plot was crafted from cliches and tropes. It was getting so ridiculously predictable at times, that I could even guess the lines in dialogues. Because I have already read all of those before, in multiple books.

Caraval, which is positioned as a fantasy novel, is surprisingly romance heavy. It has too many elements of romantic settings and all of those descriptions of ‘smooth, muscled backs’ and ‘chiseled features’ only made me roll my eyes repeatedly. It would have been okay if this book was meant to be a romance novel. In a fantasy setting, it seemed just a bit too much of sugar at inappropriate places.

The world of Caraval is crafted well enough, however, the ideas behind it are not new. A deadly game to save the loved one? We have all read a book or two about that. Falling for a bad boy? Yup. Dying but not actually dying? Err, what?

I had a big problem with the plot, which had more holes than a plot is allowed to have, but the biggest issue for me was with the ending. The dead should stay the dead unless their death wasn’t such a big deal. Because if it is, if it is supposed to be a hoax, do not let either readers or characters believe in it for so long. And especially, if it all turns out to be a trick - do not treat it so lightly. I personally found annoyed and cheated at the end.

I liked Scarlett fair enough, although I didn’t always agree with her actions. I liked Dante, probably, the best from all secondary characters. I liked both his and Julian’s backstories, however, everyone else verged at the edge of annoying. Especially, Tella. I am ready to say that she was the most annoying and least enjoyable character for me.

There is so much hype surrounding this book, which I don’t understand at all. The plot is weak, the romance is predictable, the characters are cliched. The idea was great, but it should have been executed and wrapped up in one book. But we, it seems, are getting a sequel.

Rebecca Soler does a good job with this book. I had some trouble distancing myself from my experience of “Heartless” at the very beginning, but overall I think “Caravel” characters sound more believable and alive. I am not sure if it was due to the fact that I started listening to “Caravel” right after “Heartless” or perhaps because both books are narrated by Rebecca, but I kept thinking that these two novels have a lot in common in the way certain things are romanticized and exaggerated. Of course, these two books are different, but I kept wondering if Stephanie Garber was somehow inspired by Marissa Meyer’s writing.

At the end of the audiobook, there was an interview with Stephanie Garber. Listening to her talk only solidified my opinion that this author is just not for me. Since we are getting the sequel that will focus on Tella, I am still on the fence with whether I would like to continue with duology (and I hope it is only going to be a duology), but I might give it a go if I have time and if I get it as an audiobook (preferably, from OverDrive). Because I am not spending a penny on the book that could have been so good, but turned out to be a hoax.

Plot: 2 stars
Performance: 4 stars
Overall rating: 3 stars

Average

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would develop the story, I found myself wishing the book would end. I was bored!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Scarlet was whimpy, the carnival was interesting with the twist and turns.

What three words best describe Rebecca Soler’s performance?

Bright, over enthenthusiastic.

Do you think Caraval needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, Unless the author could make this story more realastic and interesting.

Any additional comments?

I would not recommend this book.

I Fell In Love

I fell In love with everything about this book! The world that the author takes you to is incredible and original. She keeps you guessing throughout the book and the outcomes are never what you expect.

The narration was perfect! I read other reviews that didn't like the performance, said all characters sounded the same and that they didn't like the 'vampire' voices. I was able to notice differences in each character and enjoyed the emotion that was put into each one.

I would recommend this book to all of my friends, it has something for everyone. And I can not wait to read the next book to find out what happens with Tella and her story!

Enjoyed it. Sexy, magical and fun

Despite a few glaring plot holes I really enjoyed this book. I blasted through it in a day. Adventurous, fun, magical, dark, with a dash of sexual tension.
I’m working on book 2 now. I hope it keeps up with the first one!

Not for me

I found the characters unlikable and the ending was super rushed. Not my kind of book.

amazing. fun

I loved the book 📚. It kept me doubting of what was real and what was not.

Wonder Book!

I’ve read many good things about this book, watched many YouTube reviews and was suggested it by my sister. I’m very happy that I decided to get this book through here. Loved how it was narrated, Rebecca Solar has an amazing voice, and it brought each character to life. I highly recommend listening to Caraval!

Love this book!!

The ending of this book is so epic, kept me on my toes. I did not want to put it down.