Finale Summary - What happened in Finale by Stephanie Garber?

Read a Finale summary with spoilers! This is a recap of the second book in the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber. If you’re looking for a recap of what happened in Finale by Stephanie Garber, then you are in the right place!

Special thanks to Erica for providing this Finale summary! Check her out on Instagram at @itsneverthelastchapter or on her book blog or her personal blog.

Author
Stephanie Garber

Ratings
4.5 stars on Amazon
4.16 stars on Goodreads
Add Finale at Goodreads

The Caraval Series Recaps
#1 Caraval
#2 Legendary
#3 Finale (this page)
#4 Spectacular (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in Finale?

A Finale summary:

Donatella and Scarlett Dragna are grappling with the after-effects of their decisions during the last Caraval. With Caraval Master Legend’s help, Donatella managed to set free all the fates from the cursed deck, to save her mother. Dante claimed the throne as Elantine’s heir and is preparing to rule Valenda.

Now, Tella only meets Legend in her dreams. She is hurt that he left her on the Temple stairs after freeing the fates, so she keeps her distance from him. One night, when Legend doesn’t appear, Tella begins worrying. When Tella decides to go look for him, Scarlett is not happy because she has plans to meet Nicolas. And one of them needs to stay back at the run-down accommodation to look after their mother, Paloma. Since the Fates and Paloma were set free two months ago, she has been lost in a deep slumber.

When Tella finds Legend, she spies on him, meeting a beautiful, mysterious woman. The woman turns out to be a witch who gave him all his powers. Tella is shocked to watch him submit to her and then, in a flash, take all her power away and bind her.

Back at home, Julian returns from his travels and is jealous to learn that Scarlett plans on meeting Nicolas. So he tags along. To make things interesting, Scarlett proposes a bet to both men. Whoever impresses her the most will have her hand. But on the way back from meeting Nicolas, Julian and Scarlet come across a family frozen by Poison – a fate. After helping them unfreeze by admitting a truth, Scarlet is gifted a magical key called the Reverie Key – a fated object.

When Tella reaches home, she finds her mother awake. She rushes to bring her food, but by the time she returns, Paloma is gone, leaving her goodbyes in a letter. Tella runs after her and finds her mother in some ruins. She confronts her mother and tries to bring her back home, but Paloma refuses and drugs Tella instead. Tella hides, spying on Tella. That’s when she witnesses her mother spending a moment with Gavriel, the Fallen Star – a fate. Paloma stabs Gavriel, but before he can die temporarily, he pulls out the dagger and stabs Paloma, killing her instantly.

As Tella weeps over her mother’s dead body, Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, takes her away. He warns her that Gavriel will come back to life and kill her. Jacks takes Tella with her to a gambling den he owns in the Spice Quarter. When the heartache becomes too much for Tella, Jacks offers to take it away so she feels numb. So she follows his instructions and makes a blood oath, sealing it with words she doesn’t understand.

The next morning, Tella sneaks off back home, only to find her room in an uproar. The landlord evicts her for destruction of property. Just as she’s arguing, she’s placed under arrest by the order of Prince Dante (Legend). But when she’s brought to the palace, she learns that Dante was only trying to find her to keep her safe from Gavriel and the other Fates, not cage her. Tella informs Scarlett of their mother’s passing, which surprisingly hurts Scarlett more than she thought it would.’

Tella goes back to Jacks to learn about a Fate’s weakness. She encounters Mistress Luck at the gambling den, who warns her to stay away from Jacks for her good. She says that Fates cannot feel love, only obsession, possession, and fixation. If an immortal feels true love for even a minute, they become human for that minute. If the feeling lasts too long, their mortality becomes permanent. And most immortals would kill the object of their affection rather than become human.

To learn the Fallen Star’s other weakness, Tella makes a bet with Jacks. She permits him to appear in her dreams. He tells her to go to the Vanished Market, where she has to make a trade to find the secret to killing him.

