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melles_gothic_reads's review
1.0
It was alright, I was going to give it 3 stars up until the romance dripped in.
The book wasn't bad though, the premise was interesting, and the circus was quite interesting as well. I also think the end 'chase' was thought out quite well
But that's kind of it. There's not many characters I cared about, not even the main ones, though I definitely prefer hoshiko over ben. The world building is also barely there, it felt quite empty, with scifi you have to be sucked in a world, but this just felt like a set. With the almost no explanation given as to how and why the world came to this, it makes me feel like it's a bit unrealistic, and it made me take the whole world a little bit less seriously than I wished
A lot of the characters also feel just very one sided, they're either bad, or they're good. The bad guys are pure evil with nothing redemable about them. Bummer because Silvio could have been a great interesting villain character otherwise.
The romance is what took the cake though, it's what really brought the book down. The two characters are willing to give up everything in just three days of meeting, and I feel 0 chemistry between them, everytime they so much as interacted I rolled my eyes.
I did enjoy reading the book, it's a surprisingly quick read, it was nice, but nothing show stopping. Though I thought the world building was quite weak, the writer did pretty well in describing the acts and certain rooms of the circus, which was the best thought out part. The outside world felt quite empty. I did really like the ending of the book it a nice ending, and makes you wonder what will happen next to the characters, though I'm still not sure if I'm going to read the sequel
The book wasn't bad though, the premise was interesting, and the circus was quite interesting as well. I also think the end 'chase' was thought out quite well
But that's kind of it. There's not many characters I cared about, not even the main ones, though I definitely prefer hoshiko over ben. The world building is also barely there, it felt quite empty, with scifi you have to be sucked in a world, but this just felt like a set. With the almost no explanation given as to how and why the world came to this, it makes me feel like it's a bit unrealistic, and it made me take the whole world a little bit less seriously than I wished
A lot of the characters also feel just very one sided, they're either bad, or they're good. The bad guys are pure evil with nothing redemable about them. Bummer because Silvio could have been a great interesting villain character otherwise.
The romance is what took the cake though, it's what really brought the book down. The two characters are willing to give up everything in just three days of meeting, and I feel 0 chemistry between them, everytime they so much as interacted I rolled my eyes.
I did enjoy reading the book, it's a surprisingly quick read, it was nice, but nothing show stopping. Though I thought the world building was quite weak, the writer did pretty well in describing the acts and certain rooms of the circus, which was the best thought out part. The outside world felt quite empty. I did really like the ending of the book it a nice ending, and makes you wonder what will happen next to the characters, though I'm still not sure if I'm going to read the sequel
daniella84's review
3.0
2.5
Firstly, I just wanna say, this cover is gorgeous!! Love the circus setting, a little tightrope action etc.
Was expecting this book to be more about the circus acts and just kind of follow that as a deadly circus, but it ended up being a lot more about the division between the Pures and the Dregs and how Hoshiko and Ben start to challenge it. Ben was a pretty classic character - the rich boy whose family doesn't really care about him and instead seeks companionship with his maid, starts to question his life and the morals he's grown up with etc. I think his realisation of how wrong society is after one visit to the circus was a bit quick for me - having lived his whole life in this society, in my opinion I think it would take a lot more than a few hours to accept that you and everyone you have grown up with are wrong. I think it would have made more sense for him to start to question/realise more gradually and build up to dealing with his guilt/shame rather than immediately becoming the posterboy for equality and the revolution.
His relationship with Hoshiko too went really quickly - something I think was made more questionable by the fact that both of them kept being like wow!! three days and I would already die for this person!! I understand it somewhat - Ben has led a pretty sheltered life and then suddenly he sees a pretty trapeze artist and naturally kind of admires her - but I don't really see Hoshiko's side as much. I would understand if she's just interested in him because he's been kind, it's a bit exciting and she's likely about to die, but she really seems genuinely connected to him and even goes so far to say that they're in love. I think it would have been nicer if (at least for this book) they had been just friends, and brought together more gradually though their shared trials and tribulations.
