vivianne's review
4.0
Really liked this book. I loved Sorina and all the other characters. I also loved the mystery of this story, the magic and setting. It has some awesome representation. I did guess the ending but not the means how, and that shocked me!
I however did find the characters and world building rather complicate and ignored in the beginning. I felt like they both needed a bit more introduction. The world actually had a lot of potential and even though I wouldn’t call it underdeveloped the book is still a bit short to introduce such a complecated world with magic, alliances and up and down mountains and illusions and many characters.
But overall, really great read!
I however did find the characters and world building rather complicate and ignored in the beginning. I felt like they both needed a bit more introduction. The world actually had a lot of potential and even though I wouldn’t call it underdeveloped the book is still a bit short to introduce such a complecated world with magic, alliances and up and down mountains and illusions and many characters.
But overall, really great read!
tanadeet's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A very different story indeed. Lots of Night Circus and Caraval vibes, a murder or two to be solved, interesting characters and magic. It was quick and entertaining and I would love a spinoff story from this world with more character and world building, showing more of the magical travelling circus and it's marvels 🎪🎡🛕 There's definitely a lot of potential for a most magical journey!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Grief
scrollsofdragons's review
5.0
For starters, the book is a beauty and it contains marvelous art inside, with childish annotations of the characters which I think are part of the blueprints where Sorina created them with the murderers notes layered on top, both creepy and sad because you know there is an upcoming death for that character.
I was captivated from the first page, I love a good murder mystery especially one in a fantasy setting. I just really enjoyed this book from start to finish, all the characters were endearing, the setting was lush and I was kept constantly engaged. I cannot wait for more from this world.
If I had any negative it would be the worldbuilding, while the carnival itself, religion, sexuality and politics wise it was strong, it felt like all the worldbuilding went into the carnival. I want to know more about the world as a whole, then just the city that moves through it, and it was lacking that. The strong plot however kept this from being wholly noticeable.
I've been saying for ages, that if you're writing a fantasy I don't see why you have to fall back on the sexist, heteronormative societies, and this one thankfully didn't. It was a casual thing in this world to be either gay or straight or bi which was so refreshing.
I was captivated from the first page, I love a good murder mystery especially one in a fantasy setting. I just really enjoyed this book from start to finish, all the characters were endearing, the setting was lush and I was kept constantly engaged. I cannot wait for more from this world.
If I had any negative it would be the worldbuilding, while the carnival itself, religion, sexuality and politics wise it was strong, it felt like all the worldbuilding went into the carnival. I want to know more about the world as a whole, then just the city that moves through it, and it was lacking that. The strong plot however kept this from being wholly noticeable.
I've been saying for ages, that if you're writing a fantasy I don't see why you have to fall back on the sexist, heteronormative societies, and this one thankfully didn't. It was a casual thing in this world to be either gay or straight or bi which was so refreshing.
Spoiler
I wasn't expecting the dad to be the murderer, though it makes sense and really he did literally tell her that the murders had something to do with politics and it did. The murderer's notes on the blueprints however just sounded like a very violent, angry person who was out to get at Sorina, so that threw me off from thinking it was him. It's kinda sad too because he just seemed like such a good person and a wonderful father although it turned out not so wonderful.Spoiler
americangirlemmie's review
2.0
So, either I have too high of expectations of YA lit, or books are just getting worse in the past few years. I always want to like the book, but I think I get my expectations too high (like for this one).
This book was… weird. The MC has a god complex, I could not for the life of me figure out the setting, and the writing was both modernized and old-school fantasy. It was just… weird. Not necessarily bad, but weird.
To start, I had some general disagreements with the fact that the MC could literally CREATE LIFE with her brain, and no one questioned that. Like, everyone was all “oh how cute, Sorina made another person for her family, and will randomly lock them up in her brain.” No one ever questioned this ability, or questioned how legitimate these “people” she made were. Yet, it wasn’t a common gift in her world… So why weren’t people FREAKING OUT. Were these “illusions” real or not? Did they have to disclose to their partners that they weren’t really people? Although I thought the whole concept was super, super weird, I could’ve dealt with it if it had been explained well… It wasn’t. So, I was hung up on this the entire book, and could not focus on the plot whatsoever. Because, well, I couldn’t care about any of the characters because I had no idea what their role in society was! And just. I had so many questions.
So, was every town in this place a traveling circus? I was also very confused by the setting and the world building. I could not understand the context of anything that was in this society, which really turned me off from the story from the start. Where WERE THEY?! I had no idea, and the story wasn’t helping me figure it out. The language went between modern, and then medieval. It was really bizarre.
The plot was also a bit predictable. Honestly, the book just seemed like it was written for a younger audience, as it was simple. I really did like the writing overall, the style was very spunky. However, there were major plot holes and inconsistencies that really made the story difficult for me to enjoy. Thus, it was a miss for me.
