A Carnival of Fate had such a unique premise, and the combination of a magical carnival, tarot, deadly trials, romance, and a mysterious Devil immediately pulled me in.

Days before her wedding, Elsie discovers something rather important: she doesn't have a heart. Not metaphorically. Her heart was taken years ago by the Devil of a legendary carnival, although according to him, she willingly gave it away. Determined to get it back, Elsie enters the Carnival degli Arcani, where the major arcana of the tarot govern the carnival and escaping means surviving a series of dangerous trials.

The carnival itself was easily my favorite part of this book. I loved the tarot inspiration and the dark, whimsical atmosphere. There's always this feeling that something isn't quite what it seems, especially as Elsie begins questioning what she remembers, what she wants, and whether getting her heart back will actually give her the life she thought she wanted.

I also really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the Devil and Elsie's missing heart. Their relationship adds another layer to the story because you're constantly wondering exactly what happened between them and whether he is someone she should fear or someone she has forgotten.

There were a few places where I wanted the pacing to move a little faster and some elements could have been developed further, which kept this from being a five-star read for me. But the concept was creative enough that I remained invested throughout.

If you enjoy magical carnivals, tarot-inspired fantasy, mysterious bargains, deadly trials, and romance with a darker fairy-tale feel, this is absolutely one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mysterious ways with a devil is how I feel I would describe this. I enjoyed the tarot telling and I really appreciate Elsie. It is a short and interesting read to begin the series.

Elsie está a pocos días de casarse con Nick, un hombre bueno, estable y aparentemente perfecto. El problema es que, cuando debería sentirse feliz por estar a punto de comenzar su para siempre, algo dentro de ella no deja de decirle que está cometiendo un error.

Una visita al viejo carnaval de su adolescencia termina removiendo recuerdos que Elsie llevaba quince años intentando mantener enterrados. Allí, una misteriosa lectura de tarot le hace enfrentarse a una verdad que no quiere aceptar: quizá su corazón nunca estuvo realmente con Nick y alguien más podría tener aquello que ella ha sentido perdido durante todos estos años.

Lo que parecía una simple noche de diversión se convierte en algo mucho más extraño cuando ella termina siguiendo a un pequeño perro hasta un bosque y despierta en un carnaval mágico del que no puede salir. Allí conoce a Carlo, un hombre enigmático que parece saber mucho más de ese lugar de lo que está dispuesto a contarle. Aunque al principio no hacen precisamente buena pareja, poco a poco Carlo se convierte en la persona que la acompaña mientras Elsie atraviesa pruebas cada vez más extrañas y peligrosas.

Y mientras intenta recuperar lo que cree haber perdido, Elsie tendrá que enfrentarse a recuerdos, deseos y sentimientos que llevaba demasiado tiempo ignorando. Carlo tampoco es tan sencillo como parece, y cuanto más tiempo pasan juntos, más difícil resulta distinguir qué forma parte de la magia del carnaval y qué nace realmente de ellos.
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Me gustó mucho esa combinación de romance, fantasía, misterio y un toque oscuro. La historia juega bastante con la idea de qué significa amar de verdad y qué ocurre cuando dejamos que el miedo o la comodidad decidan por nosotros.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me the ARC of this book🎀
THAT JUMPSCARE GOT ME SO BAD I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THIS WASN'T GOING TO BE A HEA!!!!!!!
Honestly speaking, I thought this book would just be a fun vibes read and I was NOT prepared to be fully invested in the story! At first, this seemed alot like Caraval by Stephanie Garber (especially with the main characters) but gradually, it evolved into a completely different story which I absolutely adored. The characters and the trials were so interesting and I really liked the tarot card magic system (even though I knew nothing about it prior to reading this). This had a whimsical writing style and a beautiful story with good pacing for a book under 200 pages. Apart from Elsie and Carlo, I really liked Bell and I'm hoping the next book is about him and Roxy (considering the epilogue) PLEASE DEAR AUTHOR I NEED MY MAN TO GET A HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

What if you found out you don't have a heart, and you're getting married in a few days?

That's the crazy setup this story starts with, a tale about magic, tarot, self discovery and love. If you know the hero's journey or the fool's journey, that's basically what happens to Elsie as she wanders the carnival looking for her heart. At first it felt like Alice in Wonderland, then it turned into Night Circus vibes. And I LOVE The Night Circus, it's one of my favorite books, so that's what made me pick this up. You slowly find out how Elsie lost her heart in the first place.

Ngl this book hit way too close to home. In my last relationship I felt just like Elsie, I didn't love him, not the way books make you think love should feel. Reading this I related so hard, you know when you stay with someone cause they helped you out or were there for you, not cause you actually love them? Same thing happened with Elsie, and it mirrored my own life too since I met that guy right after telling someone else my feelings and getting rejected. So yeah, this book hit a nerve.

Tarot and the fool's journey are basically the heart of the book. Elsie follows a little dog and falls into the forest, super Rider Waite, then meets the magician. Along the way she keeps discovering parts of herself, her fears, like being scared of motherhood cause she's scared of not being perfect. And honestly it's so hard to break out of the role everyone wants you to play when you don't even know yourself yet. That's really what it's about, knowing yourself, that's the real magic of tarot, it's less about predicting the future and more about healing. Anyone who's been through a dark night of the soul and found tarot as therapy has lived their own fool's journey, just like Elsie, different but same at the core. That's what makes this book so good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
A Carnival of Fate was an amazing read! Following Elsie's Alice in Wonderland style journey through an enchanted carnival to reclaim her stolen heart is delightfully whimsical, and I loved how it tapped into that inner child love of circuses and tarot mysticism. Carlo added great banter throughout, fun and easy to enjoy even when the dialogue felt a little simple at times. I did wish for more world building and character depth; the pacing moves quickly and some of Elsie's emotional beats felt like they needed more grounding to fully land. Still, this was the kind of book I kept thinking about throughout the day, always eager to get back to it. It's funny, emotionally intriguing, and carries a genuinely beautiful moral underneath all the carnival magic. A short, immersive start to what promises to be an interesting series.