Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC

What’s not to love about a circus story? Especially one with magic and supernatural! The story moved at a really good pace and although I lost a bit of interest one stage this was more about the behaviour than the story and after a few days away I got back into it and could not put it down.
The romance was only there lightly and did not take away from the actual story line but rather added to it. The relationship and love that the villains partner had for him was also something as was the determined friend who also wouldn’t let the main character disappear.
Overall a great story that had a me not wanting it to finish. I would also be interested if there is going to be a follow up book.

Unfortunately I had to DNF due to writing style. Wasnt my cup of tea unfortunately. It simply was hard for me to get through and how I wanted to love it. The synopsis was fantastic but it fell short for me.

I had high hopes for this soul-sucking circus plot, but it just wasn't what I needed. This is the story of Caitlyn. When a circus rolls into her small town, she is forced to learn about her own latent psychic abilities. The ringmaster seeks to use her gift for his own gain. How can Caitlyn protect herself from the (literal) mind games he'll play to get what he wants?

Things I liked: 1) vivid descriptions and 2) a strong girl friendship (one says to the other, "I'm going to save you, you bitch!" which is a sure sign of a bond for life).

Things that didn't work for me: 1) a sometimes clunky writing style with overhanded adverb usage, 2) a stock, overpowered ya fantasy heroine/girl next door, and 3) insta love to complete the cookie cutter plot (also, boo generic gender roles). In the end, these things conspired to prevent me from liking the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bleeding Ink Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book started out really well. It was inventive, exciting, alluring and intriguing. I wasn't sure where the storyline was to go.

"He could kill us," he said gently.
"Wouldn't you rather die fighting for our freedom than let him kill us slowly as his prisoners?"
Daniel let out a breath and looked to the tent where cheers from the audience echoed through the night. "You can't do this alone."
"You're right. Which is why we are all fighting together."'


When you pair the dazzling elements of the circus with the complications of romance, murder, magic and mayhem wrought by its acts and ringmaster, you can be sure you're in for a highly entertaining story and for about half of it, that's precisely what we got. However, halfway through A Spectacle of Souls some of that initial excitement and wonder was waylaid. It started to lose steam and attraction. The plot line didn't necessarily stagnate but it did meander and take twists and turns that just felt forced rather than organic to the original storyline.

The main heroine was a bit wishy-washy. I found her a little dull for the female protagonist role. She was neither very courageous but neither was she a coward. She was middling in her assertions and ambitions. Her personality a little lackluster. I feel for these kinds of epic fantasy romance stories we need to have strong leads or they get washed out by all of the mysticism and chaos that is prevalent around them. And that's what I feel happened here. We were left with big revelations and deaths. Strange worlds full of souls. A circus inhabited by magical beings. Yet a hero and heroine who were neglected. They weren't complex or interesting enough to really fall in love with.

It was a good story, though with the key elements utilised here it could have been something extravagant, something spectacular. In the end however it was just engaging enough to see me through to the end.

Well this book is a bit slow, some situations I did not understand, I did not know that there was a pre-sneaks and I think that affected me with my reading, I think it will be difficult to know how to rate it more.

I am very torn about leaving a review as I DNF'd the book a few chapters in. I normally would not review a book I DNF'd but I will say that if you like reading useless description--a lot of constant description of everything in the scene--and a MC who reads like an angsty teenager, then this book might be for you. Seriously, I cannot stress how much description and regurgitated thesaurus is in this book. I was excited about the book's description as I love a good mysterious circus story but holy, description and shallow character Batman.

This is one time I feel cheated by a book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bleeding Ink Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I thought there would be a more intense and better mystery to this book, but it still kept me intrigued. There were quite a few predictable moments and some of the dialogue seemed repetitive and not needed. I still enjoyed most of the story! Thank you for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

I love a good story with a band of misfits coming together to solve a problem. Unfortunately, it didn't really deliver. I felt the characters were pretty 2 dimensional and the relationships didn't seem that genuine. The dialogue was a little off and the prose/writing just felt a little juvenile to me. This book was also very predictable at many points and I wasn't that impressed with where the plot was going. This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately just turned out to be another average YA book. I am sure readers trying to get into YA fantasy would enjoy this but it was just not for me.

