Another stunning cover to pair with my nails! The final review before the monthly wrap up!
Thanks to Mira Books and HTP Books for the gifted copy
BEASTS OF CARNAVAL – Rosália Rodrigo (Released July 29th, 2025)
Book Description:
When night descends, el Carnaval de Bestias rises.
They come chasing paradise…
Within the shores of Isla Bestia, guests from around the world discover a utopia of ever-changing performances, sumptuous feasts and beautiful monsters. Many enter, but few ever leave—the wine is simply too sweet, the music too fine and the revelry endless.
Sofía, a freedwoman from a nearby colonized island, cares little for this revelry. Born an enslaved mestiza on a tobacco plantation, she has neither wealth nor title, only a scholarly pragmatism and a hunger for answers. She travels to el Carnaval de Bestias in search of her twin brother, who disappeared five years ago.
There’s a world of wonder waiting for her on the shores of this legendary island, one wherein conquerors profit from Sofía’s ancestral lands and her people’s labor. But surrounded by her former enslavers, she finds something familiar in the performances—whispers of the island’s native tongue, music and stories from her Taike’ri ancestors…a culture long hidden in the shadows, thrust into the light.
As the nights pass, her mind begins unraveling, drowning in the unnatural, almost sentient thrall of Carnaval. And the sense that someone is watching her grows. To find her brother and break free, Sofía must peel back the glamorous curtain and face those behind Carnaval, before she too loses herself to the island…
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
Isla Bestia is where guests come to experience paradise, indulgence, spectacle, beauty, and very few ever leave. Sofía must travel to Isla Bestia to find her twin brother. He went there five years ago and hasn’t been seen since. She, too, is captivated by all that Carnaval de Bestias has to offer, but there’s a dark undertone that grows the longer she searches for her brother.
The beautiful prose, the lush world building and lifelike setting, the likable and complex Sofía, and the incredible Taíno folklore and mythology were woven intricately into the story to add a rich history to the story. I loved falling under the spell of this intoxicating island, but it’s so much more than just what lies on the surface.
Learning Sofía’s story and history as to what happened to her ancestral lands after colonizers made their way to their shores. There is so much more to her experience on the island because she is now finding herself surrounded by her former enslavers and now interacting with them as a newly freedwoman.
The layers to this story are all equally immersive, and despite the pacing being a little slower at times, I still went through this in two sittings! I saw in other reviews that the audiobook is incredible and highly recommended!
Jessicamap Reviews 