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A review by betwixt_the_pages
Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond
4.0
Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.
Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.
As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: CIRCUS!; believable characters, plot, and motivations; hints of "magic"; well-researched, accurate; beautiful prose
When Jules "runs away to join the circus," she is actually running from one type of circus (small, family-operated) to a bigger one. She doesn't realize or understand the grudges that come rearing back up with the family's journey into the limelight--or the dangers such grudges hold.
I picked this book up mostly on a whim the last time we were at Hastings. The premise sounded great, and I've recently had a thing for books about the circus (I think this is the fifth one I've read in the last year) but it was, overall, an impulse buy.
I'm beginning to think I should make impulse book-buys a habit.
Gwenda Bond (who I've never read before this) weaves this story masterfully, the tapestry thick with tension, mystery, and beautifully-depicted scenes. I found myself holding my breath for a good portion of this book.
Also, I should mention...there might be just a SLIGHT nod to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet going on here. And I adore the book even more for that.
The characters are realistic, human, and relatable. While they make a living doing feats I'd never even CONSIDER attempting (wire-walking between two buildings more than two stories high? doing a quadruple flip in the middle of the air? I shudder just thinking about it!) they are endearing in their relationships and still perfectly flawed.
There's a sense of mystery layered throughout, as well, as the main characters--Jules and Remy--try to track down and derail the source of decades-old rumors...and the danger lurking in every shadow. As the threats to Jules and her family become more and more prominent, she and Remy find themselves fighting the rest of the world... and each other... for a sense of "safety" that seems all too far out of their reach.
Gwenda Bond is a writer I will be keeping my eyes peeled for in the future; this novel tips its hat toward the circus and all those performers we don't think to give a second thought to...and does so masterfully. Another book added to my favorites shelves; I highly recommend it!
Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.
As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: CIRCUS!; believable characters, plot, and motivations; hints of "magic"; well-researched, accurate; beautiful prose
When Jules "runs away to join the circus," she is actually running from one type of circus (small, family-operated) to a bigger one. She doesn't realize or understand the grudges that come rearing back up with the family's journey into the limelight--or the dangers such grudges hold.
I picked this book up mostly on a whim the last time we were at Hastings. The premise sounded great, and I've recently had a thing for books about the circus (I think this is the fifth one I've read in the last year) but it was, overall, an impulse buy.
I'm beginning to think I should make impulse book-buys a habit.
Gwenda Bond (who I've never read before this) weaves this story masterfully, the tapestry thick with tension, mystery, and beautifully-depicted scenes. I found myself holding my breath for a good portion of this book.
Also, I should mention...there might be just a SLIGHT nod to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet going on here. And I adore the book even more for that.
The characters are realistic, human, and relatable. While they make a living doing feats I'd never even CONSIDER attempting (wire-walking between two buildings more than two stories high? doing a quadruple flip in the middle of the air? I shudder just thinking about it!) they are endearing in their relationships and still perfectly flawed.
There's a sense of mystery layered throughout, as well, as the main characters--Jules and Remy--try to track down and derail the source of decades-old rumors...and the danger lurking in every shadow. As the threats to Jules and her family become more and more prominent, she and Remy find themselves fighting the rest of the world... and each other... for a sense of "safety" that seems all too far out of their reach.
Gwenda Bond is a writer I will be keeping my eyes peeled for in the future; this novel tips its hat toward the circus and all those performers we don't think to give a second thought to...and does so masterfully. Another book added to my favorites shelves; I highly recommend it!