FINALE - Review

Book Review:
Title: Finale
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Only those who persevere can find their true ending."

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...all games must come to an end.
It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.
Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all. 
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win...and those who will lose everything. . .  

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. In June 2016 (so almost 3 years ago!) I received a ticket from Hodder 'inviting' me to Caraval. I was immediately intrigued. Less than a month later, I received a proof of Caraval in the post. I remember being in awe of how beautiful the arc was and how imaginative the story sounded.

Less than a month after that I devoured the entire book within a day. It instantly became one of my favourite books, and I wrote a blog post stating 5 reasons why you should pre-order it (you can read that HERE) and was the last stop on the Caraval Blog Tour (read Stephanie's Dream Cast HERE).

Over a year later, in March of 2018, I received a proof of Legendary that was personalised!! (Still not over that!) By the end of March, I had devoured that book too and was praying that Stephanie would write a 3^rd book, which she did! I also wrote another blog post sharing the 5 things I loved most about LEGENDARY (you can read that HERE).

So, I think it’s safe to say that I am a huge fan of this world and these characters that Stephanie has created. I fell in love with it all before the first book even officially came out!

As a result, getting a copy of Finale and seeing Scarlett and Tella’s story come to a close has been a bittersweet feeling.

But I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better conclusion.

The story picks up shortly after the end of LEGENDARY. The fates have been released from their cards, Scarlett and Tella’s mother has also been released, and chaos is slowly brewing.

One of my favourite things about this series is the constant twists and turns that keep you on your toes and believe me, Finale has an incredible amount of them. There was not one moment of this book where I started skim reading or was just waiting for something exciting to happen, and that’s because every single chapter in this book was filled to the brim with adventure, magic and feeling.

Stephanie’s ability to encompass so much within a paragraph or even a sentence is truly sublime.

The writing in Caraval and Legendary was amazing, but in Finale, it was phenomenal. From the very first chapter I was hooked. Hooked on the gorgeous story-telling. Hooked on the lush world Stephanie created. And hooked on the most wonderful characters, that I’m truly sad to say goodbye to.

Caraval was Scarlett’s story, Legendary was Tella’s and Finale is both of their true endings.
It was so wonderful to be back in Scarlett’s mind and see Julian more. After reading Legendary, I was so enamoured by Tella, Dante and Jacks that I began to forget about Scarlett and Julian, but Finale managed to draw me back into them.
I can no longer pick a favourite sister because I love each of them equally for different reasons, but ultimately because of how headstrong they both are.

I have many favourite aspects of this series, as stated above, but the characters definitely come out on top. Alongside our main four characters (five if you include my fav, Jacks,) we get to meet a few of the fates who are absolutely fascinating. Each of them has a very different story and motive in life which makes them so intriguing. While Scarlett and Tella’s story has come to an end, I feel like there’s still so much more to explore with the Fates – more about their backstory, or how they navigate life now after being trapped in the cards for so long. I think a collection of novellas, each exploring a different Fate, would be the most amazing thing! Obviously, I’d expect Jacks to get a full book rather than just a short novella though.
But honestly, at this point I’ll take anything Stephanie has to offer, whether it be in the world of Caraval or something entirely new.

Everything I stated in my previous blog posts about Caraval and Legendary still stands. All the things that first made me fall in love with Caraval are 100% present in this finale and so much more!

To sum it up, Caraval, Legendary and Finale will always remain as one of my favourite book series. Each book got better and better and I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying conclusion for this sister duo.

5 Stars
Goodreads