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Caraval – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

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Scarlett Dragna has dreamed of seeing the magical Caraval – the annual performance where its organizer, Legend, puts on a show that immerses the audience into the performance until the line between fact and fiction is almost impossible to distinguish – since she was ten years old. Now seventeen, Scarlett assumes that her dream, as most are, is nothing but a fantasy that is beyond her reach. Then, a week before her arranged marriage is to take place, Scarlett and her sister Tella receive invitations to the legendary performance.

But before the show can even begin, Tella is kidnapped. It seems that Tella was kidnapped by Legend himself, and whichever contestant in this round of Caraval finds her first, wins.

Determined to find her sister, the one she loves and treasures most in life, Scarlett throws herself into the five-night game. But as magic and reality start to blur together, Scarlett finds herself getting swept away into the enchanting sorcery of Caraval as time begins to run out.

I rate this book a 9 out of 10. Stephanie Garber crafted a whimsical world that took me along Scarlett’s journey as if I were a character in the book. It was fun, thrilling, perhaps a bit cliche at times, but overall an enchanting read!

The one critique I have for this book is that it didn’t have much character development. While Scarlett and Tella share a couple of personality traits, they are extremely different, which is something that is established within the first couple of chapters. Both Scarlett and Tella are headstrong and stubborn, but Scarlett is cautious and a serious over-thinker, while Tella is more mischievous and makes decisions on a whim. These traits are detailed thoroughly throughout the book and it is clear that Scarlett and Tella are almost the complete opposites of each other. I was hoping as the novel progressed that we would see development of both characters and witness them start to mellow out and begin to adopt some of the traits of the other sister (i.e. Scarlett begin to adopt Tella’s spontaneity; Tella caution) but, unfortunately, we did not get to witness very much of that. And if we did, it seemed to me that it only appeared at certain moments, instead of being a gradual, yet consistent, part of the story.

Overall, I highly enjoyed Caraval! It was a fun and witty read and is a book I will definitely revisit and read again!

These Violent Delights – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a Romeo and Juliet-inspired historical fantasy. Taking place in Shanghai in 1926, the streets of China are ruled by two gangs-the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. A blood feud between the two that is filled with anger and the need for revenge has turned the once beautiful city into utter mayhem. Eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, the heir of the Scarlet Gang, has returned from her time away in the United States to fulfill her duties. However, as some sort of madness begins to sweep through the streets of Shanghai, members of each gang alike are found with their throats ripped out, the culprit, every time, being their own hands. As this insanity spreads to every corner of the city, Juliette is forced to team up with the heir of the White Flowers, Roma Montagov. However, the two have a complicated past that runs far deeper than just the blood feud between their two families. Despite this, the pair must set aside their past and personal betrayals to save their city from an inevitable uprising.

I rate this book a 9 out of 10. While Chloe Gong’s Shakespearean yet contemporary writing style received mixed feelings from readers, it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Her specific writing style occasionally made it hard to follow- especially at crucial plot points where several different events were taking place-but I often found that it painted a detailed image of the story’s events in my mind. For the most part, I thought the plot to be cleverly crafted and entertaining. Every storyline was well thought-out, and, as far as I could tell, had little to no plot holes or details that didn’t match up with the rest of the story.

Overall, I highly enjoyed These Violent Ends! There were a couple of things I wished were done a bit differently (as I detailed above) but that is mainly just me nitpicking. I would like to issue a word of warning to readers: this book contains heavily graphic details of violence! If you are very squeamish and do not like detailed descriptions of blood and violence, I would recommend staying away from this novel.

If you are somebody who enjoys historical fantasies, vengeful main characters, and lovable side characters, I highly recommend These Violent Delights!

Shadow and Bone – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Shadow and Bone book cover (image by goodreads.com)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a YA fantasy novel. The story follows Alina Starkov, a cartographer’s apprentice who to most, has an incredibly dull existence, especially in contrast to her wondrously talented and charming best friend Mal, who turns the heads of almost everyone he encounters. But when Mal is brutally attacked by villainous monsters who have a craving for human blood and flesh, Alina unleashes a newfound power from within that even she herself wasn’t aware of, saving Mal and the remaining members of her regiment. Alina is swept off to the royal palace to be trained and taught by the powerful elite known as the Grisha, who serve under the command of a brooding and mysterious figure known as the Darkling. But while the kingdom and the Grisha seem like an elegant, untouched dream, at the center of the magic and beauty is a darkness that if unleashed, has the power to destroy everything.

I rate this book a 7 out of 10. Leigh Bardugo’s writing style was engaging, however I found most of the plot/characters to be very cliche, and while I found it fun at first, as the book developed it got a bit tiring. That said, overall Shadow and Bone was a simple yet enjoyable read, and I recommend it to YA readers.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini is a science fiction book that tells the story of exploration, friendship, and trust.

