Caraval

Wow! I have no words for how amazing this book was. This book was torture! The good kind of torture but torture none the less. It made me feel so many things, it excited me, thrilled me, pulled me in, gave me hope, crushed it and still made me fall in love. In my eyes, a book that can make you feel such intensity is no doubt amazing. I absolutely fell in love with Julian and Scarlet. There were times I was absolutely frustrated with Tella but at the very end, I finally found myself resonating with her.
Every time you think you've got it figured out, you get the shock of your life.

It was basically a middle man between a circus and a carnival, both of which I love and the elements of magic just made it absolutely perfect! I have only been to the circus once, that I recall, and I remember enjoying every second of it and I would love to experience it again but this time I'd like some magic!

I love that the book started and ended with letters. We start this journey with Scarlet's letters to the Legend Master and we end it with letters between Tella and Legend Master.

We see Scarlet transform from this scared girl who tries to find an escape from her ruthless father to someone who can stand up to her greatest nightmare.

I think that my favorite thing about this book was the fact that it kept my heart racing with every page. Things never seemed boring. Each character, no matter how small a role they played, had so many layers to them. Julian was my absolute favorite throughout the book and every time it seemed like he was the bad guy it broke my heart. From the moment he waited for Scarlet at the gate, I knew he wasn't bad and every time he did something nice, I started rooting for him. And when he got in a scuffle to get Scarlet's earrings back, I fell in love.

My absolute favorite thing about Julian was the fact he called Scarlet Crimson. I love it when characters call each other cute names like that, especially when they are unconventional and start as a way to tease the other character! In the end, when he calls her Scarlet, my heart almost broke, well until he made his feelings clear that is. I thought that maybe he might not love her until he basically tells her that he does.

I love a good scavenger hunt and reading it brought up so many desires. I would love to experience the magic of the Caraval and even though I don't want to be in Scarlet's position and go through that kind of mental stress, I wouldn't mind a week of harmless thrill!

From the very moment Scarlet received the letters, the magic of the Caraval was evident and with each passing scene, I was sucked in further. The writing was so immaculate that I could actually imagine the situation. Stephanie Garber painted such a vivid and magical image that I didn't want the book to end. After suffering from a few days of post reading depression, I am finally capable of forming a coherent review!

The scene where Scarlet crosses the bridge to find the little boy was one of my favorites and the scenes that followed it were even better. I would really like to experience the whole thing with Iko and the carousel of roses. I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to see the carousel and to experience the magic of those roses, to see the wicked in the beauty and feel the thrill of it first hand. I absolutely loved the scene where Julian gave away a day of his life for Scarlet because to me, that was proof that he loved her, well until the end where everything went down and secrets came out.

In the next book, I would like to find out more about what happened to Scar and Tella's mother and the deal Tella made and with whom to find out so much about the Legend Master, I would love to see the Legend himself and see him redeem himself and continue down the path he began when he saved Tella and Scar. And most importantly, I'm interested in seeing Julian and Scarlet together and find out their fate beyond that moment.

All in all, it was such an amazing read and I can't wait for book two.

Spectra

Spectra was an excellent read that kept me up all night. I couldn't put this book down, and I felt as if the story progression was immaculate. From the very beginning, I disliked Alexander, and I felt as if he was the worst choice for her, and as the story progressed, that feeling solidified. You don't treat the person you love as secondary. And we do see both Mercury and Bay truly do love her. The whole polygamy thing was a little out of my comfort zone as I am a firm believer in one true ship and as much as I love Merc, I ship Bay. The ending made left me wanting so much more.

As a fantasy reader, I loved discovering this new world and the magnificent species in it.

I love Spectra as a character, despite everything, despite all her losses, the manipulation, she has managed to remain her own person, and that is impressive. I respect characters that can hold their own and Spectra totally makes that list. I'm excited to see what happens next, especially since the ending left me high and dry. It is definitely something I would recommend to others.

Oh and PS. I was given the arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so thankful to Inkitt for introducing me to this world and its excellent characters.

Now, I will discuss things in full spoilery fashion so beware!

First, let's start with the fact it was not how I expected it to be. I was absolutely drawn in from the get-go, and as I read the first chapter, I found myself sucked into this world. There were so many fantastic characters and so many unique creatures. I was curious about what Spectra was from the very beginning, and the story unfolded the facts slowly and turned into something fantastic, though I'm still confused as to what she is, she is definitely an Angelis but is she also a ghost? If so, how is she still alive and corporal? I want more clarification as to how she became incorporeal and corporeal at the same time. We met this amazing character, Bay, and got to see the world from his eyes, got to see the predators and the other species.

In the entire book, there was just one character I disliked, Alexander. It wasn't that he was basically pushing Spec aside so he could play the field, even she was in multiple relationships, which surprisingly didn't bother me. It bugged me that he gave her false hope, that he made her believe things he did not mean. It bugged me that he expected her to be loyal to him and only him when he was, in mild words, socializing with half the city! When Bay said "He pushed you away to keep you safe. He broke your heart to live a playboy's life." I couldn't agree more!

I absolutely adored Merc, and I really want him to be happy, but I don't want him to be with Spec. I don't believe in polygamy, but I know that if that happens in this book, I'd be okay with it, I'd adjust because the writing was just that good! I would love to see Spectra just be with Bay, and I want Merc to be happy with someone else. But, alas, that doesn't seem too likely considering that at the end of the book, Merc and Spec were to be married and that is after Spec and Bay had been married, sort of married.

Speaking of polygamy, I am kind of confused with the whole situation with the Lions and Calin. I like Calin, but it pissed me off that he had the right to be angry about his wife, Selena, taking another lover, Luke, when he had multiple wives. I've never understood why people think it's okay to hold women to a different standard than men. If he can be in multiple relationships, then so can she!

There was one thing that I really need to know is who was that female predator looked over Spec. I don't know why I feel as if it's her sister but I kind of hope so. Also, who was looking after her, who sent Miranda Jackson? I kind of hope it's either her sister or her father secretly looking after her.

All in all, this was such a great read, and it left me wanting more, craving more!

Get the book now on amazon by clicking on Spectra by Ebony Olson