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Caraval #1 chapters 1-6
Caraval: Chapter Sampler
This excerpt from Caraval—Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game—contains for the first six chapters.
Everyone is talking about Caraval!
“Spellbinding.” —Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember in the Ashes
“Beautifully written.” —Renée Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn
“Shimmers with magic.” —Marie Rutkoski, author of The Winner’s Curse
“Darkly enchanting.” —Kiersten White, author of And I Darken
“Decadent.” —Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star-Touched Queen
“Like stepping into a living dream.” —Stacey Lee, author of Outrun the Moon
“Magnificent.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Destined to capture imaginations.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Ideal for fans ofThe Night Circus, Stardust, and The Hunger Games.” —SLJ
Everyone is talking about Caraval!
“Spellbinding.” —Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember in the Ashes
“Beautifully written.” —Renée Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn
“Shimmers with magic.” —Marie Rutkoski, author of The Winner’s Curse
“Darkly enchanting.” —Kiersten White, author of And I Darken
“Decadent.” —Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star-Touched Queen
“Like stepping into a living dream.” —Stacey Lee, author of Outrun the Moon
“Magnificent.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Destined to capture imaginations.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Ideal for fans ofThe Night Circus, Stardust, and The Hunger Games.” —SLJ
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2016
101 people are currently reading
2764 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Garber
17 books85.2k followersStephanie Garber is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Alchemy of Secrets is her debut novel for adults and will be published around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 23, 2022
Good start and atmospheric and whimsical
March 9, 2017
I really wanted to, and tried very hard to like this book more. I just couldn't get over the juvenile quality of its writing. I honestly questioned at times if this book was even edited, as it was riddled with odd and redundant sentence structure. If people nowadays think that this is "gud riting" (let me just verify that those words are supposed to be misspelled incorrectly, in case you didn't catch my sarcasm) then peeps, we need to have a MAJOR chat.
I couldn't handle how this book made me feel like a ninny.
For example, here is a Chapter 6 and 7 synopsis:
red face...
red face...
where's Tella...
where's Tella...
stop splashing me...
stop splashing me...
everything is white...
everything is white...
EVERYTHING IS WHITE...
it's cold...
it's cold...
IT'S REALLY STINKING COLD...
muscles...
muscles...
she's pretty...
she's pretty...
Like...can we not repeat ourselves one hundred or so times? I get it. Any reader gets it. I don't want to be beat over the head with obvious facts and what's going on in the story. We get that it's cold out. I mean--there's snow on the ground. Of course it's cold! Stop, just stop telling me so!
More frustrating components of this writing were odd, weird, and nonsensical sentences:
Brilliant gold-blue sparks---the color of childhood dreams, thought Scarlett. Huh?
Now the air was syrupy and thick, still much sweeter than the air on Trisda, yet Scarlett only tasted bitter. Uhm, so which is it?
It tasted like light, bubbly on her tongue and sugary as it went down, making everything from the ends of her toes to the tips of her fingers tingle. Wait, what?
Somehow the battered space still managed to smell like Tella. Sharp molasses and wild dreams. I...didn't know dreams smelled.
And please, if you are going to pair color with emotion, please be accurate! In the art world, warmer colors indicate stimulation of senses, while cooler colors are more relaxing.
This does not work:
...the odd little gesture left Scarlett with an icy-blue nervous hum. No, no it didn't - because icy blue would not make you nervous!
Scarlett could almost feel the sadness of the fountain infecting her, turning her discouragement into the type of dreary yellow hopelessness that choked out life. *buzzer sounds* wrong again! Yellow has never in the history of mankind (Okay, maybe that's a bit exaggerated) to be dreary! It's been associated with heightened expressions, like cheery, happy, startling, even anger. Heck, throw in anxious! But not dreary!
I get what Garber was trying to do with the color thing; if you missed it, she explained just a couple of times that Scarlett associated her feelings with color. It makes sense--to a point. But this was a compilation of desperate emotions and colors being combined in the wrong ways, at the wrong time. Sorry for my rant. Maybe this didn't bother other readers, but I really didn't enjoy it and found it utterly distracting.
Gladly, her writing did improve throughout the book. Towards the end, I had a clearer sense of things, BESIDES HOW THIS GAME REALLY WORKS?! I feel like there were so many details and features of Caraval that were never shared. I felt utterly let down. The most interesting part was the epilogue (which I shall not share here) in the hopes of revealing more in the sequel. Yes, there will be a sequel. But let's hope it's better written in an all-encompassing manner.
