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Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

7 reviews

anndreya's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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britwalsh16's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just love going back into the world of Caraval! Seeing more of Tella & Legends story! And more of Scarlett & Julian!! Only thing that would have made it better would be if Jacks & Evangeline were in it! I love them most of all!! But seeing Legend actually show his love for Tella! That is definitely the best part of this book! Oh and the illustrations!! Those are incredible!! & the Audiobook! I listened to the audiobook while I read along & it was the best decision I ever made! I highly recommend!!! ❤️🤍❤️🤍
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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A fun Christmas novella that brings us back to the world of Caraval with sisters Donatella and Scarlett Dragna and their lovers Legend and Julian. A bit romance, a bit fantasy, a bit mystery this was a nice, fun holiday story. 
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boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5

Stephanie Garber's novella combines the whimsy and mystery of Caraval with the joy and wonder of the holiday season. 

Re-enter the magical Meridian Empire where it's the Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett and Julian are busy preparing for the castle's Great Holiday celebration, and Donatella is in search of the perfect gift for Legend. Will she be able to find it in time? Or will she be outdone by Legend yet again? 

Spectacular is full of gorgeous imagery and even more beautiful illustrations. It definitely put me in the holiday mood and had me dreaming of sugar plums and gum drops. However, though it is still classified as young adult, this novella does teeter into the category of dark romance as a kidnapping element is involved.

There are definitely some concerns about consent in this novella. Tella is drugged and assaulted by an unknown kidnapper, who ends up being Legend, but is unsure who her kidnapper is at the time of the assault. This could definitely be problematic for a younger audience. It takes the dark allure of the original Caraval trilogy to the next level.


I still enjoyed this novella, but I would exercise caution and be aware of the content warnings going into it and don't recommend it for readers under the age of 18. I'm excited to see where Tella and Scarlett's stories go from here.
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booksandstardust's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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jamielibrary's review against another edition

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1.0

Things I liked- gorgeous illustrations and opening magical cozy story. I wish this had been the vibe for the whole story.

Things that gave me whiplash- drugging, kidnapping, is it infidelity?, dubious consent, and assault. 

I am absolutely baffled by the tone shift of this book. This is a YA book. Why are we wanting teenagers to read a boy proves he loves a girl by drugging her, kidnapping her, frightening her, dressing her in a skimpy outfit and making her show off to an auditorium, blindfolding her and having her frighteningly dragged to a second location where he then refuses to take off the blindfold and gropes her while she tries to figure out if he’s her love interest or a complete stranger. This part of the story was disturbing to read especially when this is being marketed as a fun cozy holiday story. The language used did not make it feel like Tella was in on the joke. This is not okay. 

There’s an attempt at damage control when Tella claims she knew it was Legend the whole time but it literally says several times that she didn’t know. She was afraid. This was incredibly triggering to read.

This book needs content warnings. What is wrong with everyone in the publishing process who read this and was fine with peddling it to teenagers?
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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was such a quick and cute holiday read! The illustrations were gorgeous and the audiobook included sound effects, so it was a great listening experience. There was also a lot of the magic that I love about Caraval and the holiday vibes were great. I did feel a little icky about Tella’s interactions with the kidnapper. I wish the ending took a little bit more time, and while Tella had some growth in this book, it felt rushed. Overall, a fun and quick addition to the Caraval series.
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