Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Part holiday fun, part perilous sexual fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In SPECTACULAR: A CARAVAL HOLIDAY NOVELLA, Donatella's sister, Empress Scarlett, has turned Valenda into a snowy wonderland for the winter holiday, and the Great Holiday Eve party will be to die for. Donatella would be more excited, except she hasn't found a present for her beloved Legend yet, and he's so hard to shop for. The gift must be as magical as he is and one-of-a-kind to prove her devotion, and she hopes it can be found on the famed Garland Street. What she finds there instead is Legend rushing off to work on the next Caraval without even giving her a good-bye kiss, and a boy selling magical sweets that promise true love by midnight of Great Holiday Eve. What could the harm be in a little sweet? Donatella finds out—when she wakes up hours later in a rough part of town, her coin purse stolen.
Is It Any Good?
This delightfully packaged and illustrated novella featuring Caraval series characters has a less-than-delightful edge, with a storyline that crosses the line of consent. Spoiler alert: The author's choice to tell the story from Donatella's perspective, and yet leave out a key understanding she has about her kidnapping and groping, etc., is a terrible one. Until the end, readers don't know that Tella knows she's engaging in a bit of fun role-playing—and even if readers did, are tied-up sexual fantasies really a good fit for a teen audience? No. This sparkly holiday tale should have stuck to the descriptions of iced cookies, extravagant gowns, and magical toy boxes. There's even a fun bit about a relationship book that offers all the wrong love advice. Before Spectacular veered into druggings and the potential for sexual violence, this tale was actually a lot of fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about consent in Spectacular: A Caraval Holiday Novella. When did Donatella give her consent? When was the reader led to believe she didn't? How did this sit with you?
While it's a bit late for the "don't take candy from strangers" lecture, talk about personal safety. Would you ever walk around by yourself on a street like the one Donatella found herself on? What about following someone you didn't know into the basement of a bar? If so, are there things you could do to increase your safety in potentially unsafe situations? This is a good time to go over what teens and parents consider important everyday safety practices.
What female heroes of romantic stories do you admire? What traits do they all share?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Rosie Fowinkle
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Holidays
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Flatiron Books
- Publication date : October 22, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 205
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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