Welcome, welcome back to the mysteriously enchanting world of CARAVAL! Return to the legendary magic and the whimsical wonder with this beautifully illustrated holiday novella.
Snowflakes are falling.
Invitations are arriving.
And holiday magic is swirling in the capital city of the Meridian Empire.
It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend . . .
Well, sadly Legend is not fond of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve . . . surely there’s some holiday magic swirling around.
Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.
Set after Stephanie Garber's #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Caraval series, this delightful novella will take readers on the ultimate holiday adventure full of clockwork boys, poisoned candy, impish snow globes, merriment, and―if Tella gets her way―love.
Gorgeously illustrated by Rosie Thorns, SPECTACULAR is the perfect edition for collectors, readers, dreamers, and lovers of holiday magic.
It should surprise no one that I finished this in a short amount of hours! Stephanie Garber's Spectacular was my MOST anticipated read for 2024 and I devoured it full-heartedly and it was so, so wonderful! It held all the magic of Caraval and it was the holidays and I love the holidays, so this was the most spectacularly magical read and it was everything I could've hoped for!
It's nearing the Great Holiday in Valenda and Scarlett is going all out for her people. She's hosting a grand celebration on Great Holiday Eve Eve to make it even more special and memorable. But Tella has a great problem and hopes that her sister might be willing to postpone said celebration, but naturally, it's a no-go. Tella is struggling to find the perfect gift for Legend, who isn't a fan of holidays and has seemed more distant lately and Tella worries he regrets giving up his immortality for her.
So naturally, the perfect solution would be to find the perfect gift! Tella hopes to find a magical toy store that was once very popular when the owner was alive, as it was only ever open one day of the year and that would be today, so people have time to find their perfect gift for the Great Holiday. But Tella finds herself in a bit of a pickle and is soon without her cloak or money...never trust a Clockwork Boy!
Then she hears other girls whispering about auditioning for the next Caraval game, and Tella knows enough about Legend's plans that he was not hosting auditions and realizes that someone must be pretending to be Legend. She figures if she can solve the mystery of who is trying to be Legend, it would be the perfect gift!
Though this was a short read capping at the 200 page mark, it was still a lovely and delightful read! It was made even more enjoyable because of all the gorgeous illustrations done by Rosie Thorns! I love when illustrations are two toned and that is exactly what we have here! While full color is always nice, there's something about two colors--three if you count page color--that just makes a more powerful impact! Rosie's drawings were stunning! I felt like she captured the magic of Valenda exceedingly well and were beyond my wildest imaginations! Her depictions of Scarlett, Julian, Tella, and Legend were amazing as well and I could not get enough of them! The portrait at the beginning of the book is one of my favorites, but the very last picture for sure is MY FAVE!
As for the B&N bonus epilogue, oy my goodness, this just made me smile and grin! It was just a nice little moment between the main four discussing holidays. There was mention of the Magnificent North and a he-who-must-not-be named, who also got a little nod in the story as well! Although, it does make you wonder if they'd get along better with Jacks since we all know how his story ended...
This was a delightful holiday novella! It's an easy read to devour in a sitting, just depends how long you gaze at the amazing illustrations, as I know that ate up some of my time as well! Even just taking in the details of the snowflakes along the page edges! Truly stunning! By far my favorite read of the year! It was everything I could've hoped for! Giving in to the puns, Spectacular was a most spectacular read indeed! I see how Stephanie chooses her titles now!
Overall Rating 5/5 stars...10/5 stars! ;)
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