Caraval

By Stephanie Garber

Caraval! What an amazing, inventive story! This book is phenomenal from the start and hard to put down. Once you think you know what's real, something else comes to light and forget it! You're back to square one. 

Caraval follows a young lady named Scarlett. Scarlett is 18 years old, about to get married to a man she's never met, terrified of her abusive father, and protective of her younger sister, Tella. She will do anything to protect Tella, even marry a man who she believes with whisk them away and save them from their father. But then, she receives a ticket to Caraval.

Caraval is a mysterious, magical event put on every year by Legend, its mysterious, magical creator. And every year it is different. This year, Scarlett receives 3 tickets, and even though she's desperately wanted to go for many years, she can't risk upsetting her father and missing her wedding. However, Tella and Julian, a sailor in port for a bit, have other ideas. They kidnap her and bring her to Caraval, held this year on Legend's own island.  And it is just as magical as Scarlett imagined...and deadly. This year, the game revolves around Scarlett and Tella, and the one who wins must be the one who finds the kidnapped Tella.

Scarlett, fearful of all that's around her, is warned not to get swept away by the game and not to forget that not everything is real. Magic abounds, weaving together colors and sounds and real and fantasy until even you don't know what is genuine or not. In the space of 5 nights, Scarlett learns to let go of her fear, learns to trust herself and others, and learns what the meaning of sacrifice is. She follows the clues until it leads to Tella, but it's not all happiness and rainbows when they reunite. She must make a difficult, heart-breaking decision in the end.
Don't get swept away...and don't forget it's only a game!

What I liked about this book: I couldn't put it down! The story is so complex and imaginative, and it's fun to see what comes next. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially when Scarlett starts to trust Julian and their relationship grows. She is also a wonderfully complex character who is selfless and just wants to protect her sister. Also, the way the author describes the images she sees is beautiful and colorful. She uses colors to describe sounds and tastes and it sucks the reader in. In the end, when you're excited the story is over, it leaves the reader with another twist. A twist that compels the reader to want to hear more... Good thing there's another book!

I would recommend this book to middle school students and young adults. It is not girly, but full of adventure and excitement so boys will want to devour it too. I pretty sure this author is now one of my new favorites!