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desiree930
4.5 Stars
I’m a total sucker for a fairy-tale retelling. And this one is solid. I really enjoyed it. In a way, it’s a very straightforward Beauty and the Beast retelling, hitting most of the beats one might expect and doing it in a very satisfying way. In another, it takes some unique turns that broaden the world of the source material and enrich the story and its characters.
I loved this story and it’s characters. Yeva is a wonderful protagonist. She’s strong, stubborn, and loyal. I never would’ve thought to have Beauty be a hunter, but it’s a wonderful way to adapt this character.
I also liked getting a glimpse into the Beast’s mind. I thought his use of ‘we’ and ‘our’ when referring to the warring parts of himself was really intriguing, and I really liked what the author did with his character.
The side characters were all nice too. I liked her sisters and the would-be suitor (I listened to this on audiobook so I’m not sure how to spell all the names) and the fact that there wasn’t really any sort of love triangle and the suitor wasn’t an antagonist in the story.
I also thought the world building was wonderful. Along with the descriptions of the forest and the Beast’s castle, I loved the inclusion of folklore and fairy tales into the story. I don’t know if any of the stories Spooner used were actual Russian fairy tales, but I would read a book full of them.
The one thing I wish had been fleshed out a little more is the curse itself. Why couldn’t Beast tell Yeva about it? Why did the Firebird turn him into a beast in the first place. The story Yeva tells to him at the end of the book is beautiful and interesting, but even she says it isn’t the real story. At a couple different moments throughout the story, the narrator explains things away by saying something along the lines of, “This is just the way it is in fairy tales.” And in a way, I’m okay with that. At the same time, in a book that encompasses such an interesting world, I wish the curse, which was the catalyst of the entire relationship between Beauty and the Beast, was a little more developed.
All in all, I loved this book. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy. This is the first book I’ve read by Meagan Spooner and it won’t be the last.
I’m a total sucker for a fairy-tale retelling. And this one is solid. I really enjoyed it. In a way, it’s a very straightforward Beauty and the Beast retelling, hitting most of the beats one might expect and doing it in a very satisfying way. In another, it takes some unique turns that broaden the world of the source material and enrich the story and its characters.
I loved this story and it’s characters. Yeva is a wonderful protagonist. She’s strong, stubborn, and loyal. I never would’ve thought to have Beauty be a hunter, but it’s a wonderful way to adapt this character.
I also liked getting a glimpse into the Beast’s mind. I thought his use of ‘we’ and ‘our’ when referring to the warring parts of himself was really intriguing, and I really liked what the author did with his character.
The side characters were all nice too. I liked her sisters and the would-be suitor (I listened to this on audiobook so I’m not sure how to spell all the names) and the fact that there wasn’t really any sort of love triangle and the suitor wasn’t an antagonist in the story.
I also thought the world building was wonderful. Along with the descriptions of the forest and the Beast’s castle, I loved the inclusion of folklore and fairy tales into the story. I don’t know if any of the stories Spooner used were actual Russian fairy tales, but I would read a book full of them.
The one thing I wish had been fleshed out a little more is the curse itself. Why couldn’t Beast tell Yeva about it? Why did the Firebird turn him into a beast in the first place. The story Yeva tells to him at the end of the book is beautiful and interesting, but even she says it isn’t the real story. At a couple different moments throughout the story, the narrator explains things away by saying something along the lines of, “This is just the way it is in fairy tales.” And in a way, I’m okay with that. At the same time, in a book that encompasses such an interesting world, I wish the curse, which was the catalyst of the entire relationship between Beauty and the Beast, was a little more developed.
All in all, I loved this book. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy. This is the first book I’ve read by Meagan Spooner and it won’t be the last.
The first 3/4 of this book is about a 3-Star read for me. The last 1/4 was so good that I had to bump it up to 4 stars. This book is not perfect, but I really enjoyed my reading experience of it.
What I liked:
1. The world building. This is definitely the main strength of this book, in my opinion. The author produces a rich, lush, vivid world in both her descriptions and also the inclusion of folklore and culture. I was just eating it up.
