Caraval

Name: Caraval
Rating: 7.41 (818 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250095268

Welcome, welcome to CARAVAL, Stephanie Garber’s enchanting, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling fantasy debut about two sisters swept up in a mysterious competition filled with magic, heartbreak, and danger

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 attend. 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 whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, and her sister disappears forever.

Continue the adventure in Legendary and Finale—out now!

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Published May 1, 2018

450 pages

Average rating: 7.41

818 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Caraval* is a captivating, fast-paced fantasy with enchanting world-building, mystery, and romance. Many praise Garber’s imaginative sett...

TheCleverReader

Feb 03, 2023

10/10 stars

This book was so much fun to read! It has the feel of The Night Circus but with a much darker tone. No one is truly what they seem, and the plot takes you on a roller coaster of twists and turns. There were times where I felt on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what happened, and moments where I wasn't sure what was real or what was part of the game. I enjoyed every second of it!

JT Penguin

Mar 29, 2026

7/10 stars

I felt like this was the book version of that movie "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" for like the first half. So many strange things were happening! Scarlett got a little annoying and repetitive with her refrain about protecting her sister and getting back to her count. BUT all that being said once we got to about 60% and the twists were twisting? I was ALL. IN. So glad one of my favorite book friends bought this series for me and made me read them!

Bosky

Dec 30, 2025

8/10 stars

3.5 rounded up, even now thinking that should be rounding down to a 3 instead of 4. Second YA in span of a week, and I'm not a YA fan. However, I really enjoyed the concept and understand the feeling grander Garber was trying to convey. It just seemed like the 'players' in Caraval were all one dimensional- rich families. Also, don't feel that you can trust any of the characters... I know that Garber was trying for that, but it was too much.

BadRiya Hassan

Oct 16, 2025

10/10 stars

“Welcome, welcome to Caraval! The grandest show on land or by sea. Inside you’ll experience more wonders than most people see in a lifetime. You can sip magic from a cup and buy dreams in a bottle. But before you fully enter into our world, you must remember it’s all a game.” ― Stephanie Garber

swbarry

Sep 25, 2025

6/10 stars

It was really hard to get into for some reason, but I did end up enjoying it. There were lots of tropes that I don't usually like, but they did have some interesting story moments for sure.