On My Bookshelf: Finale by Stephanie Garber

The basic plot from Amazon: 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.

Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end.

Why I liked it:  The focus of Finale, the final installment in the Caraval trilogy, alternates between sisters Scarlet and Tella. Caraval, book 1, focused on Scarlet, and Legendary, book 2, focused on Tella.

The Fates released during Caraval are gaining strength. Scarlet and Tella’s mother, also freed from the Deck of Destiny finally awakens, but then sacrifices herself in an attempt to kill Fallen Star Gaveriel. The girls’ mother Paloma, was once known as Paradise of Lost and she and Gaveriel were lovers. Gaveriel is Scarlet’s true father and he kidnaps her and tries to convince her to take control of her powers. Meanwhile Tella struggles with wanting to fall in love with Legend (Dante) and knowing that it will destroy him. Love is the weakness for Gavriel and the Fates as well. 

Throughout the book neither Scarlett nor Tella can be sure who they should trust. The ending of the book and the series was fitting, but definitely left me hoping that this third book wouldn’t actually be the end. Scarlet took her place as the ruler Valenda and Tella is hoping that Legend will kidnap them so that their adventures can continue.

Classroom application: Finale, like Legendary, is high school appropriate and up.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Finale for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

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