Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

22 reviews

glorytowers05's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol and Torture

skeptic_hecate's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

This has more twists than the Amazon river, except that, unlike the Amazon river, the twists here are pointless and full of plotholes. I didn't like the protagonist at all, Scarlett Dragma reads like an anime filler episode monologue:
"I should do 'x', but if I do 'x' then I cannot do 'y', but perhaps people will expect me to do 'y' so I shouldn't do 'y', unless when two dimensional and pointless side character hinted that doing 'x' is better..." and so on.

The only character I liked was Donatella, and she was in a few pages of the book. The decisions taken by the characters are very stupid to the point of being random, and the clues are designed to be solved by something that happens to appear out of thin air rather than forshadowed. 

The climax is meh, there are no real consequences to the actions of the characters. I had to force myself to finish this book. The outfits and setting are nice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment

ellasommers's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

thecatconstellation's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Overall, I enjoyed this, but at times I felt like one too many things was happening and some of the information towards the end felt very rushed, especially compared to the pacing of the rest of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood, Child death, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Abandonment

helloimjacq's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

4.5

That was honestly such a rollercoaster of emotions… so many twist and turns and I’m not sure I trust anything still. Full review to come once I sort through what I just read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Abandonment

Minor: Alcohol

tressa_the_elephant's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

whatswithrandy's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Gaslighting, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Torture, and Violence

leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Scarlett Dragna has always wanted to go to Caraval. When her sister Donatella finds a way for them both to go, and for Scarlett to escape her arranged marriage and their dangerous father, she has a hard time declining the offer. When she finally arrives, Scarlett is quickly whisked into the magic of the game, and has a hard time keeping a grip on reality, despite the constant warnings that Caraval is just a game. Can she and Tella make it out alive before she gets too caught up in the world of Caraval and has no way to escape?

After having read it years ago and it being one of my favorite books, I reread this book in 2021 in anticipation of the release of Garber's new book, Once Upon a Broken Heart. Even the second time around, it did not disappoint. This will be one of my go-to recommendations for anyone looking for a fantasy set in a magical world where everything seems just a little bit too good to be true. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

While this isn’t my usual choice for a book, I enjoyed escaping into a world of fancy and fun, with a dash of danger. Now I have to get the other two books to see what the Dragna sisters get into! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

lilia's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

Liked:

• How the plot was engaging throughout the whole book
• The world and the dynamic/atmosphere of Caraval
• How the main characters were sisters

Didn't like as much:

• How the romance developed so quickly
• The stubbornness of both Scarlett and Tella (only at some points in the story)
• How Tella was absent for much of the story but was still central to Scarlett's motivations—I wish I got to know a little more about Tella at the beginning
• The ending was a bit underwhelming to me

Overall, I liked Caraval and I look forward to continuing with the series.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Child abuse, Grief, and Sexual harassment