I don't think I've met a circus book I don't like - this felt a little long but the cast of characters are great and pulled me in to the life of this circus so I was happy to keep reading.

This is a beautiful and fascinating tale.
The book is filled with interesting characters
The setting of the book was great to read about.
It is a dark book though with sad parts throughout.

Comparisons with The Night Circus often put me off because as its one of my favourite books, the comparison often falls short and leaves me disappointed. However the opening few pages of this book channelled the same absorbing effect through all the senses in the very real sensation of the heady, buzzing atmosphere of a circus. Also like Night Circus, this is a story rooted in the folk of the circus, and the style of writing very much felt like folklore being told round a campfire. The use of the interviews and letters communicating with the journalist did throw me out of the story unexpectedly, especially in the initial chapters introducing many characters very quickly, but I am so glad I stuck with this one because it really built the sense of a story built through word of mouth.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A Girl Made of Air is a captivating and magical journey through the worlds of a mysterious circus and folklore, written with exquisite care by Nydia Hetherington. This stunning debut seamlessly brings together extraordinary stories of impossible dreams, unforgettable characters, and strange and bewitching tales, all for the greater goal of uniting a mysterious pair.

Nydia has a real knack for detail and is incredibly skilled in conveying emotion, transporting readers deep into the emotional center of the story and her characters. The book is written in a lyrical style and it brings alive the extraordinary sights and sounds of a post-war circus, highlighting the bittersweet beauty that comes from art and the freedom it gives us.

At the heart of A Girl Made of Air is a message of hope, that we can bring even the most fractured of relationships back together, no matter the costs. The story speaks to the power of truth, faith, and reconciliation, all set in a compelling and engaging world. Fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern won’t want to miss this enchanting and breathtakingly creative novel.

The main story is told in flashbacks, with the nameless main character telling her story to a reporter that is doing a story on her life, and she has the reputation of being the greatest funambulist who ever lived, which is a tightrope walker.

The main character is born to a couple, Marina and Manu, who work in the circus, and are legends themselves. However, due to the pregnancy, Marina experiences complications and is not able to perform while expecting or postpartum. As a result, she grows resentful of the child, and clearly neglects her from the beginning. Other circus members try to care for her, but it is Serendipity Wilson who takes her under her wing and begins her training for her circus career.

I wanted to see if I would enjoy this book more than The Night Circus, because that was a book that I didn’t understand the hype for. For this book as well, it simply did not capture my attention. I was intrigued at the beginning, and I don’t know if the formatting of it didn’t help since it was an Advance Review Copy (ARC), but the formatting also threw me off, and did not hold my attention. I pushed myself to finish it since it was from NetGalley, but I was lost on the characters, their personalities, and the theories of how they came to be.

What a magical read! I was in awe with how beautifully written it is. I felt like I was on air throughout reading. Such a bittersweet read. Would recommend to all my pals.

This was like nothing I had read before and exceeded my expectations of what I thought it would be about!

The format had me gripped - I loved that it was made up of letters, news articles, taped interviews. This style of mixed media writing is right up my street and I found the whole book engrossing.

This book was a lot darker than I was expecting but I loved the magical elements to it and think it worked so well. I became completely immersed in this book and didn’t want to put it down!

I requested this as it was promoted for fans of Erin Morgenstern. I loved The Night Circus so thought it would be similar. I just couldn't get into it sadly. I'm not writing the book off completely, with a view I may come back to it, but not at this time sadly.

Pure magic. The story of Mouse and the people around her was so evocative and almost ethereal that I felt like I was dreaming rather than reading. Beautifully narrated.

This was a wonderful and unique debut novel, which read almost like a memoir. I loved the stylistic choice to tell the story through journal entries and letters to uncover the protagonist's story of what it's like to be loved. It really swept me away and the writing used such beautiful language - definitely one to get immersed in!

Beautifully composed, and magically narrated, I thoroughly enjoyed A Girl Made of Air and it worked wonderfully as an audiobook. The narrator subtly stepped into the role of various characters and brought accents and voices to life without caricature but with a great deal of warmth.

The story knits together slowly and satisfyingly. It's not a huge groundbreaking story, but we step right into the heart of the small and detailed world of the protagonist, Mouse, 'the greatest funambulist who ever lived'. For me, it can be just as lovely getting into such an intimate story as it is to sweep through a complicated fantasy world. This novel really lets you get to know the characters and I loved listening to it.
Through Mouse's childlike eyes, with folk tales from Serendipity Wilson woven in between, we experience circus life from behind the wings, with all of its magic and difficulties, as well as delving into the blurs between friendships and family, relationships and the fragility of all things.
When you live your life on a wire, at some point you're bound to fall.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Sadly i'm going to have to DNF this one. I've tried three times since being approved to read it but never manage to get more than a couple of pages because the writing and the plot just do not hook me at all.

