I found Blood Circus to feel quite generic, and its characters very flat and uninteresting. Though I’m sure someone will enjoy this book, personally, I found the writing style quite bland, and couldn’t get past that.

The premise was great but the book fell flat.

The writing style and main character never allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story. I was frequently pulled out of the story by cringe moments. I found Blood Circus to feel quite generic (it just felt like regurgitated Hunger Games and Caraval), and its characters very flat and uninteresting. Though I'm sure someone will enjoy this book, personally, I found the writing style quite bland, and couldn't get past that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who liked Caraval since that was also a story that fell flat with a good premise. But people loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Blood Circus" by Camila Victoire is a gripping and adrenaline-fueled thriller that plunges readers into the heart of a sinister underworld where secrets, danger, and high-stakes action collide. Set against the backdrop of a clandestine fighting ring, the novel follows the relentless pursuit of justice by its determined protagonist as she navigates a web of deceit and betrayal. Victoire's crisp prose and immersive storytelling keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish, while the richly drawn characters and pulse-pounding suspense make "Blood Circus" an unputdownable read. With its gritty realism and heart-pounding twists, this novel delivers a knockout punch that will leave readers clamoring for more.

I ended up just not clicking with this, the setting, writing, and characters didn't grip me like I thought they would. I'm trying to expand our from my usual genres and unfortunately I ended up not finishing this one.

In such tales, the line between truth and deception becomes blurred, and the reader is taken on a suspenseful journey where the narrator's perspective is both a guide and a potential source of misdirection. The sense of uncertainty and doubt enhances the overall mystery, keeping readers guessing until the very end. A well-crafted thriller with an unreliable narrator can play with perceptions, challenge assumptions, and deliver unexpected twists. It invites readers to question the motives and sanity of the narrator, fostering an immersive and engaging reading experience.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

I had such high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat. Not just flat, but FLAT. The main character is awful, and the entire story -despite having a lot of potential- is lackluster. In all honesty, had this not been an arc, I would not have forced myself to finish it, which was a bummer because I was in the middle of a summer-readathon that included a lot of great books.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t a circus book, I am so glad it wasn’t. It did sort of remind me of the hunger games but a bit more vicious. Great read.

Browsing @NetGalley, I knew I had to read Blood Circus the moment I came across it. The blurb immediately drew me in and I'm so glad I was approved for this #ARC

Blood Circus is set in the future, after #climatechange has made the world almost inhabitable. That is, until humans discover Klujns and find out their claws return nutrients to the soil and their meat is full of protein. Since the hunting of Klujns began, one Klujn stand annually kidnaps young humans and forces them to participate in the Blood Circus (which isn't actually a circus, but more a competition to the death).

x Thank you #NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such an intriguing synopsis, but I couldn't get into it at ALL. There was just nothing pulling me in and making me want to keep reading. Upon reaching the end, I found I had no motivation to wait around for the sequel because I didn't connect with any of the characters--especially the main character, who fell flat and read too much like protagonists in similiar stories to stand on her own.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

"Blood Circus" is a captivating debut that weaves together elements of fantasy, magical realism, and suspense. Camila Victoire creates a post-apocalyptic world where humanity's survival depends on the enigmatic Klujns. The protagonist, Ava, is thrust into the deadly Blood Race, where she questions everything she's been taught. With masterful worldbuilding, intriguing plot twists, and a dark circus influence, Victoire's storytelling leaves a lasting impression, making "Blood Circus" a compelling and immersive read.

Not a fan of this one. I really don’t have much to say beyond that. I was expecting whimsy and kind of Caraval meets The Hunger Games and did not find that at all. I would not read the sequel, and if I’m being really honest, I’m surprised I finished this one at all. Some of the themes and the “events” the characters participated in were horrifying and the writing is extremely repetitive.

⭐️⭐️

I really wanted to love this book. The synopsis was so intriguing. I could not get into the story or connect with the characters. I will be trying to read this again later on because it still sounds intriguing.

Dark and unforgettable! That's how I describe this! I've been really loving circus-y books lately and this one definitely brought me that vibe and more! I think it had all the magical flair of Caraval, but with the strange and appealing setting like The Night Circus! The characters in this are great and I loved the overall plot as well. If you like circus stories with complex plots and fun twists, HIGHLY recommend!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of blood circus. this was lost during that netgalley crash but i got my hands on it to read anyway. this was an interesting scifi ya book. i definitely think is could have used stronger pacing but it was a bad read.

I wanted so badly to love this but I just ended up losing interest about halfway through. It may have been a mood thing so I do plan on giving it another shot in the future.

Blood Circus by Camila Victoire

414 Pages
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
January 31, 2023

Fiction, New Adult, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult, Violence

Ava lives with her adopted brother and parents. The world is decimated from what we have now. The forests have been burned down or cut down for building. The soil has not been treated properly so nothing can grow. There is a fence around the town to protect them from the Klujn, a different “homo” species known to hunt and kill humans. Just before the Blood Moon, there is an event called the Blood Race where the Klujn capture humans and torture then kill humans. Ava disobeys Diana, her mother, and goes to the Blood Moon festival. On her way home, she runs into a Coll, a bully from school. There is a fight, and the next thing Ava knows she is in the Deep Forest, on the other side of the fence. She is captured after getting her foot caught in a trap and taken to the Circo.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. When I read the title, I did not think I would enjoy it because I am not a fan of circuses, especially clowns. Nope, I don’t do clowns. This book was not what I expected. I was glued to it until the very end. I really hope there is another book coming because I want to find out what happens to Ava. If you like the Hunger Games, you will enjoy reading this book.

⭐⭐⭐ -- Beautiful cover on this book.

Blood Circus by Camila Victoire is a decent read that kept me engaged throughout. The book follows sixteen-year-old Ava, who ends up being captured by the Klujns, a barbaric humanoid species, and made to participate in their Blood Race.

The premise of the book is intriguing and had me hooked from the start. However, the execution could have been better. The characters and world-building were lacking, and I wish there had been more fleshing out of both. At the end of the book, I still knew very little about the Klujns beyond what was essential to move the plot forward.

Overall, Blood Circus has an interesting concept that lacked depth, but it was an intriguing enough read that I will stick with the series and hope for potential improvements in future installments.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really hoped to absolutely LOVE this book because it sounded amazing! But, eventhough I did enjoy it a lot, it wasn't a favorite. I just didn't really like the Klujn's what a big part of the story was based around. I am not one for like special, evil species in a series. But the magic and the challenged were executed really. I really like that. So, eventhough it wasn't perfect for me, I'm still really glad I read it and really enjoyed it.

Blood Circus takes place in a future world, where climate change has reached the tipping point. The world has changed; water levels have risen, soil is barren, weather patterns have changed in ways that permanently alter the climate. Because of these changes, much of the soil used to grow crops has become infertile, dead dirt. Only one thing can turn that dead dirt back into soil: the ground bones and claws of the klujn, a humanoid animal that lives in the wild lands unclaimed by humanity. But they are wily animals, these klujn, hard to find and hard to kill.

Ava is a teenage girl, a junior in high school, watching her options be hemmed in by the expectations and rules of her society. But one day she is attacked by another student - and when she wakes up, she is in the Deeper Woods, the wild land where the klujn live. Can she survive?

This is a novel with quite a few themes and undertones, but most of them center around the need to know yourself, and to accept yourself for who you are. There is a secret in Ava's life, which was a little more apparent than perhaps it was supposed to be, but still well-written in how it was revealed. Recommended for middle school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.