Xenobiologist Kira Navárez has always dreamed of colonizing new worlds and creating contact between humans and aliens. But during a mission on a new uncolonized planet, dream turns to terror. As Kira explores the newfound planet, she stumbles upon an alien relic. Glee quickly transforms into dread when the ground surrounding Kira comes to life.

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Barely escaping death, Kira quickly finds out that her dangerous discovery has unexpected consequences and Kira finds herself thrown into an endless amount of life-threatening events that questions the strength of humanity. Earth, as well as tons of other colonies stand facing annihilation. Kira is humanity’s last hope.

I rate this book a 6 out of 10. Personally, I thought that the plot in itself was a great idea, but it was extremely confusing at times, making it hard to get through the book. Additionally, about halfway through the novel, the events in the story became very repetitive. However, for the most part I found it interesting. So, if you love sci-fi novels, I recommend trying this book.

A Night Divided – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

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(image by amazon.com)

Imagine living behind a wall, with soldiers training their guns towards their own citizens. Eight year old Gerta, the main character in the book A Night Divided, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is forced to live just like that. Set in East Berlin, this book will take you into the past.

One night, Gerta wakes up and realizes that a fence has been built around her city, not to keep people from coming in, but to keep people from going out. The fence quickly transforms into a concrete wall with watchtowers, and adopts the name the Berlin Wall. The worst part is that Gerta and her family are separated by the wall, her father and middle brother in West Berlin, and her mother, older brother, and herself in East Berlin.

Four years later, Gerta spots her father on the other side, performing a dance. She watches him make digging motions, singing Gerta’s favorite song. At first, Gerta thinks her father is telling her to dig for treasure, but she soon realizes that she is being told to dig a tunnel to West Berlin. After convincing her brother, Fritz, they start digging. Will Gerta and her family be able to run to safety or will they have to stay trapped in East Berlin forever? To find out, read the book A Night Divided!

Bubble – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Bubble is a realistic fiction book by Stewart Foster about a boy who has never left his room, and never will. 11 year old Joe Grant was born without an immune system. Due to severe combined immunodeficiency, (SCID), he has spent most of his life in what he calls a “bubble”, his hospital room in England. Joe’s life consists of going through endless therapy sessions and checkups while he gazes out the window of his bubble, longing to be in the outside world.

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Joe will never be able to step outside of his room, even for one moment. Even the few visitors that enter his room risk bringing in life-threatening germs and viruses. Joe spends his days trying to cope with the loneliness and frustration that comes with being completely isolated for all of your life. Until one day, when a new nurse comes to the hospital and changes Joe’s life forever.

I rate Bubble a 9 out of 10. Stewart Foster created a touching yet uplifting story that captured my attention the whole way through. I loved reading Bubble and highly recommend it!

Refugee – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Refugee is a historical fiction book by Alan Gratz that tells the heart wrenching yet captivating tales of three children, who all have the same mission: to flee to safety.

Josef – a Jewish boy in the 1930s who lives in Berlin, Germany under the rule of Adolf Hitler. When Josef’s home is broken into one night by “storm troopers” and his father is arrested and taken to a concentration camp for illegally practicing law, Josef’s life is turned upside down. Six months later, Josef’s father is released, but on only one condition. He must leave the country in fourteen days. Even though Germany is their home, the Nazis made it very clear that Josef’s family was not wanted, and soon enough, the four find themselves on a ship taking them across the world.

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Isabel – a Cuban girl in the 1990s who lives in Havana. The Soviet Union had been buying sugar from Cuba for more than eleven times the price and had been sending food, medicine and other helpful items for free for decades, but once the Soviet Union fell, devastation rained upon Cuba. As more time passed, more people became restless. Slowly but surely, Isabel’s hometown becomes full of riots and is swallowed by chaos. When Isabel’s father takes part in a riot and narrowly escapes getting arrested, Isabel and her family must leave as soon as they can. They set out on a small raft at night, hoping to seek refuge in America.

Mahmoud – a Syrian boy in 2015 who lives in Aleppo. Years ago, Aleppo had been the brightest and most modern city in Syria. Then, in 2011, the Arab Spring came to Syria. Revolutions swept through the Middle East, destroying governments and starting wars. Soon enough, Mahmoud and his family will be making the long journey to Europe in search of safety.

All three children go on a dangerous adventure, each facing life-threatening dangers and betrayals. Although the three children are separated by time periods and locations, in the end, their stories will tie together.

I rate Refugee a 9 out of 10. The author perfectly described what is was like for immigrant families during each time period, and it was heartbreaking yet enchanting. I extremely enjoyed reading Refugee, and highly suggest reading this book.