Scarlett receives a letter from Nicolas expressing his determination to win. She feels bad for making this bet only to tease Julian. She decides to meet him to call off the bet instead of writing back.

When Tella comes across two maids spreading rumors about her relationship with Legend, he comes to her defense. She is impressed, so she tells him what Jacks told her about Vanishing Market. When Legend asks her how she got the information, Jacks appears. That’s when Tella realizes it’s a dream and not reality. She is upset that she believes Legend so easily when he doesn’t have true feelings for her at all.

Legend organizes a Midnight Maze for the city before his crowning ceremony as heir to the throne. When he sends a dress to Tella and asks her to meet him, Scarlett wonders if he is going to propose. But Tella later finds out that he wants to make her immortal, like him. She refuses because she doesn’t want to live without true love. Again, she’s disappointed that Legend only wants to possess her and is not in love with her. He creates an illusion to speak with her and tries to convince her, but it is threatened by the arrival of Fates. The Fates are oblivious to the truth that Legend and Dante are the same person. As of now, they only think he’s the heir to the throne. The Murdered King and Undead Queen approach Dante. Tella knew this meant they would kill him. When the illusion disappeared, she knew he was dead.

Meanwhile, Scarlett receives a letter from Nicolas with a place and time to meet during the Midnight Maze. She doesn’t tell anyone where she’s going. When she arrives at the docks, something doesn’t feel right. But before she can leave, she’s kidnapped.

Julian finds Tells and tells her that Legend is immortal, so he will come back to life. They set out to find Scarlett at Nicolas Count’s residence which is on the outskirts of town. They find him charred to death in his study. Tired, they take shelter in a barn on the property.

When Scarlett wakes up, she realizes that Gavriel, the Fallen Star, abducted her because she is his daughter. He shows her that she has powers, and they need to be cultivated if she wants to live and keep her friends alive. Scarlett discovers she has the power to see emotions but doesn’t know if that means anything. The Lady Prisoner is caged by Gavriel to keep an eye on his auhtara, which means daughter. She learns that Gavriel commands all the other Fates and that only she has the power to beat him. While The Lady Prisoner sleeps, Scarlett sneaks out using the Key that transports her to where her heart wants most. She finds Julian and her sister on Nicolas’s estate. She feels responsible for his death. Scarlett tells Julian and Tella the truth about why Gavriel took her and her powers. Tella promises Scarlett that they are still sisters, no matter what, and she is nothing like the Fallen Star. Later, they find his staff under the spell of Jester the Mad, who has made them dance around like puppets. They set them free and realize the graveness of the situation. Feeling responsible and sorry for everything that has transpired, Scarlett decides to go back to Gavriel and find a way to stop him.

Julian and Tella go in search of the Vanishing Market to learn the Fallen Star’s weakness. Tella enters alone. While she weaves through the market, she finds the tent and makes a bargain. Legend appears too. Tella has to trade her future daughter’s secret weakness now for one of Gavriel’s. She agrees. After they leave the vanishing market with the secret locked in a box, Legend takes Tella to one of his private residences where his brother Julian and his performers – Aiko, Nigel, Caspar, and Jovan – wait.

Maiden Death and the Assassin come to meet them. They offer to work together to kill Gavriel. Maiden Death is imprisoned with a cage of pearls around her head, and the Assaisn can travel through time, rendering him mad. The Fates hate the Fallen Star and want to be free from his command. Legend refuses the offer after consulting with everyone because they can’t be trusted.

Tella opens the secret box where she finds a paper that says Paradise the Lost (Paloma, her mother), is the only human he ever loved. Then, the secret turns to ashes. Tella is disappointed that the secret was useless to her with her mother gone. Tella then tells the group about the idea Jacks suggested. There is a book called the Ruscica in the Immortal Library. It can only be accessed with the Fallen Star’s blood. Legend gives everyone a task, keeping Juliam far from the Menagerie, where Scarlett is held. Julian tells Tella that they don’t listen to Legend because they are tied to him by his magic, and she will still have free will if she agrees to turn immortal. But she will never feel his love. Legend tries to convince Tella. But Tella knows Legend doesn’t love her, and he said that he never would. Tella pushes Legend away, saying she only wanted to see if she could make the great Master Legend fall in love with her. She writes a letter to Scarlett about their plan and sends it to Jovan.

