A small town in 1990's Scotland is turned upside down when their narrow, traditional views are challenged by the introduction of a strange, unusual, colorful circus--the Freakslaw. This book has a strong narrative voice that jumps between perspectives, both in and outside of the circus; there are quite a lot of characters but each one dazzles and jumps off the page! Freakslaw is a book that welcomes conversation and holds a mirror to archaic and inane 'values' we still see as a society today--places that appear to be stuck inside of some weird time capsule/ echo chamber kind of place. Flett brilliantly contrasts fantasy and whimsy with far darker and unsettling themes (I definitely got some AHS: Freak Show vibes). This was an impressive literary horror debut and I'm SO looking forward to reading more from this author!

The characters, the setting, the vibes, the themes…everything was great. The way the story was written just did not work for me. It was so disjointed that I never really connected with any of the characters at all. Any time I started to get invested, we jumped to a completely different storyline. I have a hard time reviewing this one because I loved so many aspects of it but I had a really hard time getting through it.

The best thing about this book is the writing style. The way Jane describes the freakshow ground and what characters are doing and The horror aspect. However i just felt they were way too many characters and i was so glad there was an index to follow.

This is definitely a rollercoaster of a story. If you enjoy character driven stories this one is for you. It's definitely a fun story filled with danger, revenge and quite the funfair.

From the first page I was captivated by the prose.. Jane Flett creates a deeply vivid world with fascinating, complex characters and elements of magic that are as charming as they can be terrifying.

As a Scottish person I appreciated the Scottish writing in this book and that it was set in Scotland. I was fascinated by the premise of this book but I feel I got lost slightly in the chaos that unfolds in the book. There is also a lot of characters and I found myself taking a while to sus and remember who is who. However, the book was unlike anything I had read before with a fresh idea and take on the carnival. I did overall enjoy this book and would read more of Jane Fletts work.

this is pure chaos and i mean that in both the best way possible and also in the way that at times it left me confused.

it’s billed as a horror but it doesn’t feel like horror. it feels like a brand new story and concept and also one that i’ve heard a hundred different times. the writing was stunning and i loved it, most of the time. and ultimately i had a good time reading it and i would 100% read more from this author in the future.

Thank you, Jane Flett and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

To me, i couldn't categorize this as horror. I'm not sure where I'd put this. It wasn't scary, but I really did enjoy it. Even saying that there were moments that were dark, twisted, and downright raunchy. The descriptions so vivid I could clearly see things playing out in my head like a movie. If you're into Carnivals, the unique and the strange look no further. This book is full of the strange and unknown. There is also danger, hate, anger, and small minds of hicks that don't understand the wonders of those that are different. This book was a decently fast-paced book, and I had no trouble understanding what was going on. There is strange magic, and this book in all is a strange read.

Dazzling lights, music, and wonder, that's what a carnival is. Of course, when it arrives in the small town of Pitlaw, there are old fires that still linger... but is it in the present, the past, or both? What's going to happen when the freaks start pulling tricks and magic in this town? What will they people of this town do and the freaks of the Freakslaw do in retribution? The real question is what won't happen and what will be the outcome in the end.

I honestly had no idea how this book was going to end, and im glad I stayed with it all the way to the end. I love books like this as I don't find them often. If you have an it for something twisted and strange look no further. Sadly, it took me longer to read than I wanted, but that's what happens when you take care of a one year old.

Something wicked this way comes….again. A very strange read for me, at times it felt progressive, transgressive and others it was like I’ve read this story a million times. Likewise, the writing was gorgeous and then overwrought, the plot felt like it was diving deep and then other times I felt everything was surface level. It definitely clunks you over the head with its ideas about taking revenge on toxic masculinity, backward thinking, and small town closed mindedness etc.

The writing style is so descriptive and visceral I feel like I can smell, touch and taste everything. Which was amazing but it also made the book slightly harder to get through because my brain had to work a little harder to picture everything and keep up with what's happening.

It feels purposely chaotic, poetic and even profound in places.

I think at times there was more a focus on the vibe and atmosphere building than the plot at times.

If you're after American horror story - freakshow vibes, I'm sure you'll enjoy this read.

A traveling carnival arrives in the Scottish town of Pitlaw seeking revenge for their murdered ancestors. Their fellow "freaks."

I appreciated some of the references... ahem, Brian Molko... but overall Freakslaw fell flat. It read like a poor amalgamation of the X-Files episode "Humbug" and American Horror Story: Freak Show. Entertaining enough, but not quite memorable enough to stand out.

Freakslaw by Jane Flett follows a traveling funfair as they invade a small Scottish town. The townsfolk are immediately intrigued, whether or not for the best is another story.

