**Thank you to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. 
 5 brilliant stars!!! 
 Okay, now that I have calmed down a bit, I am going to try and do this book justice with a coherent review. How I going to do that is anyone's guess, but I'll going to give it a shot. :) 
 Worldbuilding: The world that Stephanie Garber creates is just magical. The descriptions are so vivid and eloquent that you are just swept away into this fantasy world filled with dreams and other delicious things. Even the darker parts of the novel are described beautifully. It just made reading this book all that more atmospheric and I am a sucker for heavily detailed worlds. So this was just perfect. 
 Character building: I found Scarlett to be quite a riveting character. I loved how she was depicted as someone with heart and yet she seems to be battling with two sides of herself. I found her love for Tella to be very touching and their relationship really tugged at the heartstrings. I also loved how the author described her emotions through the use of colour. I found that very beautiful. 
 Julian was my next favourite character. I loved how layered his personality was. Every character in this book is so realistic with their flaws or imperfections. But Julian still manages to be sensitive regardless of his secrets and conflicting emotions. Plus, I found his relationship with Scarlett to be utterly swoon worthy. The romance was a wonderful buildup. I enjoyed every minute of it. 
 I also liked how the minor characters were introduced throughout the novel. Each of them plays such a pivotal role to the story and serve as great supports to the MC. Through various interactions Stephanie has managed to paint a picture of a world with a diverse group of characters with strong backstories and surprising secrets. 
 Plot: The pacing of the book worked well too. The story blends seamlessly. The reader is taken from each plot progression with ease. Every plot device and revelation served a purpose to stun or amaze. I was just sucked into the pages from the get-go. The story is a mix of intrigue, betrayal, romance, never-ending drama/action and a whole lot of other things. I loved the darkness of this fantasy read. I think it really added to the mystique of the story and helps in giving that sense of escapism which I feel "Caraval" is all about. 
 Overall, this has got to be one of the BEST books I have read this year. I can't wait for the sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy. You will not be disappointed at all :)