When Jacks appears in Tella’s dreams, she tells him that he is not the one she’s looking for, and he promises to try harder.

Legend and Tella go in search of the Immortal Library. Maiden Death appears and asks the two of them questions, which they can only answer truthfully or die trying to lie. To avoid this interrogation, Legend uses his powers to create an illusion. Just then, Jacks witnesses this and confronts the two. To force Legend to give him back his full powers, Jacks hurts Tella just enough.

Tella tells Jacks to stop meeting her in her dreams. She denies any connection with him. He assures her that she will come back to him. Jacks offers Legend and Tella a gift as an apology. It’s the Map of All. Another fated object similar to the Reverie Key, but instead of finding people, it located places. If a person touched the map, it would lead them to the place they wanted to find most. Legend tests it, and Tella’s face appears. She wonders if Legend may be falling in love with her.

She takes the map and the location of the library appears. The cost of entering the library is their silence. Tella finds the book and they return to Legend’s residence. At night, Tella overhears Julian and Legend talking where Julian tells his brother to stop forcing Tella to change and that he knows Legend is not in love with her.

Scarlett makes a plan to get the vial of blood from Gavriel. Lady Prisoner agrees to help but warns Scarlett of the dangers. Scarlett slashes Gavriel’s neck, but he catches her while she’s filling the vial. As revenge, he turns a cage of red gems around her head.

Scarlett refused to use the Reverie Key to escape, afraid to show her sister and Julian that she had failed. Gavriel shares his plan to pretend to rescue the city from the havoc and misery the Fates were spreading and then crown himself the emperor and her his princess. He decides to move a day sooner than planned, and Scarlett is worried she might not be able to get this information to her sister in time. Gavriel brings in a young woman for Scarlett to practice on. He instructs her that he wants to see Scrallet control the lady’s emotions and change them. He takes off the cage around her head so she can focus. Scarlett fails to change the woman’s feelings. So, she convinces her to fake it in front of Gavriel. But Gavriel catches on and kills the captive.

Tella opens the Rusica she got from the Immortal Library and uses it to read a story. But when she writes “Tell Me a Story” with her blood, it begins listing events from Donatella Dragna’s life. One line catches her eye: Donatella Dragna marries the Prince of Hearts. It goes on to explain it happened when he took her grief away. That’s when Tella realizes the connection she’s been feeling lately with Jacks is too strong for her liking. This was an immortal bond that would tie her soul to Jacks’s forever. Tella takes off in the middle of the night to the gambling den and confronts him about this. Jacks explains that she can sever the bond by stabbing his chest. She does so and immediately feels sad and broken but believes it’s because of the connection he tricked her into.

Tella slips back home and goes to Legend’s room. While he’s asleep, she enters his bedroom and looks in awe at a painting of his life’s events on the wall. She sees one scene of them on the temple stairs where he left her, only this is his perspective. He wakes up, and they confess their attraction to each other. Just as things are getting interesting, Tella tells Legend she loves him. He pushes away and tells her she deserves someone who truly loves her back, unlike him.

Maiden Death reappears in Tella’s dreams and hands her two coins that track her movement so she can ask for help from her or the Assasin at any time.

Julian leaves a note that he’s going after Scarlett because she didn’t check in with them. Scarlett comes up with an idea to bring back the feelings of love he had for her mother and make him human long enough to kill him. She makes him reminisce about his feelings for Paloma as they talk a walk. He takes her to the spot he murdered Paloma and says that is why he wants Scarlett to do the same to him so no human emotion can make him feel weak ever again.

Legend and Tella agree that Maiden Death and the Assassin are their best option to save Julian and Scarlett.

