2.25 
 I suppose this is one of those books that either you love or simply don't enjoy, and unfortunately I belong to the second group. 
 > The plot 
 The plot promised to many fascinating, intriguing, mysterious, unexpected events... and it is the word "promised" that should be underlined. 
 I haven't found almost nothing that could be related to these adjectives, at most a couple of plot twist that made me think "Maybe now the real story will begin!" only to remain disappointed over and over again. 
 > The characters 
 The fact is, that since the beginning I found rather difficult (if not impossible) putting up with the two sisters, and reaching the end of the book didn't change my opinion. 
 Scarlett 
 is probably one of the most annoying characters I've ever met, particurarly because throughout all the novel she continues boasting of the fact she can immediately recognize deception, but at the end she believes at every single lie she's told. Not to mention that she has ridiculous reactions that make her seem just stupid. On the other hand it's rather remarkable her deep love for her sister, but it's probably her only perk. 
 And I'm not a big fan of 
 Tella 
 neither, also (and above all) considering the ending. It is said that "the ends justify the means". Before reading Caraval I would have agreed, but in this case I just couldn't accept it. 
 The others were just side characters with no background and just minor roles. Even after 400 pages, I wasn't able to claim "Yes, he/she is really great, absolutely my favourite!", because it is impossible with so few information. 
 > The setting 
 I was longing for the description of Caraval. You know, I was expecting a kind of Wonderland, where every single living thing, object, place seems to have its own rules. Where magic is vibrant, alive, permeating everything. Where the only thing you can do is admiring in awe without trying to understand. 
 Unluckily the details were a bit scarce. Not as in other books I've read, where the few descriptions lasted three lines if you were lucky, but with a setting like Caraval it should have been made a more thorough characterization. Just putting a map at the beginning and adding some particulars during the story isn't enough 
 > Conclusion 
 I'm sorry of being the black sheep of the family regarding my opinion on this book, however due to all these reasons it was really an heavy reading. I coulnd't feel empathy towards the characters, I wasn't curious of what would happen... I just wanted it to end.