Another thing: the magic, and how it works, is NEVER explained! Where does it come from? How does Legend control it (if he does?) Nobody knows!
Character breakdown:
Our main character, Scarlett, had some major contradictions. Always reminding us how fearful she was, from her dad, being punished, causing pain to her sister, Donatella. Yet, we see her making fearless, and utterly thoughtless decisions. I wasn't feeling her until more towards the end.
Julian: His character remained relatively consistent throughout, which I was glad to see, as I think he's the most intriguing of them all.
Donatella "Tella": I couldn't believe that a character like hers would be capable of what she did--again, I won't share what that was for sake of spoilers. But...she just seems to self-absorbed and careless to be so clever.
Legend: We still don't know.
On the upside, the printed book is beautiful. I love the physical layout of the book, scrolling, and letters.
I'm hoping the sequel will be better written. I graciously give Caraval 2.5 stars. That's all that I can muster.
This review can also be viewed at my blog: She's Going Book Crazy
I couldn't handle how this book made me feel like a ninny.
For example, here is a Chapter 6 and 7 synopsis:
red face...
red face...
where's Tella...
where's Tella...
stop splashing me...
stop splashing me...
everything is white...
everything is white...
EVERYTHING IS WHITE...
it's cold...
it's cold...
IT'S REALLY STINKING COLD...
muscles...
muscles...
she's pretty...
she's pretty...
Like...can we not repeat ourselves one hundred or so times? I get it. Any reader gets it. I don't want to be beat over the head with obvious facts and what's going on in the story. We get that it's cold out. I mean--there's snow on the ground. Of course it's cold! Stop, just stop telling me so!
More frustrating components of this writing were odd, weird, and nonsensical sentences:
Brilliant gold-blue sparks---the color of childhood dreams, thought Scarlett. Huh?
Now the air was syrupy and thick, still much sweeter than the air on Trisda, yet Scarlett only tasted bitter. Uhm, so which is it?
It tasted like light, bubbly on her tongue and sugary as it went down, making everything from the ends of her toes to the tips of her fingers tingle. Wait, what?
Somehow the battered space still managed to smell like Tella. Sharp molasses and wild dreams. I...didn't know dreams smelled.
And please, if you are going to pair color with emotion, please be accurate! In the art world, warmer colors indicate stimulation of senses, while cooler colors are more relaxing.
This does not work:
...the odd little gesture left Scarlett with an icy-blue nervous hum. No, no it didn't - because icy blue would not make you nervous!
Scarlett could almost feel the sadness of the fountain infecting her, turning her discouragement into the type of dreary yellow hopelessness that choked out life. *buzzer sounds* wrong again! Yellow has never in the history of mankind (Okay, maybe that's a bit exaggerated) to be dreary! It's been associated with heightened expressions, like cheery, happy, startling, even anger. Heck, throw in anxious! But not dreary!
I get what Garber was trying to do with the color thing; if you missed it, she explained just a couple of times that Scarlett associated her feelings with color. It makes sense--to a point. But this was a compilation of desperate emotions and colors being combined in the wrong ways, at the wrong time. Sorry for my rant. Maybe this didn't bother other readers, but I really didn't enjoy it and found it utterly distracting.
Gladly, her writing did improve throughout the book. Towards the end, I had a clearer sense of things, BESIDES HOW THIS GAME REALLY WORKS?! I feel like there were so many details and features of Caraval that were never shared. I felt utterly let down. The most interesting part was the epilogue (which I shall not share here) in the hopes of revealing more in the sequel. Yes, there will be a sequel. But let's hope it's better written in an all-encompassing manner.
Another thing: the magic, and how it works, is NEVER explained! Where does it come from? How does Legend control it (if he does?) Nobody knows!
Character breakdown:
Our main character, Scarlett, had some major contradictions. Always reminding us how fearful she was, from her dad, being punished, causing pain to her sister, Donatella. Yet, we see her making fearless, and utterly thoughtless decisions. I wasn't feeling her until more towards the end.
Julian: His character remained relatively consistent throughout, which I was glad to see, as I think he's the most intriguing of them all.
Donatella "Tella": I couldn't believe that a character like hers would be capable of what she did--again, I won't share what that was for sake of spoilers. But...she just seems to self-absorbed and careless to be so clever.
Legend: We still don't know.
On the upside, the printed book is beautiful. I love the physical layout of the book, scrolling, and letters.