2. Amrita and Thala. When I began the story I thought it would be about Amrita and Arjun being on the run. When it turned into Amrita and Thala, I was pleasantly surprised. I felt like both characters were well-drawn and their dynamic was almost sisterly, which I really liked.
3. The ending was really lovely. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I really liked the way Amrita’s story turned out. It was completely fitting and authentic to her character.
What I didn’t like:
*’Didn’t like’ is perhaps overstating my feelings, but since this is how I usually structure my reviews I’m sticking with it. Some of this is a little nitpicky.*
1. The romance/love triangle. I ended up not minding the triangle aspect of this in the very end with the way everything turned out. However, as I was reading it felt wholly unnecessary. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but I didn’t feel like either romantic arc was super engrossing.
There is a sort of ‘fated-love’ trope going on that I don’t have a problem with, in theory. But in execution, I wish that the author had decided to execute that trope a little differently. In my mind, just because two people are fated to be together doesn’t mean that they have to be in love instantaneously. I guess I just wish I’d gotten a little more build up and interaction with those characters so I could’ve been invested in their relationship. The idea of fated love should be incredibly romantic, but I just didn’t get that feeling when I read this book, and I say that as someone who is a sucker for romance.
2. The plot/pacing was a little off. This book was very short, and I never felt bored while reading it. That being said, the first 3/4 of the book is just Amrita and Thala trying to get away from people chasing them. There isn’t a whole lot in the way of plot. They have overarching goals that they are trying to accomplish, but mostly it’s them on the run. Then we get to the last quarter of the book and it’s non-stop action. So many decisions are made and actions are taken and we don’t really get a chance to breathe. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt like the author could’ve expanded the last quarter and fleshed out some of the secondary characters. It feels like we are told a lot, but not shown much in that section.
3. Plot devices masked as fate. There were several instances of coincidental plot devices that I think we as readers are supposed to write off as being ‘fate’ but just felt a little lazy to me. Amrita and Thala are told to find a specific cartographer to help them. As they are on the run they duck into a place to hide that just happens to lead them straight to the cartographer, despite the fact that neither of them had ever met this cartographer and had no idea where to find her. This happens completely by chance and they wouldn’t have been able to continue on their journey without meeting her. This is just one instance of this happening.
All in all, I really did like this book, even while there are aspects I would’ve liked to have a bit more depth. I will certainly seek out more from this author in the future.
What I liked:
1. The world building. This is definitely the main strength of this book, in my opinion. The author produces a rich, lush, vivid world in both her descriptions and also the inclusion of folklore and culture. I was just eating it up.
2. Amrita and Thala. When I began the story I thought it would be about Amrita and Arjun being on the run. When it turned into Amrita and Thala, I was pleasantly surprised. I felt like both characters were well-drawn and their dynamic was almost sisterly, which I really liked.
3. The ending was really lovely. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I really liked the way Amrita’s story turned out. It was completely fitting and authentic to her character.
What I didn’t like:
*’Didn’t like’ is perhaps overstating my feelings, but since this is how I usually structure my reviews I’m sticking with it. Some of this is a little nitpicky.*
1. The romance/love triangle. I ended up not minding the triangle aspect of this in the very end with the way everything turned out. However, as I was reading it felt wholly unnecessary. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but I didn’t feel like either romantic arc was super engrossing.
There is a sort of ‘fated-love’ trope going on that I don’t have a problem with, in theory. But in execution, I wish that the author had decided to execute that trope a little differently. In my mind, just because two people are fated to be together doesn’t mean that they have to be in love instantaneously. I guess I just wish I’d gotten a little more build up and interaction with those characters so I could’ve been invested in their relationship. The idea of fated love should be incredibly romantic, but I just didn’t get that feeling when I read this book, and I say that as someone who is a sucker for romance.
2. The plot/pacing was a little off. This book was very short, and I never felt bored while reading it. That being said, the first 3/4 of the book is just Amrita and Thala trying to get away from people chasing them. There isn’t a whole lot in the way of plot. They have overarching goals that they are trying to accomplish, but mostly it’s them on the run. Then we get to the last quarter of the book and it’s non-stop action. So many decisions are made and actions are taken and we don’t really get a chance to breathe. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt like the author could’ve expanded the last quarter and fleshed out some of the secondary characters. It feels like we are told a lot, but not shown much in that section.
