I was honestly a bit skeptical of Caraval because of the masses of hype around it but picked up the ebook to buddy read with a friend. We finished it in four days. Once we'd started we just couldn't put it down. I haven't read the sequels yet (though epilogue aside it honestly works as a standalone) but will certainly continue. The magical world of Caraval is unlike anything I've read about recently and I'm a sucker for 'games that might kill you'. I would totally play along, get lost in the magic and die. Honestly.

The characters really made this book. They were interesting and developed and I love a book full of Can't Be Trusted types. While reading it I had approximately 200 theories of what was going on and I was miles off. Which made the end reveals more powerful. My only criticism is that the end was a bit convenient and rushed. I would have preferred it a bit darker to suit the tone of the book - but maybe I just like to see characters suffer!