A note for the publisher, I wish the archive date came with a little of a warning before the archive date suddenly sprung upon us. I wasn't able to download the book because of the sudden archive date but luckily my friend had an ARC and since I was already approved she let me use her kindle account to read the book.

This book was suddenly archived without prior deadline, and while the book is not yet published. Therefor I did not get the chance to read this story. I find it sad that there was no warning whatsoever.

This novel drew me in from the start with its spooky atmosphere, compelling characters and well-written story. The pacing was strong as the main character is drawn into a wild mix of supernatural events, quirky small-town folk with secrets to hide, and personal demons that conspire to end them all. Some great twists and characters that are nuanced and tough to figure out who is good and bad- some may be both! Recommended.

Enchanted circus.... Repressed psychic powers.... Mysterious cute boy... Enigmatic Ringmaster? SIGN ME UP! I was so excited to read A Spectacle of Souls. Until I actually read it. Caitlyn is a waitress in a one stoplight town, with no opportunities. She has a spunky, sexy best friend named Vanessa, and an on-again, off-again crush named James, who works with her. Her life is good, if a little boring. The only bad thing in her life, other than the monotony, is her paralyzing migraines. But after a really cute boy, in a tattered top hat, comes into the diner with a flyer for the circus, Caitlyn's life will never be the same. She's been hiding an enormous power in her mind, and she'll need it to save her life. Sounds fantastic, right? That premise has the perfect elements, it just falls a little flat in execution. The writing itself feels a little juvenile, and the dialogue is unnatural. Neither Caitlyn or the other characters really have any depth. She will declare something, and then in the same sentence, declare the opposite. I couldn't keep track of her thoughts, emotions, motivations. The only element of the story that drew me in was the circus itself. Now, that was intriguing. The background of it was really cool. All the performers, with their own special powers, and the illusions, with some actual magic interspersed, was magnetic. Unfortunately, it was not enough to redeem the book from all the other problems. I do think that with some refinement, this book could be great. I am not closing the door on the rest of the series, since this is the first book. Maybe the story will grow enough to fill the expectations ignited by its premise. Although this book was not for me, I do think it could be enjoyable for a younger reader.
2 stars

I was provided a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Bleeding Ink and Netgalley.

I adore a circus setting, they really lend themselves to creepy dark magic. The cover adds to that feeing ... toss in a YA romance and I'm good to go. It took me a second to get into this story as things were set up but once it hit part two I was totally enthralled. Caitlyn and Daniel were interesting characters but you know I'm a villain gal, so the Ringmaster!! OH YUM! I see there is a sort of prequel short and I'll be all over that as soon I get a second.

I really enjoyed the dimension of the Ringmaster and the vibe once we were more fully in the circus setting. In part three the magical aspects grow thicker, which I also loved. On a super thank you so much note to the author, the story has an end, no cliffhanger, and yet there is room more. I sure hope there is more....

Recommend for fans of YA/Teen para-romance

This book reeled me in with its beautiful cover (look at it!!! stunning!!!) and promise of a New Adult circus fantasy.

However, this didn't feel much like New Adult--the characters acted and spoke like high schoolers (honestly, I forgot it wasn't YA). It immediately turned me off the story when the main character started putting herself down as ordinary or not as talented at makeup as her best friend. The best friend is also kind of slutty and rich--the direct opposite of the main character, of course. That friendship dynamic is exhausting to read and can burn. Additionally, the writing was sort of weak and amateurish. I DNF'd around 25% after some skimming, because I simply had no interest in the story or characters. A hard pass from me.

Honestly not sure what I read here. It was quite slow and in many places very confused. I understand there is a prequel which I have not read, so factor that into the equation. Otherwise I think this might just be a style that doesn't suit me.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not going to lie on bit guys. A Spectacle of Souls was just really weird and confusing. It didn't even help to have a buddy read this with me because we were constantly confused.. about the entire book. Plus, what happened towards the end was entertaining but it made no sense whatsoever.

In it, you will meet Caitlyn. I get that she's the main character.. but she basically does absolutely nothing the entire book. Not sure what was going on in her head.. but she let a ton of people die.. and then was sad about it. I mean.. she didn't try to help or nothing. So, yeah.. she did nothing for me but annoy me constantly.

