I was intrigued by this one because of the title and the cover. Both are just really enticing. I did like certain aspects of this book but there were also a lot that I didn’t like or they just felt rushed which is why this book ended up not being one that was for me.

The first thing that didn’t work for me was the labeling of this book. It is labeled as YA but I think that the target genre is more Middle Grade. This is just how the writing style is and I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. I do think that someone in the Middle grade would really enjoy this over a teen.

The book is split into past memories and present time. I always like double timelines so this was fun to see.

I did enjoy seeing where Frankie’s story took her. There was a lot of mystery surrounding her and this circus she kept dreaming about. That part easily pulls in a reader. The thing is, I just think there were too many topics put into the plot and some of them just didn’t get fleshed out enough because of the length of the book. The ending also was rushed and I just hate when that happens.

Overall, it was okay but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

While I was very intrigued by this book from the description, it fell flat for me in some areas. Mostly, because I wasn't really sure who this book is for. Meaning, the type of reader. There's a certain style and a way of addressing certain topics that is different for each type and age of reader, and for me, this one had a bit of a disconnect.

I enjoyed the premise and the easy to follow plot. Sometimes I felt I could recommend this to my middle schooler and other times to my high schooler, however as a whole I couldn't recommend to either. I think this might do well with adults and older teens that enjoy reading middle grade novels.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC of The Life and Deaths of Frankie D!

The cover and synopsis are really what got me intrigued, hooked, and more. But once I read it, I felt like this book should really go more for Middle-Grade rather than Young Adult. The characters and world-building are all very interesting, I found the concept of this dream-world and trying to find Frankie's other life very intriguing to read, but the more I found out about her character during the first half, the less I liked this book. Her entire personality at first consists of her character being goth, and no one else is goth-like her (which is kind of outdated, in the year 2020, because no one really cares if you're goth or not) and her life with her foster mom. Some of the side characters mainly fell flat as well, most of them like her foster mom and Max didn't really strike me as an important character to remember.

The plot also kind of fell flat for me too. I felt like it was too focused on the world-building and on Frankie's character and her problem with her dreams that when it came to the final conflict that it just kind of wasn't what I was anticipating. Although I do have to say that I did enjoy the parallels between Frankie's life and the 'Alligator's Girl' and I liked how the author included Egyptian mythology. I did find that really interesting and what saved my attention at the end.

I did enjoy this book, but I feel like the genre didn't quite fit the audience it was targeted. Instead of Young Adult, I can see this book going for Middle Graders 12+.

Life and Deaths of Frankie D. by Colleen Nelson

Not only is the copy o read an ARC but a promotional ARC! Very cool, the author’s note to the reader about the origins of the story is enough to hook you. I saw that the audience age is 12-15 I am waaay off the demographic and on the surface this is not my genre but the passion in the author’s writing forced me to read this story and what a pleasant surprise.

A story about a “reptile girl” and a traveling freak show from the 1920’s is not something I would normally pick. I looked past my biases and read on to discover Frankie (who should be renamed Frankie the Brave) a girl with no memory of her life before the age of 10 and her social worker foster mom. Through her dreams Frankie discovers the past which impacts her present and future.

I devoured this book in one day. With Egyptian folklore a large part of the story I am left desperate for stories of mummy’s and curses but I feel it will be hard to find one that combines folklore and a modern girl with such entertainment and ease.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this Arc in exchange for a honest review...

Not going to lie, I kinda fell in love with the cover of this book.

Frankie, a Foster child is currently living with her care worker Kris. Frankie has no memory of her life before meeting Kris, she then starts having dreams about a travelling circus and a child called Francis with reptile like skin.

I got a few chapters in and I was enjoying it, but being introduced to Frances the child, my liking for the book started going. Frances is a 9/10 year old child who to me is written too much as an adult, she was thinking and talking too much like a grown adult and not a child, that really put me off. Although I absolutely loved how it incorporated greatest show man and AHS vibes, Egyptian preists, afterlife and immortality.

This would be great for teens who love travelling circuses, diversity, freakshows and mysteries!

