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thebookmouse 's review for:

A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
5.0

A Girl Made of Air is the story of Mouse, born unwanted by her parents but finds a home in Serendipity Wilson and the circus where she learns to become The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived. This is a debut novel from Nydia Hetherington and is a dark and lyrical tale of the darkness behind the curtains of the circus.

I was nervous picking this book up, because despite it sounding wonderful, historical fiction is not a genre I have read much of. I have read a total of one book about a circus before this one, that being The Night Circus, and I had heard A Girl Made of Air was to have a similar essence to that story but I can't help but disagree. I feel that A Girl Made of Air has a lot more going on than The Night Circus, and the characters were more developed and real. It is a dark story with a lot of sorrow. You are present with Mouse through it all. The only part of the circus you ever see is the glitz and the wonder and I like how A Girl Made of Air shows the grime and the sour sides that a customer would never.

I felt for Mouse, whose name you never learn, and how her life someone could assume from the outside should have been wondrous and happy, but instead is harsh. How her parents should have loved her, but they didn't. And how all of these things can break a person, and make her the timid and awkward person she becomes behind the brilliant Funambulist front. The cast of characters that surround her are also so robust and feel real, which makes listening to the story unfold wonderful.

My favourite thing about this novel was the way in which it was written. I love mixed media in books and Nydia has woven the story through the narrative of Mouse, tales from Serendipity Wilson and diary entries. I think having a story told this way is a more interactive way of reading. Nydia has a wonderfully floral writing style that ties it all together and really allows the reader or listener to be completely enveloped in the world.

It is a wonderful first novel from Nydia and I have no doubt her next novel will be just as special.

Happy Publication day!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.