Caraval

Caraval, a debut novel by Stephanie Garber, is one of the best fantasy novels that I've read in a long time. Our heroine, Scarlett, lives on the Isle of of Trisda, with her sister Tella and her abusive brute of a father. If he is unhappy with Stella's behavior he hits Tella and if he is unhappy with Tella's behavior, he hits Scarlett. Scarlett longs to escape her father and the Isle of Trisda. Two promising events loom on the horizon: her upcoming marriage and tickets to Caraval. Scarlett has been writing to Caraval Master Legend for seven years in the hopes of getting Caraval to come to the Isle of Trisda. Legend cannot take Caraval to the Isle of Trisda, but he has sent Scarlett tickets.

What is Caraval? It's hard to answer this question. It's a magical island where it's almost impossible to tell truth from fiction. It's a land with enchanted gowns that change their appearance to suit your mood. It's a land with shops that sell amazing items like different-colored spectacles that can see the future, an elixir of protection, a tincture of forgetting, an extract of lost tomorrows, a cider that helps you to see more clearly, and a pocket watch that tells the truth. But you don't buy these items with money. You buy them with your secrets, fears, desires, and days of your life.

When Scarlett arrives at Caraval, she is warned by the unicyclist who is the ticket taker, that "Before you fully enter our world, you must remember it's all a game. What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don't let any of it trick you. We will try to convince you it's real, but all of it is a performance. A world built of make-believe. So while we want you to get swept away, be careful of being swept too far away. Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won't wake up."

In addition to this warning, Tella has been kidnapped. Scarlett must find Tella by the end of Caraval and return to the Isle of Trisda in time for her wedding. Can she trust her handsome guide, Julian? Read the novel to find out.

I can't wait to read the sequel to this novel, Legendary. It's expected to be published on May 29, 2018.