monkreads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars. Interesting plot but the characters were not the most interesting people. They absolutely should’ve been but I just wasn’t attached to them in the slightest. The writing was good and it was a quick read but I thought I would enjoy it more than but I wouldn’t mind reading more from this author.
minervacerridwen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook read by C.S.E. Cooney, as I think the joyful, beautiful reading upped my rating with yet another quarter star. It was just so much fun!
As the "Traveling" in the title already indicates, this book really takes you on a trip. Not just in the literal sense, because the characters make a long journey, but also emotionally. I met so many beautiful characters, not the least of all little Charlie the cat, and behind every turn there was another small adventure.
Queer ghosts, sign language, a mime and other circus acts (sometimes involving the cat), a scary haunted house from ghost perspective, a wedding, and so much more - this book packs so much joy, and at the same time a lot of other emotions, while also talking about heavy topics like death, the things that make life worth living, and the way our society treats homeless people.
To my book club friends (and everyone else): if you liked "Under the Whispering Door" and would like to find more queer books about death and letting go, "The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus" definitely deserves to be mentioned more often in those lists!
For content warnings, check https://www.atthisarts.com/content/.
As the "Traveling" in the title already indicates, this book really takes you on a trip. Not just in the literal sense, because the characters make a long journey, but also emotionally. I met so many beautiful characters, not the least of all little Charlie the cat, and behind every turn there was another small adventure.
Queer ghosts, sign language, a mime and other circus acts (sometimes involving the cat), a scary haunted house from ghost perspective, a wedding, and so much more - this book packs so much joy, and at the same time a lot of other emotions, while also talking about heavy topics like death, the things that make life worth living, and the way our society treats homeless people.
To my book club friends (and everyone else): if you liked "Under the Whispering Door" and would like to find more queer books about death and letting go, "The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus" definitely deserves to be mentioned more often in those lists!
For content warnings, check https://www.atthisarts.com/content/.
sannareads's review against another edition
5.0
"The languages between them could not have meant less just then, gone in the face of shared experience and shared pain"
I. Love. This. Book.
"The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus" moved me deeply, in a lot of different ways. I'm certain that this is a book that I'll come back to and read over and over again, because that's how much I loved it. It has so many important topics and beautiful quotes that I found it really hard to choose one quote in the beginning of this review.
Chelsea Shu dies at 27 and becomes a ghost. A ghost who mourns her own death and the fact that she can see her family and be by their side, without them noticing her. Luckily she meets Carmen that when the story begins already is her mentor in this undead world of theirs.
The story takes place two years after Chelsea's death when she finds out that her little brother Osric is about to get married to the love of his life. Together the ghostly companions Chelsea and Carmen decide to go there...and with go I literally mean go because ghosts can't travel in cars, airplanes or by train. Homeless, human mime (that both can see and communicate with ghosts) Cyndricka decides to come with her friends...and so the journey of their undead and very alive lives begins.
This book both made me cry, laugh and feel an incredible amount of feelings. All three females stories moved me and their growing friendship makes my heart so full. The characters are very different from one another and I believe that, that is what makes them so great together.
McFalls writing is fenomenal, her characters are beautifully portrayed and the amount of details, action, sadness, happiness and comedy is woven together perfectly. There's simply nothing not to like about this book.
The characters varies a lot both when it comes to sexual orientations and ethnicity which I find absolutely lovely. Like that isn't enough McFall also brings up periods (which might sound like nothing( but the fact that Cyndricka has to see to her menstrual hygiene while on the road is just great. Because how often do we actually get to read about the characters getting their period when they are on their adventures?
As a person who believes in a life after this, this book really meant something for me. I don't know if this book describes what McFall believes happens after death or if it's simply a fantasy story. But this story really made me feel a lot of feelings after losing people close to me and believing that they are still out there somewhere.
