DNF at 30%. Unfortunately did not deliver on what I was looking for. I was hoping for something a little more whimsical and fantastical, but this just felt dark in a way that I wasn't really into it. Not bad, just not fitting for my mood at the time. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like anything circus related, there's just something about them that speaks to me so when I saw the cover for this book my attention was immediately piqued.

I really liked Grover, our main character and narrator he was a little bit of a goody two shoes and very easy to get invested in, but he also came across as a fully realized character as did the other characters even though the story was told entirely from Grover's perspective.

From his sense of humor to his being semi-unaware of his own social competences he was perfect to convey both the charm and magic of the circus and the horrors and embarrassments he faced. Sometimes you just need a character that's easy to root for and that's really what Lastrapes gives us here.

If you like magical realism but would like a less flowery prose this one reads a lot like a magical realism meets urban fantasy with more charm and less grittiness (though there's definitely some of it in there too it's not a fluff piece).

It is an adult title even though there's nothing extremely graphic about it, which I enjoyed a lot since I don't get nearly enough adult titles with that kind of charm. That's another thing I liked about Grover, when he encounters situations that are strange to him he's able to learn more about them, adjust his views and move on without it being a massive ordeal, like adults are supposed to be able to do, in the world we live it it's a refreshing thing to see.