3. Plot devices masked as fate. There were several instances of coincidental plot devices that I think we as readers are supposed to write off as being ‘fate’ but just felt a little lazy to me. Amrita and Thala are told to find a specific cartographer to help them. As they are on the run they duck into a place to hide that just happens to lead them straight to the cartographer, despite the fact that neither of them had ever met this cartographer and had no idea where to find her. This happens completely by chance and they wouldn’t have been able to continue on their journey without meeting her. This is just one instance of this happening.
All in all, I really did like this book, even while there are aspects I would’ve liked to have a bit more depth. I will certainly seek out more from this author in the future.
After being mildly disappointed in This Shattered World (I liked it, but it didn’t live up to These Broken Stars for me), I was a little nervous about this finale. Luckily, it was everything I didn’t know I wanted.
I really liked Sophia and Gideon. Their relationship arc was probably my favorite of the series. I love that they both use their smarts (her street smarts and his tech smarts) to navigate this world. And the angsty nature of their romance was really appealing to me.
I loved that we got to see the other characters team up and have such a large role in the second half of this book. I was not expecting their involvement to be to that extent, but I loved it, especially Tarver and his dedication to Lilac. Sigh.
If I had one critique, it would be that the book is quite a bit longer than the first two and I’m not sure it needed to be. It makes sense in one respect, because the second half brings all these characters back together, but I felt like the pacing in the second half was a little off for me. This is super nitpicky and I’m not saying it affected my enjoyment, but some people may find parts a bit slow.
I love this series. I will be so excited when I have their new book, Unearthed, in my possession and will be picking it up ASAP after getting it.
I really liked Sophia and Gideon. Their relationship arc was probably my favorite of the series. I love that they both use their smarts (her street smarts and his tech smarts) to navigate this world. And the angsty nature of their romance was really appealing to me.
I loved that we got to see the other characters team up and have such a large role in the second half of this book. I was not expecting their involvement to be to that extent, but I loved it, especially Tarver and his dedication to Lilac. Sigh.
If I had one critique, it would be that the book is quite a bit longer than the first two and I’m not sure it needed to be. It makes sense in one respect, because the second half brings all these characters back together, but I felt like the pacing in the second half was a little off for me. This is super nitpicky and I’m not saying it affected my enjoyment, but some people may find parts a bit slow.
I love this series. I will be so excited when I have their new book, Unearthed, in my possession and will be picking it up ASAP after getting it.
***Update*** I changed the rating to two stars because the longer I was away from this book, the less I remembered any of the things I actually liked about it, while all of the awful things just crystallized in my brain. ***End Update***
This is a tough book for me to rate. There were parts that I really connected to, and others that just infuriated me. I couldn't decide between two or three stars, but in the end I went with three, because while I disliked a lot about the character of Rose and her decisions, there were aspects that I really enjoyed, and the concept was really intriguing.
MASSIVE SPOILERS FORTHCOMING:
Rose is a SAHM with three kids. Much of the novel centers around her feelings and thoughts as she goes through the motions of parenting. She does all of the things a SAHM is 'supposed' to do, but none of it actually seems to bring her joy. She feels inadequate when comparing herself to what she imagines the other moms are like. I don't think that's necessarily an uncommon thing. Many people struggle with their own insecurities when comparing themselves to their neighbors...it's that 'grass is always greener' mentality. I actually appreciated this part of the story, because it felt vaguely familiar to me. Rose finding her only joy in her dreams is where this novel veers off the course of a run-of-the-mill fiction.
Rose dreams of a boy named Hugo every night. In her dreams, they are in a different land and trying to get to a castle in the distance. There are barricades and obstacles in their way, and they never make it to the castle before Rose wakes up.
Then she meets a man who reminds her of Hugo...and surprise, surprise...it IS Hugo! She stalks him for several weeks before actually approaching him, and their relationship progresses from there, in the real world as well as the dream world.