Handmaidens prepare Scarlett to meet the empire. Poison stops by to escort her to the coronation where Scarlett watches her father to the balcony and address the crowd. Gavriel tells everyone that Paloma is Elantine’s daughter, which makes Scarlett the heir to the throne. Scarlett isn’t sure if he’s lying or not.

When Scarlett enters the party hall, she sees the different Fates at work. Her Handmaidens were sewing guests’ lips, Jester Mad was moving people around like marionettes, and Poison was turning people to stone. Her eyes are on Julian across the room and Gavriel calls him near. He uses the Priestess to make them confess they love each other. Gavriel commands Scarlett to change Julian’s feelings for her. Just as it begins to work, she stops and refuses to help Gavriel turn her into something she isn’t. She offers her powers in exchange for Julian’s freedom.

Scarlet uses the Reverie Key to get to Julian. She finds him in a dungeon with half his face in a metal mask and bleeding. When they try to escape, Gavriel and Poison appear. Gavriel explains that Scarlett’s dress and the Reverie Key were once Fates who fell in love, henced turned into objects. Before Poison can stop them, Legend’s magic works. But Poison still manages to throw the contests of his goblet on Julian.

Scarlett and Julian fall through the door. Scarlett wakes up to Julian’s healed face and her sister next to her. Legend is captured by Gavriel. Scarlett hatches a plan to go back in time with the Assasin, learn her mother’s ways, come back, and make Gavriel feel the love he once felt. Then Tella can stab him to death. Jacks walks in and proposes to help only if Tella lets him make her fall in love with him again. She reluctantly agrees to save Legend.

Scarlett finds Paloma and tells her the truth about her identity after Paloma holds her at knife point. She explains to Paloma who Gavriel is – but judging by her reaction assumes Paloma already knows – and what he plans to do. Paloma trusts Scarlett and leaves her a dress Gavriel gifted her. Scarlett changes into it and comes back to the present with the Assassin.

The Assassin presents Scarlett as Paloma before Gavriel. Legend lies caged next to Gavriel, watching Tella look adoringly at Jacks. Gavriel doesn’t believe it at first. Then Scarlett talks and acts like her mother, brandishing Paloma’s knife. That’s when Gavriel believes it’s her. He commands everyone to leave. Tella looks at Scarlett and sees her mother. As Jacks drags Tella out of the room, she tells him to trust her and breaks free. She tells Paloma that Gavriel is not going to take care of her.

How did Finale end – Finale Summary?

Gavriel attacks Tella with flames, but Scarlett comes in between, her shoulder bearing the brunt of it. Gavriel looks frightened. When he tries to harm her again, Scarlett tells him that Paloma wouldn’t want him hurting his daughter or hers. He catches her slip. She appeals to his love and feelings for Paloma. She talks heart to heart. She explains that the Assassin took her back in time, and she saw Paloma bursting with love for Gavriel.

A golden tear falls from his face, and then a clear one. It was human. Tella stabs him then. He was dying quickly. He places the knife in Scarlett’s hand and tells her to use it to free the ones he trapped.

Jacks takes Tella away from her sister and Gavriel. Legend calls out, but she doesn’t stop walking on Jacks’s command. Legend catches up and creates an illusion to remind Tella of what is real. Tella feels her love for Legend and tells him to let her go before he turns human. He tells her it’s too late and expresses his love for her.

Scarlett agrees to rule Valenda with Julian by her side. He even proposes to Scarlett and she says yes before he can complete the question. Poison decides to stay in the Palance and serve her. Some Fates take off to live in hiding. Jacks’s location is unknown. Tella is known as the Fate Slayer. Instead of going to meet Legend immediately, she writes one last letter to him, asking for him to steal her away for the adventure of a lifetime.

There you go! There’s your Finale summary, the third book in this series.

Special thanks to Erica for providing this Finale summary! Check her out on Instagram at @itsneverthelastchapter or on her book blog or her personal blog.

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