I think my favorite thing about this book is how it blended so many different genres in such a wild sort of way. It's very fast paced and fun!

"Dirt Circus League" surprised me with unexpected depth of the subjects mentioned in the story. I was captured by the cover and the promise of adventures and it all turned out to be even more than a vivid YA thriller. There's no wonder the book is reviewed in some Australian schools as an additional subject. The author touches upon stereotypes and lack of knowledge about local cultures which applies not only to Australia but also very universally to any multicultural society. The book speaks about cuts, their allure and the difficulty to resist it oftentimes, especially when they are represented by charismatic leaders. And most profoundly this book is about our roots, nature, ecology. Sometimes even seemingly best efforts turn out to be toxic.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the ARC.

I was lucky to receive a netgalley arc of Dirt Circus League by Maree Kimberley which is a young adult something and this is my main problem with the book.

Reading through it I was trying to sub categorise it and I could not as it literally was all over the place from magical realism, horror and dystopian and I really wished the author stuck to one.

I found the characters like Asa annoying and her reaction to jump on a bus with complete strangers was a bit out there just because the leader was a hottie. The only decent character of the whole book was Karen I would of actually liked to of seen more of her. The other saving grace were the descriptions of the barracks and the meat house that actually got an extra star rating. I even found Surgeon a bit over the top and could not take their character serious enough I honestly did not see what her purpose was in the story. For all these reasons I gave Dirt Circus League 2 stars

this book had what I was looking for in this type of book, it had a great scifi novel with interesting characters. I really felt like a Meat House is really dangerous.

This book moved quickly. In one sitting, I had read about 25% of the way through and felt really swept up in the story. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue throughout the story. I loved feeling so pulled in with questions the characters had. While I’m not sure that all my questions were fully answered by the end of the novel, I still felt satisfied by the progression of the story.

Asa, the protagonist, is a bit of an enigma. Her actions often didn’t fit what she thinks or says or what really felt appropriate for the situation. Supporting characters felt like they felt into archetypes and I would have liked to see them more fleshed out and surprising. However, the plot does pull things along more than the characters in this story.

This story is set in Northern Australia, which was a fun change of pace compared to the other European-based novels I’ve been reading lately. I enjoyed the place-specific slang and dialogue, as well as exploring the rainforest that Asa finds herself in. I would have liked to see the magic aspects more developed, as this is where I was left with the most questions by the end of the novel.

Dirt Circus League is a fun, quick YA Fantasy read. While the characters and magic systems were especially memorable or developed, the plot has plenty of intrigue and set in a unique environment. If you’re looking for a distracting weekend read, I highly recommend it!

I gave up at 45%.
The story began ok and I was getting in to the rhythm but Asa's decision to join the circus came from nowhere. Her constant reiteration that she 'felt she belonged' made no sense and it wasn't shown, merely vocalised.
The surgery and violence and cult-like behaviour would have had any sane person running for the hills but Asa blindly followed a thug because he was hot?
And the vision thing came out of nowhere.
It was disjointed and violent for no real reason and I couldn't suspend belief enough for it to make sense.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However, all opinions are of my own.
I dont tend to pick up dystopian or magical realism when it comes to books - although I have to be honest, this was because of the cover. I was super intrigued to find out what the story was about.
The book was weird and I found it hard to enjoy it, yet I continued to read. We have all sorts of crazy human/animal situations going on and magic powers were everywhere. I think for my first magical realism book I would rate it a solid 3. Just because I don't think I'm 100% comfortable being in a different world yet!

I confess I was expecting a bit of Mad Max with this book, but, really, I think the best way to describe this title is “Divergent meets The Lord of the Flies on the Island of Doctor Moreau” assuming said island was located smack in the Australian bush and rampant with extreme religious cultism. It’s weird and violent and strange and frustrating, but also oddly entertaining. It could make an interesting tv series with very little manipulation to the plot line. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC of Dirt Circus League by Maree Kimberley.

Strap yourselves in, because DIRT CIRCUS LEAGUE (Text 2021), the debut novel by Maree Kimberley, is quite a ride. This genre-bending story is a violent dystopian fantasy with young adult themes of self-identity and belonging, with an action-packed plot, unusual characters and evil birds. Kimberley has created a strange and unfamiliar scenario set in a familiar world, which only deepens the sense of dislocation and oddness for the reader.

Dirt Circus League is a strange book. It transcends genres, and much like its main character doesn't fit anywhere and is a bit confused.
It's a quirky read that you will either jell with or struggle to finish and understand just what the author was trying to achieve, If you can, perceiver and get to the end as it's worth it.

