kareseburrows's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
After enjoying A Witch In Time, I was really eager to read The Ladies of the Secret Circus. I will say this book felt a bit (or maybe more?) ‘darker’ than A Witch In Time. Both books share themes of fantasy, history, magical realism, and the paranormal, but The Ladies of the Secrets Circus goes a little further in terms of mystery and the depth of its supernatural storyline. Side note: I was wayyyyy off about how certain storylines were going to unfold in this. From reading the synopsis, I think I got a little carried away with what I thought might have happened with Lara’s fiancé Todd after he disappeared, but boy was I wrong about that plot line.
In any event, there were some parts of the book, and the storylines, I really enjoyed. Sayers, I think, does a great job when it comes to building the imagery of a book setting, especially when it’s taking a look into the art scenes of 1920’s Paris - or even a layer of Hell that houses a secret circus where the performers are damned souls, the leader is a narcissistic daemon who gets on all on the other demon’s nerves, and the only humans who can see or attend the circus are ones who are considered “lucky” enough to receive a “wicked ticket”. I definitely felt more of a chill when it came to the heavy paranormal scenes in this one. The irony is that the physical makeup of the circus appears beautiful to the human eye, but the reality of it is much darker, more sinister and twisted, and can become a bit of an obsession.
Truthfully, some parts of the book felt a little slow to me, like the period after Todd’s disappearance when Lara’s rebuilding her life and when things start to pick up after she receives a painting of her “great-grandmother” Cecile, and she “finds” a journal from the mid 1920’s that belonged to said great-grandmother. Things begin to speed up and fall more in place there, but then you start to realise that although Lara is the main character of the book, the genesis and history of the women in her family take centre stage a bit, especially when more of the family secrets are starting to be revealed, and Lara travels to Paris for reasons beyond whether or not the painting is one of three created by the only human given permission to capture the secret circus. I really want to say more, but I don’t want to give away too much of that particular storyline. However, I will say: you got to read it to believe it, lol.
Overall, once I got past the slow parts, I wanted to keep going so I could know what happened next. That, for me, is one aspect of a good book. I don’t think I’ll ever think about circuses the same way I used to, but really a vivid, captivating, and chilling read.
In any event, there were some parts of the book, and the storylines, I really enjoyed. Sayers, I think, does a great job when it comes to building the imagery of a book setting, especially when it’s taking a look into the art scenes of 1920’s Paris - or even a layer of Hell that houses a secret circus where the performers are damned souls, the leader is a narcissistic daemon who gets on all on the other demon’s nerves, and the only humans who can see or attend the circus are ones who are considered “lucky” enough to receive a “wicked ticket”. I definitely felt more of a chill when it came to the heavy paranormal scenes in this one. The irony is that the physical makeup of the circus appears beautiful to the human eye, but the reality of it is much darker, more sinister and twisted, and can become a bit of an obsession.
Truthfully, some parts of the book felt a little slow to me, like the period after Todd’s disappearance when Lara’s rebuilding her life and when things start to pick up after she receives a painting of her “great-grandmother” Cecile, and she “finds” a journal from the mid 1920’s that belonged to said great-grandmother. Things begin to speed up and fall more in place there, but then you start to realise that although Lara is the main character of the book, the genesis and history of the women in her family take centre stage a bit, especially when more of the family secrets are starting to be revealed, and Lara travels to Paris for reasons beyond whether or not the painting is one of three created by the only human given permission to capture the secret circus. I really want to say more, but I don’t want to give away too much of that particular storyline. However, I will say: you got to read it to believe it, lol.
Overall, once I got past the slow parts, I wanted to keep going so I could know what happened next. That, for me, is one aspect of a good book. I don’t think I’ll ever think about circuses the same way I used to, but really a vivid, captivating, and chilling read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, and Torture
Mentions of daemons/demons, Mentions of Hellvickybuka's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler
I think I am most disappointed in the book's circus being magical, and a punishment for souls
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy and Torture
angela005's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Torture
rharris86dc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I flew through this book! Great world building, and extremely engrossing. I didn’t want to put it down, nor did I want it to end. It definitely gave me some Night Circus vibes, which I loved, since that is one of my favorites. Perfect October read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
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