This is where I started having real issues with the book. In the first part, she obviously not happy but she is still doing what she needs to do as a mother. When she starts following Hugo, she begins to shirk her responsibilities. She doesn't take her daughter to preschool because it interferes with her time to spy on Hugo. So she takes her daughter WITH her and they spend all day in the car being stalkery. She takes too long to get home from being with Hugo and her young sons have to wait for two hours outside their house for her to get home and let them in. After they actually meet face to face, it just gets worse.
My biggest aggravation with this book is the infidelity on Rose's part. Now, her husband is a trauma surgeon. He works insane hours, as is to be expected for someone in his line of work. And as someone who is a SAHM with a husband who sometimes has to work extra long hours, I understand that it isn't always easy. It's hard to get any time for yourself, and that can be stressful. But her husband is awesome. He thinks she is beautiful and sexy. She hates her body and turns away from him any time he tries to initiate intimacy with her. When she actually DOES reciprocate, she admits that she is disgusted by it because of her post-baby body. She admits to just going through the motions there too. But then Hugo kisses her in the dream world (where they both look hot), and she gets all lusty over him in the real world (where he is overweight and not especially attractive.) Now, if the kids had happened before Rose realized that Hugo was actually REAL, I could understand that, and it wouldn't bother me. But she knew he was real. She had invited him TO THEIR HOUSE for her son's birthday party and for dinner later on.
Later in the book she completely sets fire to her marriage vows by going to his home for the sole purpose of being with him physically. They begin kissing and messing around but he can't get it up so they decide to take sleeping pills so they can fool around in the dream world. While all of this is happening she thinks in passing about her responsibilities to her kids and her husband, but pushes it aside. "She wanted this, she wanted to know what it would be like." As if that is a good reason to step out on your marriage.
She continues to justify her disgusting behavior thusly:
"And besides, it was just sleep.
She had stopped just shy of any REAL infidelity. What haunted her was the possibility that she would have to think of herself as an unfaithful wife. A few minutes more and she would've been denied that...but this...
Well really...this was just a nap."
Someone needs to tell this bitch that emotional cheating is the same as physical cheating...and kissing another man and letting him rub all over you IS physical! She is an unfaithful wife!
Also, while the drug-induced sleep-cheating was happening her sons were waiting for hours at their front steps until someone called the hospital and her husband was pulled out of surgery because they couldn't get hold of her.
So needless to say, I had a real problem with Rose's character, as far as her moral compass goes. I felt like she redeemed herself somewhat after that point, once she realized that she was completely throwing her life away for what was essentially a fantasy. But the redemption didn't really click with me. I wanted to see her appreciation and love for Josh more than I did. I wanted a conversation and an apology AFTER the final incident with Hugo. I just felt like Josh deserved a lot better than what he got from her.
Hugo was creepy. From the very beginning he really weirded me out. They way he stared at Penelope when Rose brought her over, his demeanor when talking about his ex-wife and daughter, his coming over to their home uninvited and telling the boys who he was, and finally taking Adam in order to lure Rose to him...it was all freaking creepy. And when we learned his backstory, how he ended up in the dream...I didn't really feel sorry for him. I felt bad for the boy he'd been, because what happened was awful. Having his parents die the way they did would be traumatizing for anyone. But the fact that he was trying to take Rose away from her family...that was sick. And any romantic moments they had made my stomach turn because he creeped me out.
I did appreciate the whole idea of the dream world and its purpose. I didn't really care for the earlier dream scenes, but later on in the scenes when Rose's dreams and her reality were colliding...those were pretty compelling.
One last thing, and this may seem like a nitpick, but oh well. I don't feel like the cover to this book accurately conveys the tone and themes of this story. From the cover and the brief synopsis I read, I assumed that this was going to be a light, quirky story. That is not the case whatsoever, which could also add to the slight disappointment I felt after reading this book. I felt like it was misleading in some way.
All in all, I appreciated aspects of this book and could identify with some of the things going on in Rose's life as it pertained to motherhood and its struggles. But Rose's actions in reaction to her boredom just rubbed me the wrong way, and it was difficult to get past it.
This is a tough book for me to rate. There were parts that I really connected to, and others that just infuriated me. I couldn't decide between two or three stars, but in the end I went with three, because while I disliked a lot about the character of Rose and her decisions, there were aspects that I really enjoyed, and the concept was really intriguing.
