It took me a long time to get through this book. To me, none of the characters felt particularly memorable and I didn't find myself attached to anyone, especially Charlotte. She was just not super relatable . I did really enjoy the carnival setting and the magic system, which is why this is a 3 star book for me and not a 2 star. I do generally find myself having trouble with older settings in books, which is perhaps a reason this book may just not be for me, but I have very much enjoyed older settings in books where the characters were more lovable. I just don't think the setting and the magic were enough for me to really love the book, but it was enough for me to like it.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Carnivale of Curiosities.

The premise had me expecting something dark and action driven, but it was something else, which isn't a bad thing.

I can't believe this is a debut novel; it's well written (though wordy, elaborate, bordering on too descriptive) and imaginative.

The world building is great, and the somber setting and tone is felt throughout the narrative; the danger and seediness of the dark side of Victorian London, the opulence of the wealthy, the excitement the troupe brings when it arrives, the close knit family vibe of the troupe, the lingering darkness at the edges of the story, and the secrets, the lies, and the drama you know is coming.

But most of the narrative is exposition and background, introducing the characters, their skills and abilities, the characters; the skilled craftsman Pretorius and the mysterious Aurelius Ashe, his enigmatic son, Luce, the damsel in distress, Charlotte, the odious Odilon Rose, and everyone else.

There's very little action and lots of description and POVs from multiple characters.

The most alluring character (for me) is the proprietor, Aurelius.

Who is he? What is he? Friend or foe? Angel or devil?

I was also interested in Pretorius. Where did he and Ashe meet? Where did he come from?

I was less interested in Luce than I was in his carnival family, which I found more intriguing than him.

No surprise that the most 'respectable' looking people in the story are the most despicable, harboring tragic family secrets and horrors that begin falling like dominoes toward the end.

There were almost too many revelations, you know what I mean?

This was a slow read for me; I kept picking it up and putting it back down, not because it was badly written, but because not much was happening action-wise, yet I wanted to know what would happen to everyone.

I'm glad the bad guys got their comeuppance and Charlotte's character develops into someone of substance, not unlike Carol in The Walking Dead.

This would make a great series on NetFlix; the Victorian setting, the theater and science fiction and magical elements would make this a compelling show.

This is one of those books I picked up for the amazing blurb and inconspicuous cover, and ended up completely blown away and dazzled that this is a debut author. I do think the hints at a romance are a bit misleading, I would categorize this more as a historical gothic fantasy with romantic elements.

The world-building is well done, and I was invested in every character, both main and secondary. The pacing kept me flipping pages well into the night. Murder, mystery, and suspense amid a carnival of curiosities full of magic and just a bit of mayhem, all of that is my catnip and I ate it up right until the last page.

This is an author I will be watching. I'm hopeful that she's planning a return to this world in the future.

Content notes- There are quite a few dark elements to the story, and I do think they will trigger some readers- Incest, forced sexual conduct, violence, murder

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of The Carnivale of Curiosities!

Definitely for fans of The Night Circus! The incredible worldbuilding, the magic, and the dark feeling of mystery and suspense- this novel does not read like a debut! I really enjoyed reading this! Adding to the bookshelf!

Ahhh, I LOVED this one! It was dark and creepy, but with a solid plot and remarkable characters! Gothic London at its finest! I hope there’s more to come!!

DNF at 25%

Do you like adjectives? What about unnecessarily long words? If neither of those bother you, consider reading this book. It's a pretty interesting story, but the writing overshadows everything else and made it really difficult to get into.

Set in Victorian London this is a dark dazzling tale - starring a sideshow - backstage is creepy and supposedly the owner makes others wishes come true - a cast of unforgettable characters - gorgeously written

So I went into this book with high expectations. I was so excited I got approved for an ARC! For fans of Addie LaRue? Of course I had to request it!

Let’s just say my expectations were too high.
It’s not a bad book at all. The writing is very detailed and descriptive.

It was a bit different than I expected. The blurb made it sound like there was going to be this great attraction that would bring all these crazy events together.

The beginning 20-30% was really really sloowww. Not much was really happening. You meet the troupe. You get to read about them performing. You also meet the key players.. and there were so many. I did think it was really cool though to see all these loose threads and connections come together.

For me, it started to pick up around the 35% mark; that’s when I started to really get invested.

I did enjoy the characters though and the found family of the troupe. Aurelious Ashe was an interesting and complex character as was Pretorious. I wish we had more backstory on him.

Luce.. I loved him and felt for him throughout the story. There were so many revelations in regards to his past that I just wanted to give him a hug.

Charlotte.. I mainly felt bad for her throughout the book. I wanted her to grow a backbone so badly! I will say.. she definitely develops more towards the end.

As for the Villians in this book: there were so many but Odilon Rose takes the prize as does one more person that I will not mention due to spoilers.

There were many plot twists I did not see coming in regards to the Rose family. I actually gasped in shock due to some of them.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. I did enjoy most parts. And I give a solid 3 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Also one last thing: there is some sexual abuse happening but it is not graphic.

