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emily554's review against another edition
5.0
I have never read something like this before!! This was such an amazing story I loved every second of it and highly recommend it.
fiction_gryphon's review against another edition
4.0
I loved everything about this book! That is, right up until the ending
thebookishpaws's review against another edition
4.0
4.75/5 ⭐️
*mild spoilers*
This got me out of a book slump ✌
*mild spoilers*
This got me out of a book slump ✌
meaghanescott's review against another edition
5.0
The Chaos Circus is an adventure from start to finish, weaving intricate webs of suspense, romance, self-love, and mystery. Miss Tessa LaRoche grows from a young woman eager to fit in, whatever the cost, to a woman who accepts that there are worse things in life than being odd. She is a role model for young readers trying to find their place in the world. All readers will be drawn in from the beginning with Renee’s delicious prose that paints a vivid picture of the mystical, dangerous Chaos Circus. Once you enter, you will never want to leave.
theramblinghuman's review against another edition
4.0
4.75/5 ⭐️
*mild spoilers*
This got me out of a book slump ✌
*mild spoilers*
This got me out of a book slump ✌
writehollydavis's review
5.0
My reaction while starting this book: OMG this writing is so beautiful, the prose is oozing with refined and elevated craft and skill.
My reaction in the middle of this book: Ahhh that's what really happened? No wait, now it's not. WTH is going on? I have to keep reading!!
My reaction at the end of this book: ASDFGHJKL that was perfection and more than I could've imagined I'd want in a book and when is the next book by Renee Dugan out?
Seriously, this book is MAGIC and had me SHOOK. Renee's writing is poetic and yet not overly flowery, and I stopped so many times and reread lines that were just so beautiful and unique. The story is complex, the characters are well-developed, and I could feel myself inside the story. I wasn't reading a book, I was in the world. Renee took us on such a wild ride. With so many plot twists, I never knew what to expect! I am looking forward to reading everything that Renee releases because she is such a talented author. She's going to make it big!!
My reaction in the middle of this book: Ahhh that's what really happened? No wait, now it's not. WTH is going on? I have to keep reading!!
My reaction at the end of this book: ASDFGHJKL that was perfection and more than I could've imagined I'd want in a book and when is the next book by Renee Dugan out?
Seriously, this book is MAGIC and had me SHOOK. Renee's writing is poetic and yet not overly flowery, and I stopped so many times and reread lines that were just so beautiful and unique. The story is complex, the characters are well-developed, and I could feel myself inside the story. I wasn't reading a book, I was in the world. Renee took us on such a wild ride. With so many plot twists, I never knew what to expect! I am looking forward to reading everything that Renee releases because she is such a talented author. She's going to make it big!!
hopescherger's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
oceana_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book twisted with my mind so amazing. It might be short but definitely a mad adventure!
gee_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
(4.75/5*) “Unordinary can become boring. But you, Tessa… You are extraordinary, and that never tires. It never becomes plain again. It is unforgettable.” Renee Dugan, ‘The Chaos Circus’
Physically I’m here, typing this review, but mentally and spiritually I’m wandering the Chaos Circus in search for my own Nicolai! I just… Ahhh! @reneeduganwriting’s debut was, and here I’m quoting her own words, “a mad adventure”, and I just can’t stop picking up my copy time and time again to revisit my favourite scenes!
Whimsical, mysterious, and dreamlike, ‘The Chaos Circus’ introduces us to Miss Tessa LaRoche, a young woman trying to be ordinary enough to avoid being put in the Splendor House mental asylum she barely managed to get discharged of. But her hopes of “remaining normal” wither away when the necklace that tethers her to sanity is stolen by a mysterious, and not quite human, stranger. To get it back, Tessa will have to cross into the Mirror Lands, ruled by the powerful Deathless, and participate in five wild and lethal trials set in the unruly place known as the Chaos Circus. On her side is Nicolai, a mysterious, charming Deathless whose life, too, is at a stake… Just as Tessa’s, if the secrets between her and Nicolai outweigh their need to hold onto each other to survive.
