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heather1999's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
whosevita's review against another edition
4.0
Such an insanely cool premise. Truly something i have never read before. The mystery aspect was also super good. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
summer_winter's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this on audiobook it's one of those ones where I wish I would have read it instead but none the less it was a really good book. One of the most unique and interesting concepts I've read.
jenamatic's review against another edition
3.0
The story is dark, but sweet and funny at times. Sorina suffers tragedy after tragedy basically right up to the end and honestly, my heart bleeds for her. The story telling is well done! Some of the pieces of the end puzzle I was able to guess at starting around the middle of the book but others completely blindsided me. My biggest qualm was probably with the narrator as I listened to this on audible. She did a great job with the voices and the story telling, but the pace was too slow and I had to speed her up. She also changed volume frequently, which wasn’t an issue in itself, but she would whisper too quietly. It was downright inaudible at times and I’d have to listen again, significantly louder, to hear what I missed. That took me out of the story a good bit. Overall it was pretty enjoyable though!
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the most unique books I've ever read! The setting, characters, lore, and story were all wonderful. I really enjoyed the mystery, twists, and turns were things I truly didn't see coming, and made for an exciting read. While the pace was a little slower than what I was used to, I was never bored or unfocused on what was happening, though it got a little tricky at times with the many side characters and politics.
Though not every side character gets a lot of time in the spotlight, the most compelling relationships with main character Sorina were Luca, her sister and mother, and of course her father figure (I'm writing this review at 1am so the names are escaping me). Each relationship was different from the next. Luca in particular was interesting as he created a romantic situation with Sorina.
I truly loved the magic and lore brought to this world, and the strength of Sorina. I found her easy to relate to and was constantly rooting for her. Yes she made mistakes but I never doubted her intelligence and her desire for love and to fit in. She is a great hero and I adored her.
This wasn't my usual fare, but I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it for anyone who loves romantic mysteries with unique characters and carnivals!
Though not every side character gets a lot of time in the spotlight, the most compelling relationships with main character Sorina were Luca, her sister and mother, and of course her father figure (I'm writing this review at 1am so the names are escaping me). Each relationship was different from the next. Luca in particular was interesting as he created a romantic situation with Sorina.
I truly loved the magic and lore brought to this world, and the strength of Sorina. I found her easy to relate to and was constantly rooting for her. Yes she made mistakes but I never doubted her intelligence and her desire for love and to fit in. She is a great hero and I adored her.
This wasn't my usual fare, but I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it for anyone who loves romantic mysteries with unique characters and carnivals!
chemwitch's review against another edition
4.0
It has been a month since I read this book. 4 weeks. 30 days. A ton of hours.
And I remember it?
Before you inevitably say, yeah, no big deal, I read books in high school I still remember years later, let me clarify. I do not remember books.I can sometimes read 3-4 books in a single night at work. I read quickly and I move on. By the end of eight hours I sometimes can't remember the first book I read that night.
But I remember this... pretty clearly? And that kind of sums up what I liked about it, I think. It was so original. I hadn't read another book like it (not to say they don't exist). The things other reviewers have mentioned nagging at them just didn't sit with me, and I actually liked Sorina. I usually enjoy more explanation and world-building but in this book the lack of information really worked for me. I see why people wouldn't like this book. I just happened to enjoy it.
Here's what I didn't like:
-Luca
-predictable murder mystery narrative
-the thing with the "chests" and how she could make her illusions disappear? I didn't get that?
-as others have mentioned, that confusing way that she can "see"
Note: I liked Luca because he was an asexual (demisexual?) love interest and obviously diversity is important and I liked seeing representation in the book but I did not love his overall character. I was more... lukewarm on him. Didn't really care one way or the other.
Here's what I did like:
-Sorina
There are a lot of complaints that she has no personality but I kind of related to her? I didn't have many friends and felt like I was kind of a personality-less teenager and felt crushed under expectations like Sorina. That's all. I acknowledge a lot of people saw her as a character with little personality of her own but I personally liked her.
