What an unusual idea for a book this turned out to be. A young woman alone desperate to find her family in Chicago turned into a very different story than the one I had expected. In truth her vague backstory about having recently committed murder whilst obviously shocking didn’t add a great deal to the story. No its when she inadvertently gets taken in by a traveling circus and Gracies life really becomes much more interesting. Working as the magicians assistant is a lot more dangerous than anyone could expect !
This very much surprised me as I wasn’t initially sure exactly what magic or trickery was in play here but when things start to get explained it certainly had me taking notice ! It’s less the Illusionist and a whole lot more HG Wells with a strong edge if science fiction woven in. If blunt the characters are not particularly likeable and at times downright annoying but this held my attention and I have to admit does have a happy ending.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I came for the circus atmosphere. But, turns out this was way more than I bargained for! This took everything I love about a circus story up a notch—and that’s making me a bigger clown than I was going in.

I loved Gracie and Jack’s dynamic. Their chemistry was fab, and the banter is superb! The whole magician’s-disappearing-act twist was something I did not anticipate going in this story. I kinda wished there had been more circus-y bits to really bring out the flavors I crave when reading a circus-themed book. Still loved it, though, regardless of me wanting a little more world-building. The spin on Jack and Harris’ relationship is a twist I should’ve saw coming, but the reveal surprised me still.

Unfortunately the epilogue is my least favorite part about this book. I feel like it could be fleshed out a bit better so that the explanations of Gracie’s past and her newfound family in the end were more satisfying. Everything seemed way too convenient and left me thinking…really?

Anyhow, I’m still buying a hard copy when this is available!

Any book with circus in the name has my attention! I really enjoyed this book it was a lot of fun to read. It felt very fast paced with a good mysterious element to it.

This book, Circus Of Shadows, was pretty good. You follow orphan Gracie Hart and magician Jack on this magical circus adventure. Gracie was just trying to get to Chicago to find her family when her train ticket got stolen. She sneaks on board the circus train and gets caught. She winds up joining the circus and becomes Jack’s assistant. This was a quick and easy read and very well written. I found the characters to be a bit annoying at times, but overall the book was an enjoyable read.

Phenomenal read. From the beginning you are drawn in further and further and trying to figure out what is real or if Gracie is really losing her mind. A spectacular blending of the circus and eco-fi alter dimensions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley Kimberlee Turley and Sweetwater Books Press for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Gracie Hart, an orphaned woman, decided to search for her aunt who may or may not be alive in Chicago. After an incident, she quickly buys a ticket, but it unfortunately gets stolen, which lands her on a circus train, where she is recruited to become Jack, the magician's assistant, since his last one died. After starting, she receives strange notes and strange occurrences happen that make her question who Jack really is and what's real or not.

Gonna start off by saying the cover is super lovely and fits this book quite well. I truly enjoyed this book and found myself finishing it in no time. It's a pretty fun read and I quite enjoyed the setting and the premise behind it. I didn't fully know what to expect when starting it, but it was pretty interesting and fun once I started.

In the story, you follow not only Gracie, but Jack as well. The two don't get off on a good start, Gracie being stubborn and Jack as well. They've got attitude.

I'd say it was written pretty well, when Gracie got confused, I honestly found myself pretty confused too and coming upon the revelations with her made the book more of a ride.

The conclusion to the book left something to be desired while also being satisfying. There were still some things I was curious about, but was still happy with how it ended.

Highly recommend to people who love a good adventure set in a different time, a stubborn strong willed heroine and a grumpy mysterious male lead and some magic mixed in.

Thank you NetGalley and Kimberlee Turley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Turley's Circus of Shadows is sure to please young adult audiences who enjoy historical fiction blended with fantasy. Strong characters, exciting action, and intriguing mystery will keep readers turning pages.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so interesting and full of plot twists that I love. I was never bored throughout this book and the author did a great job creating interesting and unique characters. This is a book that I will reread over again and again. Great book!

Definitely for fans of The Night Circus with the thrills of a mystery. Great pace and story development that had me hooked from the first page.

(Review copy received via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review)

I requested this book because I love circus and historical fantasy (especially gaslamp/steampunk) with maybe a dash of romance and this book didn't disappoint!