I'm hoping the sequel will be better written. I graciously give Caraval 2.5 stars. That's all that I can muster.
This review can also be viewed at my blog: She's Going Book Crazy
December 19, 2023
I love this book so much!!!! I definitely already have read it so I’m using this to add to my read list ✌️
Read
February 6, 2017A good "mise en bouche", so I decided to buy the beautiful pbook. I'm not absolutely charmed by the style, but not repulsed either, and am looking for reading on.
April 10, 2025
I actually read the full book but idk how to do a reread on Goodreads. So this will suffice. I am finally reading all 3 books in the Caraval series along with OABH. This is the second time I’m reading this and I just enjoy Stephanie Garbers writing and the concept this book holds. Very excited to go to Legendary and continue the lore.
July 20, 2018
I have tried reading this book multiple times in the past 7 months and could never get into it. I forced myself to read the whole book and wanted to love it but what started off as a decent story, turned boring and dull quickly.
November 22, 2024
Hmm...these 6 chapters did pique my interest.
July 14, 2022
Relectura y confirmo que es maravilloso 🎩🌹✨
July 28, 2023
OH MY GOD. This book is so good. I love the plot, I love the characters and I also love that is kinda giving enemies to lovers vibes . Also Julian? I screamed whenever he called Scarlett "Crimson"
Want to read
February 4, 2017this book is everywhere!!!! now I am really curious about it!!! gonna read it soon!
August 30, 2023
I aspire to be tella's level of unbothered like she threw herself off a balcony and was just like "I hope my sis loves me lol 😜😘"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
Have you ever done something you find yourself immensely regretting just a mere five minutes later? That's right, folks, I just made the mistake of requesting Finale on NetGalley. And I cannot for the life of me believe that I did it. This is what hype does to me because 99% of the decision making behind the request came from excitement over the book posted all around the internet that didn't, in fact, belong to me. And while, yes, I am vaguely interested in reading the last book in this series since I always hate not knowing what happens and I have a very hard time turning away from books once I've already read another in that series, I genuinely forgot for a moment how much I hated Stephanie Garber's Caraval. So, I'll be honest, there's probably some judgment I've earned here. But I digress.
Here's the truth; I read Caraval some months (I should probably say years) ago at the request of a friend whose recommendations have almost always managed to not work for me so much so that I'm at the point where I rarely take them at face value anymore. It was mid-2017. I can still remember the wind rustling like blue waves through the trees around me--
Sound familiar?
I don't know how this book ever got popular. It's riddled with purple prose, so much to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if it made a great many more people than me gag at the ridiculous of it all. And it's not simply that the book was undercoated with purple and then painted again and again until the crap was dripping all over your hands whenever you touched it, but it was also confusing as all hell. Nearly all the descriptions given didn't make the slightest of sense and that confusing lack of any real substance spilled over like an ashen coated waterfall into the rest of the book from plot to characters.
It's a genuine struggle to determine where to begin with my complaints regarding this book, but I suppose I can begin with Scarlett, a selfish and inept girl who masquerades herself through the entire novel as someone strong, protective, and caring (all for her sister, mind, who has been kidnapped by Legend and she now has to save). Nevermind that she spends the majority of the novel mooning over her love life, whether it's concern about the Count her father wishes her to marry or the boy she's regularly rude to and supposedly distrustful of and rarely ever makes decisions that will actually result in finding and saving her sister. We press on through the book, however, and encounter a rather ridiculous number of easily found and deciphered clues, many of which just seem to fall into Scarlett's lap. I suppose it was meant to be this way, manipulated for Scarlett to win--and if you've read the book, you'll know why.
Now to the matter of the Count that Scarlett is engaged to and her own father; everything involving these two characters is unnecessarily gross and uncomfortable. And while I'm not saying that there always has to be a purpose for a character to be abusive, the purpose behind the two girls' father's abusiveness is just truly ridiculous. And his attempt to get Scarlett raped was so unnecessarily awful that I honestly can't believe more people didn't condemn this book for it. Who honestly believes that such an act is an acceptable plot device used merely to show how much worse these characters are? Believe me, we already knew they were despicable.