I would like to thank Colleen Nelson and net galley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Life and Deaths of Frankie D. is a bit of all genres, the two that stood out the most would be thriller and mystery. We follow Frankie a foster child who is now in her 3rd foster home with a dark and mysterious past. Frankie was found in an alleyway around the age of ten with a rare skin condition malnourished and dehydrated with a severe concussion. After resting and recovering in the hospital they soon found she could not recall anything from her past. I cannot say I saw the ending coming. I enjoyed the plot that involved Egyptian mythology intertwined into a historical fiction part. The book itself felt very well researched and not for a moment did I doubt factuality of the historical parts of the life and deaths of Frankie D. The first 100 or so pages were more of an explanation and the ending felt rushed. I do believe that if the book were longer by like 300 or so pages and the story was more stretched out it would be so much better. Besides that, it was honestly a really good book. I recommend this book to people who love diversity and scary mysterious that leave you wondering how.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**Trigger warning for themes of sexual assault and child exploitation. They aren't main themes of the story however if these are triggering for you in any way, perhaps consider not reading it. I went into this not knowing so hopefully this will help others in making their choice to read this book.**

3.5/4 Stars.

A moving and fantastical tale, that was filled with mystery. I thought that this was going to be more 'travelling show magical fantasy' and less set in the real world. But I did enjoy how the story unfolds, how the main character, Frankie, grows and discovers more about herself and her past.

It was a quick and easy to read story, well written and filled with emotion. It is easy to connect to the characters, their motivations and dreams. I did find the 'villain' a little lacklustre, I wanted perhaps a little more from him, to build up to the ending. But all in all, I really enjoyed this book.

dnf at page 66

trigger warning
<spoiler> trauma, ptsd </spoiler>

Foster kid Frankie has the same dream every night, which leads her guardian to believe that this might be the key to unlocking Frankie's past.

Let me start with this: I broke off because of the pain Frankie experiences. The book may lack in some aspects, but I found the depiction of PTSD very realistic - too realistic for my liking. Since my mental health is not in a good place, either, I have had to stop reading this.

Frankie is very fixated on being a goth, which leads me to believe that we might have a late middlegrade or early ya on our hands. I've been there. I don't think it's exaggerated, but it's certainly annoying to read in some parts.
Especially if you get contradictions like Frankie telling you being goth is liking rot and decay, but then she's disgusted about the task of having to clear out the fridge. I don't think it's sloppy writing in this case, but a flawed character. Listen, you do and say stupid things when you're growing up.

I love the relationship between Frankie and her guardian. You see that they've had some difficulties and are very careful with each other, but also open. There are no lies between them, which is cool.

Some things felt rushed to me, as if the author had a list in their had that needed to be ticked off, or as if some parts had been written beforehand and needed to be patched together. It would have been nice to have more space for this novel and then get more details.

Again, the reason for dnf-ing this book is me, not the story. In different circumstances, I would have read on, so I can give no concluding thoughts.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

This story was such an interesting read. The premise is unique, the characters are well developed, and the story was intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At times, some things did feel over the top/ the MC’s reactions to certain things could have been more realistic, but aside from that, this was a very enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not really sure where to start on this one...I have mixed feelings on how I should rate it and feel. I liked this book and the overall storyline. I really enjoyed the Egyptian history and the plot twists, but they felt predictable and almost underexplored. Anyone could have Googled the information in here, and besides the medical condition, everything was an easy Wiki-Page search away.

I do wish there was more about what Frankie discovers about her family. It was a harsh side story that was really underdeveloped. Overall it was an okay read and I feel like others would really love it, just not entirely me.

This review will appear on my blog and Goodreads on November 22, 2020.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this title in exchange for honest review.

Introduction

Nothing about Frankie's life has ever been normal. As a child, she was found in an alley with no memory of who she was, who her family was, or why she would be left alone.

Years later, she still has no idea about what happened in her past, and she'd like to keep it that way. But then, she starts having dreams about a hundred year old circus. It shouldn't have anything to do with her, but somehow it all feels strangely familiar as she sees the circus through the eyes of a sideshow act. Could the dreams of this circus be the thing that unveils the mystery shrouding Frankie's past? Will she even be able to face the past she's buried so deeply?

