I Can't Wait For... FINALE!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I love this series and I've been dying to read the final book since finishing Legendary...

Finale

(Caraval Trilogy, #3)
By Stephanie Garber
YA Fantasy
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 416 Pages
May 7,  2019 by Flatiron Books



Blurb
Welcome, welcome to Finale, the third and final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval series!
Welcome, welcome to Caraval...all games must come to an end.

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win...and those who will lose everything. . .

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Book Review: LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber

Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber

Blurb:

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

My Review:

Welcome one, Welcome all back to the world of Caraval! Re-enter the vivid world Stephanie Garber introduced us to in book Caraval - but remember, it's only a game. Or is it? Julian and Scarlett seemed to have gotten their happy ending at the end of Caraval but Tella owes a debt to someone, but who? Legend? Or someone else? And exactly who is Legend? 

While the first game of Caraval was all about finding Tella, this game is all about the mysterious and thought-banished Fates. 

I enjoyed this book much more than I enjoyed Caraval. While it took me until halfway through the book to get swept up in Caraval, Legendary grabbed me right away and kept me engaged (even if I guessed at some of the big reveals in this book long before they were unveiled). 

Tella makes a fantastic heroine because you realize the girl you thought was a flighty airhead in Caraval has many more layers to her than it first appears and I liked her much more than Scarlett - who changes in this book as well. Scarlett is no longer the reluctant spoil-sport we met in Caraval but a girl armed with a fiery temper and secrets of her own. Most of this book I couldn't help thinking, where is Scarlett anyway? And Dante - *swoon* - I loved Dante, give me more! But even the villains were swoon-worthy in this one... I'm looking at you Jacks.

Overall, if you liked Caraval you will love Legendary so sit back, relax, and hang on for this breathtaking adventure! The ending will leave you craving the next book right now. now. now!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Blurb:

Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

My Review:

Caraval took me much longer to finish than I expected. As one of the most anticipated releases of 2017 everyone kept telling me how amazing this book was and how I absolutely needed to read it. 

When I started reading I wasn't sure I would finish reading Caraval. As a heroine I found Scarlett annoying at the beginning of this book. She's so afraid of her father that she's forgotten entirely how to be young and have fun. I also didn't like Tella. She was reckless and stupid where Scarlett was overly cautious and too prim. 

I admit, I set this book down. Then I decided to give the audiobook a try and this review will also be part-review of the audiobook. Quickly I will comment on that - this was my first time listening to an audiobook and I enjoyed listening to this story but I found the narrator's voice to be annoying, especially when she tried to throw her voice to sound like Julian, Scarlett, or Tella when she spoke. It made Scarlett sound air-headed and stupid and Julian sound like a sarcastic drug cartel member (haha).

Back to the book - it wasn't until Julian and Scarlett went to the clock shop that I really became interested in the story. It was the main selling point on why I bought the audiobook after listening to an extended excerpt I got when I got this book from OwlCrate in February. I needed to hear more about this dazzling world of Caraval. But it wasn't until Chapter 20 that I really felt like I fell in love with this story. 

The world of Caraval is extraordinary and the author's imagination is astounding! I only wish there really were a place like Caraval. The colors, the people, the sights are all described flawlessly and I could easily picture them in my head as I listened to the story night after night. 

I loved Julian from the beginning, he was the perfect love interest - loyal, protective, saucy, and just frustrating enough that you wanted to shake him until you found out all of his secrets. 

As I neared the ending of this book I kept guessing right along with Scarlett as to how the game would end. Would she be able to save her sister? And just who was the mysterious Legend? Did we meet him during the book and not realize it?

Overall, I enjoyed this book, more so after the halfway point of the book. Caraval is truly unlike any other book. The worldbuilding is fantastic, probably my favorite part of the book overall. It just shines - incomparable to anything else! I know there is going to be a second book, as the ending hinted at more of an adventure for Tella to come, but I can't see the author doing anything more with Julian and Scarlett as main characters. Their story seemed tied up with no loose ends and I hope the author doesn't mess with that.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Stars! 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #79

So far this month I've been mostly "miss" when it comes to the books I've chosen to read from my "TBR" shelf. The book I'm reading this week has gotten rave reviews but I'm having trouble connecting with the narrator. This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading...

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Blurb:

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I received this book in OwlCrate's February box and I've heard that it is amazing. For some reason, I've put it off for a few months but I finally decided it was time to read it. I started reading this book over the weekend and I was really excited, but so far I'm really not liking the narrator. Her personality just isn't appealing to me and I can't even figure out why. I also don't like the random sections that seem to go back in time to when Scarlett and Tella listened to their grandmother tell stories about Caraval. I'm hoping if I keep reading the story will pick up, although for right now I think I'll switch to listening to the audiobook and see if that holds my interest better.