Then there's this whole circus and they all seem to be okay with people mysteriously disappearing? Like it was a regular Tuesday kind of thing and it was no big deal. What the what.. all these people are crazy. Plus the whole bad guy suddenly turns good and everything goes back to sunshine and rainbows?

I'm sorry.. but not today Satan.

In the end, this book would've been a heck of a lot better if they did the following: 1) explain these freaking powers and how they came to get them. 2) what the realms really are and how they can be "one" with them. 3) the inner voice telling her people were hiding things.. and she should've listened. Last, but not least, the damn pacing. I felt like 75% of this book was painfully slow and I had no idea how long I was staring at pages trying to make sense until things finally picked up.

This book was pretty confusing. I felt like abilities weren't explained and the spirit world made little sense. I also didn't care for Caitlyn, it seemed like she was helpless for the majority of the story and stood by while people were being murdered. The "voice" kept telling her she was stronger than the Ringmaster and could beat him, but he bested her again and again.

I did think the powers people had were cool and would have loved more explanation on how they work, how people get them, and how they can be taken away. I also felt like Caitlyn's own powers could have a lot of potential but it wasn't clear.

The romance with Daniel was a bit instalove, but he did treat her well and tried to help her. I have questions about him still and think he may have a darker past than we know about.

The ending was frustrating to me. People died, but it was like oh no big deal, it's fine. And I felt like after all the darkness the characters went through, the ending was way too happy and perfect. Evil people need to pay for their crimes and that didn't happen here.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

A Spectacle of Souls is about a small town girl named Caitlyn who suffers from constant headaches and hearing voices. When her and her best friend go to the circus in town, Caitlyn gets more than what she's bargained. She learns her headaches are caused by an unrealized psychic ability that the crazed Ringmaster hungers for. In order to protect the ones she loves, she must join the circus and defeat the Ringmaster.

The book starts off fairly slow. The plot is so bogged down with tiny details and useless information that it's hard to get into. The characters themselves are a bit flat and any chemistry seems a bit forced - ok, extremely forced. None of the relationships were believable to me. When something unfortunate happens to several of the characters, I couldn't bring myself to care at all. The only reason I gave a rating of 3 stars is the antagonist. So much more detail and thought went into this character. He could have easily been the main character and I'd be fine with whatever evil whims crossed his demented mind while he struggles to contain his own ability.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Julien for giving me access. Not only did I receive an eARC, I also had the chance to beta read A Spectacle of Souls prior to the advanced copy.

The moment I started this book, I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. Well, I did, but only because of my dang duties as a mother - love my kids, don't get me wrong.

This story is a continuation of The Ringmaster, but the MC is the protagonist while the Ringmaster is the antagonist. In fact, this story might have been even more dark and competing than the prequel.

Jessica does an amazing job at drawing the reader in the story, submersing them in the world she creates. I cannot wait for book two for this story to continue because like the Ringmaster, I NEED MORE.

Since this story ends with tacos, can book 2 end with lasagna? LOL

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book is really pretty and seems magical. Sadly the story does not really live up to it.

Okay, this book seemed a bit cheesy. The romance between Caitlyn and Daniel was the typical insta attraction that seems pretty prevalent nowadays. I do prefer when it isn't love at first sight. Also, Caitlyn has no common sense (neither does Vanessa). Although Cirque des Voles would have been really fun to visit with its illusions and magic, you should not go around drinking multiple shots of unknown liquids given to you by strangers! And you shouldn't let strange men into your apartment, especially if they made you drink something the night before! The adult me could not stop thinking about the poor choices that Caitlyn made and so I did not really enjoy the story.

The characters seemed pretty flat, especially at the circus and if one died, I did not really care. More should have been added to make the characters real.

The Ringmaster is a good villain though. I like the little excerpts with his point of view. He is creepy and evil. And he is the perfect description of power hungry, literally.

I was able to finish this book but I do not think I would read any more in the series.

* arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A Spectacle of Souls is an average start for what I hope will be an amazing series . Hidden powers and dark mystery converge in a story reminiscent of Night Circus to create a familiar and yet eerie feeling for readers of the genre.

There is room for improvement in servral areas from a romance subplot that can at best be called insta love to seriously uneven pacing between the two halves of the book. Conceptually this is a very strong story and I have great expectations for the rest of the series.