MASSIVE SPOILERS FORTHCOMING:
Rose is a SAHM with three kids. Much of the novel centers around her feelings and thoughts as she goes through the motions of parenting. She does all of the things a SAHM is 'supposed' to do, but none of it actually seems to bring her joy. She feels inadequate when comparing herself to what she imagines the other moms are like. I don't think that's necessarily an uncommon thing. Many people struggle with their own insecurities when comparing themselves to their neighbors...it's that 'grass is always greener' mentality. I actually appreciated this part of the story, because it felt vaguely familiar to me. Rose finding her only joy in her dreams is where this novel veers off the course of a run-of-the-mill fiction.
Rose dreams of a boy named Hugo every night. In her dreams, they are in a different land and trying to get to a castle in the distance. There are barricades and obstacles in their way, and they never make it to the castle before Rose wakes up.
Then she meets a man who reminds her of Hugo...and surprise, surprise...it IS Hugo! She stalks him for several weeks before actually approaching him, and their relationship progresses from there, in the real world as well as the dream world.
This is where I started having real issues with the book. In the first part, she obviously not happy but she is still doing what she needs to do as a mother. When she starts following Hugo, she begins to shirk her responsibilities. She doesn't take her daughter to preschool because it interferes with her time to spy on Hugo. So she takes her daughter WITH her and they spend all day in the car being stalkery. She takes too long to get home from being with Hugo and her young sons have to wait for two hours outside their house for her to get home and let them in. After they actually meet face to face, it just gets worse.
My biggest aggravation with this book is the infidelity on Rose's part. Now, her husband is a trauma surgeon. He works insane hours, as is to be expected for someone in his line of work. And as someone who is a SAHM with a husband who sometimes has to work extra long hours, I understand that it isn't always easy. It's hard to get any time for yourself, and that can be stressful. But her husband is awesome. He thinks she is beautiful and sexy. She hates her body and turns away from him any time he tries to initiate intimacy with her. When she actually DOES reciprocate, she admits that she is disgusted by it because of her post-baby body. She admits to just going through the motions there too. But then Hugo kisses her in the dream world (where they both look hot), and she gets all lusty over him in the real world (where he is overweight and not especially attractive.) Now, if the kids had happened before Rose realized that Hugo was actually REAL, I could understand that, and it wouldn't bother me. But she knew he was real. She had invited him TO THEIR HOUSE for her son's birthday party and for dinner later on.
Later in the book she completely sets fire to her marriage vows by going to his home for the sole purpose of being with him physically. They begin kissing and messing around but he can't get it up so they decide to take sleeping pills so they can fool around in the dream world. While all of this is happening she thinks in passing about her responsibilities to her kids and her husband, but pushes it aside. "She wanted this, she wanted to know what it would be like." As if that is a good reason to step out on your marriage.
She continues to justify her disgusting behavior thusly:
"And besides, it was just sleep.
She had stopped just shy of any REAL infidelity. What haunted her was the possibility that she would have to think of herself as an unfaithful wife. A few minutes more and she would've been denied that...but this...
Well really...this was just a nap."
Someone needs to tell this bitch that emotional cheating is the same as physical cheating...and kissing another man and letting him rub all over you IS physical! She is an unfaithful wife!
Also, while the drug-induced sleep-cheating was happening her sons were waiting for hours at their front steps until someone called the hospital and her husband was pulled out of surgery because they couldn't get hold of her.
So needless to say, I had a real problem with Rose's character, as far as her moral compass goes. I felt like she redeemed herself somewhat after that point, once she realized that she was completely throwing her life away for what was essentially a fantasy. But the redemption didn't really click with me. I wanted to see her appreciation and love for Josh more than I did. I wanted a conversation and an apology AFTER the final incident with Hugo. I just felt like Josh deserved a lot better than what he got from her.
