This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Caraval on my blog, here.
It has been eight years since I read the ARC of Caraval, and I thought now was as good a time as any to finally keep pushing through this series and see it to the end. To be completely honest, I literally forgot who every single character was which the exception of maybe three people -- but my memory continues to serve me and everything started to fall back into place once I was a few chapters into this second installment.
Dante was an absolute rizz master throughout this book, and I was honestly surprised about just how great he was with his words to Tella and how he was able to take control of any scene he was in. There were a few times that I was not pleased with how he was acting, but since everything is a game during Caraval, I was letting it slide. Scarlett's scarce appearances and mentions throughout this book were essentially operating as reminders that she still existed, and were truly there for me to remember how ridiculous she acted in the first book. I was hoping to see some more character growth on her part, but she was present so infrequently in this book, it was hard to expect anything more from her.
Any instance in which Jacks showed up on the page, I was immediately locked in until the moment he exited. With his affinity for apples, I found myself constantly chanting "applejacks, applejacks, applejacks" every single time he showed up in this story. Tella's interactions with him were some of my favorite scenes in the entire book, and he is such an engaging character that pulls the reader in. I found myself constantly comparing his scenes with Dante's scenes, and to be completely truthful, Dante was really starting to get on my nerves the more the story progressed.
I fear that I would end up unknowingly join the Church of Legend without realizing it, because every time that Tella would mention something from his backstory or we would learn more about him, I was honestly on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the obstacles that Tella encountered throughout her run through Caraval, and considering the multiple plots that plagued her as she fought to uncover the truth laid right in front of her the entire time. The side characters were interesting and benefitted the story's true nature, and made Tella's journey even more memorable.
Scarlett's brief appearances continued to prove to me that Tella is the superior sister in the sense that she is able to more maturely handle tough situations. She may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch but she has hustle and I have to respect it. The big twists were a little predictable in my opinion, but the author does a great job incorporating the storylines together in order to bring that big finale all together and set up the final book.
For readers looking for fantasy with a hint of romance, and for fans of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody, Stephanie Garber brings this series to life as Tella works to solve secrets kept and to unveil Legend's true name in order to save her fate.
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