One-word review: Extensive. Let's get one thing out of the way first: I haven't read The Dresden Files . I don't even really know what The Dresden Files are about. Bottom line, I'm incredibly intimidated by The Dresden Files . So, now that I've used the words "The Dresden Files" in four consecutive sentences, I will not be using them again. If you're looking for any comparison between Butcher's old (and much more famous) book series and this one, look elsewhere. Commence review: In my mind, there are three ways to write a book set in a new fantasy/sci-fi world. There is the rare standalone novel like Good Omens or Elantris , there is the exceptionally common trilogy-setup-where-the-whole-series-should-be-one-book (which, keep in mind, includes heavy hitters like The Fellowship of the Ring ), and, finally, there is the epic series starter. As far as books that I have reviewed so far on this site go, The Aeronaut's Windlass i
I love a good plot twist. Everyone does - it's why you see the phrase "I love a good plot twist" more often than you see a good plot twist. But there's a couple of crucial words in that phrase: allow me to elaborate. First, I love agood plot twist. A book that whips the reader's focus back and forth like Willow Smith's hair leaves me, at best, tired and, at worst, confused about what I am supposed to feel or take away from a story. Secondly, I like a good plot twist. Once I've been trained that I can expect a plot twist, when something unexpected happens in a story, I'm hardly going to believe it, and it sets up a plot twist to be, ultimately, a predictable let down.
So what does the is all have to do with Stephanie Garber's Caraval? Well, never before have a read a book with just so, many, damn, twists. It's going to be nigh impossible to review this book without at least a few spoilers because revealing any information at all will give away certain aspects of the plot. Regardless, I'm going to try anyway.
Short synopsis (light spoilers): Scarlet and Tella are two sisters who live trapped on an island by their no-good very-bad father "the Governor," but are presented with an opportunity to escape when Scarlet and Tella are invited to "Caraval," a week-long festival of magic and mystery on a distant island. Stella's latest tryst, Julian, takes them there in his boat, but in the commotion Julian and Scarlet are separated from Tella. As they arrive at the festival, they learn that the entire celebration that year is a game, where the goal is to find Tella. The remainder of the story consists of Scarlet running around this mysterious and magical fetival/game trying to find Tella, whom she believes is in danger while being held an unwilling hostage of the evil (evil?) host of Caraval, Master Legend.
So let's touch on a few points here. For starters, what I covered in the synopsis above is about the first 25% of the book, and I can't cover any more without describing every single scene. I swear this book is like a Simpson's episode, where the goals and motivations of the characters change every ten pages. There's a few questions that the book continuously asks the reader over and over, gives a definitive answer, then switches that answer dramatically. For instance, is Master Legend evil? Yes, no, yes, no, yes! no... it's maddening! It hits a point where the book really answers these questions, and I simply don't believe it, because there's twenty pages left, which is enough time to throw another twist or two in there. Heck, there's still two books left in the series - I doubt a single message from the first book sticks.
I'm being really hard on the twists in this book (because they make up most of the plot), but I do want to point out some of the things that it does well. I mean, I did give it a half star more than A Court of Thorns and Roses, so I must have liked something? First and foremost, Garber's worldbuilding is utterly unique. The air that the Caraval festival gives off is entirely unlike any book I've ever read before, something between Alice in Wonderland and that sketchy circus that came to your town every four years. It's honestly hard for me to even make comparisons; it's magical and confusing and does truly feel like anything can happen, which, if you know me, is not my favorite thing in a fantasy book, but does give this story a kind of "on edge" feeling. Scarlet is certainly not my least favorite heroine I've ever read, and, while she makes some bad choices, is not exceedingly unintelligent (looking at you, Cassandra Clare). There are interesting characters and some powerful moments, but, in a book so full of plot twists, it's an indictment that there were no moments that made me spit out my tea.
But the praises of this story are short, and my criticisms are large. I believe this book attempts to play outside a lot of genre tropes, but really doesn't dodge any of them. The main character still falls hopelessly and unexpectedly in love with the wrong man, none of the moments that seem to have decisive importance to the plot never actually do, and bonds between characters are spoken, rather than demonstrated. Side characters come and go with middling levels of importance and things just kinda happen, without rhyme or reason or consequence. It's like a restaurant that has decent atmosphere, but tiny, unappetizing portions. The feeling of magic and mystery are successfully portrayed, but I think the plot structure gets a little lost somewhere in there. I'm glad to have read a book that's a little different than my usual fare, but I don't think the sequels will be coming across my desk any time soon.
