 |
| http://www.yainterrobang.com/ya-excerpts-april-19-2016/#prettyPhoto |
Caraval by Stephanie Garber can be described as many things, an ode to The Night Circus, a fascinating introduction to a new universe and fandom, a novel that quite literally keeps you turning pages in every direction in an attempt to maintain your sanity and keep yourself firmly planted where you are; and my personal favorite, a novel where at the end of the game, there are no winners for was there ever a prize to be won?
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Caraval here's the synopsis from Macmillian Publishers site: "Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever."
From the moment we first meet Scarlett and Tella you can tell that their bond is one of undying sisterly love, one born from the fear of their father, the loss of their mother, and the necessity of life. Tella is the adventurous, boisterous, sly, cunning, and sultry girl that parents fear; the kind that make the best friend. Scarlett is quite the opposite, she is obedient, fearful, dutiful, and oddly optimistic and hopeful. Scarlett spends several years writing letters to Caraval Master Legend, begging for a ticket, for the Caraval to come to their home so she could play the game just once. Then the inevitable happens, the little girl Scarlett was stops writing the letters because she's grown up and is now being forced to marry a man her tyrant of a father has chosen for her.
Honestly, until you meet the fiance later in the book it is really hard to believe the man even exists. Their father is truly a monster, you're only a handful of pages in before he's turning his rings around to slap Tella so hard her face is bruised and bloody.
As the beginning carries on you are also introduced to Julian, granted he's making out with Tella (prompting the abuse from her father) but the novel ends with him wrapped in Scarlett's arms. Once the invitation from Caraval Master Legend is received, you see the girls get "kidnapped", Julian becomes Scarlett's confidante, who's played the game before, and you see Scarlett having to stand up for herself and more than that she is having to learn that being angry and confused are acceptable emotions.
Tella becomes the prize, Julain the distraction, the world of Carval becomes the setting filled with magic, it could truly be a movie; when Daddy Dragna comes to the island with Scarlett's fiance you almost lose hope that Tella will ever be found or that Scarlett will win. Both happen though, Tella is found in a tower, Scarlett wins her wish, though Carval Master Legend is no where to be found (BECAUSE HE IS NEVER ON THE FREAKING ISLAND! That revelation may or may not have resulted in a book being thrown.) We find that Julain, though his love for Scarlett became real, was a player in the game, and in the biggest twist of them all we find that Tella is the reason the invitation was extended at all; this is also the genius way that book two gets established as the game of book one and its tale do get wrapped up nicely.
Stephanie Garber masterfully and beautifully toys with your emotions while you read. You have to remember the warning at the beginning, this is only a game, nothing is real. Yet she crafted a game that has very real consequences for the players and the readers. I was mesmerized, I was angry, I had to read pages and paragraphs again fearing that I had missed something and trying to foreshadow what would happen only to be proven wrong time and time again. I myself forgot that this was a game, hell I forgot that this was a novel! To have something so completely consume you is magical. Garber uses language to convey the emotions of color, when she describes Scarlett's temporary death as purple my heart ached for her, purple was the color of her father, of her anger and fear. The description of her father's scent, "lavender, anise, and something akin to rotten plums," the back of my throat would tickle with the smell. The way the island where the Caraval took place blossomed with light and magic, the carousel of roses and thorns, it was all so realistic when reading.
Book Stats:
- Series: Caraval (Book 1)
- Hardcover: 416 pages
- Publisher: Flatiron Books (January 31, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1250095255
Thanks for Reading,
XoXo
BrainyHeroine
No comments:
Post a Comment