Thank you NetGalley and Atthis Arts for the e-ARC of "The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, I absolutely adore it...and the biggest thanks to Alanna McFall for writing a new favorite book of mine, this really is something different. I loved it. ❤️
❤️You can find this review + a creative picture with the book included over at my Instagram: @sannareads
I. Love. This. Book.
"The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus" moved me deeply, in a lot of different ways. I'm certain that this is a book that I'll come back to and read over and over again, because that's how much I loved it. It has so many important topics and beautiful quotes that I found it really hard to choose one quote in the beginning of this review.
Chelsea Shu dies at 27 and becomes a ghost. A ghost who mourns her own death and the fact that she can see her family and be by their side, without them noticing her. Luckily she meets Carmen that when the story begins already is her mentor in this undead world of theirs.
The story takes place two years after Chelsea's death when she finds out that her little brother Osric is about to get married to the love of his life. Together the ghostly companions Chelsea and Carmen decide to go there...and with go I literally mean go because ghosts can't travel in cars, airplanes or by train. Homeless, human mime (that both can see and communicate with ghosts) Cyndricka decides to come with her friends...and so the journey of their undead and very alive lives begins.
This book both made me cry, laugh and feel an incredible amount of feelings. All three females stories moved me and their growing friendship makes my heart so full. The characters are very different from one another and I believe that, that is what makes them so great together.
McFalls writing is fenomenal, her characters are beautifully portrayed and the amount of details, action, sadness, happiness and comedy is woven together perfectly. There's simply nothing not to like about this book.
The characters varies a lot both when it comes to sexual orientations and ethnicity which I find absolutely lovely. Like that isn't enough McFall also brings up periods (which might sound like nothing( but the fact that Cyndricka has to see to her menstrual hygiene while on the road is just great. Because how often do we actually get to read about the characters getting their period when they are on their adventures?
As a person who believes in a life after this, this book really meant something for me. I don't know if this book describes what McFall believes happens after death or if it's simply a fantasy story. But this story really made me feel a lot of feelings after losing people close to me and believing that they are still out there somewhere.
Thank you NetGalley and Atthis Arts for the e-ARC of "The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, I absolutely adore it...and the biggest thanks to Alanna McFall for writing a new favorite book of mine, this really is something different. I loved it. ❤️
❤️You can find this review + a creative picture with the book included over at my Instagram: @sannareads
sofievg's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Really enjoyed reading this! A cat, an original interpretation of ghosts, and an amazing friendship, what not to love 😊 made me feel like I want to go on a long walk with my best friends too.
kathrynhoss's review against another edition
4.0
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus is a unique book by a debut author. We follow the ghost of recently deceased Chelsea, older 1970s ghost Carmen, and their human mime friend Cyndricka as they walk cross-country to get to Chelsea's brother's wedding.. First off, I love a ghost story, love a road trip novel, love a queer new adult novel. This is all three.
I was hooked from the first chapter when we see Chelsea's untimely demise firsthand, but I did get a bit bogged down in the middle. I was not surprised to learn that the first draft had been written for National Novel Writing Month. This book is both what is great and difficult about NaNoWriMo-- it is immensely creative (if you know NaNoWriMo lore, look out for the Shovel of Death), but sometimes I felt like the author didn't know what was going to happen next. For me, this was still a welcome change from the more formulaic memoirs and romance novels I'd been reading lately, but if you are looking for a tightly-plotted story, Incorporeal Circus is not it. It's meandering, but pleasantly surprising. I won't give away any spoilers, but I was not let down by the ending.
It also offers a lot in terms of diverse characters, although it appears that the author is white? As a fellow white person, I don't know how good the representations are. On the surface, the characters can be a bit stereotypical - Chelsea's family is Chinese and they wanted her to be a doctor, Cyndricka is black and homeless. These characters are a lot deeper than that surface stuff, though. I feel like I gained a new empathy and understanding of homelessness through this book?? Also, a newfound respect for the art of the mime.
