For a YA fantasy series, I really enjoyed it and wanted to continue the series asap! I loved how sinister and magical Caraval is, though I still have lots of questions about why. The ending gutted me and I really hated how everyone manipulated Scarlett and doesn’t see anything wrong with it. I wasn’t super convinced about the romance though. This book is a lot of vibes and pacing, not a fleshed out plot. But I am really intrigued for the next book, this book really sucked me in despite its flaws!

This is totally YA for a reason. The main character is painfully immature. 

The final ~15% of this was really fucked up. Like serious psychological trauma. 

This book is like 80% telling and only 20% showing. The MC kinda just walks up on situations and people recount it all. There weren’t really game-like challenges or carnival ambiance.

This book was very much whimsical nonsense tied up in a mystery that was reminiscent of a studio ghibli movie.  You question what is real and what is not, if what has happened actually did happen.

There was enough mystery and world building to keep me interested in reading more, though the characters were a bit one dimensional they managed to hold my attention.

Other books I've read with this vibe did not have strong enough characters to keep me engaged and since this was a debut novel it has a lot of promise for what comes next.

This is SO uniquely crafted and effective in world building. The storyline, however, leaves a little bit to be desired- it’s a little muddled and convoluted, and at times I found my mind drifting because I wasn’t staying engaged anymore. For the first half of the book I thought I picked an easy 5 star read for my first of the year! Alas, not quite. The back half of the book just didn’t do it for me, until the ending which i actually really liked. The love story (can you even call it that?) falls flat and feels contrived, the sisters dynamic isn’t fleshed out enough before all hell breaks loose, and the character arc for Scarlett from judgy and prude overprotective sister to heroine superstar with a backbone who can stand up for herself does not transition smoothly and feels undeserved. But it’s YA, and instalove is a thing (just not for me), and I will give credit to all the things I did love: the minor characters SOLD the entire experience, the exchange of “currency” for goods/information, the effective twisting storyline around who you can and can’t trust. I did overall really, thoroughly enjoy the ride and am looking forward to the next 2 books.