-Gomorrah
The unexplained stuff did not bother me. Again, I acknowledge it was there but I just didn't notice it during my read. I was stoked to read about Gomorrah every time descriptions came up.
-the illusions + diverse set of characters
-
So, yeah, the book had a lot of issues but I just had fun reading it and enjoyed myself. Solid 3.75/4 stars! (Yeah, I'm quarter-star trash.)
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I don't even know if I'm gonna truly review this book bc it's so hard for me to review books I liked?
But yeah most of the people I follow didn't like this book but I (surprisingly) did like it quite a bit. So you know.... i don't know.
And I remember it?
Before you inevitably say, yeah, no big deal, I read books in high school I still remember years later, let me clarify. I do not remember books.I can sometimes read 3-4 books in a single night at work. I read quickly and I move on. By the end of eight hours I sometimes can't remember the first book I read that night.
But I remember this... pretty clearly? And that kind of sums up what I liked about it, I think. It was so original. I hadn't read another book like it (not to say they don't exist). The things other reviewers have mentioned nagging at them just didn't sit with me, and I actually liked Sorina. I usually enjoy more explanation and world-building but in this book the lack of information really worked for me. I see why people wouldn't like this book. I just happened to enjoy it.
Here's what I didn't like:
-Luca
-predictable murder mystery narrative
-the thing with the "chests" and how she could make her illusions disappear? I didn't get that?
-as others have mentioned, that confusing way that she can "see"
Note: I liked Luca because he was an asexual (demisexual?) love interest and obviously diversity is important and I liked seeing representation in the book but I did not love his overall character. I was more... lukewarm on him. Didn't really care one way or the other.
Here's what I did like:
-Sorina
There are a lot of complaints that she has no personality but I kind of related to her? I didn't have many friends and felt like I was kind of a personality-less teenager and felt crushed under expectations like Sorina. That's all. I acknowledge a lot of people saw her as a character with little personality of her own but I personally liked her.
-Gomorrah
The unexplained stuff did not bother me. Again, I acknowledge it was there but I just didn't notice it during my read. I was stoked to read about Gomorrah every time descriptions came up.
-the illusions + diverse set of characters
-
Spoiler
that scene where she believes her father over Luca bc that felt really believable to me and the emotions she experienced afterwards felt realSo, yeah, the book had a lot of issues but I just had fun reading it and enjoyed myself. Solid 3.75/4 stars! (Yeah, I'm quarter-star trash.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't even know if I'm gonna truly review this book bc it's so hard for me to review books I liked?
But yeah most of the people I follow didn't like this book but I (surprisingly) did like it quite a bit. So you know.... i don't know.
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Can I just say that I really like circus based stories? This one was so lovely and atmospheric...and a little dark, what with someone murdering illusions. I was drawn into the story rather quickly, to the point that I was upset when the first murder occurred in chapter two. I loved the descriptions of sights and smells and sounds, and of course our unique protagonist who is a jynxworker, an illusionist, and she just happens to have no eyes at all. But that doesn't mean that she can't see, because she can. I loved the family Sorina created for herself; they all had such interesting personalities and quirks. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for author Amanda Foody.
shimauchiha's review
4.0
4.5 stars
This book was exactly what I wanted and expected from reading the synopsis. It was fun, fast-paced, easy to read and most importantly it had a great setting. I have a thing for moving festivals as settings for books, whether they are a [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059], a [b:Caraval|27883214|Caraval|Stephanie Garber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465563623s/27883214.jpg|45697227] or in this case, a whole moving city of performers and debauchery.
On top of that, it had a reasonable plot and cast of characters and the writing was good. In general, there was absolutely nothing glaringly wrong with it. It was a fast, easy pleasure to read.
However, I do feel slightly disappointed, not because it was by any means not a great book, but because it could have been so much more than that. I enjoyed reading it, but I wish it had become one of my absolute favourites, like the other two books I mentioned above.
There were a couple of reasons why it was really great but not quite magical:
1) Predictability: Looking at my favourite books I don't think any of them are without a few twists that left me shocked. There were many reveals here as well, but unfortunately, all of them could have easily been guessed pages in advance. Maybe it's because of its YA nature, but either way it's really quite predictable.
