I DNFed this book at about 30% of the way through. If you were looking for something similar to Caraval or The Night Circus then turn away as you will not find what you are looking for here. It is very poorly written with flat characters, an insta love, two supposed best friends who seem to do nothing but make personal and critical remarks to each other, and a flimsy plot that lacks any substance. It reads like it was written by a teenager and has been allowed to be published as a poor first draft.

Well that was interesting.

Some of the parts in here had me wondering “I don’t think they would do that..”
Cat seemed to be lacking common sense and it was irritating a bit.

Full review on my blog Monday.

I received a digital arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If this would've been a book I had just checked out from the library or bought, I 100% would have DNFed it after the first few pages. I only pushed forward so I could actually review it fairly, knowing I did read the entire thing. It reads like a Wattpad story. The entire thing gives off fan-fiction vibes and while I have nothing against fan-fiction, that's not what I want in my published books.

Everything is prefaced by an adjective or followed by an adverb and the descriptions go on and on, especially in the first quarter of the book. I do not need a detailed description of every bottle and counter and piece of paper.

The only way to explain is to include some excerpts:

Caitlyn grabbed her dirty glass and made her way behind the counter. Her white tennis shoes slapped the linoleum in time with the jukebox. "I'm not sure, actually." she answered, tucking a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.

...she teased, then turned her attention to the hot pink lacquer she was now delicately rolling onto her full lips.

Tossing Caitlyn a bottle, she motioned toward the mirror. Catching the small green container, she turned and sprayed the coconut scented liquid a half dozen times then ran her fingers through her hair. Flopping down on the bed, her long locks kissed the ground on the other side.

Those are just a few examples, but this goes on sentence after sentence. I know plenty of people have no issue with that type of writing and some even like it, but it's definitely not for me. I will say it gets a bit better once the author dives more into the "action" of the story, but it's still there to a certain extent.

There's just a lot of cringe writing and a whole lot of slapping and things being described in way too much detail. The "love story" feels like a joke. The characters lack depth and story feels bland, despite having such an interesting premise.

While some may enjoy this book, I definitely did not and wouldn't really recommend this to anyone. 1/5 stars.

I was excited when I read the synopsis of this book.

Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to my expectations. It wasn't very interesting and I never connected with any character.

I was given a free ARC and I am leaving my honest review.

2’5 stars
As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I was highly intrigued by it. ‘The Night Circus’ is one of my favourite books ever and I thought this book might be quite similar in terms of style and the whimsicality of the story. I personally believe that having a Circus as a setting gives a lot of opportunities to the writer to play with magic, mystery, the different arts of performing, etc.
In ‘Spectacle of Souls’ we meet Caitlin, a girl who has a normal life, has a lovely friend named Vanessa and works in a Dinner. One day they receive the visit of a man who works in the new Circus that has arrived in town inviting them to the show the following day. Both Caitlin and Vanessa decide to go and that’s where Caitlin is going to start knowing a bit more about the weird things that have happened to her during her life, she’ll get to know more about this mysterious Circus and she’ll probably encounter some dark forces.
‘Spectacles of Souls’ is a book that I really enjoyed in some bits, but at the same time, it also felt quite boring in some other chapters. I loved the whole idea of the story, the ‘family’ relationship all the artists have between them, how they play with magic and their powers during the shows, etc.
On the other side, I found some bits of the story to be really slow. I mainly think it was the high number of unnecessary adjectives that made it go so slow. I also believe that most of the plot was highly predictable, there was not a single plot-twist that surprised me. I also have to mention the presence of animals in this Circus. Personally, I am 100% against animals being used in circuses performances and reading about the presence of a tiger and other animals pulled me off a little bit.
Overall, I think this was a good story but not developed in the best of ways. As I said, it is quite enjoyable in chapters and not so much in others.

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>
<b> 1.75 stars</b>
I wish I had better things to say about this, I really do. The description sounded so interesting - it sounded like Night Circus meets murder mystery, but instead this feels like a not-great fan fiction of the Night Circus?

The writing feels immature and very wordy for very little action, including needless dialogue, juvenile interactions (the first third of the book feels likewatching teenagers obsess over boys for the most part).

Further, the storyline was utterly predictable. I was promised dark and twisted in the blurb but instead got predictably bad decisions and mostly inane dialogue, with super cringey and one-dimensional characters , who lacked any depth and development.

The concept of this book is quite magical. It promises mystery and being that it is “new adult,” I expected mature characters with a well developed plot and relatable dialogue. Unfortunately, I got none of that.
The characters who are post high school age act as if they are 15. The dialogue is cheesy and over the top. Sometimes dialogue is written that way on purpose, perfectly matching the vibe of the book, but that’s definitely not the case here.
The author would sometimes jump back and fourth between 3rd person pov limited to 3rd person omniscient and it never made sense. It was always very jarring and confusing as a reader during those moments.
This book takes place at a carnival shrouded in mystery but the villain lacks any sort of depth and the mysterious nature is abandoned pretty early, more so because I think the author just forgot to keep making it seem mysterious.
There was a budding romance that I felt would help inspire me to finish the book however it turned insta-lovey really fast.

