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b00kh0arder's review against another edition
5.0
Being part of a traveling carnival can make relationships difficult. First, there’s the ugly possibility of rejection, and second, the fact that you’ll move on and likely never see each other again. So when Mara arrives in the small Louisiana town of Caudry with the rest of with Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow, she’s not expecting to find love, especially not in the form of the wickedly handsome Gabe. Mara’s torn between their growing attraction and not wanting Gabe to get hurt when she, inevitably, must leave. However, she may soon have bigger problems. You see, Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow isn’t your average traveling carnival. Sure, it has all the things other carnivals have – rides, games, attractions and shows – but with one crucial difference: every member of the sideshow half of the carnival has real supernatural powers. Everyone, that is, except for Mara. But as something starts preying on carnival members, Mara may be the only one who can save them all.
Freeks is a fast and fresh paranormal romance with liberal streaks of horror, reinforced by the supernatural carnival setting. (Main character Mara is a keen reader and one of titles mentioned is Malcolm Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes – a good comparison both in terms of setting, subject matter and atmosphere.) The story takes place over the course of a week in March 1987 – each section covering a day and prefaced with beautiful tarot card designs that give hints as what happens next – and so moves along swiftly, but does so without sacrificing nuance to pace, juggling the two interweaving plotlines of Mara and Gabe’s burgeoning romance and the supernatural mystery of what’s targeting the carnival workers. Characters are, likewise, painted with broad strokes but are not cardboard cut-outs, that is the main characters, the ones we come to care about, aren’t; a few of the side characters don’t really evolve much beyond their initial appearance but this doesn’t detract from the story. Some may feel that the romance between Mara and Gabe, developing as quickly as it does, might border on that marmite trope of ‘insta-love’; I would argue it’s more an instant but genuine attraction which, by the end, has developed into something with the potential to go deeper. (Plus, it’s a nice change for this genre to see the boy chasing the girl for once.)
Another great thing about this book is the setting, Hocking paints it with glorious 1980s teen-movie neon technicolor with streaks of gothic shade. There are enough references to establish the period but not so many that it becomes a tick box exercise. (I also recommend taking a look the playlist she has made for the book.) It’s true that the climax, dramatic and emotional though it is, when compared to the excellent tension-fueling build-up, is over rather quickly, but I feel that’s preferable to it being dragged out.
Freeks is a standalone and so ends with all its threads tied up, but there is an avenue left open for more in the future. I’m content with Freeks as a brilliant self-contained one off, but if Hocking were ever to decide to revisit these characters I would be more than happy to read it!
Freeks is a fast and fresh paranormal romance with liberal streaks of horror, reinforced by the supernatural carnival setting. (Main character Mara is a keen reader and one of titles mentioned is Malcolm Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes – a good comparison both in terms of setting, subject matter and atmosphere.) The story takes place over the course of a week in March 1987 – each section covering a day and prefaced with beautiful tarot card designs that give hints as what happens next – and so moves along swiftly, but does so without sacrificing nuance to pace, juggling the two interweaving plotlines of Mara and Gabe’s burgeoning romance and the supernatural mystery of what’s targeting the carnival workers. Characters are, likewise, painted with broad strokes but are not cardboard cut-outs, that is the main characters, the ones we come to care about, aren’t; a few of the side characters don’t really evolve much beyond their initial appearance but this doesn’t detract from the story. Some may feel that the romance between Mara and Gabe, developing as quickly as it does, might border on that marmite trope of ‘insta-love’; I would argue it’s more an instant but genuine attraction which, by the end, has developed into something with the potential to go deeper. (Plus, it’s a nice change for this genre to see the boy chasing the girl for once.)
Another great thing about this book is the setting, Hocking paints it with glorious 1980s teen-movie neon technicolor with streaks of gothic shade. There are enough references to establish the period but not so many that it becomes a tick box exercise. (I also recommend taking a look the playlist she has made for the book.) It’s true that the climax, dramatic and emotional though it is, when compared to the excellent tension-fueling build-up, is over rather quickly, but I feel that’s preferable to it being dragged out.
Freeks is a standalone and so ends with all its threads tied up, but there is an avenue left open for more in the future. I’m content with Freeks as a brilliant self-contained one off, but if Hocking were ever to decide to revisit these characters I would be more than happy to read it!
librarydoc's review against another edition
2.0
Mara is a carnie. She and her mom live and work with a traveling circus. But this circus has some dark and mysterious secrets. Each of the members of the circus have supernatural powers. Unfortunately, even their powers cannot save them from going broke, and in a last ditch effort to keep things going, the carnival accepts an invitation to spend a week in Caudry, Louisiana. Things in Caudry seem a little off to Mara and her friends, and they soon find out that evil lurks in the nearby swamps.
My thoughts:
This one will not be going on my middle school shelves. There is a pretty descriptive sex scene that prevents me from comfortably sharing this book with my students, even with a YA label.
