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.