Content

This book feels like it would be better aimed at a middle grade audience than a young adult one, but because of a few mature scenes, it has to be labelled young adult rather than middle grade. This book mentions three different instances of assault on different characters, so it would be a bit too heavy for middle grade readers.

Unfortunately, the rest of the story feels like a middle grade novel, so it feels a little immature for those wanting to read a young adult novel, save for the instances of assault.

Pacing

The pace was very fast, which was great in some ways and a little difficult in others. The fast pace made the heavier events like the assaults feel rushed, and they weren't quite felt at a depth that I think they deserved. The fast pace also made it hard to truly connect to any of the characters. However, the fast pace of the book meant that there was always something going on. There were no parts of the book that felt unnecessary or like they were there just to take up space, which I liked.

Characters

I thought our protagonist, Frankie, was okay. Parts of her character felt a little immature, like how she referred to pretty much all girls as an "April" Things like this definitely contributed to the story feeling more like a middle grade novel. However, I adored seeing how fiercely she cared about Kris and Jessica.

Kris was my absolute favourite because it was obvious how much she cared for Frankie, and I loved that she had a role in the book, so many books introduce parents because they feel like they have to, but don't really give them any character, so it was really nice to see a guardian have some personality.

Conclusion

Overall, I thought this book was okay. The fast pacing makes it a very easy read, so if that's what you're looking for, this book might be for you.

(I received an ARC from Dundurn Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review! Thanks to both for trusting me with 'The Life and Deaths of Frankie D.')

If you ask anyone who knows me beyond superficial acquaintanceship, they will tell you that I'm so into circus-themed stories, I'm a pretty big clown myself. J(ust kidding about being a clown, but I do LOVE anything with circus vibes!) As soon as I read the words "carnival side show" in this book's blurb, I knew I had to read it. My eleven-year-old self, who was absolutely obsessed with Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series, would have basically killed me if I had decided not to give this story a go!

When TLaDoFD starts, we're introduced to Frankie D. D as in "Doe"; having been found in a dark alley with no memories at all when she was 10 years old, Frankie has spent every year she can remember in the foster care system, jumping from foster parent to foster parent and never trusting anyone beyond the foster care service psychologist, Kris. Due to a skin condition called lamelar ichthyosis, Frankie's skin is flaked, and appears to be covered in alligator-like scales that she must hide under thick foundation and flashy goth make-up. Nobody wants to be friends with the weird goth girl, of course, and the popular girls Frankie thinks of as 'Aprils' make sure that she never forgets that there's no place for her in their world. Lonely and hurt, Frankie doesn't really have much hope for her future...

But things begin to change when Frankie meets Max at high school. Mysterious and secretive, the new boy at school is immediately interested in Frankie, for reasons she can't quite pinpoint. Shortly after Max's arrival, Frankie starts having strange dreams. In them, she witnesses the the day-to-day of a sweet girl called Frances, whose dad is the ringmaster for a Circus of Wonders. And Frances herself is a part of the circus, with her lamelar ichthyosis and her alias Alligator Girl. As Frankie dreams on, Frances' story begins to unfold before her eyes. But stuff starts happening in real life, as well, and soon enough Frankie's life starts to change.

What to say about this book? The rating would be more of a 3.75*, if we're being extra honest. At first the story didn't really hook me, but soon enough, the plot thickened and took a few interesting turns. Suddenly Egyptian mythology came onstage, and... Circus vibes + Egyptian lore? I'm so, so in. Colleen Nelson's writing was agile and fresh, and made it all too easy for me to keep turning the pages. I could relate to Frankie's hurt and loneliness, which made it so much easier for me to empathise with her and how she felt!

I must give a special shoutout to Frankie's gothness. Having been a bit of a Emo myself when I was in my early teens, I could understand her thoughts on death, life, and decay, and appreciate the beauty with which she talked about them. Pangs of nostalgia aside, the author made an evident effort to have her MC embrace the Goth lifestyle, instead of just taking the looks and being an overly dramatic and existentialist child. I really appreciated the rep of urban tribes!

