This was good, but not great. I think the carnival/Joyland vibes drew me to request this book but ultimately I just didn't feel much one way or another about any of the characters.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved Little Darlings by Melanie Golding - it is one of my favorite books. So maybe I went into this book expecting too much? It just did not hold my attention. It did not feel like a thriller to me and it was too much of a slow-burn. Just not my cup of tea.

Melanie Golding is a gifted storyteller. Her novels get under your skin and it’s so easy to put yourself in the character’s place, even when it’s someone so unusual. Faith can see people’s deaths by looking into their eyes. The first time it happens, she’s a child at the circus that her family owns. But there is a thin line between predicting the future and being accused of causing it, so she’s an outcast even in a world of outcasts. The plot has two separate timelines, Faith’s first experiences with “the Sight” as a child, and what’s happening to her in the present, told in first person by her. This is not a fell-good novel. The story is very dark and Faith faces so much hardship that I was having a hard time reading. It doesn’t help that, as I’ve said of her previous books, Golding doesn’t describe what’s happening but plants the ideas fully formed in your head. It is like being there, being Faith, suffering. One of the twists was maybe a little predictable, but I hadn’t seen the rest of them coming. The ambiance, the fully fleshed-out characters and the dialogues, the pacing, the darkness… this is a really great novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Crooked Lane Books!

I enjoyed the circus setting in this book and the descriptions of life surrounding it - all the travel, the varied personalities, the superstitions, etc. I also loved the beautiful cover of the carousel horse.

Description:
Look into her eyes—she can tell you how you'll die . . .

As a child, Faith acquired the ability to see when and how people would die—a “gift” she neither wanted nor could get rid of.

After foreseeing a family tragedy and being ostracized, Faith learns to control her visions, and returns to perform in her family’s traveling carnival. But when an unruly customer attacks her, she has a vision in full view of a crowd.

She is banned from the carnival she loves—and loses her only source of income to support her dying mother. Desperate to support her mother and with only one friend standing by her, she sees no reason to continue hiding her ability and goes to dangerous lengths to earn money. But when she sees herself in a man’s future death, Faith must face her own fears of her powers and tune into her gift to fight against a future that would ruin her life—and end someone else’s.

With The Sight , celebrated author Melanie Golding delivers another suspense-driven masterpiece with unforgettable characters and an ending that will leave you stunned.

My Thoughts:

Faith's ability was intriguing, although it had to feel like such a heavy burden to her. Having "the sight" presented her with many challenges to overcome - many caused by other people's fear of her ability. I've read several of Melanie Golding's books, and this one was not my favorite, but it's still an interesting story and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read about circus life. It is a rather dark book though.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book is expected to be published on September 5, 2023.

I enjoyed this one! I love carnival settings and anything paranormal; this delivered both. The story kept a good pace, enough surprises to keep the pages turning, and a satisfying ending. This was my first from this author and I plan to read her other books.

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't give the creepy vibes I was expecting from the cover. I did enjoy the carnival setting and Faith as a character and I sympathized with her. Seeing someone's death is a heavy burden for someone so young and to be ousted for it by the only family she has was heartbreaking. I was satisfied with the more hopeful ending for Faith. A solid story with enough suspense to keep you reading and a fascinating look into the carnie life. I would recommend this for fans of supernatural novels. 4 stars. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for a copy of The Sight!

Ultimately, this one fell short for me. I was intrigued by the synopsis because the concept gave me Joyland vibes (but with a unique twist). It was more repetitive than anything, though. Girls sees people who can die. Repeat. It's a thriller plot with a lot of potential, and there's a lot more Golding could have done with it. Maybe it's just me -- supernatural thrillers aren't usually my thing.

I also don't think it helps that this novel has been compared to popular series such as Stranger Things. That's setting some high expectations, and The Sight ultimately falls short.

The Sight by Melanie Golding was a great slow burn mystery.
A super chilling and fantastic read.
This slow paced and intense scenes with a darker atmosphere really added depth and tension throughout.
I’ve enjoyed Golding’s previous titles and her newest is no different.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Pros: LOVED the cover. Love circus novels and loved the book summary.
Cons: the book itself.
This one just did not live up to the summary. Unlikable characters and just not what I was expecting.