Hugo was creepy. From the very beginning he really weirded me out. They way he stared at Penelope when Rose brought her over, his demeanor when talking about his ex-wife and daughter, his coming over to their home uninvited and telling the boys who he was, and finally taking Adam in order to lure Rose to him...it was all freaking creepy. And when we learned his backstory, how he ended up in the dream...I didn't really feel sorry for him. I felt bad for the boy he'd been, because what happened was awful. Having his parents die the way they did would be traumatizing for anyone. But the fact that he was trying to take Rose away from her family...that was sick. And any romantic moments they had made my stomach turn because he creeped me out.
I did appreciate the whole idea of the dream world and its purpose. I didn't really care for the earlier dream scenes, but later on in the scenes when Rose's dreams and her reality were colliding...those were pretty compelling.
One last thing, and this may seem like a nitpick, but oh well. I don't feel like the cover to this book accurately conveys the tone and themes of this story. From the cover and the brief synopsis I read, I assumed that this was going to be a light, quirky story. That is not the case whatsoever, which could also add to the slight disappointment I felt after reading this book. I felt like it was misleading in some way.
All in all, I appreciated aspects of this book and could identify with some of the things going on in Rose's life as it pertained to motherhood and its struggles. But Rose's actions in reaction to her boredom just rubbed me the wrong way, and it was difficult to get past it.
This book has been getting rave reviews, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I loved the concept and early reviews were positively glowing. And for the most part, I enjoyed this book. I just don't think it quite lived up to all the hype surrounding it.
First of all, that cover is beautiful. I actually wish I had one of the U.K. covers though because damn, those are gorgeous.
(Other) things I liked:
1. The concept - This premise had so much potential. I love the idea of a game that is immersive and magical.
2. The hate-to-love romance - I've read so many insta-love romances recently and it was starting to drive me nuts. I like that this one took awhile to really become romantic.
3. Scarlett and Julian - I liked these characters, although I did feel like Scarlett made some really stupid decisions.
Things I didn't really like:
1. The writing. I want to be very specific here. I didn't think the writing was terrible, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. From other review I'd seen/read, I was expecting a very whimsical tone that, even in its darker moments, still managed to remain whimsical. But this book was mostly centered on Scarlett's feelings, not the world around her. When I read about a magical circus or carnival or game, I want to really feel like I'm there. I want to be able to hear the music, smell the food, and so on. I didn't get that from this book. Instead, the author tried to hang her hat on nonsensical metaphors in an attempt to create that whimsical atmosphere:
"Somehow the battered space still managed to smell. like Tella. Sharp molasses and wild dreams."
"The world tastes like lies and ashes when Scarlett woke."
"It smelled of laughter and boasts."
"He tasted like midnight and wind, and shades of rich brown and light blue."
"It made Scarlett think the air around her should taste like sweetened milk and sugared dreams, but all she could taste was dust and haze."
The author seems to have an obsession with giving tastes and scents to intangible concepts. Above are just a few examples. Scarlett also apparently sees emotion as color. I'm not sure what the deal is there. She seems to think of it as something completely normal. Unfortunately, I don't think these flowery metaphors actually make much sense, and even if they sound kind of cool and poetic, it's not the same as creating a whimsical and fantastical world to enjoy.
2. World Building - I really felt like this was a miss, mostly because it had all the potential in the world to be great. There were so many things I wished were more fleshed out and explored. We spent so much time in Scarlett's hotel and in the tunnels...sorry, but that's boring. I wanted to see more of the actual world.
3. Side characters - I feel like many times in these sorts of books, the side characters end up becoming as beloved as the main protagonist. In this case, most of them fell flat for me. Dante was a peacock. Jovan was forgettable. Aiko was probably the best of the bunch, but she was only in a couple of scenes. The Count, while seemingly conflicted, was weak in the way he wouldn't stand up to Scarlett's father. Speaking of her father, he was incredibly one-dimensional. I don't understand at all the reason he is such a monster. I assume we will learn more about that in book two.
4. Info-dumpy ending - I get why it had to happen, but the scene with Tella explaining everything to Scarlett just got a little info-dumpy and felt rushed. I also didn't care that Tella 'died' or came back to life. Her explanation of why she did what she did didn't make me like or understand her at all. She seems just as vapid and selfish as she did at the beginning of the story.
