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A review by travsbookshelf
The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I was intrigued by the premise of a traveling side show troupe that involved supernatural wonders possessed by a few of its attractions. I even liked the mystery and eerie atmosphere throughout the novel, although at times there was some very dark and disturbing stuff. Only a few characters stood out for me in terms of any real interest.
I felt that the real moments when the story got going was about 200+ pages in. The entire first 3/4 of the book seemed so slow and nothing of any major plot line value happened until about the last 150-ish pages. Then it was actually interesting. Nothing too shocking as far as plot twists go, however there were a couple of true surprises. I had trouble with a lot of areas containing dialogue that wasn’t tagged properly to identify which characters were saying what. It got very frustrating.
I did enjoy the scenes where the carnivale’s attractions performed their acts. There was lots of rich details within and it painted a very intriguing picture, particularly in regard to setting and the performances. I didn’t know what to make of the ending. It felt almost like a setup for a sequel. If not, then it was just okay, I guess? Kind of a let down especially for something that was teased in the book’s synopsis.
I’m giving the book a 3.5 star rating. I don’t think this was my cup of tea kind of reading but I did enjoy giving it a whirl. I have to say I’d recommend this for a certain audience, readers who enjoy a traveling side show carnival story.
I felt that the real moments when the story got going was about 200+ pages in. The entire first 3/4 of the book seemed so slow and nothing of any major plot line value happened until about the last 150-ish pages. Then it was actually interesting. Nothing too shocking as far as plot twists go, however there were a couple of true surprises. I had trouble with a lot of areas containing dialogue that wasn’t tagged properly to identify which characters were saying what. It got very frustrating.
I did enjoy the scenes where the carnivale’s attractions performed their acts. There was lots of rich details within and it painted a very intriguing picture, particularly in regard to setting and the performances. I didn’t know what to make of the ending. It felt almost like a setup for a sequel. If not, then it was just okay, I guess? Kind of a let down especially for something that was teased in the book’s synopsis.
I’m giving the book a 3.5 star rating. I don’t think this was my cup of tea kind of reading but I did enjoy giving it a whirl. I have to say I’d recommend this for a certain audience, readers who enjoy a traveling side show carnival story.