At times the writing was a bit clunky, with things being repeated especially because of the dual perspective. The ringmaster didn't seem super intimidating (even though I was told he should be and he definitely acted violently) - something about the way he spoke made it just seem ridiculous and over the top (though maybe this was part of his character as trying to be something he's not?). But generally a lot of things in this book were over the top - the violence seemed to be more for shock value the worse it got, Ben's family really had 0 redeeming qualities (though the kidnapping was maybe meant to lend SOME sympathy), and the other Pures we are introduced to are all horrendous. I get it, it's YA, and especially in something like this you wanna make the side that's basically committing genocide seem so horrible you can't possibly side with them, but I think it really took away some important nuance. Like if the book had been able to show these people as more human, but still acting horribly, it could have been a lot more effective as a cautionary tale about contemporary Britain - making them monsters denies that we could also become perpetrators.
A more particular pet peeve - I really didn't like the little scene when they're escaping and decide to change clothes and have a laughing fit - maybe it was meant to break the tension but they were literally in the middle of running away from people who wanted to kill them and it was pretty time sensitive (and they acknowledge it's dumb to be joking around) and then immediately it's back to the murderous action that had just been happening. It really pulled me out of the story. Hoshiko's behaviour/attitude towards Ben also seemed inconsistent at times and there didn't feel like there was any weight behind her anger (though it was very much justified). I think generally this book talked about important issues but how heavy handed it was meant it lost its impact. In the end, things just felt weightless because they didn't feel like they were grounded in a recognisable reality, which this book was attempting to comment on.
Firstly, I just wanna say, this cover is gorgeous!! Love the circus setting, a little tightrope action etc.
Was expecting this book to be more about the circus acts and just kind of follow that as a deadly circus, but it ended up being a lot more about the division between the Pures and the Dregs and how Hoshiko and Ben start to challenge it. Ben was a pretty classic character - the rich boy whose family doesn't really care about him and instead seeks companionship with his maid, starts to question his life and the morals he's grown up with etc. I think his realisation of how wrong society is after one visit to the circus was a bit quick for me - having lived his whole life in this society, in my opinion I think it would take a lot more than a few hours to accept that you and everyone you have grown up with are wrong. I think it would have made more sense for him to start to question/realise more gradually and build up to dealing with his guilt/shame rather than immediately becoming the posterboy for equality and the revolution.
His relationship with Hoshiko too went really quickly - something I think was made more questionable by the fact that both of them kept being like wow!! three days and I would already die for this person!! I understand it somewhat - Ben has led a pretty sheltered life and then suddenly he sees a pretty trapeze artist and naturally kind of admires her - but I don't really see Hoshiko's side as much. I would understand if she's just interested in him because he's been kind, it's a bit exciting and she's likely about to die, but she really seems genuinely connected to him and even goes so far to say that they're in love. I think it would have been nicer if (at least for this book) they had been just friends, and brought together more gradually though their shared trials and tribulations.
At times the writing was a bit clunky, with things being repeated especially because of the dual perspective. The ringmaster didn't seem super intimidating (even though I was told he should be and he definitely acted violently) - something about the way he spoke made it just seem ridiculous and over the top (though maybe this was part of his character as trying to be something he's not?). But generally a lot of things in this book were over the top - the violence seemed to be more for shock value the worse it got, Ben's family really had 0 redeeming qualities (though the kidnapping was maybe meant to lend SOME sympathy), and the other Pures we are introduced to are all horrendous. I get it, it's YA, and especially in something like this you wanna make the side that's basically committing genocide seem so horrible you can't possibly side with them, but I think it really took away some important nuance. Like if the book had been able to show these people as more human, but still acting horribly, it could have been a lot more effective as a cautionary tale about contemporary Britain - making them monsters denies that we could also become perpetrators.
