3.5 stars.
Not as good as the first book, and Tella is less of an interesting or relatable character for me. I still enjoyed it and the world was fun to delve into again. The descriptions could have been better with more in it because it feels a little thin. This story was much less surprising than Caraval so I was able to see things coming. Pretty decent overall! ( )

I enjoyed the second book in this series. It was refreshing to focus on Tella in this book and have Scarlet be a secondary character. . Going to dive into Finale now to finish the series ( )

I really liked this book. More so than the first one. ( )

There are very few YA books that I can get into, but something about Caraval (first book of the series) sucked me in. Maybe it was the romances, the magical circus aspects, the relatable characters (love the family ties).

Overall, very well-written, if the prose is a little purple and flowery, and well paced, each new revelation being revealed, layer by layer. And it was darker than I thought it would be. I did feel a sense of urgency with Tella and her predicament, but a part of me still knew she would make it out okay. I liked Tella, but not as much as Scarlett. And I did feel more chemistry with Scarlett and Julian than with Tella/Dante/Jacks. The ending was a little predictable.

I loved all the colorful, quirky characters and the introduction of the Fates definitely kept my attention - I wanted to know more about them and what they were. The alternate endings at the end of the book, with Ms. Garber's comments, was a cute touch!

The story is written entirely in Tella's POV in third person, similar to Caraval.

Ended on a cliffhanger, but I look forward to reading Finale, and see how this story ends. ( )

fake people everyone u can’t trust anyone nowadays ( )