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A review by gee_reads_books
The Chaos Circus by Renee Dugan
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!