This book was… weird. The MC has a god complex, I could not for the life of me figure out the setting, and the writing was both modernized and old-school fantasy. It was just… weird. Not necessarily bad, but weird.
To start, I had some general disagreements with the fact that the MC could literally CREATE LIFE with her brain, and no one questioned that. Like, everyone was all “oh how cute, Sorina made another person for her family, and will randomly lock them up in her brain.” No one ever questioned this ability, or questioned how legitimate these “people” she made were. Yet, it wasn’t a common gift in her world… So why weren’t people FREAKING OUT. Were these “illusions” real or not? Did they have to disclose to their partners that they weren’t really people? Although I thought the whole concept was super, super weird, I could’ve dealt with it if it had been explained well… It wasn’t. So, I was hung up on this the entire book, and could not focus on the plot whatsoever. Because, well, I couldn’t care about any of the characters because I had no idea what their role in society was! And just. I had so many questions.
So, was every town in this place a traveling circus? I was also very confused by the setting and the world building. I could not understand the context of anything that was in this society, which really turned me off from the story from the start. Where WERE THEY?! I had no idea, and the story wasn’t helping me figure it out. The language went between modern, and then medieval. It was really bizarre.
The plot was also a bit predictable. Honestly, the book just seemed like it was written for a younger audience, as it was simple. I really did like the writing overall, the style was very spunky. However, there were major plot holes and inconsistencies that really made the story difficult for me to enjoy. Thus, it was a miss for me.
alyram4's review
5.0
If yall haven't read any of [a:Amanda Foody|15269309|Amanda Foody|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464360371p2/15269309.jpg]'s books... What are you doing with your lives? Get on that!
This book is literally SO GOOD. I couldn't put it down! I binge read this as soon as I got the free time to pick it back up. I loved the mystery aspect of it. The lies, the love, the family ties, conspiracies... It was so damn good. I cannot even after reading this.
I also found a new favorite quote when reading this:
So yeah... read this. It's worth it. While you're at it, go read [b:Ace of Shades|30238163|Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game, #1)|Amanda Foody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508169063i/30238163._SY75_.jpg|50701123], too!
This book is literally SO GOOD. I couldn't put it down! I binge read this as soon as I got the free time to pick it back up. I loved the mystery aspect of it. The lies, the love, the family ties, conspiracies... It was so damn good. I cannot even after reading this.
I also found a new favorite quote when reading this:
"Don't diminish me to something less than a person."
So yeah... read this. It's worth it. While you're at it, go read [b:Ace of Shades|30238163|Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game, #1)|Amanda Foody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508169063i/30238163._SY75_.jpg|50701123], too!
emiann2023's review
2.0
I was super excited to read this, but honestly the more I got into it the less I cared. And honestly, the fear that all of the characters show, the self-doubt and deprication is so pervasive it's oppressive. And honestly, the last couple of surprises did nothing to change that. I finished this book more depressed than I started it. And it wasn't because of the murders.
I stopped actually reading about halfway through, and skipped to the end. Honestly, I didn't care even then. The twists were odd, but not really in a good way.
I stopped actually reading about halfway through, and skipped to the end. Honestly, I didn't care even then. The twists were odd, but not really in a good way.
emsrose's review
5.0
This murder mystery was a thrilling read from start to finish. Amanda uses such descriptive and beautiful writing that really lets you imagine what things look like as they happen. To me, I felt that each character was really unique and someone who I don't think has really ever appeared in other similarly themed books which really made it unique.
Sorina is a young "freaky" character but was overall quite relatable as she questions both herself, her morals and also simply just gets to act like a teenager who doesn't want to be treated as her age when it came to danger. In other times, she is mature and acts a lot older but it generally makes sense with the story line and her past.
At first I wanted to be picky and give it a 4/5 mainly because you don't get to really get to understand the reality on how Sorina sees with no eyes and at first I thought it would have been better to have at least some kind of explanation. Although, by the final page that all left the window, it was just such a unique characteristic and reading it like that just truly adds to the story and makes you really think about Sorina and her powers.
Overall, this book was beautifully written and I really didnt find much that I disliked about it. Plus, it wasn't really a childish "magic book" and had quite some depth with a variety of themes which I really loved.
Sorina is a young "freaky" character but was overall quite relatable as she questions both herself, her morals and also simply just gets to act like a teenager who doesn't want to be treated as her age when it came to danger. In other times, she is mature and acts a lot older but it generally makes sense with the story line and her past.
At first I wanted to be picky and give it a 4/5 mainly because you don't get to really get to understand the reality on how Sorina sees with no eyes and at first I thought it would have been better to have at least some kind of explanation. Although, by the final page that all left the window, it was just such a unique characteristic and reading it like that just truly adds to the story and makes you really think about Sorina and her powers.
Overall, this book was beautifully written and I really didnt find much that I disliked about it. Plus, it wasn't really a childish "magic book" and had quite some depth with a variety of themes which I really loved.