Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

16 reviews

ashleyhoj's review against another edition

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1.0

The art was nice.



•••MILD SPOILER WARNING•••



 I’ll be honest, this was not the vibe. “Merry Christmas Donatella, you get to be kidnapped and assaulted!” There has to have been a better way to handle the whole kidnapping thing, but this was definitely not it, VERY dubious, and it did not actually do anything to resolve or even acknowledge their actual relationship problems (which were briefly alluded to in the beginning) in any way. Make-out sessions do not solve problems guys.
 Also, this is definitely not appropriate for YA, which I’m pretty sure the whole Caraval series is categorized as. It also did not feel like a Caraval book except maybe in the very beginning and kinda in the bonus epilogue; this had a completely different tone and was not at all what I was expecting to get for a holiday novella set in a magical/whimiscal land. I thinking more along the lines of like cozy Christmas celebration with the family, or Tella trying to help Legend enjoy the holiday and not be so grumpy all the time. I know there were a few almost steamy moments lightly sprinkled in the series but I don’t think anyone was expecting it to jump straight into dark romance territory. While it didn't get explicit, it was very icky, and the themes are in no way appropriate for 12-18 year olds.
 I also was hoping for more Scarlett and Julian, they’re my favorite. And something mysterious was going on in the first chapter and it just never got brought up again; seems really weird to leave that unresolved.
 Anyway, very disappointed by this and a little disturbed that anyone thought this would be okay. 

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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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jessbeatty11's review against another edition

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

4.0

A cute little novella that gives us more of our favorite couples and mixes the magic of Caraval with the magic of the holidays! I would have loved more Scarlett and Julian, though!

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ladybug12793's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

ooof

TW: assault, sexual assault, dubious consent/non-consent, kidnapping, drugging, gaslighting. 

This made me feel uncomfortable. It was not romantic. This should absolutely not be advertised as YA. Also, I greatly dislike Legend. The artwork was beautiful, however. This Novella was not worth the read. I do not recommend it.

0.5 🌶️



I’m sorry Tella but that boy does Not love you.

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trust_your_soul's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Really disappointed. Hated the story. Kidnapping and terryfing your girlfriend was portrayed as romantic and the half-baked excuse at the end was absolutly not working. Besides, for a christmas themed novella I really expected something different regarding overall theme and topic. I wanted lighthearted fluff and got dark romance when it wasn't labeled as such.
The beautiful illustrations are the only reason it's not just a zero star rating.

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el2319's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a fun, cute and magical holiday story! I seriously cannot get enough of this world and these characters! 

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gremlin24's review against another edition

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

2.0


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heyitsalaura's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No

2.0


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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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