What was also very welcome representation was Jessica's story. Not only because of what happened to her, but also because of how she and Frankie slowly raised each other up, and helped each other fight their demons. I felt really happy that Frankie got the chance to make a friend, and to slowly open up about herself to them! It was a very beautiful friendship, and I couldn't have stanned it more. Plus, the brutally honest testimony of Jessica made me fall in love with the book. It was very refreshing to see how an issue as delicate as sexual assault was dealt with.

There were (apparently) two timelines; Alligator Girl's and Frankie's. Both are equally enjoyable, and both have a powerful cast of characters, Again, the Egyptian twist was one of the things I loved the most! All in all, this was quite a fun read, and I do definitely recommend to any fellow circus lover... As well as to all the children and young teens that have ever felt like they would always be miserable. The story holds an extremely powerful message of redemption, of acceptance, and of healing. Not only is it a wild, fun ride--it's also a life lesson on the braveness that it takes to go on.

Would definitely recommend it!

To me Frankie wasn't the most likable main character, especially in the beginning of the story. A lot of her character consisted of being a poor orphan girl who's goth and hates everyone but her foster mum. She did however soften towards the end of the book, which was mainly because of her good relationship with her foster mum. It's also because she became friends with a girl, who Frankie thought was a preppy mean girl, but turned out to be a sweet friend. I think benefitted Frankie's character growth and made her seem more realistic.
Unfortunately I felt like a lot of the side characters were a bit flat. Frankie's mum mainly made an appearance when Frankie needed some support. Throughout the book Frankie explained how much her mum meant to her and how their relationship works, and I think this made her mum a more realistic character, though I did wish we got to see more of her. The other characters were quite flat to me since they weren't a big part of the story. Those who did have some personality to them just seemed to have one character trait, such as Monsieur Duval being a horrible person. The other characters really were just there to support the plot.

The plot of the book was very straightforward. I was a bit dissapointed when the whole secret was revealed at the end, even before the final big conflict, like you have near the end of loads of stories. There was a lot of building up and it was super intriguing, because the author included Egyptian mythology, a mental connection between two characters who lived in different times and a mysterious circus.
I must say that I loved the two different storylines in the book: the one where we follow Frankie and the other where we follow the 'Alligator Girl'. I love historical fiction, so mixing a bit of history into the book definitely gave the book some bonus points.

The world building wasn't fantastic. I would've liked the author to use more descriptive language, as I'll also note in the next paragraph. As an example I would note the circus, which I just imagined as a good old circus that shows up in my village once a century, rather than something mysterious and magical, like The Night Circus or Caraval.

Normally I don't write about writing style in my reviews, because I never really notice when an author's writing style is supposedly bad or good (there are exceptions), but I do want to make a quick note here. I do not think the writing style was bad. In fact, it was pretty okay. There were, however, some passages with such short sentences that it seemed like the book would be middle grade rather than young adult. The majority of the book had better structured sentences, since they were longer, more descriptive, and just a bit more complex.

Lastly I want to touch upon the genre of this book, because it felt a bit out of place. The book is aimed towards young teens, so 12+. The writing style fits in with that quite well, but there were some topics used in this book that, in my opinion, aren't appropriate for a middle grade (sexual assault).

Over all I thought this was an okay read, and I would recommend it if the synopsis sounds super interesting to you.

“Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and-”

Ok, I’m joking, I’m joking... but if you told me that this was the opening line to this book, I’d probably believe you.

The Life and Deaths of Frankie D. had potential. It’s synopsis sounds good, it’s cover is beautiful, and yet this disappointed me in so many ways. The premise of this book had me hoping for A Madness So Discreet or Daughter of the Burning City vibes, but this was very bland in comparison.

Frankie was one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever had to read about. She almost seemed like she was based on Ebony from My Immortal, if that’s even possible. In almost every single chapter she had to mention that she was a goth. We get it, Black Parade, please stop telling me.

The plot was interesting, but I felt it was lacking in creepiness. Not even that, it felt like it was trying too hard to be creepy that it just wasn’t. It was almost comical, really. Although this book had some very beautiful moments, like the circus and the appreciation for the acts in it. I was a bit worried that this author would be ableist, even by accident, but the author was very careful in describing these characters. They were well written and well treated, so I applaud the author on that.

