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ameserole's review
1.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I first saw this, I thought the title was pretty interesting. Then I read the synopsis and I was just had to request it. However, once I dove into Dirt Circus League my opinion was quickly changing.
I'm not going to lie. I was confused for most of this book. It didn't take long for that to really happen because the characters were very frustrating for me. There was zero connection and I didn't really like anyone BUT Karen. She was like the only normal person in this entire book. Everyone else was bonkers.
Other than that, the things that were said by everyone is this weird cult just blew my mind. Again, I was frustrated. I definitely came to the conclusion that they all need to take a sex ed class and stat. Seriously, it needs to happen because wow - just wow.
In the end, I was really surprised by anything or shocked. At one point, you kind of just sit back and think of how this is going to end and realize it is pretty predictable. I'm just going to say that I'm glad that it's over and I'm free to go watch paint dry now.
When I first saw this, I thought the title was pretty interesting. Then I read the synopsis and I was just had to request it. However, once I dove into Dirt Circus League my opinion was quickly changing.
I'm not going to lie. I was confused for most of this book. It didn't take long for that to really happen because the characters were very frustrating for me. There was zero connection and I didn't really like anyone BUT Karen. She was like the only normal person in this entire book. Everyone else was bonkers.
Other than that, the things that were said by everyone is this weird cult just blew my mind. Again, I was frustrated. I definitely came to the conclusion that they all need to take a sex ed class and stat. Seriously, it needs to happen because wow - just wow.
In the end, I was really surprised by anything or shocked. At one point, you kind of just sit back and think of how this is going to end and realize it is pretty predictable. I'm just going to say that I'm glad that it's over and I'm free to go watch paint dry now.
trisha_thomas's review
2.0
"Gaia, we worship you," they said in unison."
This book has a gorgeous eye-catching cover that I love. But the story was just not my jam.
I didn't mind the 'lord of the flies' type feel of the League. Their fighting and means of survival were interesting and I liked the Memory Temple.
But this story lost me along the lines of the eyes and really lost me with the whole intuitive line. Both of those inserted into the story just made it all feel jumbled. Was this fantasy? Was this supposed to be realistic? I kept waiting for the story to expand on either one and instead there was just a lot of puking (honestly, so much puking) and scissors. . . I thought Asa was an okay character and I wasn't impressed with Quarter. This one just didn't work for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This book has a gorgeous eye-catching cover that I love. But the story was just not my jam.
I didn't mind the 'lord of the flies' type feel of the League. Their fighting and means of survival were interesting and I liked the Memory Temple.
But this story lost me along the lines of the eyes and really lost me with the whole intuitive line. Both of those inserted into the story just made it all feel jumbled. Was this fantasy? Was this supposed to be realistic? I kept waiting for the story to expand on either one and instead there was just a lot of puking (honestly, so much puking) and scissors. . . I thought Asa was an okay character and I wasn't impressed with Quarter. This one just didn't work for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
textpublishing's review
The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Dirt Circus League
‘A gripping and intense genre-bender that doesn’t pull punches.'
Sarah Epstein, author of Small Spaces
‘[Dirt Circus League] depicts a thrillingly perverse world with a sort of Mad Max feeling but set into the ordinary life of teenage Asa...The plot is gripping and page-turning. Kimberley has built a world unimaginable, and yet placed it into the centre of one girl’s (previously) unexceptional experience, with the result that the reader is constantly pulled from the banality of everyday life into a parallel universe where strength, viciousness, passion and force rule.’
Cass Moriarty
'A fascinating mixture of thriller, coming of age and climate change activism...a gripping and unique story.'
ReadPlus
‘Recommended...to YA readers who love a courageous heroine and a fast-paced, thrilling read’
CBCA Reading Time
‘A gripping and intense genre-bender that doesn’t pull punches.'
Sarah Epstein, author of Small Spaces
‘[Dirt Circus League] depicts a thrillingly perverse world with a sort of Mad Max feeling but set into the ordinary life of teenage Asa...The plot is gripping and page-turning. Kimberley has built a world unimaginable, and yet placed it into the centre of one girl’s (previously) unexceptional experience, with the result that the reader is constantly pulled from the banality of everyday life into a parallel universe where strength, viciousness, passion and force rule.’
Cass Moriarty
'A fascinating mixture of thriller, coming of age and climate change activism...a gripping and unique story.'
ReadPlus
‘Recommended...to YA readers who love a courageous heroine and a fast-paced, thrilling read’
CBCA Reading Time
beccainabook's review
3.0
Ummmmmmm so this book wasn’t really what I expected.... AT ALL! Based on the title and the synopsis, I was expecting a traveling circus troupe up to no good and the main character to become a part of their weird performances or something. That was definitely not the case and I was a little disappointed. I mean don’t get me wrong, I really liked this read in the end, but it wasn’t one that I was expecting. I guess it’s true what they say about assumptions right?
