The Laughing Listener
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Length: 10 hours & 24 minutes

Story Rating: 5 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

THIS BOOK!! AHHHHHHHH!!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH IF YOU CAN’T TELL BY THE ALL-CAPS YELLING!! This is one of those rare occasions where the hype surrounding a book is completely justified (in my humble opinion) and I’m so excited I can join in the fangirling! If you’re looking for a coherent, thought-provoking review, that’s too bad because you won’t find it here. There’s just going to be lots and lots a flailing.



THE REHASH
Scarlett and her younger sister Tella have admired Caraval their whole lives and have longed to witness the show’s magic for themselves. For years Scarlett has written the mastermind behind it all, Legend, and recieved no answer. When they’re not dreaming of Caraval, Scarlett and Tella are being controlled and abused by their father. Several days before she’s suppose to marry a Duke and live a cushy, safe life with a man she’s never met, Scarlett writes one last letter. Much to her surprise, this one gets answered.

Legend has sent her three special tickets to the Caraval game and Scarlett can’t believe it. She immediately runs to tell her sister, only to find her canoodling with a sailor named Julian. To buy his silence, they offer him the third ticket and set off. On the way, Tella gets separated and Scarlett is convinced she’s gone ahead inisde Caraval without them. Once Julian and Scarlett reach the inside of Caraval, however, they realize that Tella isn’t just inside game, she IS the game. Everyone participating must gather clues to find the missing Tella and whoever finds her wins. Scarlett must be the one to win to reach her sister first and save her.

Remember, it’s only just a game. But the deeper Scarlett and Julian go, the more it doesn’t feel like just a game…

THE GOOD
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!! I just finished listening to the audiobook last week and I’ve already bought a hard copy and plan on reading it again soon.

Going in I knew this novel was suppose to be a mind bender, but by the first few chapters I had everything mapped out. Every twist, every big reveal, every plot point—it was all up in my noggin and I sat back to enjoy the ride. HA! Stephanie Garber—a.k.a the evil genius—knew exactly what my expectations were going to be an used them against me. It was brilliant! Every damn time I thought I had it figured out, she would rip the rug out from under me. This book didn’t end the way I though it would at all and it was amazing!!



The world building in this was beautiful too! We don’t spend much time outside of Caraval, but I loved it once we see the inside. There were so many great magical shops and food and clothes! I mean, there was a fortune teller who used his tattoos to read Scarlett’s fortune. That’s so cool!!

And the ROMANCE!! *Sighs* Similar to Scarlett, I found myself falling hard for Julian despite my better judgement and now I’m happy to call him one of my fictional husbands. SWOON.

THE UGLY
The only remotely negative comment I have is that Tella kind of bothered me. I spent most of the book thinking she was the worst every time we see her. And even though “stuff” happens that proves she’s not, I still couldn’t shake the feeling. Something about Tella’s character bugged me. Really hoping I’m proven wrong in the next installment…

FINAL WORD
YES!! PLEASE GO PICK UP THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW! It’s such a fun read!!