Overall:
I know that from my many critiques it looks like I hated this book. But I didn't. I actually enjoyed my reading experience quite a bit. Which is why it garners three stars from me. But I also believe that people can be critical in a review, even for books they enjoy and rate highly.
One more thing: I've seen this being compared all over the place to The Night Circus. This needs to stop right now. There is almost no comparison between these two books. Not in premise. Not in tone. Not in theme. Not in character. Comparing this book to The Night Circus isn't fair to either book. I enjoyed both books, so I'm not saying this as someone who loved one and hated the other, but they are fundamentally different and setting readers up with the expectation that Caraval will provide the same experience as The Night Circus may actually be setting Caraval up to fail.
First of all, that cover is beautiful. I actually wish I had one of the U.K. covers though because damn, those are gorgeous.
(Other) things I liked:
1. The concept - This premise had so much potential. I love the idea of a game that is immersive and magical.
2. The hate-to-love romance - I've read so many insta-love romances recently and it was starting to drive me nuts. I like that this one took awhile to really become romantic.
3. Scarlett and Julian - I liked these characters, although I did feel like Scarlett made some really stupid decisions.
Things I didn't really like:
1. The writing. I want to be very specific here. I didn't think the writing was terrible, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. From other review I'd seen/read, I was expecting a very whimsical tone that, even in its darker moments, still managed to remain whimsical. But this book was mostly centered on Scarlett's feelings, not the world around her. When I read about a magical circus or carnival or game, I want to really feel like I'm there. I want to be able to hear the music, smell the food, and so on. I didn't get that from this book. Instead, the author tried to hang her hat on nonsensical metaphors in an attempt to create that whimsical atmosphere:
"Somehow the battered space still managed to smell. like Tella. Sharp molasses and wild dreams."
"The world tastes like lies and ashes when Scarlett woke."
"It smelled of laughter and boasts."
"He tasted like midnight and wind, and shades of rich brown and light blue."
"It made Scarlett think the air around her should taste like sweetened milk and sugared dreams, but all she could taste was dust and haze."
The author seems to have an obsession with giving tastes and scents to intangible concepts. Above are just a few examples. Scarlett also apparently sees emotion as color. I'm not sure what the deal is there. She seems to think of it as something completely normal. Unfortunately, I don't think these flowery metaphors actually make much sense, and even if they sound kind of cool and poetic, it's not the same as creating a whimsical and fantastical world to enjoy.
2. World Building - I really felt like this was a miss, mostly because it had all the potential in the world to be great. There were so many things I wished were more fleshed out and explored. We spent so much time in Scarlett's hotel and in the tunnels...sorry, but that's boring. I wanted to see more of the actual world.
3. Side characters - I feel like many times in these sorts of books, the side characters end up becoming as beloved as the main protagonist. In this case, most of them fell flat for me. Dante was a peacock. Jovan was forgettable. Aiko was probably the best of the bunch, but she was only in a couple of scenes. The Count, while seemingly conflicted, was weak in the way he wouldn't stand up to Scarlett's father. Speaking of her father, he was incredibly one-dimensional. I don't understand at all the reason he is such a monster. I assume we will learn more about that in book two.
4. Info-dumpy ending - I get why it had to happen, but the scene with Tella explaining everything to Scarlett just got a little info-dumpy and felt rushed. I also didn't care that Tella 'died' or came back to life. Her explanation of why she did what she did didn't make me like or understand her at all. She seems just as vapid and selfish as she did at the beginning of the story.
Overall:
I know that from my many critiques it looks like I hated this book. But I didn't. I actually enjoyed my reading experience quite a bit. Which is why it garners three stars from me. But I also believe that people can be critical in a review, even for books they enjoy and rate highly.
One more thing: I've seen this being compared all over the place to The Night Circus. This needs to stop right now. There is almost no comparison between these two books. Not in premise. Not in tone. Not in theme. Not in character. Comparing this book to The Night Circus isn't fair to either book. I enjoyed both books, so I'm not saying this as someone who loved one and hated the other, but they are fundamentally different and setting readers up with the expectation that Caraval will provide the same experience as The Night Circus may actually be setting Caraval up to fail.