https://msrichardsreads.blogspot.com/

I was really excited about this book, so I am sad to say that this book fell a little flat for me. I started this book, got about halfway through, then put it down. I picked it back up again about a month later. The story started out well, and I was invested. However, once Scarlett got to Caraval, the story began to slow down.

The characters were just OK. I was into the story at some points, but not others.The main romance didn't have enough chemistry. I wanted them to end up together, but after a certain plot twist and the ending, I could have gone either way. There was a potential for a love triangle that wasn't fleshed out but was hinted at, and then the third character ended up liking someone else. The father was very extreme and over the top with his behavior, which didn't match the rest of the character development. The sister, Tella, got on my nerves and came across as immature and naive.

The magic system was also OK. There wasn't much explanation as to how the magic actually worked, and the limitations weren't clear. I think I would have been more invested in the story if the magic system had been more developed because I do think that the idea of Caraval is an interesting one.

I will probably continue with the series, mostly because I already purchased the second book, Legendary. I hope Tella is not the focus of the second book. I would really like to see Scarlett's story fleshed out and developed. Overall, I found this to be an average book for a YA audience. I enjoyed some parts of the story, but this will most likely not be a re-read for me in the future.