Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

5 reviews

naluminum's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Garber uses rich descriptions and imagery in this novel. I was always on the edge of my seat because the MC was thrown into an unexpected quest in Caraval that was mentally challenging and tested her wits, bravery, trust, and love for her sister (who was the one who dragged her out to compete in Caravel in the first place). TBH, the female MC was annoyingly stubborn in her thinking and refused to accept guidance from those who tried to help her, but she came through stronger than expected.  The plot twists were unexpected which I liked, but I didn’t love any of the characters though I enjoyed the mystery aspect. 
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melodyramirez's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 The mystery and plot twists are pretty intriguing and fun but the writing is kindof cheesy and the author really over uses similes. The conclusion is also infodump-y.

personally I would never forgive them for any of that
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kiwij96's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Good lord this book is messy. There's so many supposed twists that makes it feel like a coiled spring. I couldn't keep track of all the lies and deceptions and the twists that kept happening. Also the way it was written: I couldn't imagine any of the scenery because it was just Scarlett's internal monologue with a couple of glimpses at what things looked like.

I found Scarlett too whiny. The whole time she wasn't her own person, she was like an extension of other people. Her intire thing was just "that's my sister" or "Julian" without any let up and that bothered me. Donatella was just outright selfish the whole time and she was just infuriating. Also the fact that they were like 16/17 years old and Donatella tried running away with boys from age 12? Like good lord. Maybe their immaturity plays a greater role in how unlikeable the two girls are. It definitely gave me an insight to what a fantasy book looks like with people who want nothing to do with the fantasy aspect of their world.

The only thing that will probably keep me reading the series is the cliffhanger it ended on but also saw coming.
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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.25

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.
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thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Caraval... what to say without giving too much away? It IS all about the mystery. And the game.
Caraval is the perfect mix of adventure, mystery, romance, and magic. If The Night Circus and The Hunger Games had a child, it might be Caraval. The world and the writing are incredibly rich and immersive. It's a page-turner - packed with action and tense with suspense. 

I found the characters a little bit frustrating at times, but reminded myself that they are teenagers under a lot of stress, so their decision-making realistically would be frustrating! Plus, there are things the reader doesn't get to know about until the end... and that ends up explaining quite a bit. 

I don't want to say much more because uncovering the mystery that is Caraval is half the fun, but I will say this... if you're reading Caraval, prepare to read the next couple books in the series right after it. You won't be able to stop at just one.
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