I try to stay constructive with my reviews and I never want to discourage anyone from reading or writing a book, but this book fell quite flat for me.
Hopefully this book works out for you because unfortunately it didn’t for me!

Thanks to netgalley & bleeding ink publishing for giving me an ARC to read and review early.

Overall, I rated this book four out of five stars. A spectacle of Souls by Jessica Julien has a gorgeous deep blue cover and a summery that instantly made me excited to read it!

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Following Caitlyn and Daniel’s journey was amazing and intriguing, their characters were well written and pretty well developed. I would have loved to get to know the circus and it’s workers abilities a little better.

I absolutely love stories with magic and circus and mystery and cruel villains, while it took me a few chapters to become completely invested into the story, i eventually become hooked and could not put it down until I had finished it.

This review is available to be viewed on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3369453581

This book has an absolutely stunning cover and a premise I was interested in: Creepy Circus. That’s unfortunately where it ended. The writing was over-written, descriptions went on forever. I didn’t really connect to the main character and her best friend seemed more like a caricature than a real person.
There were phrases used that no teenager would actually use and the romance felt rushed, there was nothing holding me onto it. I wanted to like this book but it was a bit of a slog to get through. At one point I just didn’t want to anymore.
I really wanted to like this book but it was unfortunately not holding my interest anymore. When you’re reading a book the thought “why do I need to know every detail about how this looks” should never cross your mind. But it happened a lot.

3.75 stars. I loved the premise and plot line of this story. The main characters were developed well and I was pulled in by the love story and the dynamics of the Ringmaster. The writing could have been better and the story could have held more surprises/layers, but I still loved it.

A Spectacle of Souls follows Caitlyn as she experiences mysterious headaches and migraines. When a circus comes to town, she meets Daniel: a hypnotic magician who seems to know what’s really behind those headaches. But there is something sinister going on at the circus, as Caitlyn struggles to unlock her dormant powers and regain her lost memories.

This book had a beautiful cover and intriguing premise. I’m always interested in a mysterious circus and magical powers. However, I found myself let down by the execution. The writing was cheesy, contained awkward cliches, and overall was very simplistic. This book felt confused about what it wanted to be. You could say it is intended to appeal to younger readers with the style of writing, but there were also cringy attempts at romance and trite instalove.

While I did laugh a lot, I don’t think I was supposed to find the book this funny. I thought the writing lacked a consistent flow and created more of a confused than compelling atmosphere. It was difficult to connect with these characters. This story could have benefitted from additional editing and perhaps more feedback from young adults. I understand that this book was trying to accomplish a lot, but it unfortunately fell flat for me.

Nevertheless, this book did succeed in making me want to eat tacos. Those taco descriptions really were spectacular.

A Spectacle of Souls releases on July 7, 2020. Thank you to Bleeding Ink Publishing and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley.

This book was just okay. It was well written and kept your attention, but I just couldn’t get into it. It really wasn’t a bad book. I went through it fairly fast and it was very easy to read.
Some of the characters were very interesting but others weren’t. I think that it would be very interesting to see the background of some of the other characters. I feel like this book mainly focused on Cat, the Ringmaster, Daniel, and sometimes Vanessa. If it would’ve focused on some of the other character, I think it would’ve been a lot better. I also feel like there wasn’t a lot of action. It was just small event after small event.
One thing I did enjoy was learning about Cat and watching her grow. She seemed very dull and depressed at the beginning but then towards the end she turned exciting. Once I got about halfway through the book, it got a lot more interesting.
I would recommend this book to someone who wants a quick and easy read. I wouldn’t recommend it to a lot of people. They would have to be a certain type of person who would enjoy it.

E-ARC provides by Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours (thank you so much!)

A Spectacle of Souls is a bloody, drama-filled story about a girl named Caitlyn has secret powers. A contemporary novel that revolves around a troupe with a shady ringmaster, it joins a genre that has become incredibly popular with novels such as The Night Circus and Caravale, but in my opinion, it’s still able to stand out.

Firstly, I liked all of the characters, even the antagonist. Caitlyn is a kind-hearted, seemingly normal gal that cares a lot about her friends. I felt bad for her throughout the whole novel. Like damn girl.... talk about a baaaaaad time. She rarely had a break from heartache. The only thing I’m iffy about is her power (it’s definitely over-powered) but the twist with it is interesting. Daniel is a sweet and goofy guy and a cute love interest. The side characters have (for the most part) parts too small to judge but a few (Lottie, Vanessa, Meg etc) are all pretty interesting and I hope the next installment will give us better insight into their stories and personalities.