And then there's that ending. From Julian to Donatella, that ending. It was ridiculous. It was dumb. It was just...not worth it. I simply cannot get over the non-deaths. The lack of any real consequences, the sheer arrogance in losing nothing after all of that. And if everything else hadn't already ruined the book for me up to this point, this was the catch all of book destroyers. And while I know that this is a spoiler (but it's been a few years), I'm just going to say this: It just makes the shock value you earned feel stolen.
| Instagram | Twitter | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
Have you ever done something you find yourself immensely regretting just a mere five minutes later? That's right, folks, I just made the mistake of requesting Finale on NetGalley. And I cannot for the life of me believe that I did it. This is what hype does to me because 99% of the decision making behind the request came from excitement over the book posted all around the internet that didn't, in fact, belong to me. And while, yes, I am vaguely interested in reading the last book in this series since I always hate not knowing what happens and I have a very hard time turning away from books once I've already read another in that series, I genuinely forgot for a moment how much I hated Stephanie Garber's Caraval. So, I'll be honest, there's probably some judgment I've earned here. But I digress.
Here's the truth; I read Caraval some months (I should probably say years) ago at the request of a friend whose recommendations have almost always managed to not work for me so much so that I'm at the point where I rarely take them at face value anymore. It was mid-2017. I can still remember the wind rustling like blue waves through the trees around me--
Sound familiar?
I don't know how this book ever got popular. It's riddled with purple prose, so much to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if it made a great many more people than me gag at the ridiculous of it all. And it's not simply that the book was undercoated with purple and then painted again and again until the crap was dripping all over your hands whenever you touched it, but it was also confusing as all hell. Nearly all the descriptions given didn't make the slightest of sense and that confusing lack of any real substance spilled over like an ashen coated waterfall into the rest of the book from plot to characters.
It's a genuine struggle to determine where to begin with my complaints regarding this book, but I suppose I can begin with Scarlett, a selfish and inept girl who masquerades herself through the entire novel as someone strong, protective, and caring (all for her sister, mind, who has been kidnapped by Legend and she now has to save). Nevermind that she spends the majority of the novel mooning over her love life, whether it's concern about the Count her father wishes her to marry or the boy she's regularly rude to and supposedly distrustful of and rarely ever makes decisions that will actually result in finding and saving her sister. We press on through the book, however, and encounter a rather ridiculous number of easily found and deciphered clues, many of which just seem to fall into Scarlett's lap. I suppose it was meant to be this way, manipulated for Scarlett to win--and if you've read the book, you'll know why.
Now to the matter of the Count that Scarlett is engaged to and her own father; everything involving these two characters is unnecessarily gross and uncomfortable. And while I'm not saying that there always has to be a purpose for a character to be abusive, the purpose behind the two girls' father's abusiveness is just truly ridiculous. And his attempt to get Scarlett raped was so unnecessarily awful that I honestly can't believe more people didn't condemn this book for it. Who honestly believes that such an act is an acceptable plot device used merely to show how much worse these characters are? Believe me, we already knew they were despicable.
And then there's that ending. From Julian to Donatella, that ending. It was ridiculous. It was dumb. It was just...not worth it. I simply cannot get over the non-deaths. The lack of any real consequences, the sheer arrogance in losing nothing after all of that. And if everything else hadn't already ruined the book for me up to this point, this was the catch all of book destroyers. And while I know that this is a spoiler (but it's been a few years), I'm just going to say this: It just makes the shock value you earned feel stolen.
| Instagram | Twitter | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
September 9, 2025
I’m a little disappointed because of how much I was excited to start this book after finishing the OUABH series I was really curious to know about donatella and the whole world of Caraval…well 🗿i don’t think I really like it . FIRSSTTTT ! I need to talk about Donatello and how ungrateful and selfish of a sister she is like you put your sister through all of that because you know how much she loves you and she’ll do anything to save you just so you can be free from your father ? okay I understand abusive father that beats you two …and all but GIRL !! what was that ? honestly I don’t even know how did I feel about those last 100 pages it was a whole mess I felt like a complete fool the plot kept changing really quickly people dying the coming back alive like surprise! Haha we tricked you 😉 it was all a performance 🤗 and acting like you didn’t put your sister through the death of two people she truly loved you were like let’s go pick a dress and go to the party and have fun ! NO ! It was so ridiculous they way tella didn’t care at all about how Scarlett felt after that as as they were “free”?
I loved the beginning of the book honestly i think it’s the ending that ruined it for me not saying I hate the book because I don’t I just wish i could like it more and I’m disappointed of the character of donatella and the chaotic way she planned the game . maybe I’ll read the rest of the series hoping it gets better.
I loved the beginning of the book honestly i think it’s the ending that ruined it for me not saying I hate the book because I don’t I just wish i could like it more and I’m disappointed of the character of donatella and the chaotic way she planned the game . maybe I’ll read the rest of the series hoping it gets better.
