“TBR” in the bookish world stands for “to be read,” and today I am pulling a book off of my TBR shelf to share with all of you. Caraval by Stephanie Garber is already getting a ton of hype from the advanced copies that have been released into the world. It’s slated to come out in January 2017, and if you haven’t heard of this book yet, it’s high time you did.

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Here’s a synopsis of Caraval from Goodreads.

Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game . . .

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

Then, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation to Caraval finally arrives. So, Tella enlists a mysterious sailor’s help to whisk Scarlett away to this year’s show. But as soon as the trio arrives, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nonetheless soon becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with her sister, with Legend, and with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Alright so let’s discuss all the things this book has going for it:

  1. A beautiful cover. Like, a PERFECT cover. And on the advanced copies I’ve seen, the edges of the pages are stained red. Perfection.
  2. Magic. My favorite thing ever.
  3. A magical game! YES! Even better! Combining magic with some sort of game/performance thing? I’m all in. I’m getting The Night Circus vibes. Anyone else?
  4. A hint of a love story! Yay for a dash of romance.
  5. AND TONS OF GOOD REVIEWS ALREADY! Check out Chelsea’s rave review over at The Suspense is Thrilling Me, or Cait’s rave review over at A Page with a View.

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Have you added Caraval to you TBR list yet? Or, are you one of the lucky ones who has an advanced copy and has already read it? What were your thoughts?