Fans of ‘Caraval’ and ‘The Night Circus’ are bound to fall in love with ‘The Chaos Circus’. Led by Tessa, one of the most relatable main characters I’ve ever read about, this book is a wild ride that takes us from trial to trial in a whirlwind of colourful descriptions, exquisite worldbuilding, and lavish character building. Although Nikolai Lantsov may have been a tad responsible for my infatuation with Renee’s character, he soon enough became able to stand his ground all by himself as one of my favourite male characters ever. Both he and Tessa are complex, three-dimensional characters, each with their own motivations, fears, vices and virtues. I suspect that one of Renee’s strengths as a writer is, precisely, the character building, because I couldn’t find a single one that didn’t feel real to the point of blurrying the line between the ink and the blood, between paper and flesh.
I also couldn’t find a single sentence in which I wasn’t swept away by Renee’s lovely quill. Although this is her debut, it feels like a tale weaved by an expert storyteller who has decades in the guild behind them! I really can’t wait to keep reading Renee’s stories. If this was her first, I just can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that later works will be EVEN better!
My only complaint is... RENEE, HOW COULD YOU! THAT ENDING, OH DEAREST LORD!!! Now I'll have to spend the rest of my days crying over Nicolai and Tessa as I figure out 30948203948 ways in which their story could go on beyond the last page of TCC. But this book is well worth that sacrifice! Do not hesitate to pick it up!
Physically I’m here, typing this review, but mentally and spiritually I’m wandering the Chaos Circus in search for my own Nicolai! I just… Ahhh! @reneeduganwriting’s debut was, and here I’m quoting her own words, “a mad adventure”, and I just can’t stop picking up my copy time and time again to revisit my favourite scenes!
Whimsical, mysterious, and dreamlike, ‘The Chaos Circus’ introduces us to Miss Tessa LaRoche, a young woman trying to be ordinary enough to avoid being put in the Splendor House mental asylum she barely managed to get discharged of. But her hopes of “remaining normal” wither away when the necklace that tethers her to sanity is stolen by a mysterious, and not quite human, stranger. To get it back, Tessa will have to cross into the Mirror Lands, ruled by the powerful Deathless, and participate in five wild and lethal trials set in the unruly place known as the Chaos Circus. On her side is Nicolai, a mysterious, charming Deathless whose life, too, is at a stake… Just as Tessa’s, if the secrets between her and Nicolai outweigh their need to hold onto each other to survive.
Fans of ‘Caraval’ and ‘The Night Circus’ are bound to fall in love with ‘The Chaos Circus’. Led by Tessa, one of the most relatable main characters I’ve ever read about, this book is a wild ride that takes us from trial to trial in a whirlwind of colourful descriptions, exquisite worldbuilding, and lavish character building. Although Nikolai Lantsov may have been a tad responsible for my infatuation with Renee’s character, he soon enough became able to stand his ground all by himself as one of my favourite male characters ever. Both he and Tessa are complex, three-dimensional characters, each with their own motivations, fears, vices and virtues. I suspect that one of Renee’s strengths as a writer is, precisely, the character building, because I couldn’t find a single one that didn’t feel real to the point of blurrying the line between the ink and the blood, between paper and flesh.
I also couldn’t find a single sentence in which I wasn’t swept away by Renee’s lovely quill. Although this is her debut, it feels like a tale weaved by an expert storyteller who has decades in the guild behind them! I really can’t wait to keep reading Renee’s stories. If this was her first, I just can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that later works will be EVEN better!
My only complaint is... RENEE, HOW COULD YOU! THAT ENDING, OH DEAREST LORD!!! Now I'll have to spend the rest of my days crying over Nicolai and Tessa as I figure out 30948203948 ways in which their story could go on beyond the last page of TCC. But this book is well worth that sacrifice! Do not hesitate to pick it up!
ktwaddle's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
The ending of the book completely ignores the rules the author establishes earlier in the novel, and presents a conclusion that is barely one step better than the “And then I woke up!” cliche. While the premise was engaging, the authors repeated insistence on using derogatory mental health language as a plot point harms the attempted message and character growth. The tension between the two main characters after the “twist” feels manufactured because the only time the main character explores her feelings of betrayal are during dialogue - we as the reader don’t get a strong sense of her true feelings