This book was so strange. The writing was very compelling and the overall story definitely had an American Horror Story vibe to it. I think some reader are going to love this book and it will have such a niche fan base. I don’t think it’s a book that I could easily recommend to a large audience but I know I could recommend it to certain readers!

I thought the author’s note at the beginning was a great way to set the tone for the book and I loved the list of characters at the beginning.

That being said, my biggest issue with this book is that there are so many characters. It was hard to keep up with a lot of them because they would just be mentioned briefly from time to time.

I did enjoy my time with this book for the most part and can’t wait to read more from this author.

The modest small-town folk of Pitlaw won’t know what hit them when this traveling circus comes to visit their safe and secluded corner of Scotland. But can they resist it?

Step right up for a sweet treat of delicious mayhem and devilish glittering sex.

For those who dance on the lefthand path or have a primal hunger for Technicolor curiosities, Freakslaw will leave you feeling positively transported to a world of dazzling, bizarre and dangerous fun.

Thank you to Zando for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Hoo-eee! Now that was a wild ride on the Waltzers!
Freakslaw are a travelling fair/freak show who seemingly pick their sites to pitch up at with a deep intent - an intent which seems both malign and benign at the same time.
This time the site is Pitlaw, a Scottish town where it’s inhabitants don’t do well with change, outsiders and ‘otherness’. A town where violence and anger is not even just bubbling under the surface but breaks through at the pub, the dinner table, the gossiping queues at the supermarket. The men don’t have a handle on their impotent rage, the women (for the most part) are learned in placating their menfolk to keep their violence as contained as possible. And their children have either stepped in to take up the next generation of fury and spite or else they are desperate to step out of the never-ending cycle of hate, closed-mindedness and apathy.

And now the Freakslaw are here to fuck things up and bring things down!

Every single character (both townspeople and ‘freaks’) are fantastically fleshed out, whether you love them or hate them.
In fact, every single sentence of this book is punchy, funny, shocking, visceral, meaty and brilliantly meted out.
Jane Flett has some serious writing game!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is.a very specific brand of weird that I am more than happy to get behind. A series of short stories about a number of carnies in a traveling circus with some interesting undertones that definitely mean they could curse you, this book was a delight to read. While it can be a bit flighty at times and it doesn't always give the characters all the attention that they deserve, it is still a very strong novel.

The use of queerness (very visible in this particular case) and the 'intrusion' that the townsfolk believe this presents to them was a really wonderfully presented analogy. The scenes with some of the characters (without giving too much away) were sufficiently gross and enough to give you pause in reading, which is always a delight. Some of the characters weren't always the most likable, but that's not what this kind of book is about anyway - it's about presenting a certain, different version of events, sometimes one that not everyone is always comfortable with.

This was definitely a joy to read, and I'll be on the lookout for more from Flett in the future.

Don’t get me wrong… I really enjoyed this book. Being from Scotland, I loved the Scottish dialect. The writing of this is so colourful and deep like WOW I will definitely read more from Jane Flett.
This book was a weird one for me because at some points I felt like parts were too long but other parts I wanted more from! Too many unnecessary characters and I needed more from the main ones from the start.
The book is a wild ride. It’s weird with a brilliant concept but I just needed more… and less? Definitely AHS vibes like these are strange people doing strange things resulting in shocked simple townsfolk.
Such a great debut novel though I’m really excited to see what else she comes out with!!

In the clerb, we’re all freaks, I guess. The writing was probably the best part of this because everything else was maybe too much. I thought more would be happening or maybe stuff did happen, and I just stopped caring. There were WAY too many characters. It literally starts off with like three pages of character information, which is when I knew. I literally saw that and sighed loudly. Almost all the characters were the worst, especially Nancy. The prose was also….to much at times. Trying too hard to hard to be edgy and weird. Overall, it wasn’t bad but not something I’ll be thinking about it.

This book is everything I wanted it to be and more. I felt like I personally was on a carnival ride, one of those ones you know you shouldn’t go on, they probably aren’t anchored down properly and you just ate, you never did great with those spinning ones anyway, but what the hell let’s tempt the fates right?

Once I reached the end of the book I found out this was the authors first novel. That blew my mind! I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Read this. Don’t ask questions. Just do it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this gem in exchange for an honest review.

Ive been eyeing this one for a long time now. Eyeing- pun intended. I mean look at the cover photo..it is cool and Def drew me in. This is fun, quirky, unhinged and crazy. Just right up my alley. I love carnival setting tropes. And this one is campy enough for me. I just wish that it did not have too many unnecessary characters or the ones that are more intriguing should have given more back story or 'air time'. But overall, I enjoyed this one.

This was an okay read, however like many others, I think there were way too many characters to follow without enough interest to really encourage me throughout.