A more particular pet peeve - I really didn't like the little scene when they're escaping and decide to change clothes and have a laughing fit - maybe it was meant to break the tension but they were literally in the middle of running away from people who wanted to kill them and it was pretty time sensitive (and they acknowledge it's dumb to be joking around) and then immediately it's back to the murderous action that had just been happening. It really pulled me out of the story. Hoshiko's behaviour/attitude towards Ben also seemed inconsistent at times and there didn't feel like there was any weight behind her anger (though it was very much justified). I think generally this book talked about important issues but how heavy handed it was meant it lost its impact. In the end, things just felt weightless because they didn't feel like they were grounded in a recognisable reality, which this book was attempting to comment on.
sanne_daerden's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Snel en vlot geschreven. Interessant plot. Al zijn de karakters wat plat. Een romeo en Julia verhaal dat iets te lang blijft aanslepen.
Snel en vlot geschreven. Interessant plot. Al zijn de karakters wat plat. Een romeo en Julia verhaal dat iets te lang blijft aanslepen.
bookish_redpanda15's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
lyeve's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Racism
aaron_j136's review
4.0
This book was really good. The world building was really good and I loved how the circus was described. It was interesting seeing how the dregs hated the pures and vice versa which can relate to some things happening today.
Characters:
# Hoshi- a 5/5 character who had a backstory that was sad and a present that was really sad. She always tried to help other people which was something I liked. She took Greta under her wing and always tried to look after her even in the heard times. “Every face, even the tiniest of the children’s is lined with worry and exhaustion, and many people bear scars and injuries- physical confirmation of how dangerous what we do is.”
# Ben - a 4/5 star character who could sometimes be annoying. Considering the fact he was nearly kidnapped when he was younger it is surprising that he is in the side of the dregs. I loved how he defied everything including his mother to be with Hoshi. He was a selfless person but sometimes he did not listen. There was also a line where Ben released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, ugh.
# Silvio- a 5/5 character who is possibly one of the best villains I have ever read about with a sad backstory and a longing to be a pure he was meant to be. He also had a monkey.
# Amina- a 4/5 character who was an optimist and had hope. She was also trustworthy with a bad past (like everyone else) who treated people’s wounds, her death was so emotional! 😔
# Greta- a 3/5 character who like others is selfless but I felt like she was a flat character. I appreciate her relationship with Hoshi though. “ I want my mummy.”
# Vivian- a 4/5 character who was a basic villain with love for pures including Ben.
# Francis- a 3/5 character who is just downright mean causing Priya’s death.
#Priya- a 4/5 character who is Indian and treated terribly ( could the level of people in this world also be related to race?). Her death was so emotional considering she had kids. :(
# Stanley-a 2/5 character who just stood there and reported Ben.
#Jack- a 3/5 character. I didn’t understand why he helped them but he was nice.
That is just some of the characters.
The romance between Hoshi and Ben was very well written. The ending was somewhat happy. :)
Characters:
# Hoshi- a 5/5 character who had a backstory that was sad and a present that was really sad. She always tried to help other people which was something I liked. She took Greta under her wing and always tried to look after her even in the heard times. “Every face, even the tiniest of the children’s is lined with worry and exhaustion, and many people bear scars and injuries- physical confirmation of how dangerous what we do is.”
# Ben - a 4/5 star character who could sometimes be annoying. Considering the fact he was nearly kidnapped when he was younger it is surprising that he is in the side of the dregs. I loved how he defied everything including his mother to be with Hoshi. He was a selfless person but sometimes he did not listen. There was also a line where Ben released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, ugh.
# Silvio- a 5/5 character who is possibly one of the best villains I have ever read about with a sad backstory and a longing to be a pure he was meant to be. He also had a monkey.
# Amina- a 4/5 character who was an optimist and had hope. She was also trustworthy with a bad past (like everyone else) who treated people’s wounds, her death was so emotional! 😔
# Greta- a 3/5 character who like others is selfless but I felt like she was a flat character. I appreciate her relationship with Hoshi though. “ I want my mummy.”
