Maybe 3.5 stars. I LOVE Stephanie's writing. It's lush and sensory and beautiful af. But the story took a few turns that I didn't really like, and I felt a little bit like it was a gotcha! kind of book. After finishing, I felt a little cheated, the way I do when a book ends with the character realizing they were in a dream the entire time and none of the action was real. So that was frustrating. 
 But my word, the imagery was on point, and I was fully invested in the romance as well (what IS it about scoundrel-y sailor types?!?!?! Oh, right. That they're scoundrel-y sailors!). The world-building was lovely, and I am intrigued both by the magical world inside Caraval as well as the larger irl one outside of it. I want to know more about Trisda and the Southern Isles and all that. I think there's a treasure trove of stories that could be told of Scarlett's world.