Remember it's only a game....

Caraval is a wonderful, capturing read! Stephanie Garber creates a very interesting world inside the game of Caraval. I was very wrapped up in the whole game as it follows main character Scarlett as she searches for her missing sister Donetella, who has been taken by the master mind behind the game, Legend. She meets many different characters who you can't take at face value as Scarlett is reminded of many times, and there were times where I was guessing at what was real and what wasn't.

I personally got a little annoyed with some of the characters part of the way through the book. Scarlett's undying love for her sister made me mad at times because even though Tella wasn't present, the memories of her made me want to punch her. She seemed very self-centered and like she didn't care about Scarlett even though Scarlett cared an immense amount about her. Scarlett also started to annoy me because she was overly cautious even when she told herself she shouldn't be. But I felt as though this was all part of the character development leading up to the end of the book.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the next in the series! The ending really took me by surprise as I thought I had figured everything out on my own, when that definitely wasn't the case. I loved all of the descriptions of Caraval from the shops to the smells to how many things and feelings are described with colors. Stephanie Garber has done an amazing job with her debut novel!