A review by lostinthelibrary
Caraval by Stephanie Garber

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

2.5

I didn't pick this up at it's hype and maybe it's time has passed for me. The book's strength is definitely in it's imaginative setting which was evocative though often unclear. The plot, though a bit scrambled at times, was okay and did surprise me on some occasions so that does put if above similar "atmosphere" books like The Night Circus. 

However, I found the characters, especially the protagonist and her love interest, extremely uninteresting. I rolled my eyes in multiple parts of dialogue and they were just not people I felt I could root for. Annoyingly the best character in the book
Tella
is the one who is absent for it's majority. I hope they feature more in the sequel. 

A strong premise and setting but not much more substance for me. I might give the sequel a try to see if the weaker elements improve. 
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