This is a book where the description and the actual story don't entirely match. It is billed as having "star-crossed lovers," but this is less a story about romance and love and more one about the power of knowledge and how to bargain for what you want without losing everything in the process. If nothing else, this is a story about learning how to read the fine print on a contract before you sign it.

Aurelius Ashe is an illusionist, but not in the way you might think. Praetorius is a tinkerer and builder. Luce is the product of this upbringing and is also deeply in the dark about so much of his past. And Charlotte is but a pawn in the chess match that Odilon Rose is trying to play with pieces that were actually set in motion by someone else.

Yes, there is a circus of sorts. Full of people that have abilities better suited for the life Aurelius gives them. And there are Faustian bargains aplenty. There is also no lack of hidden motives, not-so-hidden motives, and the general machinations of men that want more power than they are due. But in the end, there was a level of detachment between the reader and the character. So much time was spent hearing about happenings, reading descriptions of circus acts, and being told over and over again that Aurelius was some form of charlatan or magician (depending on who was doing the talking). There was so much here, so many different people and so many different mysteries and plots (that eventually overlapped in a tangled mess), but it was hard to find a throughline to make everything mean something. Even Charlotte and Luce, their lives being more alike than anything when it came down to the details, felt removed from what was ostensibly a story about their lives.

This book is so hard to describe in the best way. Elements of fantasy but also realism and history perfect for fans of Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The characters are very well done, I could visualize the entire story based on the descriptions by Amiee Gibbs. I love the backdrop being a circus which in itself combines the imagination with the real and visitors often question what's possible. There is an element of darkness woven into the story and the ending to me leaves open the possibility of a follow up or a part two. That may be the best compliment that the novel left me wanting a part two or more of the story.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This one just wasn't for me. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't hook me soon enough, and I never got over that initial feeling of boredom. I'm sure others will enjoy it - it just didn't wasn't for me.

I picked this up because of its comparison to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Due to the comp., I expected much more from this book. The dialogue was stilted, and I felt it was an intriguing plot poorly executed. I didn't get far before DNFing.

I really wanted to enjoy this. Carnivals! Magic! Set in a fantastic time period! But…just couldn’t get into it at all sadly. I’ll try again at a later date with not as much excitement going into it as I did.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review this book! The cover is what drew me in among what the premise was about. However while reading it I felt like it felt a little flat. The characters while sometimes intriguing there seemed to be a lot of talk and not a lot leading up to it. Sometimes it just seemed to drag on a bit to me. I however think that it has a good idea behind it. I’m all about a carnival of magic and morally gray men. While some of the characters did give off those vibes I just didn’t seem to click with them.

The Carnivale of Curiosities
by Amiee Gibbs
Pub Date: 11 Jul 2023 In Victorian London, where traveling sideshows are the very pinnacle of entertainment, there is no more coveted ticket than Ashe and Pretorius' Carnivale of Curiosities. Each performance is a limited engagement, and London's elite boldly dare the dangerous streets of Southwark to witness the Carnivale's astounding assemblage of marvels. For a select few, however, the real show begins behind the curtain. Rumors abound that the show’s proprietor, Aurelius Ashe, is more than an average magician. It's said that for the right price, he can make any wish come true. No one knows the truth of this claim better than Lucien the Lucifer, the Carnivale's star attraction. Born with the ability to create fire, he's dazzled spectators since he was a boy.

When Odilon Rose, one of the most notorious men in London, comes calling with a proposition regarding his young and beautiful charge, Charlotte, Ashe is tempted to refuse. After revealing, however, that Rose holds a secret that threatens the security of the troupe's most vulnerable members, Ashe has no choice but to sign an insidious contract.

The stakes grow higher as Lucien finds himself drawn to Charlotte and her to him, an attraction that spurs a perilous course of events. Grave secrets, recovered horrors, and what it means to be family come to a head in this vividly imagined spectacle—with the lives of all those involved suspended in the balance.

This book was super interesting. I really loved the writing and the magical world of the circus. The mysticism and mysteries were so fun. I did feel like there were too many characters at times and I got a little confused. But overall, I thought it was a lovely story.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

it's really a travesty for an author to take a concept so intriguing and deliver it on a platter of boredom and density. it made it excruciatingly difficult to fully immerse myself.

in contrast to what other reviewers reported, i did not find this particularly twisty. the necromancy and victorian london setting did give the book a dark, creepy tone, but the stakes were never high enough to put that setting to any real use.

in my opinion, the story didn't really start until the halfway mark, which left me subjected to backstory and seemingly purposeless plot for 50% of the novel. that left little time for any true character development, which is unfortunate since the potential was certainly there. lucien's character had complexity but the journey to unveiling his backstory was so slow moving that it did a huge disservice to his story arch. charlotte had little personality other than being a SA victim, which is a damn shame because I was looking forward to her perspective the most. romance lovers should turn away now, as there was simply none to be found (other than 1-2 scenes of lackluster tension), despite what the synopsis implies. i found myself thinking this book could have benefited from mass deletions of chapters at the beginning with more chapters tacked on in the latter half, as the story seemed unfinished.

</i>thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC</i>

TW: off-page SA, on-page murder

✦ 2 stars

This book was entertaining and I enjoyed it. It had all your Gothic elements in it. And it was a great storyline.
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