Overall rating: ****
Romance: **
Reading Pace:***
The Caraval series is one of the few times I have read a series as they released. I actually did not know that it was a series until I got to the end of the first book.
I was so so so excited for Finale and to see how the story ended and completely thought that I would breeze through this book in about a day as I did with the others, but it actually took me right at a week to get through. There was a lot more complexity to this book than the previous two. There was a real dive into the characters and how they are felt and tied together versus the hustle and bustle of the Game that you encountered in the first two. As a standalone book I did not like it as much as the first two, but I think it did a great job of bringing everything together to wrap up the story. I think that is a bit of the curse of final books a lot of the time and of course no one is happy to see a series that they love stop, even if they really wanted that ending!
What I liked:
- Deeper dives into the main characters feelings… and all the great Tella and Legend moments
- Finally having all of the secrets revealed!!!
- The author left some amazing opportunities for Spin-offs series or novellas of the Fates… please of please give me some more Jacks!
What I didn’t like:
- I honestly missed the game in this book, I wish it had been closer to sequences of Caraval and Legendary.
- This points of view flipped back and forth between Tella and Scarlett, so it was a little harder to get invested in the characters connection for me.
- There were a lot of people and characters- I really think the dealing with the fates alone could have been split into another two books.
I know people have a lot of strong opinions about this series and it seems to be in extremes. Yes, while I agree that the series is not a work in literary art. They are fun, suck you in stories that leave you wanting more and wondering what on earth is going to happen next. Also, if you happen to follow author Stephanie Garber on social media, she is super sweet, always going out of her way to keep fans informed and thanking them. Honestly just on person alone I would read her work.
Official Synopsis:
Welcome, welcome to Finale, the third and final book in Stephanie Garber’s #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval series!
A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.
It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.
With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.
Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Lovabull Books 