I wanted to like this book because it's in my favorite genre (supernatural with some mystery). It feels like it is borrowed from existing books, and that annoys me. Fans of Twilight will figure out a "plot twist" pretty quickly...it reads almost like fanfic with the way parts of this novel feel lifted from other stories.
My rating:
2.5/5 stars
Grades 9+ (sex scence, mild language, violence)
My thoughts:
This one will not be going on my middle school shelves. There is a pretty descriptive sex scene that prevents me from comfortably sharing this book with my students, even with a YA label.
I wanted to like this book because it's in my favorite genre (supernatural with some mystery). It feels like it is borrowed from existing books, and that annoys me. Fans of Twilight will figure out a "plot twist" pretty quickly...it reads almost like fanfic with the way parts of this novel feel lifted from other stories.
My rating:
2.5/5 stars
Grades 9+ (sex scence, mild language, violence)
fairestskyebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
elvia_a's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, 100% thought it was gonna be 3 stars but I think what umped up the CAWPILE is Amanda's pretty good writing an I couldn't put the book down past the 20% mark.
Full review coming soon to my blog! markedforgreatreads.com/wordpress
Full review coming soon to my blog! markedforgreatreads.com/wordpress
babs_reviews's review against another edition
I'm not going to leave a review - other than I'm not rating this novel. It was a dnf for me at this time.
laurenkara's review against another edition
3.0
Read this review @ my blog Wonderless Reviews
** I’m participating in a Blog Tour hosted by Pan Macmillan and received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own **
Trigger warnings: minor scenes with parental abuse and suicide
I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading Freeks. I’d put it off for so long because of a slump and for some reason I was in the mind frame that I might not have enjoyed it a great deal because I’m always skeptical when it comes to Paranormal Romances unless your Meg Cabot. I’d never read anything by Amanda Hocking either so I had no idea what to expect.
I started Freeks yesterday and finished it this morning. I literally couldn’t put it down. I practically devoured it. I woke up at 3am and instead of even trying to go back to sleep I picked it back up. With short chapters and fast pacing it was like a dream come true for me.
Despite the fast pacing, I was still able to get a really good visual of the setting and characters. I feel like some of the characters weren’t really fleshed out and just kind of existed when the main character, Mara, needed them too. They were all still really interesting though. The book is set in the 80s and I loved all the pop culture references. I was born in 1990, but I’ve always felt a huge connection to the 80s so I really loved that!
Mara, a necromancer, was a likable protagonist, she suffered a bit with cliches and tropes but it’s not like I hated being in her head. The romance between her and the love interest, Gabe, wasn’t really something I, personally, connected with. It wasn’t really instalove, but it all happened so quickly and within a week they were like ready to spend their lives together. I know this can happen in real life so that’s why it’s more of a personal thing. I get that romances in standalones have to happen a lot quicker than series, but it just didn’t come across for me. Gabe is kinda your stereotypical Bad Boy But Not Really With a Dark Secret love interest. He was decent enough though and like with Mara I didn’t hate him.
Darkness engulfed me…There was no ground below me, no sky above. Only the black, and the cold.
One of the main reasons I was worried about Freeks is because I’m not a fan of people with disabilities or deformities being used as props or as public spectacles. Freak Shows have never sat right with me because real people have been treated awfully by them. However, with Freeks no one is being used. They’re just a group of people owning their differences, supporting each other, and using their abilities how they want to. The leader of group, the psychic Gideon (who I may or may not have a crush on emoji unicode: 1f440emoji unicode: 1f440emoji unicode: 1f440) always makes sure everyone knows that they’re free to leave whenever they want. People are here because they want to be, not because they’re being forced. Another thing I LOVED was that “Gypsy” was never used to describe Mara or her mother. There were also a lot of characters of color. Mara was a POC. There was also a gay side couple.
Whilst I did get through Freeks insanely fast I can’t ignore all the tropes, cliches and eyerolling moments within it. One of the things that bothered me the most was how against everyone was by the idea that something supernatural was what was terrorising the carnival. Like, you’re literally a bunch of people with supernatural abilities but the idea of a monster being real is unbelievable? Then later on it was revealed that werewolves and vampires are a part of this world so that made me even more confused. Certain things also just felt WAY too convenient.
Overall, Freeks was an insanely fast and fun read. You really got the atmospheric vibe of the small town and travelling carnival. It was slightly creepy and the mystery kept me reading. There was just a few too many tropes used for me to feel comfortable giving this anything over 3 stars. It just didn’t feel polished enough. I do however think it would make a really cool TV show!
** I’m participating in a Blog Tour hosted by Pan Macmillan and received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own **
Trigger warnings: minor scenes with parental abuse and suicide
I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading Freeks. I’d put it off for so long because of a slump and for some reason I was in the mind frame that I might not have enjoyed it a great deal because I’m always skeptical when it comes to Paranormal Romances unless your Meg Cabot. I’d never read anything by Amanda Hocking either so I had no idea what to expect.
