Caraval
#2814.04 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2016–present Reading commitment Medium Stephanie Garber Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Overview
Caraval is Stephanie Garber's bestselling young-adult fantasy trilogy, following sisters Scarlett and Tella Dragna as they're swept into Caraval, a legendary, once-a-year performance game where nothing is what it seems.
Portal fantasy, Romantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Caraval Trilogy Stephanie Garber
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Caraval | 2016 | 1 | core | 3.97 (968,178 ratings) |
 | Legendary | 2018 | 2 | core | 4.09 (504,186 ratings) |
 | Finale | 2019 | 3 | core | 4.12 (424,918 ratings) |
The original Caraval trilogy.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Once Upon a Broken Heart (Caraval universe) Stephanie Garber
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Once Upon a Broken Heart | 2021 | 4.06 (764,509 ratings) |
Set in the same Caraval universe per the author's own statement, with a new cast and settings, deliberately readable independently of the main trilogy.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Caraval? Caraval's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Caraval? Publication order, starting with Caraval. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Caraval finished? Ongoing (2016–present).
- How much reading does Caraval take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,336 pages).
- How is Caraval ranked? #281 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 1,897,282 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #281?
Ranked #281 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.04 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 1.9M reader ratings.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.15 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #280, The Wrath and the Dawn (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 1.9M ratings · Ranks #281 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length portal fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Caraval (2016)
- Legendary (2018)
- Finale (2019)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Caraval and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Powerless Trilogy Romantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.09
- The Iron Fey Urban fantasy / Portal fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.03
- His Fair Assassin Historical fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.98
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.04 across 1,897,282 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Caraval (Stephanie Garber) accepted 2026-08-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is the original trilogy (Caraval, Legendary, Finale). Once Upon a Broken Heart, confirmed by the author as set in the same universe with a new cast, is Expanded Canon.