Spectacular: A Caraval Holiday Novella

Gr 8 Up–This holiday novella takes place after the “Caraval” trilogy. Empress Scarlett is throwing a huge, over-the-top Great Holiday celebration for the city of Valenda, chock-full of yummy treats and picturesque decorations. Meanwhile, her sister, Princess Tella, is anxious about finding the perfect holiday gift for her boyfriend, Legend, who claims to be uninterested in the Great Holiday or any possible gifts. This triggers Tella’s insecurities about her relationship with Legend, and she sets off on a well-meaning but foolish adventure to catch a man posing as Legend and stop the imposter’s fake Caraval auditions. The story ends with an unrealistic and questionable tussle and an anticlimactic twist that readers will see coming. The plot is somewhat nonsensical and falls flat of hitting its mark. There are many gorgeous illustrations peppered throughout the novella that highlight the holiday enchantment that the prose is full of. But, otherwise, this novella is lacking the magic of the “Caraval” series.