#TripleC #NetGalley
I was hooked from the first chapter when we see Chelsea's untimely demise firsthand, but I did get a bit bogged down in the middle. I was not surprised to learn that the first draft had been written for National Novel Writing Month. This book is both what is great and difficult about NaNoWriMo-- it is immensely creative (if you know NaNoWriMo lore, look out for the Shovel of Death), but sometimes I felt like the author didn't know what was going to happen next. For me, this was still a welcome change from the more formulaic memoirs and romance novels I'd been reading lately, but if you are looking for a tightly-plotted story, Incorporeal Circus is not it. It's meandering, but pleasantly surprising. I won't give away any spoilers, but I was not let down by the ending.
It also offers a lot in terms of diverse characters, although it appears that the author is white? As a fellow white person, I don't know how good the representations are. On the surface, the characters can be a bit stereotypical - Chelsea's family is Chinese and they wanted her to be a doctor, Cyndricka is black and homeless. These characters are a lot deeper than that surface stuff, though. I feel like I gained a new empathy and understanding of homelessness through this book?? Also, a newfound respect for the art of the mime.
#TripleC #NetGalley
fruity999's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
losapala's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this entire book, but one of my favorite things was the opening chapter. It might be the best opening chapter I’ve ever read, and while I don’t want to give away spoilers, I will say that I was caught totally off guard and never saw it coming. The story just got better and better after that, though. I found the main characters extremely charming. In particular, the character of Cyndricka, a mute young homeless woman who survives life on the streets of New York City by being a mime. She was just awesome and I loved her whole storyline. I also really liked the storyline of the protagonist, Chelsea, and was interested to see how it all came out in the end.
Overall, I just felt that the characterization throughout the story was very well done. There is a whole cast of characters coming from different backgrounds, and sometimes different eras, but I got attached to all of them and drawn into their personal struggles, and also, how they fit together as a cast. There were really nice little light-hearted humorous moments, but also serious turns to the story that left me sad and grimacing for what the characters were going through. The book as a whole contained a lot of these interesting twists and turns, and I never knew what to expect or how I would feel about it. I really love it when an author is able to pull something like that off, and this author pulled it off very well.
And the ending was beautiful. I got a great sense of closure and felt deeply satisfied that each of the characters, in turn, found what they were looking for, even if they actually got the thing they had no idea they were looking for. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves urban fantasy, contemporary fiction, supernatural stories, comedic literature or just a really great read.
Overall, I just felt that the characterization throughout the story was very well done. There is a whole cast of characters coming from different backgrounds, and sometimes different eras, but I got attached to all of them and drawn into their personal struggles, and also, how they fit together as a cast. There were really nice little light-hearted humorous moments, but also serious turns to the story that left me sad and grimacing for what the characters were going through. The book as a whole contained a lot of these interesting twists and turns, and I never knew what to expect or how I would feel about it. I really love it when an author is able to pull something like that off, and this author pulled it off very well.
And the ending was beautiful. I got a great sense of closure and felt deeply satisfied that each of the characters, in turn, found what they were looking for, even if they actually got the thing they had no idea they were looking for. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves urban fantasy, contemporary fiction, supernatural stories, comedic literature or just a really great read.
ireadinbed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly this book just wrung my heart out. I had so many emotions reading it.
I loved the characters, and how they were revealed over time. The afterlife world building was truly inspired. It was fun and sometimes humbling to read a road trip that wasn't a road trip.
It felt very true to life for the living, and moving on from pain. I wish I knew what happened past the ending
But I have to let it go. That's the point.
Just genuinely lovely
I loved the characters, and how they were revealed over time. The afterlife world building was truly inspired. It was fun and sometimes humbling to read a road trip that wasn't a road trip.
It felt very true to life for the living, and moving on from pain. I wish I knew what happened past the ending
But I have to let it go. That's the point.
Just genuinely lovely
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Police brutality
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Hate crime
tanouska's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a great read! Despite what all the trigger warnings may seem to suggest, this was overall a happy book I think, I enjoyed reading it :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Death