The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Spectacular

Series: Caraval #3.5

Author: Stephanie Garber

Genre: Young Adult, Novella, Romance, Adventure, Holiday

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve and holiday cheer is in the air. Scarlett is planning a grand Holiday celebration. Julian is looking dashing in green. Tella is searching for the perfect gift for Legend. And Legend… well Legend doesn’t like the Great Holiday. At all. Tella is hoping her gift will change his mind, but she still hasn’t found it yet. But it’s Great Holiday Eve Eve, surely there must be the perfect gift out there.

I was so excited when this came out! I love the holidays and I love the world of Caraval. This didn’t disappoint and it was the perfect little conclusion to the series.

There wasn’t too steep of stakes this book, so we got to see the characters being a little sillier and calm. Also the holiday vibes were strong and I loved it.

There were some weird moments pertaining to Tella’s gift from Legend. In a way it could have been sweet if it wasn’t incredibly uncomfortable in some parts. It’s really hard to explain without spoiling, but I think the idea was there but the execution wasn’t.

Scarlett and Julian weren’t prominent characters in this book, but what I did see of them showed they are solid in their relationship and comfortable in their life. I loved seeing these little glimpses of their life after the hecticness of the main series.

I loved seeing Julian and Legend interact. I am a sucker for sibling relationships, and these two have such a unique relationship. I wish there was a whole series about these two. The Waterstone bonus epilogue, which I found online, was everything! It had Legend and Julian planning Julian’s wedding, being obnoxious brothers, and Legend admitting he loves his brother! Everything I needed from the main series.

In the Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition, the bonus chapter has the two couples interacting and I realized I need more of that! I want more scenes where they are a family- it was adorable!

The artwork in this book was also amazing. I loved the picture of Scarlett and Julian. The artwork was also varied for each character, and some of them had me laughing. I love how Tella’s thought process was illustrated and the ribbon designed for Legend was amazing!

This was a good holiday themed novella, where we revisit our favorite characters in calmer situations. There were some weird moments, but for the most part, it was a good book. The artwork was also amazing, perfectly depicting the characters.