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sannesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I like to read about the circus. It always has a magical and mysterious vibe. This is a sad story about a circus in the Victorian era. I think this gives us a good look into these old types of circusses that take advantage of vulnerable humans with 'freaky' and rare conditions. One of the main characters, Nelly, has a rare birthmark condition and, because of this, gets sold to the circus to be used as an curious act.
This book has three point of views: Nelly (one of the circus performers), Jasper (showman, owner of the circus) and Toby (brother of Jasper, photographer at the circus).
I unfortunately didn't feel too emotionally attached to the characters, because of that, the story did not hit that hard. However, I liked the writing, the pacing, and I think the atmosphere was portrayed well. I partly read it physically and partly listened to it as an audiobook. I enjoyed my time reading the book like this.
This book has three point of views: Nelly (one of the circus performers), Jasper (showman, owner of the circus) and Toby (brother of Jasper, photographer at the circus).
I unfortunately didn't feel too emotionally attached to the characters, because of that, the story did not hit that hard. However, I liked the writing, the pacing, and I think the atmosphere was portrayed well. I partly read it physically and partly listened to it as an audiobook. I enjoyed my time reading the book like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, and Chronic illness
Moderate: War, Death, Self harm, Violence, and Sexual content
alivictoria14's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A great book highlighting the horrors within the Victorian freak shows.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and War
Minor: Kidnapping
ladymredd's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Parts of the book kept me riveted, while parts left me bored and fighting to keep my mind from wandering.
The book is told from the perspective of 3 characters and focuses mainly on 2 events/points in time. The narrative in the book shifts between the present day and events in the past.
I found the parts of the book that focused on the titular Circus of Wonders to be fascinating and beautifully layered. But the flash backs to the brothers’ lives before the circus felt slow and only served to break up the momentum. After a while the flashbacks became repetitive and added very little to the story itself.
Overall I give the flashbacks 2 stars and the circus parts 4 stars (the circus might have been higher if every time I started to get invested, I didn’t get pulled out of it). I would have loved an entire book from the perspective of Nell that focused on the exploration of the Victorian circus, which is what I expected when reading the book’s description. Instead the book feels muddled by trying to cover too much.
The book is told from the perspective of 3 characters and focuses mainly on 2 events/points in time. The narrative in the book shifts between the present day and events in the past.
I found the parts of the book that focused on the titular Circus of Wonders to be fascinating and beautifully layered. But the flash backs to the brothers’ lives before the circus felt slow and only served to break up the momentum. After a while the flashbacks became repetitive and added very little to the story itself.
Overall I give the flashbacks 2 stars and the circus parts 4 stars (the circus might have been higher if every time I started to get invested, I didn’t get pulled out of it). I would have loved an entire book from the perspective of Nell that focused on the exploration of the Victorian circus, which is what I expected when reading the book’s description. Instead the book feels muddled by trying to cover too much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Animal death, and Death
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tuppence Middleton - she is very good at creating difference voices for each character but for some reason the audio version made the story less enjoyable to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Abandonment
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