Tella could feel her heart sinking as she stood there on the snowy sidewalk. She tried not to let it show. She didn't want him to go out now and get her a gift out of pity or fear.
She wanted one given out of love."
A gentle hush seems to drop over the world during these last few days of Christmas, before everything returns to normal on January 6th. I always like this much quieter phase of the festive period. Yesterday I went out to the theatre to see a production of A Christmas Carol and it was a wonderful play, with lots of singing and ghostly shenanigans. I haven't been to see a play for a couple of years, so it was a lovely way to end the festivities.
Today I felt the need to be much quieter and self-contained, so I curled up by the fire to read a Christmassy book. I chose Spectacular by Stephanie Garber and I have been engrossed in it for much of the evening. It is set in the same world as her Caraval series, which I haven't read yet but it is on my tbr list. However, you don't need to have read the original series to read Spectacular, as it is a novella that stands alone.
It is a wonderful book of magic and mystery and illusion, where nothing is quite as it seems. Tella is an adventurous young woman who is on the hunt for the perfect gift for her boyfriend. She needs something that will make him sit up and take notice of her, something that will urge him to declare his feelings for her, because she is doubtful that he actually loves her. She is hoping that her gift will prompt him to make a grand romantic gesture, so that she doesn't need to question his feelings for her anymore. In short, she is in need of some romantic reassurance from her beaux and she is using the festive season as a way to try and get her needs met!
Her hunt for the perfect gift is cut short however, when she stumbles across a boy selling colourful candy that smells just a little too tempting - and so Tella's adventure begins. She is swept away to another place, full of strangers and intrigue, toys that are alive, chimney smoke that smells like cinnamon and Nutcrackers that steal your dreams.
This little book is full of festive magic, enchanted snowflakes, sinister blindfolds and a captivatingly seductive magician at its heart. As Tella is drawn into this new world, she discovers that temptation can be a fun game to play, but wonders just how far is she willing to go to discover the truth about the conjurer who is playing with her mind? Are some illusions worth staying in the midst of, when reality is falling far short of romantic expectations? Is fantasy better than reality? Sometimes it is, for reality has a nasty habit of shattering our illusions and breaking our hearts.
Perhaps the best romances are the ones where both fantasy and reality merge together into one epic relationship, one truly compelling lover. Tella does her best to find her way back to her true love, but she is captivated by the fantasy that holds her in its grip and helplessly drawn to the sexy illusionist who is spinning sugar and spice and all things nice to tempt her. It's a mesmerising world and it kept me gripped until the final page.
The book is beautifully illustrated throughout, with a red ribbon bookmark and a gold gingerbread house embossed on the front of the hard cover. It is a very pretty book, both inside and out. I enjoyed it immensely and I have never read a festive story quite like this one. I have a few of Stephanie Garber's novels on my bookshelves so I think I will dive into more of her work in the coming days.
Spectacular has provided me with a lovely escape into a sexy world of whimsical magic, enchantment and illusion this evening. It's only short, being a novella, so you can read it in an afternoon or an evening. This brevity makes it the perfect Christmassy book to finish off the festive period, before the return to work commences next week.
Happy reading!
Serene Blessings
Marie x
AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Hodder and Stoughton, for the purposes of review. It is out now in all formats.