"Actor Soler's lively narration swiftly draws listeners into the magical spectacle at the center of Garber's YA novel" — Publishers Weekly, best audiobooks of 2017
Welcome, welcome to Caraval — Stephanie Garber's sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.
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.
"Actor Soler's lively narration swiftly draws listeners into the magical spectacle at the center of Garber's YA novel" — Publishers Weekly, best audiobooks of 2017
Welcome, welcome to Caraval — Stephanie Garber's sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.
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.
Reviews-
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Starred review from October 17, 2016
At the start of Garber’s magnificent debut novel, the mysterious Master Legend invites sisters Scarlett and Donatella Dragna to attend Caraval—a magical multiday event that is part spectacle, part treasure hunt. Although their tyrannical father has threatened death if they leave home without his permission, Tella strikes a deal with a roguish sailor named Julian for transport to Legend’s private island—a plan that essentially involves kidnapping the conflicted Scarlett, who is weeks away from marrying a man she’s never met. Upon arrival, Tella is taken, and it’s revealed that she is the subject of this year’s hunt. Scarlett and Julian join forces to find her, but in a game in which secrets are currency and appearances deceive, Scarlett has no way of knowing whether she’s a Caraval player or Master Legend’s pawn. Intriguing characters, an imaginative setting, and evocative writing combine to create a spellbinding tale of love, loss, sacrifice, and hope. While the search for Tella drives the narrative, Scarlett’s quest for self-empowerment is equally captivating. Scarlett and Julian’s chemistry intoxicates, and Garber’s tantalizing conclusion will leave readers hungry for a sequel. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. -
Starred review from April 3, 2017
Sisters Scarlett and Donatella “Tella” Dragna have always dreamed of going to Caraval—a once-a-year, multiday event that is part magical spectacle, part treasure hunt. With only a week before Scarlett’s wedding to a man she’s never met, Tella runs away to Caraval and arranges for Scarlett to be abducted by a sailor named Julian and secretly taken to Caraval too. But when Scarlett arrives, she discovers that Tella has become the prize of the game, and all the players are searching for her. In order to save both herself and her sister, Scarlett must figure out the ambiguous clues and confounding puzzles and journey through a magical world where secrets and plots abound, nothing is as it seems, and no one is to be trusted. Actor Soler’s narration, by turns curious, afraid, frustrated, and exhilarated, immediately draws the listener into this world. In a story full of colorful characters, she gives each one a distinct voice that is faithful to their descriptions in the text. This magical fairy tale will thrill lovers of fantasy and mystery. Ages 13–up. A Flatiron hardcover. -
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
