Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Caraval

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

109 reviews

happyhippielinds's review against another edition

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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luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

Julian was by far my favorite character! He went through so much character development that I was questioning if I really knew him!

Poor Scar, no wonder she was losing it!

I wish there was more spice but that's just personal preference. :)

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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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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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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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cardlikecredit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.75

Very interesting concept and world building. There was just something about the plot that it was too slow. It built up nicely at the end but took a while to get there.

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mysterious_and_spooky's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I feel like I can see what the vision was for this book, but it's pulled off in a very clunky sort of way. It was very much a story that was happening to the main character, not even that she had much say in what was happening. Which made for a frustrating read. Tbh it felt like published fan fiction for Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. But I did see what the vision was, but I don't think it was quite executed effectively. I'm not really interested in continuing. 3.5 stars DNF series.

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seren's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

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neliadiedenise's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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hannahmarkby's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Caraval, but it’s been on my TBR for quite some time, and I was pleasantly surprised! I’ve been in a reading slump for the past several months, starting many books and finishing none, but Caraval was able to break that.

The first book was a lot of fun to read, especially since I couldn’t predict what was going to happen. Every time I developed a new theory, it was soon disproven, and Garber did an excellent job convincing me of a false story so that I was completely shocked when the true ending was revealed. Caraval itself was fascinating, reminding me of Wonderland and Holly Black’s version of Faerie, with deals that were too good to be true and magic that made it difficult to distinguish what was real. My favorite aspect of this was the way that secrets and time were the preferred currency, especially how time was transferred through blood (and the resulting scene between Scarlett and Julian).

There were definitely a few YA clichés sprinkled throughout, such as the abusive father/dead mother, the adultification of the eldest daughter, and Julian’s personality, but in general I did not mind. Scarlett and Tella’s quest to get away from their father at all costs added an extra level of depth to the story, and I really appreciated Scarlett’s personal growth as she learned to take risks and no longer be ruled by fear and overcautiousness. Also, I’m unashamed to admit just how much I loved Julian.

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