Other than the fact that there was NO CIRCUS, I liked the book. The beginning started out a little rough for me and it took me a minute to immerse myself in this book because I felt that there was no true introduction. The author kind of just threw us into Asa’s world and I was sort of confused on what was going on. We got absolutely no background on the main character so I was sort of taken aback.
I also didn’t much appreciate Asa in the beginning either. She was a little too aggressive for me so it made me just a little apprehensive. However, she really grew on me in the end and I enjoyed watching her evolve into a woman that literally gave everything to help other people. She had courage that I could never have and an attitude of pure bull steel. It was awesome and I ended up really enjoying her and the journey she took me on.
There were a lot of other characters in this book and I enjoyed most of them, but Quarter was not my favorite at all. UGH muscle heads and their bullheadedness was not attractive at all and I was so not on board with this. Their romance was so lame and disjointed from the story and didn’t make sense to me at all. They had some strange connection that was never really explained and Quarter was just not having any of it. I honestly think that this story could have skipped the romance all together and just stuck with paying attention to the bonds and relationships between all the female characters. It was just a great representation of GIRL POWER and I loved that way more than the romance. (I actually never thought I would ever say that, but here we are!
The plot of this book was ABSOLUTELY INSANE and it was such a world wind of creep factor and suspense. There was just so much going on and I wanted to know everything! I was just so engaged with the plot and the characters and the book world that I had to read the book in one sitting because I needed answers!! The mystery behind everything ended up being just a tad predictable, but I just really enjoyed it.
I absolutely LOVED the ending. I was so happy it ended the way that it did and I couldn’t picture it to be any better.
I am so grateful to NetGalley for my ARC copy and can’t wait to read more from this author!
Other than the fact that there was NO CIRCUS, I liked the book. The beginning started out a little rough for me and it took me a minute to immerse myself in this book because I felt that there was no true introduction. The author kind of just threw us into Asa’s world and I was sort of confused on what was going on. We got absolutely no background on the main character so I was sort of taken aback.
I also didn’t much appreciate Asa in the beginning either. She was a little too aggressive for me so it made me just a little apprehensive. However, she really grew on me in the end and I enjoyed watching her evolve into a woman that literally gave everything to help other people. She had courage that I could never have and an attitude of pure bull steel. It was awesome and I ended up really enjoying her and the journey she took me on.
There were a lot of other characters in this book and I enjoyed most of them, but Quarter was not my favorite at all. UGH muscle heads and their bullheadedness was not attractive at all and I was so not on board with this. Their romance was so lame and disjointed from the story and didn’t make sense to me at all. They had some strange connection that was never really explained and Quarter was just not having any of it. I honestly think that this story could have skipped the romance all together and just stuck with paying attention to the bonds and relationships between all the female characters. It was just a great representation of GIRL POWER and I loved that way more than the romance. (I actually never thought I would ever say that, but here we are!
The plot of this book was ABSOLUTELY INSANE and it was such a world wind of creep factor and suspense. There was just so much going on and I wanted to know everything! I was just so engaged with the plot and the characters and the book world that I had to read the book in one sitting because I needed answers!! The mystery behind everything ended up being just a tad predictable, but I just really enjoyed it.
I absolutely LOVED the ending. I was so happy it ended the way that it did and I couldn’t picture it to be any better.
I am so grateful to NetGalley for my ARC copy and can’t wait to read more from this author!
anna_hepworth's review
challenging
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I read this as a judge for the Aurealis awards, and the rating I gave it there was for how I felt it fit as YA science fiction. The rating here is for how I feel about the book *for me*. It is a powerful and very unpleasant book, although the story had the potential to be so much worse than it was. Possibly if I had gone in to it expecting horror, rather than SF, I might have engaged better -- because there were certainly times where I wondered if it was going down the path of slasher horror, and that only the protagonist would survive.
The story follows Asa, who has moved from a difficult past in the city to live with their alcoholic father in a fictional outback Queensland town. When the Dirt Circus League -- a bunch of apparently hippy kids living in a deserted resort -- turn up and give Asa something to follow, things get grim. Multiple knock-down dragged out bare knuckle fighting scenes, a disturbing doomsday cult, and a whole lot of revisiting traumatic events then follow.
Much darker and more violent than similarly themed books I remember reading as a young adult.
The story follows Asa, who has moved from a difficult past in the city to live with their alcoholic father in a fictional outback Queensland town. When the Dirt Circus League -- a bunch of apparently hippy kids living in a deserted resort -- turn up and give Asa something to follow, things get grim. Multiple knock-down dragged out bare knuckle fighting scenes, a disturbing doomsday cult, and a whole lot of revisiting traumatic events then follow.
Much darker and more violent than similarly themed books I remember reading as a young adult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, and Domestic abuse
pagesofnectar's review
2.0
*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you so much) in exchange for an honest review*
I started this book with so much hype, considering how interesting the premise of this book sounded. Asa, a girl facing hardships in her everyday family life, seeks escape at the intriguing "Dirt Circus League", a group living secluded from the rest of the town, warshipping Gaia and having a very unique lifestyle. Oh and there's a high chance they're a dangerous cult and Asa is in trouble! I mean sounds great and the good kind of weird, right? Plus, such a cool cover!
