In the long-anticipated last book in the popular Caraval series, the deck of Fates has been released and the game has gotten a whole lot harder. Tella knows that the boy she fell in love with, Dante, doesn't actually exist; he was just a role Legend, the gamemaster, played. So why is falling out of love so much harder?
Tella's sister, Scarlett, isn't without her own share of romantic trouble. She's tired of Julian having the upper hand, so when she discovers that the man her father tried to get her to marry wants to meet her, she blurts out a plan without even thinking. What if her almost fiancè and Julian battled it out? Each would have to complete a series of tasks and whoever impressed her the most, she would marry. Scarlett didn't plan on following through with the plan, exactly, but when the boys jump at the idea, she doesn't have a choice.
The sisters think that their current troubles are bad enough, but there's more to the Fates than meets the eye. Scarlett reveals a truth that questions all she thought she was and risks all she has . . . and gives her an invaluable chance to defeat the Fates. Tella gets wrapped up in the same perilous plot and is forced to take Jacks and Legend along with her. She can't help herself from drifting to Legend but knows that he can never love her because he's a Fate. In the end, Legend is the one who has to decide: leave Tella, or love her and become mortal in the process? The stakes are higher than ever and this time, the sisters know for sure that this is not a game.
I love this series! Whenever somebody asks me for a book recommendation, I almost always turn them toward these. There's a magical quality to Stephanie Garber's writing. She weaves a rich, midnight tale with compelling heroines and hilarious banter. I want so badly to step inside her worlds! Reading the books is a completely immersive experience; your heart beats along with Tella's as she spies through the window and you shake with anger along Scarlett when a Fate gives her a terrible ruby crown. This book may be the finale, but I'm still begging for an encore.