My one gripe with the novel is the insta love between Daniel and Caitlyn. I’m a total romantic but even I don’t jive well with insta love. I mean I get it but I like my novels to have the getting together part take more time. But Daniel is so likeable and caring that it makes sense? I feel like the long drawn out stuff comes with LIs that are less straight up good guy and Daniel is straight up just a good guy.

The antagonist.... I couldn’t help but feel bad for them. I won’t say anything but their ending actually made me happy. It goes against the cliche I see and that makes me veeeeery happy.

The writing style is simple and easy to read. I estimate that I read this in less than five hours. That’s not a bad thing though! When it gets to Caitlyn discovering her potential, it really gets going and is a breeze to get through.

The magic system is pretty interesting and the Spirit Realm seems like a very interesting concept. I bet it’ll be explored more in the next novel and I can’t wait.

Overall this was an enjoyable read (albeit pretty depressing for most of the novel! Very bloody....) and I can’t wait for the next book! I wanted more explanation and exploration of characters and I hope it’ll deliver!

Well I started off really into the story. It was unlike any story I’ve read before. I do feel the villain to be a little predictable and kind of corny. It was an interesting enough plot to keep you hanging in.

This was a very interesting novel. It's about this girl named Caitlyn that has been ensnared by the Ringmaster of this circus that came to her small-town. With the help of a psychic, seamstress, and a magician they are determined to overthrow the Ringmaster and save themselves before falling into his spectacle of souls.

This novel was absolutely amazing, and I highly recommend anyone who loves reading fantasy, romance, and brilliant writing.

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
A novel involving a circus loses the appeal for me for the most part. I couldn't find the connection to the main character that would be needed to enjoy this book.

I'm with a couple of the other reviewers who feel a vague sense that they've read this before but can't remember where. Perhaps it's that every creepy circus book turns out to hinge on this same central premise: a "regular" person who doesn't know they're special but who the circus wants to claim as its own stumbles into the big top and Mayhem ensues... I like the way it began, but a handful of chapters in it started to lose my interest and I felt like I was forcing myself to keep turning pages. The writing was a little rough and felt like it needed a stronger edit than it got. There were a number of typos, I know these are Advanced copies so that is to be expected, but the more there are the more difficult I find the read - especially when the writing isn't as tight as it could be. And I agree with those critical of the use of threatened suicide as a good choice for avoiding the RingMaster... That one made me cringe. I think there's a really interesting premise here, I just felt like some of the magic got lost in the execution...

Jumping in the first chapter, I had a hard time with the amount of adjectives to content— hardly holding my interest. But I pushed on because I love the circus, and this posed an interesting story! All in all I did like the story, but the writing, wording and style could all use a little refinement.

If you like water for elephants, this is basically the same story only with the addition of magic.

A main complaint I have is the violence is used so much and so many people die that I as the reader became desensitized to them and it no longer help power or meaning. A note to the author is to use these means sparingly to make the reader feel the feelings stronger. Also, the ending was too nice a tiny bow, all the ends tucked in tight.

I was actually thoroughly impressed by this book. Absent a few critiques, I thought it was fun and exciting and perfect for someone looking for a nice, easy read!

The novel follows Caitlyn, a small town girl with some killer migraines. However, a circus comes into town (along with a hot magician) and Caitlyn's world is turned upside down. Those migraines end up actually being psychic powers and the circus is run by The Ringmaster, a brutal man who will do anything in his power to keep control of the circus troupe.

As the story unfolds, Caitlyn must save the troupe from The Ringmaster and learn how to master her abilities. I thought it was such a fun story! Daniel, the magician, and Caitlyn have a nice dynamic. I loved Caitlyn's sassy friend Vanessa and I thought there was some fun backstories. Once Caitlyn got to the circus, I was fully invested in her and her story.

As far as critiques, I thought the book was too short. I really think there could've been some more development, such as the relationship between Daniel and Caitlyn and Caitlyn learning to use her powers. Those are the things I love and, with such a great story line, I think it's completely acceptable to make it a longer book. I also felt some transitions were a little abrupt, but it didn't kill the book for me.

Overall, I would suggest this to a friend!

The cover is beautiful and the summary pulls you in, but the writing is dull, occassionally cheesy, and is more tell than show. Too much eye rolling. Too many adjectives. The story started off with too many descriptions but I'm glad it didn't last too long. The pacing stumbled making some sections feel longer than necessary. I do think the appearance of the circus was described well though.

The MC was bland, and her instalove relationship earned eye rolls from me (hardy-har-har). Sometimes the who-is-who cast of characters was hard to keep straight. I've read a few books lately that are similar to this one and this one doesn't stand out.

I try to be constructive with my reviews especially because I don't want to discourage anyone from writing but I honestly had a hard time finding much to like in this book. A lot of development and fine tuning would be needed for me to love it. If I had borrowed this book from the library and had not received it from NetGalley, I probably would have abandoned it after a few chapters.