Disclaimer; I only read 80 pages. I find it difficult to read on my phone and it seems that was the only option for this title unfortunately.
I enjoyed the Australian setting and the way the reader was thrown right into the plot and Asa’s situation. I didn’t like the insta-love with Quarter which drove the protagonist to make a major decision that leads to a large part of the plot. I think it will appeal to a younger audience but it was definitely not for me.

Ummmmmmm so this book wasn’t really what I expected.... AT ALL! Based on the title and the synopsis, I was expecting a traveling circus troupe up to no good and the main character to become a part of their weird performances or something. That was definitely not the case and I was a little disappointed. I mean don’t get me wrong, I really liked this read in the end, but it wasn’t one that I was expecting. I guess it’s true what they say about assumptions right?

Other than the fact that there was NO CIRCUS, I liked the book. The beginning started out a little rough for me and it took me a minute to immerse myself in this book because I felt that there was no true introduction. The author kind of just threw us into Asa’s world and I was sort of confused on what was going on. We got absolutely no background on the main character so I was sort of taken aback.

I also didn’t much appreciate Asa in the beginning either. She was a little too aggressive for me so it made me just a little apprehensive. However, she really grew on me in the end and I enjoyed watching her evolve into a woman that literally gave everything to help other people. She had courage that I could never have and an attitude of pure bull steel. It was awesome and I ended up really enjoying her and the journey she took me on.

There were a lot of other characters in this book and I enjoyed most of them, but Quarter was not my favorite at all. UGH muscle heads and their bullheadedness was not attractive at all and I was so not on board with this. Their romance was so lame and disjointed from the story and didn’t make sense to me at all. They had some strange connection that was never really explained and Quarter was just not having any of it. I honestly think that this story could have skipped the romance all together and just stuck with paying attention to the bonds and relationships between all the female characters. It was just a great representation of GIRL POWER and I loved that way more than the romance. (I actually never thought I would ever say that, but here we are!

The plot of this book was ABSOLUTELY INSANE and it was such a world wind of creep factor and suspense. There was just so much going on and I wanted to know everything! I was just so engaged with the plot and the characters and the book world that I had to read the book in one sitting because I needed answers!! The mystery behind everything ended up being just a tad predictable, but I just really enjoyed it.
I absolutely LOVED the ending. I was so happy it ended the way that it did and I couldn’t picture it to be any better.

I am so grateful to NetGalley for my ARC copy and can’t wait to read more from this author!

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

When I first saw this, I thought the title was pretty interesting. Then I read the synopsis and I was just had to request it. However, once I dove into Dirt Circus League my opinion was quickly changing.

I'm not going to lie. I was confused for most of this book. It didn't take long for that to really happen because the characters were very frustrating for me. There was zero connection and I didn't really like anyone BUT Karen. She was like the only normal person in this entire book. Everyone else was bonkers.

Other than that, the things that were said by everyone is this weird cult just blew my mind. Again, I was frustrated. I definitely came to the conclusion that they all need to take a sex ed class and stat. Seriously, it needs to happen because wow - just wow.

In the end, I was really surprised by anything or shocked. At one point, you kind of just sit back and think of how this is going to end and realize it is pretty predictable. I'm just going to say that I'm glad that it's over and I'm free to go watch paint dry now.

I started this book with so much hype, considering how interesting the premise of this book sounded. Asa, a girl facing hardships in her everyday family life, seeks escape at the intriguing "Dirt Circus League", a group living secluded from the rest of the town, warshipping Gaia and having a very unique lifestyle. Oh and there's a high chance they're a dangerous cult and Asa is in trouble! I mean sounds great and the good kind of weird, right? Plus, such a cool cover!

However, I ended up feeling very disappointed with the execution. The whole structure of the Dirt Circus League was explained quite well, but, apart from that, I felt like things were happening very hastily and the actions of the characters were very chaotic and left without explanation. Like, Asa kept mentioning how she feels like she belongs with the warshippers of Gaia, without actually giving any reason or giving an example of her enjoying her time at the League.
Also, a lot of other things also seem to be quite contradicting each other. Like, the protagonist either being able to sense a bunch of things but being too naive to understand the creepy things happening at the League, which didn't make sense in character.

All in all, I feel like this book was trying to do a lot of different things at once, hastily and without much cohesion and didn't offer such a good execution.

