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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I just loved this engaging fantasy novel combining 1920s Paris, circuses and daemons! A rip-roaring plot, clowns, hell-hounds, mysterious missing paintings, trapeze artists —what more could you ask for? Highly recommend!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
New review as this was a reread
I first read The Ladies of the Secret Circus back in 2021, and at the time, it was an easy five-star read for me. Revisiting it now, I still love the concept, but I found the pacing slower this time around, which brings my rating down to a 3.5. While the story remains beautifully immersive, it didn’t grip me in quite the same way on this reread.
The novel weaves together generations of the Cabot family, spanning from the 1920s to the early 2000s, with a blend of mystery, magic, and romance. At its heart is Lara, who is left at the altar when her fiancé mysteriously disappears. As she pieces her life back together, shocking revelations about her past, her missing fiancé, and her dark family legacy begin to surface.
One of my absolute favorite aspects remains the journal entries. They added so much depth and intrigue to the story, and I found myself flying through those sections the quickest. The way Constance Sayers blends the ordinary with the magical is seamless, creating an atmosphere that feels both enchanting and haunting.
That being said, the pacing felt uneven on this read. While I still adore the concept, there were moments where the story dragged, making it harder to stay fully engaged. Despite this, the book’s rich atmosphere and unique premise make it worth the read—especially for those who enjoy historical fantasy with a touch of mystery.
If you love stories that mix magic, romance, and a sense of deep-rooted family secrets, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is still a journey worth taking. Just be prepared for a slower, more deliberate unraveling of its mysteries.
__________________________
The novel weaves together generations of the Cabot family, spanning from the 1920s to the early 2000s, with a blend of mystery, magic, and romance. At its heart is Lara, who is left at the altar when her fiancé mysteriously disappears. As she pieces her life back together, shocking revelations about her past, her missing fiancé, and her dark family legacy begin to surface.
One of my absolute favorite aspects remains the journal entries. They added so much depth and intrigue to the story, and I found myself flying through those sections the quickest. The way Constance Sayers blends the ordinary with the magical is seamless, creating an atmosphere that feels both enchanting and haunting.
That being said, the pacing felt uneven on this read. While I still adore the concept, there were moments where the story dragged, making it harder to stay fully engaged. Despite this, the book’s rich atmosphere and unique premise make it worth the read—especially for those who enjoy historical fantasy with a touch of mystery.
If you love stories that mix magic, romance, and a sense of deep-rooted family secrets, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is still a journey worth taking. Just be prepared for a slower, more deliberate unraveling of its mysteries.
__________________________
Boring. Put it down and could barely remember it a couple weeks later.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Some parts of this book were really good, but as a complete work, I’d say it falls under “it’s fine.”
The best parts of the book were definitely Cecile’s. I consider her the true protagonist of the novel, and her story was the one I was invested in the most. I wouldn’t say her story is particularly original, but I still loved reading about her rivalry with Esmé, how her falling in love with Emile helped break her out of her shell (even though what he puts her through is pretty awful), and I also liked getting to see the Lost Generation from her point of view.
In fact, I think that the main problem I had with this book is that the parts of it that take place in the present day – which is most of the book – dragged a bit. I definitely enjoyed some things about Lara, such as her and her father bonding over music, but other than that, I felt like she was a camera who was there to relay the stories of her much more interesting relatives. Her parts of the story don’t work well as a mystery, either, because there were too many plot twists and character reveals that were dumped as exposition with very little buildup. Not to mention, the encounter with Esmé happens when Lara is being possessed by Cecile, and Cecile is the one who speaks to Esmé and defeats her, not Lara. I really wanted to care more about the twins’ relationship, but it just felt like the story didn’t spend enough time with them when it could have cut about a hundred pages from Lara’s story to make room.
I also have some more nitpicks with the writing style. The language at times felt a little too simplistic and repetitive for what it was trying to get across. There were paragraphs I had to read over because of awkward action transitions happening within sentences of each other.
It’s not a terrible book by any means. With some better pacing, and maybe some adjustments between how much time is spent on Cecile’s story vs. Lara’s, it could have been a little better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Meh.
It has magic and murder and mystery. It's decent. The writing is good. The plot is good. It's a fair text.
It just bored me for some reason. Probably my difficulty trying to understand why the protagonist wants to go to the circus given what happens to people there.
Also, I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator did a great job giving unique voices and accents, something about her voice is whistle-hissy and snippy, which I found offputting, like having a book read to you by an irritated librarian.
Not the worst. No my favorite.
It has magic and murder and mystery. It's decent. The writing is good. The plot is good. It's a fair text.
It just bored me for some reason. Probably my difficulty trying to understand why the protagonist wants to go to the circus given what happens to people there.
Also, I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator did a great job giving unique voices and accents, something about her voice is whistle-hissy and snippy, which I found offputting, like having a book read to you by an irritated librarian.
Not the worst. No my favorite.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 for me, and that's because the demon theme wasn't for me.
In a small town in Northeastern USA, the women in one old circus family possess some magic and a curse that occurs every 30 years.
On Lara's wedding day, her always flaky fiance goes missing. 30 years to the day that another man connected to her had disappeared. Lara will have to investigate her families circus past in order to find out who she really is, and where her lover has gone.
In a small town in Northeastern USA, the women in one old circus family possess some magic and a curse that occurs every 30 years.
On Lara's wedding day, her always flaky fiance goes missing. 30 years to the day that another man connected to her had disappeared. Lara will have to investigate her families circus past in order to find out who she really is, and where her lover has gone.