Caraval

                                                                          Caraval 

        By: Stephanie Garber 

       5/5 LOVED IT 

Caraval gets 5 stars from me for what it is in it's category of YA Fantasy, Caraval was very immersive and as claimed magical, so very magical I enjoyed every minute of the read.
Scarlett the main character is finally given a ticket to Caraval after years and years of asking the Caraval Master Legend to come to her Isle of Trisda, from which she is not aloud to step foot from. Scarlett and her little sister Tella are plagued by a cruel and abusive father, their mother went missing years ago; and Scarlett is soon to be married to a faraway Count, whom she has never met, to procure further riches and rank for her repugnant father.

The sisters and a random (handsome) sailor Julian, end up on Caraval's secluded island in time for the game and from the start embark on a mind-bending adventure, where so many people have come to compete for the grand prize of a wish. Scarlett is instructed to keep her wits about her, don't believe everything you see and or hear, and never ever get too swept up in the game. 
As a reader I had a hard time following those rules, I read with trepidation, never knowing who to trust and what was real, so who could blame Scarlett? The island is overridden with illusions and dangerous people and beautiful places that can suck you in, I loved it! It was a gorgeous setting, and Garber created such magic with her words. 
Some aspects of the story seemed juvenile to me but those "scenes" we'll call them moved on quickly and were easy for me to ignore and get right back into the story. 
The ending was confusing, but in a good way, it definitely fit with the "don't believe anything" theme, also there was a huge door left WIDE open on the very last page, I NEED a sequel now... I'm demanding it, I could do with a few more answers and of course more magic from the world of Caraval!  

                           -xoxoTHISRAVENCLAWREADER

Into The Water

                                                                      Into The Water

    By: Paula Hawkins
  3.5/5 LIKED IT

I enjoyed reading this book don't get me wrong, I was never dragging to get through it...but compared to The Girl On The Train  also by Paula Hawkins, Into the Water was not up to par. I figured out the twist pretty early on and Hawkins tries to evade it by throwing false lines and hints towards the reader, It all felt very simple to me, (especially the ending. ugh too easy) the "who done-it" gets passed to literally every character we meet... it's overkill and very obvious in my opinion.
On a positive note the scene capturing and descriptions are wonderful, the town of Beckford seems very picturesque and lovely, despite it's surly and tempestuous inhabitants. The river and "drowning pool" that is central in this novel and is frequented by all of the characters is also a figment of great allure and beauty, I loved imagining the town and all it's little houses and of course it's natural beauty.
I really enjoyed the character of Nel Abbott, who is dead from the start of this book and looked forward to the flashbacks of her writing or of her younger self, conversely I could not stand Jules her little sister, who comes to aid Nel's daughter Lena in her loss and reclaim their childhood home, the two sisters are estranged and the reason is so heartbreaking... and irritating; communication with friends and family is invaluable, one day they might be gone and you'll never get to clear the air, which is a scary prospect and very sad. Assuming things about the people close to you can be very consequential, overall it's an okay book I think it's definitely worth a shot for any mystery lover, it was simple for me but had some high points and like I said is not bad! 

                                  - xoxo THISRAVENCLAWREADER