Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Finale

Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5

What a finale (see what I did there?) to the Caraval series!

I just had so much fun with this book and the entire series. I wasn't second-guessing reality as much this time, which was nice, but there was still plenty of drama going on. I loved seeing both Tella's and Scarlett's POV--it showed their differences but also how similar their goals were as well as their sisterly love for each other. The stakes were the highest they've ever been, and that made the tension even better.

It's hard to explain why I loved this series so much other than the ~vibes.~ Just go read it if you're a fan of fantasy romance, magic, and games.

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hannahmarkby's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I really wanted more for the conclusion of this trilogy, but Finale introduced several elements I didn’t particularly care about and left me wanting for more in other places. There were several instances of arcs with potential that fell flat, such as Legend’s backstory and Nicolas’ character, traded instead for plots I didn’t care about, like Gavriel. Other plotlines were rushed or left hanging, like Esmeralda and Tella’s trauma with death from the first two books. Plot twists were accepted too quickly by the characters. Several events that would have been interesting to see played out in real time were shared after the fact, specifically in the "true ending” section of the book.

I didn’t hate it. Like I said, I find the Fates fascinating, and I actually wish we got to see more of them and their dynamics with one another, rather than just Gavriel. Perhaps it’s because his plotline felt more cliché to me; perhaps it’s my fault for wanting his ending to have been a bit darker, but instead it felt a bit cheesy. There were a few moments I was genuinely surprised, such as with Jacks, and the Fated Places and Objects were fun to explore and reminiscent of Caraval’s original magic.

However, by the end of the trilogy, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions and plotlines that didn't feel fully resolved. I'm expecting some of these to be answered in Once Upon a Broken Heart, but I needed the character dynamics to be elaborated more at the end of the book for the it to feel satisfying.

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passionatereader78's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Finale wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, but I had a good time reading it nonetheless.

This book was a mixed bag for me. There were some aspects of it that worked really well for me, and some that I could have done without. There was one particular subplot that was dropped as quickly as it was started, and there were some characters that could have been entirely excluded and I would t have noticed.

The magic in this book felt more fleshed out than the previous two, which I definitely appreciated. However, I don’t actually understand how magic works in this world. How do people get magic? Where did it come from? How does it work? I don’t think these questions could be answered at the moment.

This series was fun, and I can see why it’s so popular, but it wasn’t quite there for me. Finale in particular was not quite what I wanted it to be. 3.5 stars.

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druzyquartz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this book but not as much as the first one. The sisters are still as careless and naive as they were in book one and that seems ridiculous given everything they’ve been through. Their plans for beating the bad guys just seemed silly and super unrealistic. It was a fun read but I’m glad to be done with the world now.

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hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

The conclusion of the Caraval trilogy, Finale wraps up the tale of Scarlett, Tella, and the Fates.

This was a really fun end to the series. I still LOVE Dante and Jacks, and thought Julian had some great moments as well. Both of the sisters annoyed me in parts, but overall I enjoyed their boldness and appreciated finally getting both of their POVs in the same book.

I can’t much more without spoilers, but I had a lot of fun with this trilogy and highly recommend it! I’m excited to read the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy soon.

CW: Death/blood/violence/injury/torture; death of parent; murder; confinement/kidnapping

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