Synopsis
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn't free yet. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend's true name.
The only chance of uncovering Legend's identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more- and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets . . . including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can't fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend's name, she'll lose everything she cares about- maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn't free yet. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend's true name.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.
Loved
- Everything! I seriously loved everything about this book. I was completely swept away by it and fell wholly under its spell. I don't even know where to start with all the things I loved . . .
- Dante. I don't usually fall for the dark, mysterious, sexy guys, but Dante was so fascinating to me. I love his and Tella's relationship- so awkward at first, but grows into such a swoony romance. He was so intriguing to me because we are guessing with every word he says what game he's playing and what his motives really are. He has so many layers and uncovering them little by little throughout the story is a breathtaking journey.
- Jacks. Oh my goodness. I have never encountered such a gorgeous villain. He is positively devastating. The ballroom scene when he dances with Tella completely floored me- you'll know what I'm talking about when you read it. He's deliciously evil, but so fascinating that you find yourself actually falling for him and wanting more of him. We need more villains like this in the literature world- he is flawless.
- The mystery. I loved the mysteries in the first book, but this mystery was so intriguing and Tella's search for clues and attempt to determine reality from illusion is dazzling. I couldn't stop turning pages to get more clues and I just ate up every crumb dropped on the trail. This mystery was darker and more luscious than the first book, and I just ate it up greedily.
- The fates! Okay the fates are possibly one of the coolest ideas I've ever read about. Let's set loose a bunch of cards and have them come to life- so crazy! I thought the fates were just fascinating with their different abilities and motives. They added an extra layer of depth and complexity to this story that I found intriguing.
- Again, the writing. I can't rave enough about Stephanie Garber's stunning descriptions and luscious imagery. If she wrote the little messages on the backs of cereal boxes, every box would be gone like toilet paper during quarantine. She makes every event, character, interaction, and setting just gorgeous and fascinating. Like I said in my review of Caraval, her writing is the magic behind this series.
- The ENDING. My heart. I think I read the ending just about you know, two or three hundred times, just because it was beautiful and heart wrenching and powerful and devastating. I won't spoil, but just be assured the ending will live up to the magic of the rest of the story.
Didn't Love
- My only complaint is that I can't reread this book every day of my life and just live in this gorgeous magical world with these characters. That's all.
Content
- Language:
- A few uses of "bastard," "damn," and "dirty hell." (Since Tella is our MC in this story, we get a little more colorful language than with Scarlett . . . :)
- Sexual content:
- There is nothing explicit in this book. Because it's a carnival-type setting, there are many sensual references made throughout the story. Many of the descriptions are sensual, such as "black as stolen kisses in the night" or "dark as secrets behind closed doors."
- Mentions of brothels and affairs.
- A one-night tryst happens at the beginning when two characters are drunk and lonely, and spend the night together (no sex, just a lot of kissing on the ground and sleeping by each other in a forest). None of the kissing is described, just descriptions of them piecing together what happened the next morning.
- One dramatic kiss happens between two characters- the kiss is meant to manipulate rather than show romantic feelings.
- Steamy kiss between two characters. She sits on his lap, use of tongue mentioned, she takes a cloak off him and runs her hands on his back, he takes her cloak off and she is in a flimsy dress, run hands over each other's backs and legs (pgs 356-358).
- Violence:
- One character battles some fates and is beaten. Some broken bones and nearly drowns/freezes in a river. A magical creature is stabbed in the eye and killed.
- Some sharing of blood between characters in order to heal injuries.
- A magical force that slows heartbeats and nearly kills some characters.
- Frequent mentions of blood dripping from fingernails and mouths- not from injuries, but as magical reminders of an impending death.
- Mentions of previous physical abuse from father.
- A character is choked.
- A few uses of "bastard," "damn," and "dirty hell." (Since Tella is our MC in this story, we get a little more colorful language than with Scarlett . . . :)
- There is nothing explicit in this book. Because it's a carnival-type setting, there are many sensual references made throughout the story. Many of the descriptions are sensual, such as "black as stolen kisses in the night" or "dark as secrets behind closed doors."
- Mentions of brothels and affairs.
- A one-night tryst happens at the beginning when two characters are drunk and lonely, and spend the night together (no sex, just a lot of kissing on the ground and sleeping by each other in a forest). None of the kissing is described, just descriptions of them piecing together what happened the next morning.
- One dramatic kiss happens between two characters- the kiss is meant to manipulate rather than show romantic feelings.
- Steamy kiss between two characters. She sits on his lap, use of tongue mentioned, she takes a cloak off him and runs her hands on his back, he takes her cloak off and she is in a flimsy dress, run hands over each other's backs and legs (pgs 356-358).
- One character battles some fates and is beaten. Some broken bones and nearly drowns/freezes in a river. A magical creature is stabbed in the eye and killed.
- Some sharing of blood between characters in order to heal injuries.
- A magical force that slows heartbeats and nearly kills some characters.
- Frequent mentions of blood dripping from fingernails and mouths- not from injuries, but as magical reminders of an impending death.
- Mentions of previous physical abuse from father.
- A character is choked.
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