Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

318 reviews

gmtn96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

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happyhippielinds's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was lied to, I saw things that weren’t even real, and I was forced to believe it was all a happy ending but, no. “It’s just a game” only applies to its actors, but its players suffer true consequences and Tella, the mastermind behind the troubles her sister and her new lover had faced, is no exception. I am literally SHOOK. I NEED to know what Tella bargained for, I need to know where their mother went, I need to know what this game really is.
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ritaj_space's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-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

5.0

this book now is my new 6 star read i absolutely adored the whole thing i'm so IN LOVE<3
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booksandstardust's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

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lilybeatrice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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bibliophine's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

“Welcome to Caraval. Trust no one. Everything and nothing is real at the same time.”

I really enjoyed reading this once I got settled into the plot, but it did take me a while to get to that point. 
The heart wrenching story of Donatella and Scarlet Dragna, two sisters who can’t catch a break. From the very beginning it was clear that these two sisters were quite opposite to each other. Tella a free spirited, thrill seeking adventurer Scar a reserved, careful over-thinker. 
The invitation to the Caraval changes everything, especially the future Scarlet carefully forged and prepared for both of them to escape their tyrannical father. 
Diving into a world of illusion, mystery and danger Scarlet has no other option but to win.
When getting send on a wild goose-chase to find her sister, I especially appreciated Scarlets character building. Faced with seemingly impossible situations, and unable to trust anyone this book was eating away at me. She was confused, scared in an environment that was build to be confusing and scary, which that made her incredibly relatable. 

I liked Scarlet a fair bit in retrospect, yet the plot let me to disliked Donatella. Which is why I probably will not be reading the second novel. 
As far as romance goes, while it certainly makes the story more interesting to have Scarlet travel with a companion, I am rather disappointed. 
JULIAN YOU LYING LIAR WHO LIES🤬
It felt as though Julians Character was just used for people coming to read about some hot guy. And after reading over 400 pages the reader still doesn’t know anything substantial about the male lead. 

The type of ending this book had was unexpected. I anticipated a big reveal of some sort, and was not disappointed. But i was certainly shocked. 

Will I ever reread it? Probably not. Will i read the second or third part? Also no. 
Was this something entirely different to what i am used to? YES
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jessthemess8112's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I found this book to be enjoyable right from the beginning. It makes you excited for the main characters to get away from their own island and experience the excitement that Caraval holds. The writing was a little juvenile, and it felt like the author made it her personal mission to ensure every color was mentioned somewhere in the book. The ending also left something to be desired and kind of felt like a cop out.  I know there are 2 more books that hopefully wrap things up. However, if I hadn't known this,  I would've been extremely let down with the way this book ended.  
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katelynprice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed the gameplay and puzzle aspects of the book as well as the setting (major Alice in Wonderland vibes!), but I was also really confused and frustrated for most of the book. Not knowing who you can trust gets old to me, so it started to feel very one-note. I did like Scarlett and was rooting for her, and I liked the family/sister bond, but I'm not sure if I want to continue with the series or not. 
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unboundbooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense 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

4.75

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_bookmark_babe_'s review against another edition

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2.0

Almost had to DNF. I thought it was going tk be more games and rouge carnival style driven. It was pretty dark Alice in Wonderland vibes
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