Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sisters escape abusive father to play dangerous magic game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 113 kid reviews
Kids say this is an engaging fantasy book featuring a uniquely magical world, complex characters, and an intertwining romance that many find captivating, although some note a few confusing plot elements. While most recommend it for ages 12 and up due to mild violence and suggestive themes, they appreciate the strong messages of resilience, love, and sisterhood woven throughout the story.
- engaging fantasy
- complex characters
- mild violence
- strong messages
- recommended for 12+
- captivating romance
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In CARAVAL, every year for her whole childhood, Scarlett has sent letters to Master Legend, asking him to come to her small island with his magic performers -- until one year she tells him not to come because she's getting married. Of course, that's the year she gets a letter back, with three tickets enclosed, one for her, one for her impetuous younger sister, Donatella, and one for the fiancé Scarlett has never met. Donatella is ecstatic about the news, and so is the handsome man Scarlett catches her with in the cellar, Julian. Julian has been to Caraval before and has an offer for them: He'll sneak them to the location -- Master Legend's famed private island, Isla de los Suenos -- in exchange for one of the tickets (the sisters have longed to escape their abusive father). Late at night Julian and Donatella drug Scarlett and drag her onto a boat. When she wakes, it's just her and Julian on a rowboat headed for the island, and Donatella's nowhere to be found. Quickly Scarlett discovers Donatella's been kidnapped and that Caraval is really a magical game, a dangerous one if Scarlett doesn't find her sister before the week is out.
Is It Any Good?
Don't let the magical island setting fool you -- there's nothing laid back about this absorbing tale that's part smoldering forbidden romance, part rescue mission. Yes, it's set on a fantasy island, one readers would probably love to linger on if first-time author Stephanie Garber would let them. Garber doesn't linger on the details of world building -- or even let the characters sit down for a meal (do they ever eat?). Still, the fast pace does have the advantage of keeping readers fully immersed in the mystery as much as the main character, Scarlett. What's real? Who are the performers and who are the other players? Why is Scarlett's sister the one kidnapped, the one tied to the prize? How much danger is she really in?
Caraval is a zip-through read once you hit the halfway point, with more than a few eye-opening surprises at the end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the game in Caraval is played at night, instead of during the day. Are the actions of game participants in the end really consequence-free?
As you read the story, did you trust the right people to help Scarlett? Or trust too much? Is it better to be too trusting or too wary of others?
What do you think of the cliffhanger at the end? Will you read more stories in the series?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Flatiron Books
- Publication date : January 31, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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