Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Finale is the third and final novel in the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber. The series has received a lot of hype over the years but has always managed to hold up to all expectations. Finale is no exception, bringing us a dramatic conclusion to the series.

In the trilogy’s last novel, Scarlett and Tella had adventures and games left to play. But naturally, in Caraval, things are even more dangerous than they appear. The sisters quickly find themselves in over their heads, but there’s no option other than to find a solution.

Going into Finale, I had some pretty high expectations for the conclusion to such a vibrant series. I can honestly say that this book held up to those expectations, though I am quite sad to see the series go.

Writing

Stephanie Garber has woven this beautiful and enchanting series about the Caraval and its dangers. She had two books to build it up and only one book to wrap it all together. And yet, that’s exactly what happened here.

Garber upped the ante in this novel, bringing in new threats, ones bigger than our characters could ever have imagined. Yet, these threats made total sense. They were things that had been discussed since the first book and thus made sense to the world.

The new characters and threats were all fascinating in their own right, and I must admit they were designed very well. They were thematic and acted accordingly. That makes it sound like they wouldn’t be so terrifying or mysterious, but I found it to be the opposite. The fact that these characters fit so well with their hints from earlier in the series proves that this was the plan all along.

You could see Garber wrapping up the series in many little moments. And yet, all of these moments felt organic. And, of course, many of us fans needed these moments to get a sense of closure.

Development

Finale was the true successor to the first two novels. It carried on and combined the two plots brought on by the Dragna sisters. Making it the only book in the series to switch perspectives. The changing perspectives helped with the pacing of the novel. It left moments open for suspense while ensuring that something was always happening.

Understandably, the pacing for Finale was fairly rapid. A lot was happening, and even more ground to cover. And only one book to do it all in. This book may be almost five hundred pages long, but they blew past in a blur as I was reading.

Both Scarlett and Tella had to go through a lot in Finale. It forced both of them to grow up, acknowledge what they wanted out of life, and accept what needed to be done to survive. All of this led us to a point where it almost felt right to say goodbye to these characters.

Conclusion

Finale had big shoes to fill, thanks to Caraval and Legendary. And yet, it seems to have done precisely that. There were a lot of smart decisions made for this book, such as giving both Scarlett and Tella a chance to show their perspectives.

There were so many dramatic moments in Finale that I’m sure fans will gleefully talk amongst themselves about. And, of course, there will be some arguments about ships – favored pairs versus the canon pairs. It shows that just because the series is over doesn’t mean the fandom has disappeared.

I’ll confess that I’m sadder than I expected to be seeing this series go. It was a thrilling ride while it lasted, at least. And I’m looking forward to seeing what new world Stephanie Garber will come up with next.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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