Finale

Tella is the novel’s other protagonist and point-of-view character. Whereas her sister’s story mainly takes place in the waking world, Tella slips in and out of dreamscapes and illusions, and her experiences are designed to raise questions about what is real and what is not. Tella’s evolution is therefore largely intangible and emotional, for she is shaped by her struggle to reconcile her heart’s desires with the greater good. In connection with this theme, she must also untangle the influence of the supernatural over her emotions and choices, and this struggle is primarily shown through her attempts to navigate Legend’s emotional distance and Jacks’s seductive manipulation. Within this complex social construct, Stephanie Garber uses Jacks as a foil to Tella’s growth. For example, when he proposes to help Tella get close enough to Gavriel to kill him, his price is her emotional autonomy. He demands permanent control over her feelings, wielding a magical imprisonment disguised as romantic devotion. While desperate, Tella’s eventual acceptance of this condition is a pivotal moment showing that she is willing to sacrifice herself to save others, particularly Legend and her sister. Early in the trilogy, Tella often acts impulsively and selfishly. In Finale, she still makes dangerous choices, but they are motivated by a greater sense of purpose. She no longer runs into fire for the thrill of it. Instead, she walks into danger because she believes in protecting the people she loves and finally sees herself as capable of having a real impact. With this crucial shift in mindset, her sacrifices transform from reckless to heroic.

However, her sacrifice doesn’t end in tragedy. Even under Jacks’s influence, her love for Legend persists, and it is ultimately Legend’s declaration of love that allows her to break free of the spell. Love, Garber suggests, is something that must be freely given, not manipulated or coerced. In the epilogue, a new version of Tella emerges. She writes to Legend, asking him to kidnap her from the duties of being a princess, not because she is running away from responsibility but because she wants to claim her life on her terms. This is a Tella who has grown into herself, knows how to ask for what she wants, and has survived enough loss and love to see the value of joy.

A master of theatrics and manipulation, Legend has long played the role of a charismatic enigma. As the creator of Caraval, he is synonymous with games, deception, and spectacle. He therefore serves as a Trickster archetype: elusive, powerful, and manipulative. Unlike Julian, who freely admits his feelings for Scarlett, Legend keeps Tella at arm’s length for much of Finale, insisting on the fiction that he is incapable of love. However, the novel’s climax reveals that his aloof demeanor stems from his unresolved fears. Immortality has detached him from the raw maelstrom of human emotion, and he clings to his isolation like armor. For Legend, love is a dire gateway to mortality and loss, and he resists the very idea of relinquishing such a vast degree of control. However, his feelings for Tella force him to reevaluate his priorities, and he must choose between the illusion of safety and the danger of being truly seen. For much of his existence, his glamours and illusions have allowed him to control perception and create artificial realities, but these powers also prevent him from experiencing genuine connection. Essentially, he is imprisoned by the very magic that makes him extraordinary, and in the end, he realizes that the only way to escape this self-made prison is to choose Tella over his immortality and magic. His declaration of love is therefore raw and unpracticed, marking the end of his performance. At the finale of both the novel and the series, the Caraval Master is replaced by a man who has chosen to be vulnerable, real, and loved.

Gavriel, otherwise known as the Fallen Star, is the primary antagonist of Finale. Narratively, his character is a blend of mythic grandeur and tragic humanity through which Garber interrogates the dangers of unchecked ambition and the fear of vulnerability. His arc, while not one of redemption in the traditional sense, culminates in an emotionally charged demise that demonstrates The Power of Love. Gavriel is introduced as the most powerful of the Fates, a being so ancient and formidable that he is described in tones of fear even by others of his kind. His title, “The Fallen Star,” is filled with celestial and biblical connotations, suggesting his immense power and fall from grace. As a creator of the Fates, Gavriel is responsible for birthing a pantheon of immortal beings whose sole purpose is to manipulate, dominate, and corrupt human emotions. His resurrection marks the return of tyranny, fear, and violent imbalance in the world.

Yet, even as he plays the role of the quintessential dark emperor, his quest for control stems from a fear of being destroyed by love. It is the one force in the world that truly threatens his immortality and control, and this fear governs his actions. He imprisons his daughter, Scarlett, and tries to manipulate her into conquering her powers, hoping that she will render him permanently immune to love. However, when she later impersonates her mother, Gavriel’s carefully maintained emotional walls crumble. His reactions go far beyond suspicion and anger, encompassing a painful mixture of heartbreak, regret, and longing. This catastrophic emotional unraveling reaches its peak when Tella intervenes and provokes Gavriel’s wrath. In this moment of chaos, Scarlett appeals not to his sense of reason or power but to his grief and guilt. By telling him that she forgives him, she forces Gavriel to reconnect with his emotions, and he confesses that he did love Paradise and wishes that he could undo the harm he caused. It is in this vulnerable, raw instant that his humanity pierces through his fearsome persona, forcing him to stand exposed—not as the Fallen Star but simply as a man filled with regret.

Throughout the novel, Gavriel acts as a narrative foil to Legend. Both characters fear emotional vulnerability and suppress their human instincts in favor of control and ambition, but while Legend ultimately embraces love and chooses to relinquish his immortality for Tella, Gavriel cannot make the same leap. His arc therefore becomes a warning that love denied is love perverted, and his downfall is meant to prove that the refusal to accept humanity leads only to decay.

In Finale, Julian takes a supporting role in Scarlett’s story as he shows Scarlett nothing but steadfast faith. In a book where nearly every character is defined by deception, glamour, or shifting motives, Julian stands out for his honesty and simplicity. This is a significant shift from his portrayal in Caraval, where he deceived Scarlett as part of Legend’s game. However, during the events of Finale, Julian has shed the need for illusions and fully embraces sincerity. As Scarlett finds herself increasingly entangled in Gavriel’s manipulations, Julian becomes her primary source of grounding. Other characters may have powers or immortal blood, but Julian has only his strength, wits, and love for her. His devotion is not performative, nor does it require a grand gesture to prove its authenticity. Instead, his growth is shown through small but powerful moments: risking his life to find Scarlett, offering her a gift made from the remnants of her sacrificed gown, or simply standing beside her as she ascends to power. In these ways, Julian’s inner evolution is to become a truer version of himself. Once he does, Scarlett fully embraces his love and accepts his proposal.

Jacks, the emotionally detached Prince of Hearts, is one of the Fates, and he has an infamous reputation for causing death with a kiss. His role in Finale is complex and contradictory: He is at once an antagonist, a romantic interest, a reluctant ally, and a symbol of obsessive love. From the beginning, Garber uses Jacks to test the boundaries of moral ambiguity. While he frequently manipulates and betrays, his actions are often fueled by a deep, tormented longing for love, control, and, most importantly, for Donatella Dragna. He offers her power, protection, and passion, but always at a price, and he uses manipulation in his attempts to win her heart. As he actively feeds her doubts about Legend, he aims to exploit her feelings of abandonment in order to seize control of her emotions. Ironically, Tella does eventually allow him to use his powers to make her love him, but she only does this to get close enough to kill Gavriel. Jacks gets what he wants, only to discover that his victory is temporary and hollow.

Through his actions, which range from morally ambiguous to blatantly cruel, Jacks embodies the romantic fantasy trope of the “dark lover,” but Garber’s goal is to deconstruct this concept. The idea that a brooding, dangerous man can be redeemed through the heroine’s love is undercut by Tella’s realization that emotional connection does not always equal redemption, and she only truly manages to break free from Jacks when she rejects the fantasy that love can save someone who remains unwilling to change.