I started Freeks yesterday and finished it this morning. I literally couldn’t put it down. I practically devoured it. I woke up at 3am and instead of even trying to go back to sleep I picked it back up. With short chapters and fast pacing it was like a dream come true for me.
Despite the fast pacing, I was still able to get a really good visual of the setting and characters. I feel like some of the characters weren’t really fleshed out and just kind of existed when the main character, Mara, needed them too. They were all still really interesting though. The book is set in the 80s and I loved all the pop culture references. I was born in 1990, but I’ve always felt a huge connection to the 80s so I really loved that!
Mara, a necromancer, was a likable protagonist, she suffered a bit with cliches and tropes but it’s not like I hated being in her head. The romance between her and the love interest, Gabe, wasn’t really something I, personally, connected with. It wasn’t really instalove, but it all happened so quickly and within a week they were like ready to spend their lives together. I know this can happen in real life so that’s why it’s more of a personal thing. I get that romances in standalones have to happen a lot quicker than series, but it just didn’t come across for me. Gabe is kinda your stereotypical Bad Boy But Not Really With a Dark Secret love interest. He was decent enough though and like with Mara I didn’t hate him.
Darkness engulfed me…There was no ground below me, no sky above. Only the black, and the cold.
One of the main reasons I was worried about Freeks is because I’m not a fan of people with disabilities or deformities being used as props or as public spectacles. Freak Shows have never sat right with me because real people have been treated awfully by them. However, with Freeks no one is being used. They’re just a group of people owning their differences, supporting each other, and using their abilities how they want to. The leader of group, the psychic Gideon (who I may or may not have a crush on emoji unicode: 1f440emoji unicode: 1f440emoji unicode: 1f440) always makes sure everyone knows that they’re free to leave whenever they want. People are here because they want to be, not because they’re being forced. Another thing I LOVED was that “Gypsy” was never used to describe Mara or her mother. There were also a lot of characters of color. Mara was a POC. There was also a gay side couple.
Whilst I did get through Freeks insanely fast I can’t ignore all the tropes, cliches and eyerolling moments within it. One of the things that bothered me the most was how against everyone was by the idea that something supernatural was what was terrorising the carnival. Like, you’re literally a bunch of people with supernatural abilities but the idea of a monster being real is unbelievable? Then later on it was revealed that werewolves and vampires are a part of this world so that made me even more confused. Certain things also just felt WAY too convenient.
Overall, Freeks was an insanely fast and fun read. You really got the atmospheric vibe of the small town and travelling carnival. It was slightly creepy and the mystery kept me reading. There was just a few too many tropes used for me to feel comfortable giving this anything over 3 stars. It just didn’t feel polished enough. I do however think it would make a really cool TV show!
“The sun had begun its descent toward the horizon, and the sounds of the carnival played like a familiar song behind me.”
cloooooless's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cosy_armchair_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great book but was quite slow in places, I really enjoyed reading it and the romance thrown in was fantastic but it just got dull before it started ramping up and I think I would have preferred it if there wasn't so much setting and character and life descriptions. Like please I want to know what happens, let's move on.
And the romance. Why was it so fast. She was there for a week and she's already making out with a guy ( more than once ) tha she's only seen twice and confessing her love a week in, it was cute and all but really?!
Btw; the blurb lies, only one person goes missing and only one winds up dead after going missing, little bit of a let down and should should take this into account before reading this.
And the romance. Why was it so fast. She was there for a week and she's already making out with a guy ( more than once ) tha she's only seen twice and confessing her love a week in, it was cute and all but really?!
Btw; the blurb lies, only one person goes missing and only one winds up dead after going missing, little bit of a let down and should should take this into account before reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, and Alcohol
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a quick, easy read by Amanda Hocking. She does well with pacing and drops tiny little hints towards bigger secrets and plot moments rather well. And the characters are nice and diverse. But, I feel like this was nothing all that special. It was a YA paranormal with some romance. Mara and Gabe meet and very quickly make it to the making out stage, and a week later are confessing that they love the other person, despite all the issues and the secrets and the craziness. So, this was a good book, one that falls firmly within some YA and paranormal tropes and cliches, but it was still a good read. Nothing amazing or mindblowing, but it was still worth the couple hours it took me to finish it.
This was a quick, easy read by Amanda Hocking. She does well with pacing and drops tiny little hints towards bigger secrets and plot moments rather well. And the characters are nice and diverse. But, I feel like this was nothing all that special. It was a YA paranormal with some romance. Mara and Gabe meet and very quickly make it to the making out stage, and a week later are confessing that they love the other person, despite all the issues and the secrets and the craziness. So, this was a good book, one that falls firmly within some YA and paranormal tropes and cliches, but it was still a good read. Nothing amazing or mindblowing, but it was still worth the couple hours it took me to finish it.
bookworm_in_fabula's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5