I love the main theme and the scientific bits (with a sprinkle of magic, I dare say). I love the writing style and the fast pace of this book. The world building was detailed and immersive. I love how the characters are build. Headstrong Gracie, kind but mysterious Jack, and the troublemaker Harris. I love their relationships and it was fun to see their character growth. <spoiler> I have to admit I'm a bit irritated with the hypnosis part but understand it was necessary plot-wise so I just deal with it </spoiler>

Overall it was a very fun read! I love, love the gaslamp circus theme a lot! The romance is slow burn and there are swoony moments I really adore. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

I most often read regency and proper romance and requested Circus of Shadows because I loved The Night Circus. I’d give this 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

The story starts out with Gracie on the run to the train station because she killed the factory foreman where she was working. She ends up stealing a ride on a circus train when her ticket gets stolen. She’s found by one of the workers and is given a choice by the circus owner: fill the empty position as the knife thrower’s target girl, or go to jail. Gracie takes the job, even though she’s certain the magician she’ll be working with is none other than the pickpocket from the train station.

The enemies-to-lovers romance only got better from here. Jack is intelligent, handsome, and tortured—and he has a very competitive, equally desperate rival. I was worried this was going to be a love triangle, but that wasn’t really the case.

The storytelling wasn’t as literary as The Night Circus and I felt that the fantasy elements in this book were a bit more complex, and compartmentalized, whereas in The Night Circus, the magic was more integrated. I’d estimate I was about 80 pages in before the fantasy element really came into focus and this was also about the point in the plot where I was invested enough to finish the rest of the novel in one sitting.

As far as the setting goes, this wasn’t true historical as the characters are clearly written to be more palatable to modern readers as they call each other by their given names nearly right from the start. I loved the Castle in the Sky vibes from this and the only reason I wouldn’t give this a full five star rating is because I think the antagonist could have used another POV chapter.

I love the premise of this book. Give me a headstrong female MC, a traveling circus, and a murder mystery all rolled into one? I’m all in. It had me hooked in the beginning but unfortunately, it lost me once things started to unfold.

It has a lot of information thrown at you and it’s a bit hard to piece together what exactly is going on. The book is described as supernatural but goes out of its way to convince you that everything has a scientific explanation. If you’ve ever played Bioshock: Infinite the world feels very similar. I wish I had known that going in.

I'm sad to say I feel underwhelmed after finishing this book.

*Also there was no reason to include the word g*psy. It’s a slur used against the Roma or Romani people.

I loved reading this book! I found the writing to be very insightful and interesting. I was intrigued by the premise and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

I have a lot of mixed emotions after reading this book. There were some parts that I really enjoyed but the story overall fell short for me.

I loved the overall concept of the story. It was an amazing idea of not having it take place in the present day but also having the transition between the two places. There were twists that I wouldn’t have even considered and I think the use of multiple perspectives allowed that to happen and convince the readers.

However, there were many things that I believe made the book a lot less enjoyable.

Age: The concept of Gracie of being 17 and Jack being 20 didn’t sit well with me. Although I know there could have been a much worse age gap, I just can’t wrap my head around why Gracie couldn’t be older or Jack younger? Gracie could still have been considered an orphan even if she aged up. She could have still looked for her family too. Not to mention that the whole idea of her finding her family just disappeared for a large portion of the book and only showed up when she wanted to quit. I think the epilogue was just to try and tie it back to the beginning but was also unnecessary considering finding her family became completely irrelevant.
The World Build: Due to the transitions between the two places, one that was built by geniuses and works much differently than how we know the world to work, I believe it could have been described and built a lot more. It seemed like the only time we learn more about the world is just for the plot and so it was hard to picture the entire place.
The Pacing: At some points it felt like there was too much going on and I felt like more details on the events to explain them more would have made the book easier to follow. An example of this could be when Harris turns against Clarice. It just happened and no matter how many times I tried to re-read that one part, it seemed like it was added and the reader was expected to follow along with it. Or like the muder that Gracie committed. That was not built on at all. Sure it was brought up multiple times, but was never fully developed or talked about to the extent that I would have liked. We don’t even get to see Gracie actually reflect on the matter, she just remembers that she did it. It seems like so much was crammed in for the sake of the plot but was never developed when some parts could have been simplified and others developed more.
The relationship between Gracie and Jack: Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted this to happen. However, the real problem for me isn’t just that they got together, it’s that Jack and Gracie’s relationship was never properly addressed. For one, Jack manipulating her all the time and telling her to trust him is not enough and the internal remorse he had did nothing to change my opinion on all the manipulation.

There’s also so many questions I have now that I finished and I don’t feel satisfied finishing the book.

I also noticed that this book has yet to have any reviews on Goodreads, and I would prefer not to post this review on there to lower the rating right off the bat. This means I will be waiting to post this review publicly until more are posted.