The Bookworm's Feast

 Release Date: May 2018
 Publisher: Hodder
 Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance
 Page Count: 432
 Goodreads
 Rating: ★★★★☆  

“Every story has four parts – the beginning, the middle, the almost ending, and the true ending.”

I’m finding it hard to review this book. I tore through the book while reading it, needing to know what happened next –  but trying to reflect on it now, I feel a bit more ‘meh’ about it. There weren’t really any great big reveals for me, I guessed most of what was happening before it happened – but I do seem to have an uncanny ability at seeing where things are heading. It’s hard to get a plot twist by me!

Returning to the world of Caraval the day after the last book ended, we this time follow the game from Tella’s perspective.

Legend is holding another Caraval mere weeks after the first for Empress Elantine’s 75th birthday, and the cast of characters we met in the first book all head to Valenda to put on a show themed around The Fates – old, cruel gods that once roamed this world. I love the idea of this theme but I have to admit, I feel like we didn’t really see much of the game itself.

Tella owes a debt, and its being called in. Her mysterious friend wants to meet her at the ball being thrown before Caraval commences, and fulfilling the debt is the driving force urging Tella on. Centred around finding their missing mother, we see glimpses of Tella’s childhood but mainly follow her running barefoot around the city (her lack, or near lack, of shoes is mentioned so much it’s become a sticking point for me).

“There were shipwrecks more graceful than Tella.”

Although I comment that she doesn’t really seem to do a lot, I think I prefer Tella to Scarlett. She’s flawed and completely human – we also see from her past some of the reasons she comes across as so aloof. But she also has buckets of courage and is sassy as hell. As a part of fulfilling her debt, she must win the game – and the stakes are certainly higher this time around.

“Why aren’t you dressed like a leopard with butterfly wings, or a unicorn?”

A sliver of a grin. “Not even Legend could make me dress like a unicorn.”
“But unicorns are magical, and then all the ladies would want to pet you.”

Ah Dante. I don’t think I could write a review about this book without mentioning him. Give me more Dante please! Can the next book be from his perspective? I can have ALL the Dante then! This is the first book I tried tabbing, and the only parts I ended up tabbing where of him. He knows himself to be a ladies man – he’s arrogant and has one hell of an ego, but I love the dialogue and dynamic he has in the book.

I feel like I can’t go into what I loved about the book too much, as I’d be giving you the twists and turns the story takes. Overall, I think I rate this a 4.5 – I preferred it to the first, and it is an extremely enjoyable read, but I don’t think it quite makes it to favourite status I reserve for 5 stars.