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lastblossom 's review for:
Circus of Shadows
by Kimberlee Turley
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy!
tl;dr
Great atmospheric mystery that shifts into a sci-fi adventure, paired with a haters-to-lovers romance. Main character's development gets set back a few times, which may be frustrating to some readers.
About
Gracie Hart is on the run, and when she's caught stealing a ride on a circus train, she figures joining the circus is probably better than going to jail. But her job as a magician's assistant might be more deadly than she expects, especially with strange notes showing up out of nowhere, and a magician obviously keeping a supernatural secret.
Thoughts
Circus of Shadows, Or: The Gaslighting of Gracie Hart. Okay first off, I absolutely devoured this book. Just blazed straight through it. The writing is well-paced and exciting, with mysteries and tension building upon each other and pushing the reader to get in "just one more chapter." The atmosphere is delightfully spooky and tense, and the first few chapters in particular really roll out a troubling mystery. The genre shifts a bit once some soft sci-fi is introduced, but I feel like it was telegraphed well enough that it fits into the rest of the story. Unfortunately, this is where my biggest gripe comes into play. When I read that this was a gaslamp genre book, I didn't imagine that it would also be about love interests lying to the heroine repeatedly until she questioned her own sanity. But there it is. My least favorite plot device is miscommunication, and this book has willful discommunication in spades. Every time Gracie moved forward as a person, a lie would set back her character development, and we'd lose everything that we just gained in the previous chapter. It felt like an incredible disservice to her as a character to keep taking away her gains like that. It also really dragged the romance down, leaving us with a pair that kept taking steps backwards and retreading old arguments. That being said, if you like some haters-to-lovers romance with a dangerous man of mystery, and a touch of romance triangle, this will definitely scratch that itch. Recommended for anyone looking for an atmospheric read that turns into a sci-fi adventure.
tl;dr
Great atmospheric mystery that shifts into a sci-fi adventure, paired with a haters-to-lovers romance. Main character's development gets set back a few times, which may be frustrating to some readers.
About
Gracie Hart is on the run, and when she's caught stealing a ride on a circus train, she figures joining the circus is probably better than going to jail. But her job as a magician's assistant might be more deadly than she expects, especially with strange notes showing up out of nowhere, and a magician obviously keeping a supernatural secret.
Thoughts
Circus of Shadows, Or: The Gaslighting of Gracie Hart. Okay first off, I absolutely devoured this book. Just blazed straight through it. The writing is well-paced and exciting, with mysteries and tension building upon each other and pushing the reader to get in "just one more chapter." The atmosphere is delightfully spooky and tense, and the first few chapters in particular really roll out a troubling mystery. The genre shifts a bit once some soft sci-fi is introduced, but I feel like it was telegraphed well enough that it fits into the rest of the story. Unfortunately, this is where my biggest gripe comes into play. When I read that this was a gaslamp genre book, I didn't imagine that it would also be about love interests lying to the heroine repeatedly until she questioned her own sanity. But there it is. My least favorite plot device is miscommunication, and this book has willful discommunication in spades. Every time Gracie moved forward as a person, a lie would set back her character development, and we'd lose everything that we just gained in the previous chapter. It felt like an incredible disservice to her as a character to keep taking away her gains like that. It also really dragged the romance down, leaving us with a pair that kept taking steps backwards and retreading old arguments. That being said, if you like some haters-to-lovers romance with a dangerous man of mystery, and a touch of romance triangle, this will definitely scratch that itch. Recommended for anyone looking for an atmospheric read that turns into a sci-fi adventure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Death of parent