medievalfantasyqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Thank you to Booktasters and the author for this review copy!
A lovely survey across a classic circus cast, with the stories being sprinkled in for each performer, revealing nice little details about the performers and their relationship to each other, and to outsiders, including their personal family and friends.
I was particularly drawn to the stories about the lion tamer, and how it was framed as an instruction manual, which in turn laid out how the man himself is slowing things down, taking things step by step, to move forward. It is a neat metaphor, and works quite well.
One suggestion would be to perhaps weave a larger plot point, or common themes and motifs through the stories in order to connect them in a more cohesive way.
Other than that, this was a lovely pleasant read. :)
A lovely survey across a classic circus cast, with the stories being sprinkled in for each performer, revealing nice little details about the performers and their relationship to each other, and to outsiders, including their personal family and friends.
I was particularly drawn to the stories about the lion tamer, and how it was framed as an instruction manual, which in turn laid out how the man himself is slowing things down, taking things step by step, to move forward. It is a neat metaphor, and works quite well.
One suggestion would be to perhaps weave a larger plot point, or common themes and motifs through the stories in order to connect them in a more cohesive way.
Other than that, this was a lovely pleasant read. :)
sucharita's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
margot_meanders's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
watercome15's review against another edition
Thank you to Booktasters and the author for sending me this copy!
This was such a fascinating read. I'm not one to enjoy books related to the circus, but I thought it would be a great read since they are short stories, which I really enjoy, and I'm really glad I decided to pick this book up.
I really enjoyed how the book was written, the world-building played a major part in this book, and it was done perfectly. I liked the fact that the stories tackle issues that we deal with in our day-to-day life. Like in "Clown Faces", it tackles these inner conflicts that happen to everyone, while using the circus life as metaphors. Using all the imagery from the circus and the way that the author described it all made the book feel very vibrant and vivid. I also liked the fact that the stories are interlaced together and how each of them had a different pace.
This was such a fascinating read. I'm not one to enjoy books related to the circus, but I thought it would be a great read since they are short stories, which I really enjoy, and I'm really glad I decided to pick this book up.
I really enjoyed how the book was written, the world-building played a major part in this book, and it was done perfectly. I liked the fact that the stories tackle issues that we deal with in our day-to-day life. Like in "Clown Faces", it tackles these inner conflicts that happen to everyone, while using the circus life as metaphors. Using all the imagery from the circus and the way that the author described it all made the book feel very vibrant and vivid. I also liked the fact that the stories are interlaced together and how each of them had a different pace.
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