The New York Times Book Review - Marjorie Ingall
Caraval is The Night Circus Jr., with a dash of Alice in Wonderland and a sprinkle of Fantasy Island.
From the Publisher
Praise for the #1 New York Times and #1 indie bestselling Caraval Series:
“The Hunger Games meets The Night Circus.” ―Entertainment Weekly
“I lost myself in this world and never wanted to come out.” ―Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes
“Impressive, original, wondrous.” ―USA Today
“A fantastic world reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley...Addictive.” ―Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Beautifully written.” ―Renée Ahdieh, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn
“Mesmerizing.” ―Us Weekly
“Fantastic in its spectacle and intrigue.” ―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“A tour de force of imagination.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Magnificent. A spellbinding tale of love, loss, sacrifice, and hope.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Like stepping into a living dream.” ―Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl
Library Journal
09/01/2016
In this YA fantasy debut, Scarlett, who lives on a small island with her sister and icily domineering father, receives an invitation to Caraval, a fabled audience-participation performance taking place once a year. It's shortly before her arranged marriage, but Scarlett sneaks away to attend. A likely crossover title pitched as having a Night Circus-like atmosphere; with sales to 25 territories and preempted by Twentieth Century Fox.
APRIL 2017 - AudioFile
Rebecca Soler is an ideal listener’s companion through a heady world. Scarlett's lifelong wish is to travel with her sister, Tella, to Caraval, a spectacular annual performance that draws its audience into the show. But when the sisters manage to escape their cruel father and attend, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind, Legend, who makes her the feature of this year’s show. Soler imbues each descriptive passage with exhilaration and wonder, providing a vivid sensory experience in which listeners will easily lose themselves. Though her accents occasionally slip, her inflections are pitch-perfect, capturing Scarlett’s yearning and growing worldliness, the jaunty tones of her erstwhile companion, and Legend’s ominous, mesmerizing whisper, which dominates the story as he dominates his world. B.E.K. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-09-19
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the enchanted circus trope. Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome golden-brown sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarletts arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets. Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)