Such an eye-catching cover! That bright pink on background of pure black with title in eye-popping neon yellow; overall, one of the best covers I've ever seen. And when you add the word 'circus' to the title, I'm a goner. I have to read this book!

Going by the book description, this book could be contemporary or it could be fantasy. Truthfully, I'm finding it hard to place this book in a certain category but I think I'd actually place it as magical realism which is a bit hit and miss for me so unfortunately, this book was closer to a miss.

The setting is a fictional outback town of Australia (possibly in QLD) and it is set in the present time. Asa, the protagonist, is running away from a mother who does not care for her but also of her grief and anger at losing her grandmother who loved her. She came across the Dirt Circus League, became fascinated by the violence, and decided that it may be a good space for her and her anger. What she found at their headquarters, however, was beyond even her imagining and Asa had to decide whether to give in to her anger or accept herself and become better.

As you'd know, magical realism is usually full of strange and at times, wonderful things. In this novel, though, it mostly strange, violent, and more violence. Language wise, I found the novel easy to read and Asa is a pretty easy protag to like despite her anger issues but yet, that's understandable and she came out strong in the end. I just couldn't appreciate all the imagery so this is all on me.

Thank you Text Publishing via Netgalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest thoughts

DIRT CIRCUS LEAGUE: ⭐️
I really didn’t like this book. It felt disjointed and felt too realistic to be fantasy and too fantastical to be realistic. Good idea that needed a better editor.

NOTE: I was provided an arc in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Netgalley!

Asa does not feel like she fits in anywhere, until she see the Dirt Circus League, a troop of outlaw teens that know how to fight for survival, just like her. Upon joining their community Asa quickly realises that something is not quite right, and she is determined to find out more.
This story is fast paced and exciting, but does not fit neatly into a particular genre. It seems like a near future reality landscape, but also hints at elements of Fantasy. Asa, the main character is very well constructed, and it is her experiences that drive this story forward and kept me reading throughout.
The tension and excitement is akin to a mix of Mad Max, Divergent and Fight Club, all in a sanitised YA mould.
I really wanted more detail in the setting of Far North Queensland, which to most readers would be completely foreign and wholly mystical, in keeping with the groups devotion to Gaia,.and feel that it could have added to the story.
I also really wanted more of Asa's abilities, which came to the fore at the right time, but remained under-explained.
Still a great thrill-ride of a novel that packs a lot of punch into the story.

This book has a gorgeous eye-catching cover that I love. But the story was just not my jam.
I didn't mind the 'lord of the flies' type feel of the League. Their fighting and means of survival were interesting and I liked the Memory Temple.

But this story lost me along the lines of the eyes and really lost me with the whole intuitive line. Both of those inserted into the story just made it all feel jumbled. Was this fantasy? Was this supposed to be realistic? I kept waiting for the story to expand on either one and instead there was just a lot of puking (honestly, so much puking) and scissors. . . I thought Asa was an okay character and I wasn't impressed with Quarter. This one just didn't work for me.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Dirt Circus League follows Asa, who has recently moved to north Queensland from Brisbane, in search of a fresh start. We quickly learn that Asa has had a rough childhood and constantly been let down by those who are meant to care for her, and she has problems trusting others as a result. It’s a classic YA premise that typically works well, but that was where my troubles began with this book. Asa (and the other side characters) had no consistent personality and simply did whatever was necessary to advance the plot. One minute, Asa is deeply suspicious of everyone, the next, she’s throwing herself in with a crazy cult without a second thought. Characters fight and then fall in love in the space between one breath and the next.

I also struggled with the plot itself: frankly, there was way too much happening in Dirt Circus League and none of it came together in a cohesive fashion. The synopsis focuses on the fighting element, but that’s only a small part of this story. This is also an eco-thriller of sorts, about a group of teenagers who worship Gaia and are dedicated to protecting the earth, only Asa sorts learns that their devotion to Gaia has led to a cult-like community which takes ritual sacrifice very seriously. Oh, and there’s a Lovecraftian horror sub-plot involving a creepy surgeon (the only adult in the community) who conducts scientific experiments on the teens, including attempts to develop human-animal hybrids. None of this is built upon or explained in enough detail to make sense of why these things are happening, and it all feels very incongruous when stuck together.

There were a few things I liked about Dirt Circus League: one is where Asa finds herself at the end of the story (which I won’t spoil except to say I found it refreshing for YA fiction), and the other is the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ connection to country in Far North Queensland. But, unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed this book or that I would recommend it to others.