Much Better Fantasy Faire: Caraval

It's taken me a while to be convinced that I would like the Caraval series, as I usually distrust hype, but after reading a sample, the story lingered. I picked it up and gobbled it down very quickly. This is perhaps what The Night Circus should have been. (huge disappointment there, as seen here). The grand game contrived here had very high, dramatic, and violent stakes, and the game master Legend, who is all that his name implies, becomes an unfeeling villain in the eyes of Scarlett, who is forced to keep playing the game to find her kidnapped sister Donatella. That I wasn't expecting, and it was very satisfying.

The game world was a bit more on the dark/saccharine side, reminding me of things like Alice in Wonderland, which was never my favorite piece of literature, but all the same I thoroughly enjoyed the clues and the hunt, and the magical assistance Scarlett received along the way from the other characters inside the game (working there or otherwise). And the way in which the game works on a balance of illusion, magic, and people's own perceptions was very, very well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed the dark elements here, and it gave the game a sense of uncertainty throughout, that there would be no limits to the potential harm inflicted or sacrifices to be made. And it carried right through to the end, even when you get an ending that's satisfying for the characters. That's rare, and it was appreciated. So was the more Latin/Spanish-flavored worldbuilding, and the way in which magic is described and operates in this world. Another uncommon characteristic that went over well.

Her and Donatella's father was an especially well-crafted villain, as was the mysterious fiance that Scarlett agrees to marry just so that she can escape her father's control.

The end of this book (not spoiling), and the lingering premise that leads to the second in the series is tempting me to go through the series faster than is my habit. I'm restraining myself - for now.

K Rating: 4.5/5