September 8, 2018
Being a huge fan of anything circus/magic related, I was instantly enthralled by the story of Caraval, and when I picked up the sequel I was not disappointed to find it retained the same sense of mystery and wonder as it’s predecessor. The truth and the game are slowly becoming more and more difficult to tell apart, and the world building and expansion on previously established characters was done extremely well. I cannot wait to see how everything concludes next year in Finale!
February 26, 2024
5/5⭐️
I am truly speechless. I love this book. The story, being confusing and all, didn’t make want to dnf it, it made me want to read more and more. The characters are just amazing. The atmosphere of circus and magic is literally my favorite thing in any book, so this was right up my alley. The plot twists left me staring at the wall and talking to myself. I felt what the characters did, especially Scarlett, I felt her trust issues lmao. But it was so intriguing i could get enough of it.
I am truly speechless. I love this book. The story, being confusing and all, didn’t make want to dnf it, it made me want to read more and more. The characters are just amazing. The atmosphere of circus and magic is literally my favorite thing in any book, so this was right up my alley. The plot twists left me staring at the wall and talking to myself. I felt what the characters did, especially Scarlett, I felt her trust issues lmao. But it was so intriguing i could get enough of it.
June 2, 2017
"It was the kind of night where she could smell the moon, thick candle wax dancing with the salty scent of the ocean, full and glowing."
A world of isles (perhaps?) on an ocean... Two sisters and the promise of immense magic...
Actually, I enjoyed these first six chapters quite a lot and now I have to get the whole book... Good job! :-)
March 30, 2022
If you liked Six of Crows, Caraval might be your perfect next read. The plots have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but the way the details of the story unfold are very reminiscent of Bardugo’s revelation of the plot in later chapters of Six of Crows. I won’t elaborate more on that here - no spoilers! But an overall very good read 💃🏻
July 8, 2024
I read OUABH first and let me tell you… I can’t for the LIFE OF ME, like Tella. She’s just very infuriating. I feel like putting her sister through hell just to act so nonchalant abt it afterwards, rlly was the tipping point for me. Shes genuinely very annoying and I will never forgive her for the heartbreak she caused in the OUABH series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2025
It was very interesting and kept me on my toes I really liked the love interest and their dynamic I got annoyed by tella at the end and the last 40 pages made me depressed. The ending was good and I tried to solve some clues myself it was a very fun book and I will definitely continue to read the rest of the series
September 24, 2017
I loved this book, characters were easy to follow but I don't think it leaves you wanting more, it's definitely cheesy, girl meets boy who she hates, then he becomes man of her dreams 🙄 Don't think I will buy next book wait for it at library
March 16, 2022
En fin, ni tan mal però no tant bé com esperava, PERQUÈ TANTS COLORS CONSTANTMENT??? La historia m'ha agradat però la manera en com està escrit és horrorosa :)
I quina necessitat d'acabar el llibre amb un final obert quan havia quedat tot taaan maco just abans?
I quina necessitat d'acabar el llibre amb un final obert quan havia quedat tot taaan maco just abans?
August 27, 2024
This trilogy was not for me. I loved the ouabh trilogy but this one was a bit boring and not really my cup of tea. Maybe someday I’ll give it another shot because I think Scarlet had potential and maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for it.🫶
June 24, 2025
Great Sampler
Ok! I'm sold. I can't wait to read this series.
If Ms Garber can grab my full attention this quickly, I feel both excited and optimistic for that in which awaits.
Well Done!
Ok! I'm sold. I can't wait to read this series.
If Ms Garber can grab my full attention this quickly, I feel both excited and optimistic for that in which awaits.
Well Done!
August 15, 2025
This book is quite literally engraved in my head 247. It has made me second guess soo many things and for anyone that hasn’t read this yet please know it’s in 3rd person but do not be afraid on that part because it just makes it even better!!!
October 29, 2017
A good book that leaves you wondering with every twist and turn.
April 3, 2018
So good!
March 26, 2019
Wow! This book is amazing! It captivated me within seconds, and pulled me deeper and deeper into the mysterious, suspenseful adventure, and just won't let me go!
January 1, 2021
I absolutely adore this book! So many plot twists and and banter, amazing characters and captivating scenes. This book is one of my very favorite books of all time!
May 8, 2021
Liked it. Can’t wait to read the whole book!
October 15, 2021
One of my top favorite series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews