Caraval
Part of the Caraval · Book 1
Welcome, welcome to CARAVAL, the first book in Stephanie Garber's enchanting, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Caraval series, about two sisters swept up in a mysterious competition filled with magic, heartbreak, and danger
THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER!
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 far-away, 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 attend. 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 whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, and her sister disappears forever.
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Caraval
Why It Passed
No author paid to be here. The shelf is not sponsored. Every book is read in full before it ever reaches you, then weighed against four things we refuse to bend on. Here is how this one held up.
writing
The prose does the work without showing off. You forget you're reading and just fall in.
characters
Nobody here is only a love interest. Even the side characters have a pulse and reason to exist.
pacing
The slow burn is genuinely slow. It earns every inch of tension instead of stalling for length.
payoff
The ending lands. No cheap cliff just to sell you the next one. (Okay. Maybe a small one. You'll survive!)
Know Before You Start
The Book
The Tropes
The Spice
A few things worth knowing before you start. We would rather you choose with eyes open than get blindsided forty pages in.
The Content Warnings
The Criteria Score
The Reviews
Finished it? We want to know what you think
We vetted this one. Here's what happened when readers got their hands on it.
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