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Finale by Stephanie Garber is the final book of the Caraval series, but not the last in this world. It continues in another series that I plan on reading in the future called Once Upon a Broken Heart, which features Jacks. Where the previous books took place during the Caraval and were broken into parts based on the night it took place, this one is broken into four parts: the beginning, the middle, the almost-ending, and the true ending. However, Stephanie Garber warns that not everyone gets a true ending. Which I immediately understood to mean Jacks considering he’s going to be in a series of his own. The previous books also only focused on one sister (Scarlett in Caraval and Tella in Legendary), this book switches back and forth between the two.
Synopsis
A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.
It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.
With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.
All games must come to an end.
Book Details
- Published: May 5, 2020
- Page Count: 512 pages
- Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Thoughts on Finale
I enjoyed that we got to go back and forth between the two sisters. As they have very different, but connected stories.
Scarlett starts out by trying to choose between Julian and Count Nicholas, though she decides to call things off with the Count as she’s in love with Julian. Then Scarlett learns that she’s the child of the Fallen Star (Gavriel) and that’s why she can see emotions as colors. Not only that but she’s the heir to the throne, as her mother was the lost heir of the Empress. Only she was killed the moment all the Fates woke up by Gavriel when she tried to kill him.
Tella on the other hand is dealing with the obsession of two immortals: Legend (Dante) and Jack (Prince of Hearts). However, neither can love her without losing their immortality. Following her mother’s death, Tella ends up making several deals with Jacks that result in her giving him control over her emotions and the ability to visit her dreams. Something that Legend isn’t a fan of since her safety would be at risk. He even tries to offer her immortality, but she turns him down, saying she would rather have his love. The two dance back and forth between their feelings for one another. All the while, Tella is also pulled towards Jack due to her connection with him. But she always returns to Legend, as she loves him. Not only that, but we know from a fortune teller they visited at one point, the two will have a daughter in the future. Or rather, Tella will have a daughter in the future, and it’s strongly implied that Legend will be the father, though the Fates never outright say it. They do, however, force Tella to give up her daughter’s weakness in the future. This was in exchange for a secret that would help them defeat the Fallen Star.
As Fates only have one true weakness: love. If a Fate falls in love with a mortal, they too will become mortal. Or rather, they will become ageless. And once they die, their magic will turn their remains into a Fated object like the key and gown that Scarlett has. So, in order to defeat the Fallen Star, they must make him love. Either by having Scarlett control his feelings using powers that she has not mastered or by making him feel the emotion long enough for someone to stab him in the heart. I won’t reveal how they do this. Nor what all happens around this time, so there’s some level of mystery going into the second half of the book.
I thought it was a rather fitting end. The series was centered around family and the love for one another being enough to overpower impossible odds. Some of the descriptions throughout the series made no sense: “he smelled like ink and magic.” But it fit the theme of the book, so I’m not going to dock it too many points for that.
I am looking forward to reading the spin-off series after this to see what happens with Jacks in Once Upon a Broken Heart. I don’t think he’s going to have a magic change of heart, or that things are going to go smoothly for him. Especially after losing Tella to Legend. But I’m curious to see how that will go.
Overall, I would give Finale by Stephanie Garber 4 out of 5 stars.
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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