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mary_do_12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
31.01.2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
i don’t like julian (sorry not sorry)
18.01.2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i decided to re-read caraval, because my first reading experience was majorly influenced by my biased view concerning julian (as you can tell).throughout basically the whole book i was convinced he hooked up with tella, which clouded my perception of him totally. now, going into the book again while knowing that that was actually not the case, i’ve found myself enjoying his character more.
(also i want to desperately read “once upon a broken heart” and i told myself i’d need to finish this series first)
it’s only been a year since i first read this book, but i had forgotten basically all of the plot twists already. while this made the reading experience more interesting, it also left me — again — very confused. and that‘s the issue i have with “caraval”.
the game isn’t logical whatsoever, and it feels like it doesn’t follow a clear path at all. instead, it was very mysterious and unclear. the clues given were vague and at no time in the book i could’ve confidently said that i believed scarlett was on the right path.
as for the actual game of caraval, it’s such a mystery and somewhat a fever dream to me that i lost all sense of direction while reading about it. even at the end of the book, i had some difficulties tying lose ends together and processing what in the world just happened. and while that is also the charme of the book, it was something that left me startled and restless. i suppose that is the only reason i cannot wholeheartedly give this book any more than four stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
i don’t like julian (sorry not sorry)
18.01.2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i decided to re-read caraval, because my first reading experience was majorly influenced by my biased view concerning julian (as you can tell).
(also i want to desperately read “once upon a broken heart” and i told myself i’d need to finish this series first)
it’s only been a year since i first read this book, but i had forgotten basically all of the plot twists already. while this made the reading experience more interesting, it also left me — again — very confused. and that‘s the issue i have with “caraval”.
the game isn’t logical whatsoever, and it feels like it doesn’t follow a clear path at all. instead, it was very mysterious and unclear. the clues given were vague and at no time in the book i could’ve confidently said that i believed scarlett was on the right path.
as for the actual game of caraval, it’s such a mystery and somewhat a fever dream to me that i lost all sense of direction while reading about it. even at the end of the book, i had some difficulties tying lose ends together and processing what in the world just happened. and while that is also the charme of the book, it was something that left me startled and restless. i suppose that is the only reason i cannot wholeheartedly give this book any more than four stars.
scarlett as the protagonist was easy and enjoyable to read about, though i found her frequent thoughts and worries about safety and responsibility sometimes just a little too much. i can’t really complain though.
although i did come to understand and appreciate julian’s character a lot more, he is not the love interest for me. for that title he was lacking something that i can’t quite define (my rating is fully based on vibes, i admit it). i cannot deny that his relationship and chemistry with scarlett was unmatched though.
some things felt very random in the story, but looking back i can understand that they are related to the whole, wide story.
all in all, an enjoyable, if very confusing read.
although i did come to understand and appreciate julian’s character a lot more, he is not the love interest for me. for that title he was lacking something that i can’t quite define (my rating is fully based on vibes, i admit it). i cannot deny that his relationship and chemistry with scarlett was unmatched though.
some things felt very random in the story, but looking back i can understand that they are related to the whole, wide story.
all in all, an enjoyable, if very confusing read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse
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