Final thoughts? This was okay. If Frankie’s personality had been changed, and the story had a bit more of a “spooky, creepy” plot, I think this would’ve been more enjoyable.

Frankie’s story was great from the start and when I started reading I just couldn’t stop the best part for me if this book was the mistery about it how I never knew what was coming and was always on the edge of my seat ok also loved the characters and how they were gray not perfect, also the cover is amazing

I was under the impression that this would be a very fast paced YA book but honestly it felt more like a middle grade novel. I think it would be better to market as MG story. But even despite that I do think the concept was executed in a pretty interesting way

This book is different to what I’d usually read but the front cover drew me in, so I needed to find out more. I really enjoyed it! I was intrigued by this story from the very first page, it is fast paced and gets into the narrative quickly. The mystery of Monsieur Duval is exciting and I couldn’t wait for my questions to be answered!

Frankie is a vulnerable, quiet young woman who is going through a lot within her life. From a rare skin condition, to not knowing who her family is. Throughout the storyline, Frankie’s skin condition plays a bit part. There are some subtle moments that teach you to accept and love yourself, for who you are. I think for a YA book, this is extremely important and I loved that Nelson did this. Nelson’s writing is very enjoyable and easy, I was able to visualise these characters in my mind very vividly, which did add to the magic! I read this book within 24 hours.

My only criticism would be that I felt the ending was a little rushed. The book allows you to get to know the characters and their story but then there’s a sudden abrupt reveal that brings the whole story together. Overall I still enjoyed the ending and finding out Frankie’s mysterious past. The last sentence was charming and made me smile, I would like to know what happened with Frankie next. A sequel maybe?

4/5 stars!

The life and deaths of Frankie D. Who wouldn't want to read a book with that title? Plus the circus feel of the cover, mysterious wrist tattoo, and creepy blurb vibes! I loved the premise of this book, I love all things mysterious and kooky. I loved the element of suspense surrounding Frankie and Max. I liked the characters and the stories as a whole, and while I wanted a five star read here, it felt as if a lot of the information was dumped most of the time. We would get a thread of story in the middle of a pile of information to sort through. So, while the book as a whole was pretty good, the action was eventful, and the characters relatable, the backstory could have been stretched to add a few pages to make it flow better. Overall a good read, and I'd pick up more by this author.

Frankie doesn't remember her life before being discovered in an alley as a child. She endures school and doesn't really engage with others until a break-in triggers recurring dreams that lead her to unravel a hundred-year-old mystery.

Frankie's a relatively likable character and a good depiction of a "sullen" teen who is actually working through trauma and personal issues. The story generally flows well and broaches some difficult topics with care though the pacing at the end feels a bit rushed. Some of the characters felt quite flat, especially the other performers in the sideshow. In all, it's a nice YA mystery and the dual storylines are handled fairly well.

I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Life and Deaths of Frankie D. in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I hope you know I wanted to love this book so badly. I was overjoyed to get approved for the ARC. I eagerly awaited reaching it on my TBR. I may or may not be procrastinating a big paper for school right now so I could read and review it slighter earlier. Reincarnation, mysteries, and circuses? I couldn't wait.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of YA that's written like a middle grade but has too much YA content to be put there. Everything is written in this very matter of fact, shallow manner that leads to a lot of really cringey moments (particularly to Frankie discussing her goth life style and the other girls at school) and at worst mean that some of these books more serious aspects fall really, really flat.

There are 3 characters in this who are sexually assaulted and because of the fast pacing and lack of depth in the narrative, none of them felt like they were handled well enough to warrant the young audience this should be targeted at being exposed to that heavy of material. I'm not saying middle grade can't tackle serious topics, but even in YA it needs to be handled incredible well and be done for a very clear reason and it just didn't feel like it was here. I'm not saying I think the author was trying to exploit sexual assault or somehow capitalize off of it because its handled respectfully and she writes about her intent to bolster the #metoo movement in the author's note, but just because the inclusion of potentially triggering content was well intentioned doesn't mean it was well written.