However, I ended up feeling very disappointed with the execution. The whole structure of the Dirt Circus League was explained quite well, but, apart from that, I felt like things were happening very hastily and the actions of the characters were very chaotic and left without explanation. Like, Asa kept mentioning how she feels like she belongs with the warshippers of Gaia, without actually giving any reason or giving an example of her enjoying her time at the League. It's almost as if I'm left to think that it was only because of
Also, a lot of other things also seem to be quite contradicting each other. Like, the protagonist either being able to sense a bunch of things but being too naive to understand the creepy things happening at the League, which didn't make sense in character.
All in all, I feel like this book was trying to do a lot of different things at once, hastily and without much cohesion and didn't offer such a good execution.
I started this book with so much hype, considering how interesting the premise of this book sounded. Asa, a girl facing hardships in her everyday family life, seeks escape at the intriguing "Dirt Circus League", a group living secluded from the rest of the town, warshipping Gaia and having a very unique lifestyle. Oh and there's a high chance they're a dangerous cult and Asa is in trouble! I mean sounds great and the good kind of weird, right? Plus, such a cool cover!
However, I ended up feeling very disappointed with the execution. The whole structure of the Dirt Circus League was explained quite well, but, apart from that, I felt like things were happening very hastily and the actions of the characters were very chaotic and left without explanation. Like, Asa kept mentioning how she feels like she belongs with the warshippers of Gaia, without actually giving any reason or giving an example of her enjoying her time at the League. It's almost as if I'm left to think that it was only because of
Spoiler
her crushing over the League's leader, Quarter, considering how boycrazy she's being over him throughout the story even though she knows nothing about him and they never really communicate.Also, a lot of other things also seem to be quite contradicting each other. Like, the protagonist either being able to sense a bunch of things
Spoiler
because of her gift, as we later learn, which is also left with no explanationAll in all, I feel like this book was trying to do a lot of different things at once, hastily and without much cohesion and didn't offer such a good execution.
tbhonest_uk's review
3.0
Dirt Circus League is a strange book. It transcends genres, and much like its main character doesn't fit anywhere and is a bit confused.
It's a quirky read that you will either jell with or struggle to finish and understand just what the author was trying to achieve, If you can, perceiver and get to the end as it's worth it.
It's a quirky read that you will either jell with or struggle to finish and understand just what the author was trying to achieve, If you can, perceiver and get to the end as it's worth it.
tien's review
2.0
Such an eye-catching cover! That bright pink on background of pure black with title in eye-popping neon yellow; overall, one of the best covers I've ever seen. And when you add the word 'circus' to the title, I'm a goner. I have to read this book!
Going by the book description, this book could be contemporary or it could be fantasy. Truthfully, I'm finding it hard to place this book in a certain category but I think I'd actually place it as magical realism which is a bit hit and miss for me so unfortunately, this book was closer to a miss.
The setting is a fictional outback town of Australia (possibly in QLD) and it is set in the present time. Asa, the protagonist, is running away from a mother who does not care for her but also of her grief and anger at losing her grandmother who loved her. She came across the Dirt Circus League, became fascinated by the violence, and decided that it may be a good space for her and her anger. What she found at their headquarters, however, was beyond even her imagining and Asa had to decide whether to give in to her anger or accept herself and become better.
As you'd know, magical realism is usually full of strange and at times, wonderful things. In this novel, though, it mostly strange, violent, and more violence. Language wise, I found the novel easy to read and Asa is a pretty easy protag to like despite her anger issues but yet, that's understandable and she came out strong in the end. I just couldn't appreciate all the imagery so this is all on me.
Thank you Text Publishing via Netgalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest thoughts
Going by the book description, this book could be contemporary or it could be fantasy. Truthfully, I'm finding it hard to place this book in a certain category but I think I'd actually place it as magical realism which is a bit hit and miss for me so unfortunately, this book was closer to a miss.
The setting is a fictional outback town of Australia (possibly in QLD) and it is set in the present time. Asa, the protagonist, is running away from a mother who does not care for her but also of her grief and anger at losing her grandmother who loved her. She came across the Dirt Circus League, became fascinated by the violence, and decided that it may be a good space for her and her anger. What she found at their headquarters, however, was beyond even her imagining and Asa had to decide whether to give in to her anger or accept herself and become better.
As you'd know, magical realism is usually full of strange and at times, wonderful things. In this novel, though, it mostly strange, violent, and more violence. Language wise, I found the novel easy to read and Asa is a pretty easy protag to like despite her anger issues but yet, that's understandable and she came out strong in the end. I just couldn't appreciate all the imagery so this is all on me.
Thank you Text Publishing via Netgalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest thoughts