Not one for me - as it's a DNF i'll leave a 3* rating as I think that's a fair review.

A little bit different this is an autobiography of the greatest funambulist in the world who has really been through the mill since her conception. Poor mouse has never felt wanted until Serendipity Wilson who has the brightest orange hair joins the circus and teaches her the high wire. Obsessed with Serendipity and her hair Mouse steals some of her hair and puts it in a pendant. Serendipity has a baby who ends up living with her father and moving away from the circus because of Serendipitys mental health. Mouse moves to America after the death of Serendipity to search for the baby who has a matching pendant where she falls in love and begins to write her story. A lovely story well worth a read.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A darker take on the circus story. The writing is OK but unusual in that it lacks flown so feels disjointed at times. The characters feel distant and not very familiar to the reader.
An OK read.

This book was wonderful. Beautifully written and plotted. I had heard rave reviews about this book on social media and was so pleased to find that it lived up to the hype. Highly recommended.

A Girl Made of Air follows a nameless woman, raised as a tight-rope walker in a British circus and hailed as ‘The Greatest Funambulist in the World,’ as she searches for a lost girl from her childhood in New York City. She tells the story of her rise to fame, her tragic past and the magic and stories of her best friend, Serendipity Wilson.

This is a strange book that I initially struggled to get into but, after a while, I was swept up in the magic of the circus and the fairy stories shared by Serendipity. The constant shift between the protagonist’s situation in New York and her past life in the UK kept me hooked as I desperately tried to figure out why she was where she was and how she came to be there. The struggles she faces along the way are gripping, fascinating and, at times, completely heart-breaking.

The best thing about this book is its beautiful writing style. It’s so easy to imagine the circus and Coney Island as she tells her tales, and so many times throughout, I found myself wishing I could experience the magic of one of the shows in the Big Top circus tent. It was immersive, beautifully described and a wonderful blend of historical fiction and magical realism.

I would absolutely recommend this book; however, I have to admit that it is not a quick and easy read. It’s completely worthwhile, but definitely took a lot of concentration to get fully immersed in. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for some magical escapism, this could definitely be for you.

I didn’t have many expectations going in to ‘A Girl Made of Air’ other than what I learnt in the blurb - that it was a circus fantasy tale. As someone who has spent her life working in theatre, the circus has always held a fascination for me – it’s an artform and way of life which is so similar and yet so distant and I was excited to find out more.

A Girl Made of Air is an odd mix of narration; a lot of it is 1st person past tense as the older ‘Mouse’ tells her life story. There is also a few transcripts of conversations and some unrelated folk stories weaved in as well. Although I enjoyed the folktales at the beginning of the story, when I started to get more invested in Mouse’s plight I found them a little annoying as a distraction from the main story. The story itself is rather dark and depressing, we don’t get much of a description of Mouse’s funambulist beginnings or the performance side of the circus which I thought was a little disappointing. I would have loved a little more description about Coney Island as well – it’s such an exciting place to set half of the book in and yet the setting felt like a missed opportunity in this instance as we get description of the house where Mouse lives and a very brief description of her travelling the wire a few times. I found myself not really feeling invested or sympathetic to any of the characters – especially Mouse who makes some silly decisions in places.

The book is fundamentally about a child’s obsession with an adopted mother figure of ‘Serendipity Wilson’ (a woman whose name is always spelled out in full despite there being no other Seprendipity’s in the book!) We get the story of a girl who wanted to find a family, who messed up her chance and who spent her life trying to redeem herself. It’s an ok story and it is genuinely moving in places, but it isn’t exactly action packed or sparkling.

Overall, A Girl Made of Air is a depressing story which is moving in places but missed the opportunity to add some of the flair of the circus into its writing. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a copy of A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington to read and review by NetGalley.
What a fantastic book, in many senses of the word! I absolutely adored this novel. It was beautifully written - in the first person which I love as it gives a real insight into the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. The story was tender but magical and captured a life that I kept wanting to find out more about. In fact there wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t like. I can hardly wait for more outstanding work from this author. Fabulous!

The debut novel, A Girl Made of Air, looked and sounded so promising. Beginning with the narrator reflecting on and sharing her life story as ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’, I was expecting a fantasy themed read along the vein of The Night Circus.

This was, however, not a YA fantasy novel - but a much darker read. I was looking for a circus read with that magical feel to it but it was much sadder and a hard book to get through. I had not been expecting this. Despite solid writing I found it to be slow, not drawn in by the plot or characters and it struggled to hold my interest.

A Girl Made of Air is a book for those seeking a specific read - sadly, that was not me. I am sure there are readers out there who will engage far more with what this book has to offer.

‘I was a silent child, standing in the shadows of my glorious parents, the pocket audience for the lives of my progenitors. As I grew, I became withdrawn from the physical world. I locked myself deep inside the confines of my mind, where I could pretend to be a spirit, a girl made of air and clouds.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.