Category: Book review

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Review: Finale, by Stephanie Garber

SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ CARAVAL OR LEGENDARY!!!!

I started Finale with high expectations. Caraval and Legendary managed to take me away to a magical place, and after finishing Legendary I couldn’t wait to start Finale. Now that I’ve read the last book in the trilogy, I’m happy to say that Finale definitely lived up to my expectations.

The story picks up a few weeks after the Fates have been freed from the Deck of Destiny and Legend claimed the throne of Valenda. Scarlett has been writing Count Nicolas D’Arcy while Julian was away. Donatella is being visited by Legend in her dreams every night, where Legend is urging her to accept her prize for winning Caraval. Meanwhile, Scarlett and Donatella are waiting for their mother Paloma (or should I say Paradise?) to wake up.

So let’s start with Legend. I didn’t know what to expect after Dante revealed himself as Legend. Would his personality change a lot? Is there a future for him and Donatella together? What will happen with Jacks? Well I don’t want to spoil anything, but all I’m saying that I wasn’t amused. To be honest, Finale definitely made me lose my interest in Legend. He didn’t have a mysterious aura around him anymore. Jacks on the other hand? Well I only started to love him more. Jacks is a wicked, complicated character and I love that. The way he handles things is thrilling, even though the things he does are horrible.

I believe Donatella stayed the same throughout the series. I didn’t notice any character growth, but I might be wrong. I still love her daring personality, willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals. I didn’t enjoy reading how she kept going back to Legend, without barely any effort from his side.

Scarlett really did grow some balls after Caraval. I enjoyed reading about her again, after having a minor role in Legendary. I was definitely impressed when she announced the contest between Julian and Nicolas (even though she wanted to call it off later). Scarlett showed in Finale that she was more than willing to put herself in dangerous situations to save her loved ones and to keep Valenda safe from the Fates.

I would definitely recommend the whole Caraval series. It is one of the only series where I always feel sad after finishing each book, because I have to get back to reality. If you loved the magical world of The Night Circus but prefer a faster paced book, Caraval is a perfect choice!

Next read: The Hunt, by Frost Kay

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The Frost Eater, by Carol Beth Anderson

Release date: January 28th, 2020   
 
First of all, I thank the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book! I absolutely DEVOURED it despite having exams.
Nora is a 17 year old frost eater (woops, excuse me, ice lyster*) and is next in line for the throne. Her father, the king, is an honorable man and Nora and her father love each other dearly. During a tour, Nora meets Krey, an ice and feather lyster. Nora invites him with her to the palace, so he can get an apprenticeship with master lysters, and more importantly, become her friend. Krey agrees with an ulterior motive of his own. He wants to save his girlfriend Zeisha, whom Krey believes was kidnapped.
The world and its magic system were very well written. Not everyone has powers, and the powers only work after people eat certain types of fuel. Ash eaters have to eat ash before they can create fire, feather lysters have to eat feathers to be able to fly, and healers have to drink blood of Anyarian animals before they can heal injuries. The fuel doesn’t replace regular food. It was unique and I haven’t found a similar magic system yet. Everything was explained very clearly.
Despite this being a very different world, I found myself connecting with the characters. Their reactions to several events and reveals are logical to me and match with their age. And the book mentions needing to pee and having periods and needing tampons! I never noticed how much I miss these little things when reading other books, until I read The Frost Eater.
And most importantly, THE BOOK HAS DRAGONS
 
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Carol Beth Anderson, please hurry up with the second book because I needed it like a week ago. (And please keep mentioning Ovruns muscles because I really enjoy imagining them)