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jbkep's review against another edition
5.0
In the art of full disclosure, I fully admit that the only story I have read (indeed, my reason for getting this book) is the Iron Druid story by Kevin Hearne. I am intrigued by the other stories and would like to read them but I make no promises on actually going through with it. Thus said, all 5 stars are currently awarded to Atticus O'Sullivan.
librarian_erinn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
amandapgold's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
chelsfoust's review against another edition
4.0
This book was dark, I didn't expect such dark stories! I loved the additions from Kevin Hearne and Jennifer Estep in the series they write, I love! Jaye Wells story was creeptastic and harsh, as was Rachel Caine's. This was perfect to read around Halloween time also! I totally had a couple dark dreams about a carnival because of it!
hirvimaki's review against another edition
2.0
A couple of good tales in here, but mostly a menagerie of only mildly interesting stories.
aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
This book is such a disappointment on so many levels. Carnivals! The supernatural! A long list of authors that I’ve heard of and wanted to read but never actually read! It’s supposed to be…you know….cool. But after the first two or three stories, the tales bleed into one another and an unavoidable sameness rears its ugly head. Oooh, something is amiss at the funhouse. Ooooh, the carnival is evil and out for your soul. Oooh, scary clowns. Let’s send a badass chick (or, like, this one dude with a sarcastic talking dog) in to deal with these shenanigans, pronto!
With two stories left to read, I can pretty safely say “That’s it. That’s the anthology.”
Sadly, there is so far only one author whose works I want to look up as a result of her entry here. And from the looks of things, those books are less about a traveling band and violin-playing contests against agents of Satan as they are about hot!steamy!paranormal!sex.
Which is one offshoot of urban fantasy I absolutely cannot stand to read, because there’s only so many ways a vampire or werewolf can smolder before it just starts sounding cheesy.
Sadly, nothing else has made me want to look up the authors to see what else they've created, or further explore their works. It is one of the few collections I've read that's had the exact opposite effect: I pulled up my to-read list and deleted an entry here and there.
I was never really blown away by Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, (an inevitable comparison, since it's a recent, best-selling novel set around the idea of a traveling circus), but there was a beautiful, haunting imagery to her work that’s stayed with me since its release, a uniqueness of creation that I found myself missing sorely in this anthology. Her traveling circus was an elegant, visually stunning experience unlike any I had ever read about before, whereas almost everything Carniepunk has to offer is the same old run-down, leering-carny, rides-of-questionable-safety, rigged-game traveling carnival that we’ve already read about before (and will read about again in this anthology...and again...and again...and again).
There are only one or two stories that make themselves the exception to this familiar setting, and about as many that don’t feature the theme of “outsider to the carnival has to investigate some Weird Supernatural Thing and saves the day.” There are so many different ways the carnival setting could have been played with or incorporated. So many different whens. The complete and utter lack of imagination in what is supposed to be the backbone of this anthology was profoundly disappointing.
EDIT: I have finished the novel, and the only truly noteworthy story, and one few entries to veer from the "carnival as seen from a visitor's viewpoint" gimmick was Seanan MacGuire's entry, "Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid..." *This* was the kind of story I dove into Carniepunk hoping to find. Unfortunately, it is the closing story.
With two stories left to read, I can pretty safely say “That’s it. That’s the anthology.”
Sadly, there is so far only one author whose works I want to look up as a result of her entry here. And from the looks of things, those books are less about a traveling band and violin-playing contests against agents of Satan as they are about hot!steamy!paranormal!sex.
Which is one offshoot of urban fantasy I absolutely cannot stand to read, because there’s only so many ways a vampire or werewolf can smolder before it just starts sounding cheesy.
Sadly, nothing else has made me want to look up the authors to see what else they've created, or further explore their works. It is one of the few collections I've read that's had the exact opposite effect: I pulled up my to-read list and deleted an entry here and there.
I was never really blown away by Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, (an inevitable comparison, since it's a recent, best-selling novel set around the idea of a traveling circus), but there was a beautiful, haunting imagery to her work that’s stayed with me since its release, a uniqueness of creation that I found myself missing sorely in this anthology. Her traveling circus was an elegant, visually stunning experience unlike any I had ever read about before, whereas almost everything Carniepunk has to offer is the same old run-down, leering-carny, rides-of-questionable-safety, rigged-game traveling carnival that we’ve already read about before (and will read about again in this anthology...and again...and again...and again).
There are only one or two stories that make themselves the exception to this familiar setting, and about as many that don’t feature the theme of “outsider to the carnival has to investigate some Weird Supernatural Thing and saves the day.” There are so many different ways the carnival setting could have been played with or incorporated. So many different whens. The complete and utter lack of imagination in what is supposed to be the backbone of this anthology was profoundly disappointing.
EDIT: I have finished the novel, and the only truly noteworthy story, and one few entries to veer from the "carnival as seen from a visitor's viewpoint" gimmick was Seanan MacGuire's entry, "Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid..." *This* was the kind of story I dove into Carniepunk hoping to find. Unfortunately, it is the closing story.
kimlynn77's review against another edition
4.0
Rating for only the Kevin Hearne and Kelly Meding stories. "Demon Barker of Wheat Street" was a great Iron Druid story. Hearn's description of the "Anchovy Gate" will be forever seared onto my visual and olfactory memory. (I hate the smell of fish). "Freak House" by Meding was cool story featuring supernatural creatures and some of their halfling offspring. I really hope she develops this universe into a complete novel!
brokenchell's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great lil book of shorts. Loved it. Totally never going to another carnival ever again but loved it lol. I also have a huge list of tbr series now :)