2) Lack of depth: It's relatively short for a fantasy stand-alone, so perhaps I expect too much, however, I do think both the characters and the settings could have been explored more. Going back to my examples, In night circus, the circus is as much of a character in the book as anyone else. You get to know the place intimately. It comes alive. Gamorah certainly had the potential and it came close at times but in the end, I can't say that I could really see it as more than the character's home.
On the same note, In Caraval, it's the characters' depth that moves the story along. Their conflicting interests, their hidden agendas, the constant battle between who can and can not be trusted, those are the things that truly make the book special. Here, however, while Sorina and Luka are likeable enough -and I do like their relationship a great deal- I can't say I really felt like I knew or cared about any of the other characters. Sorina talks about how much she cares about her family but as a reader, it was hard for me to care which of them lived or died because I hardly knew them as more than The bickering twins, The flying girl, The overworked older sister, etc.
Conclusion: It seems as if I've spent most of a positive review pointing out the flaws in the book, so I need to clarify again that I liked this book a lot. I do recommend reading it. I only can't help myself in pointing out the negative aspects because of how absolutely incredible I think it could have been, however, that doesn't mean that it's not a really great read as it is. Besides, how often do we get 500 pages stand-alones in fantasy that are worth reading?
This book was exactly what I wanted and expected from reading the synopsis. It was fun, fast-paced, easy to read and most importantly it had a great setting. I have a thing for moving festivals as settings for books, whether they are a [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059], a [b:Caraval|27883214|Caraval|Stephanie Garber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465563623s/27883214.jpg|45697227] or in this case, a whole moving city of performers and debauchery.
On top of that, it had a reasonable plot and cast of characters and the writing was good. In general, there was absolutely nothing glaringly wrong with it. It was a fast, easy pleasure to read.
However, I do feel slightly disappointed, not because it was by any means not a great book, but because it could have been so much more than that. I enjoyed reading it, but I wish it had become one of my absolute favourites, like the other two books I mentioned above.
There were a couple of reasons why it was really great but not quite magical:
1) Predictability: Looking at my favourite books I don't think any of them are without a few twists that left me shocked. There were many reveals here as well, but unfortunately, all of them could have easily been guessed pages in advance. Maybe it's because of its YA nature, but either way it's really quite predictable.
2) Lack of depth: It's relatively short for a fantasy stand-alone, so perhaps I expect too much, however, I do think both the characters and the settings could have been explored more. Going back to my examples, In night circus, the circus is as much of a character in the book as anyone else. You get to know the place intimately. It comes alive. Gamorah certainly had the potential and it came close at times but in the end, I can't say that I could really see it as more than the character's home.
On the same note, In Caraval, it's the characters' depth that moves the story along. Their conflicting interests, their hidden agendas, the constant battle between who can and can not be trusted, those are the things that truly make the book special. Here, however, while Sorina and Luka are likeable enough -and I do like their relationship a great deal- I can't say I really felt like I knew or cared about any of the other characters. Sorina talks about how much she cares about her family but as a reader, it was hard for me to care which of them lived or died because I hardly knew them as more than The bickering twins, The flying girl, The overworked older sister, etc.
Conclusion: It seems as if I've spent most of a positive review pointing out the flaws in the book, so I need to clarify again that I liked this book a lot. I do recommend reading it. I only can't help myself in pointing out the negative aspects because of how absolutely incredible I think it could have been, however, that doesn't mean that it's not a really great read as it is. Besides, how often do we get 500 pages stand-alones in fantasy that are worth reading?
ameyawarde's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot more original than most YA fantasy books I've read, and I really loved the world the author built.. but the end felt rushed, there were a few ends that were not tied up, and also, even knowing all the things, I don't necessarily agree that Sorina should have made the choice she did. Plus, it just feels like it was a world built for multiple books, as so much was hinted at and referred to, but this is supposedly a stand alone?! It was a fun book, but AHHH, I need better closure for several of the threads throughout the book, or at least more books!