# Vivian- a 4/5 character who was a basic villain with love for pures including Ben.
# Francis- a 3/5 character who is just downright mean causing Priya’s death.
#Priya- a 4/5 character who is Indian and treated terribly ( could the level of people in this world also be related to race?). Her death was so emotional considering she had kids. :(
# Stanley-a 2/5 character who just stood there and reported Ben.
#Jack- a 3/5 character. I didn’t understand why he helped them but he was nice.
That is just some of the characters.
The romance between Hoshi and Ben was very well written. The ending was somewhat happy. :)
luna545's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
arabellasbooks's review
4.0
4.5/5
In this book we follow main characters Ben (Pure, rich) and Hoshiko (Dreg, poor) as they unravel two sides to the horrifics of society in the near future (only 25+ years from now) and on opening night of the Cirque (where Hoshiko is the star attraction), Hoshiko is almost killed by ringmaster Silvio after Ben’s mother (running for government leader) complains of the lack of excitement so far in the show. As the book unravels we see the horrors of the behind the scenes of the Crique (including rehearsals, recruitment and punishments) and we also see Ben start to understand the disgrace and unfairness of society and it’s treatment of the Dregs. As Ben continues to visit the Cirque, he soon runs away from home to save Hoshiko from her inevitable death (decided by his mother) and a huge police hunt ensures where they only narrowly escape (with the help of ‘policeman’ Jack and 6 year old Greta), burning the Cirque to the ground as they leave and blowing up Silvio with it.
This book had me hooked from the very beginning. The alternating perspectives, the characters, the plot building, the pacing, the storyline? Incredible. I won’t say I loved every second because it was highly depressing but this book was so intriguingly heartbreaking and horrific to read and the fact that it is not even all that far fetched in terms of the foundations of the society makes it all the more heart wrenching to read. I quickly fell in love with Hoshiko and want to protect her, and all the other Dregs, forced to perform with all my heart because they all deserve so much better. Also little Greta saving the day was a plot point I loved reading about because it was so unexpected of her from the personality we were shown for her to have throughout the book. Greta and Hoshiko were adorable. The only thing I wasn’t as much of a fan of was the relationship between Ben and Hoshiko as I feel like it all felt quite sudden and could have worked as just as good a plot point if they had formed a strong friendship instead. Other than that this book was incredible and so well paced I could not put it down.
In this book we follow main characters Ben (Pure, rich) and Hoshiko (Dreg, poor) as they unravel two sides to the horrifics of society in the near future (only 25+ years from now) and on opening night of the Cirque (where Hoshiko is the star attraction), Hoshiko is almost killed by ringmaster Silvio after Ben’s mother (running for government leader) complains of the lack of excitement so far in the show. As the book unravels we see the horrors of the behind the scenes of the Crique (including rehearsals, recruitment and punishments) and we also see Ben start to understand the disgrace and unfairness of society and it’s treatment of the Dregs. As Ben continues to visit the Cirque, he soon runs away from home to save Hoshiko from her inevitable death (decided by his mother) and a huge police hunt ensures where they only narrowly escape (with the help of ‘policeman’ Jack and 6 year old Greta), burning the Cirque to the ground as they leave and blowing up Silvio with it.
This book had me hooked from the very beginning. The alternating perspectives, the characters, the plot building, the pacing, the storyline? Incredible. I won’t say I loved every second because it was highly depressing but this book was so intriguingly heartbreaking and horrific to read and the fact that it is not even all that far fetched in terms of the foundations of the society makes it all the more heart wrenching to read. I quickly fell in love with Hoshiko and want to protect her, and all the other Dregs, forced to perform with all my heart because they all deserve so much better. Also little Greta saving the day was a plot point I loved reading about because it was so unexpected of her from the personality we were shown for her to have throughout the book. Greta and Hoshiko were adorable. The only thing I wasn’t as much of a fan of was the relationship between Ben and Hoshiko as I feel like it all felt quite sudden and could have worked as just as good a plot point if they had formed a strong friendship instead. Other than that this book was incredible and so well paced I could not put it down.
bjarnimol's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5