This book, guys! THIS BOOK!! As most of you know, I’m quite hesitant about reading fantasy books. I struggle with them often, making my enjoyment of them rather hard to come by. But, oh boy, did I LOVE Caraval!! Everything about this book was utter perfection and I can’t even handle my own excitement right now!!

Scarlett and Tella, two completely opposite sisters, have been living a rather poor life. Their father is horrible to them, and both sisters do anything they can to protect the other from him. Scarlett has gone so far as to agree to an arranged marriage with a man she’s never met, solely for the purpose of escaping her father’s bad temper and evil ways, and in hopes of bringing her sister along with her. Caraval has always intrigued the sisters since a very young age when their grandmother told them all about her experience there herself. After many, many letters written to the brilliant mind behind Caraval, they are finally invited to join Caraval as special guests. When Tella is kidnapped as part of the game of Caraval, Scarlett must play the game, and win, in order to save her sister and return home in time for her wedding.

I loved the strong sisterly bond between Scarlett and Tella. They had each other’s backs at all costs, and I loved seeing such a strong familial bond between siblings. There was also a bit of a romance in this story, which I won’t say too much about since I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll just say I totally shipped it. Hard. The characters in this story are some of the best I’ve ever read. The way Stephanie Garber can make me care about even an evil character is incredible.

Everything about this story was amazing. The world of Caraval was so magical and intriguing. I adored how nothing was as it seemed, always keeping me on my toes. Caraval isn’t just a game… it’s a performance filled with deception, trickery, and loads of twists and turns. When you finally think you may have an idea what’s real and what’s fake, another twist knocks your socks off. This story is seriously incredible. The vivid world of Caraval Stephanie Garber creates and the boatload of complex characters, along with her absolutely gorgeous lyrical writing, made this my favorite book of 2016!

Scarlet and her sister Tella live on an island as virtual prisoners of their abusive, cruel father. To save herself and Tella, Scarlet agrees to an arranged marriage to an unknown suitor. Following the wedding, both girls will leave the island and face the unknown. Scarlet fears staying far more than committing her future to a stranger. For years the sisters have repeatedly tried to save one another, often at a cost to their own well-being. When an invitation to the elusive, once-a-year Caraval game arrives, Tella insists they go and Scarlet very reluctantly agrees. The girls get separated as they arrive for the game and Scarlet spends all of her time searching for her missing sister. The game is mysterious and even dangerous. Lies are told and people pretend, so no one really knows what to believe. All Scarlet wants is to find Tella and leave the game. Garber’s magical world of Caraval is complex and mysterious, and inventive and exotic. As romance blossoms, Scarlet and her companion Julian are caught up in the frenzy of the game. The pace is swift and the tensions are palpable as the game progresses. There’s so much to like in this story of duplicity, lies, threats and challenges.