Caraval is magic. Caraval is mystery. You might have your dearest wish fulfilled, or you might go completely mad. And until the final pages, "Caraval" is also a twisty-turny, luxuriantly sensual experience. Stephenie Garver acquits herself beautifully in her first novel -- seemingly the first of a series -- which follows a desperate young woman over the the five nights of Caraval, where she faces the possibility of losing everything she holds dear. 
 Scarlett Dragna is anticipating her wedding to a nobleman she's never even met -- it will mean she and her wild sister Donatella can finally live free of their vicious, murderous father. But then she's sent an invitation to the magical Caraval, run by a mysterious man known only as Legend. And when she refuses to go, Tella and her paramour Julian kidnap Scarlett and take her to the remote island where Caraval is being held. The prize for the winner of this strange game? One magical wish. 
 But Tella vanishes right after they arrive. And despite the intoxicating magic and alluring illusions that enshroud the entire isle, Scarlett is desperate to find Tella and make it back home before her scheduled wedding. But as she's swept away in a strange world of magical gowns, hallucinatory tunnels and mysterious young men, Scarlett realizes that Tella may be in real danger from Legend -- and she has only five nights to find her. To save her sister, Scarlett must take her destiny into her own hands. 
 I initially expected "Caraval" to be a pretty standard young-adult romance/fantasy -- you know, a fantastical setting with a strong-willed heroine who will get together with a brooding young man. However, Stephanie Garber surprised me with not only how luscious her prose was, but how complicated the plot became as it slowly unwound towards its climax, twisting this way and that like a curled-up ribbon set free. 
 And Garber takes incredible care to spin out all layers of the story; once she has conveyed just how horrifying life with Governor Dragna is, she sweeps readers right off to the Caraval. And once there, she conjures up a real sense of magic -- dresses change shape according to the wearer's whims, things are paid for with lies/secrets/a day of life, shoplifters turn to stone, tattooed men tell the future, and illusions walk through the lush glittering nighttime. But she knows not to let the whimsy and enchantment obscure the darker side of Caraval, with constant reminders of darker magics. 
 Her writing is similarly skilled; in the ordinary world the writing is detailed but practical and straightforward. But once they get to the island, the prose becomes absolutely luscious ("Air smelling of evergreen, dusty with flecks of gold lantern light"), and Garber began twining darker plot threads that hint that something dangerous is afoot. However, she also weaves in some twists, some of which can be seen in advance... and one that definitely won't. It feels kind of anticlimactic, but it's also something of a relief. 
 Downsides? The bickering between Julian and "Crimson" becomes a bit annoying in the first half of the story, to the point where you wonder why they're sticking together if Scarlett dislikes him so much (besides the obvious shipping). Of course her love/hate relationship with Julian evolves gradually into just love, but the initial dislike needed to be keyed down a little. 
 That said, the character of Scarlett is a pretty likable one -- she's a bit fussy, but her dogged determination to escape her monstrously sadistic father evolves into a true, independent strength over the course of the story. And in addition to her burgeoning relationship with Julian, a golden-skinned roguish sailor who might be lying, the story is about the relationship between her and Tella, a seemingly flighty blonde girl who has hidden depths that even her sister didn't realize were there. 
 "Caraval" is a strong, enchanted start to a new series, and one that shows that Stephanie Garber is an author to keep an eye on. Just don't trade that eye for a shapeshifting gown.