I received a digital advance copy of The Sight by Melanie Golding via NetGalley. The Sight is scheduled for release on September 5, 2023.

Faith has the sight. If she looks into your eyes, she will see your death. She discovered her “gift” as a child, foreseeing a death in her carnival family, leading to Faith and her mother being ostracized after the tragedy plays out. They are eventually allowed to return, but incidents at the carnival bring her powers back into focus, leading to her being permanently banished. Faith is now trying to support her dying mother, work her way back into the good graces of her family, and deal with the vision of a stranger’s death that she saw herself in.

The strength of this novel is the setting Golding has created. We spend a large part of the story in and around the family’s traveling carnival. We see Faith both in her personal life (mainly with her mother), in the rings of the big tent, and in the pieces behind and around the show that is apparent to customers. I found it impossible not to root for the show’s success and for Faith to reclaim her place in it.

For the most part, I also thought Golding did a great job of showing Faith’s battle with her “gift.” We see her shifting relationship with the sight, moving through fear, empowerment, manipulation, and everything in between. There were a few inconsistencies in how the “magic” of her sight worked, however. The first death she sees is in a dream, while all visions after that occur when she is looking into the eyes of a person. As the story kept referring back to her first vision, this inconsistency bothered me throughout the novel.

While most of Faith’s journey through shifting relationships with her sight and her family worked well, there was a thread that seemed out of place throughout the entirety of the novel. In the end, there is a twist that reveals why that thread was included, but I felt the novel would have been stronger without this thread and additional twist. The specifics of the twist make some of the previous incidents and scenes not quite make sense. The impact of the twist was also resolved very quickly, in a way that was not believable for me. Without this thread and twist, there would have been more space in the end of the novel for Golding to more fully explain and explore the magic of Faith’s sight.

Overall, The Sight was a fun and powerful speculative suspense set in a carnival family. While there was one more thread than I thought the story needed, it was an enjoyable read.

Faith has grown up as a Harrington, which is synonymous with "Circus". The Harrington circus has had her family for generations. However, when Faith is about 10 years old, she discovers that she is not the same as the other Harrington's and her place in the family business is threatened. As an adult Faith fights to keep her place in the business and her share of the circus. Meanwhile she is dealing with he mother dying, and her own fragile and exhaustive health.

The beginning of this novel is a slow build, but it does eventually pick up speed. I recommend this one for fans of young adult fiction and thrillers with just a hint of the paranormal. An interesting, dark, atmospheric read right from the beginning.

The book does not live up to the blurb. The characters are unlikable. There seems to be no point to the story until about 65% of the way through. The ending came out of nowhere. Not at all what I was expecting.

This book was another winner from a new favorite author. This book was so atmospheric that I could not put it down. I have recommended this to at least 10 people so that I can talk to someone about it! i picked it out because of the cover and it does not disappoint!!!

I find stories depicting the rambling lives of circus performers and or traveling festivals to be quite fascinating. In this novel, Faith grows up in the midst of a tight-knit carnival troupe that holds a lasting fear and contempt for certain talents that they regard as evil. No activities that may conjure bad luck upon their community are allowed, so palm reading or fortune telling of any sort are strictly forbidden. Faith never intended to break this rule, it is simply beyond her control when she begins to have visions of death, disturbing flashes of what the future will hold.

The beginning of this novel is a slow build, but it does eventually pick up speed. I recommend this one for fans of young adult fiction and thrillers with just a hint of the paranormal.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Sight for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

I love the setting in this one. It is 100% unique. The way the story unfolds is amazing as well. I am a huge fan. I would love to listen to this one.

The Sight by Melanie Golding follows Faith, a young woman who works at a carnival with an interesting talent-she can look into your eyes and see how you will die. When this gift ends up doing more harm than good and Faith is ostracized from her community, she resorts in shadier activities to make ends meet and provide for her ailing mother. Faith has to try and figure out when and how to use her gift to save her future.

This book was fine. The premise was cool and the carnival setting was a lot of fun but it felt like this book should have been one hundred pages longer. A lot of parts just did not feel fleshed out and we hopped from scene to scene at a breakneck pace. The climax at the end was resolved way too quickly. As I was getting closer to it, I convinced myself this was the first book in the series because it did not seem possible to pull everything together in a satisfying way. And it didn’t. The very end of the book had some cool concepts but it just felt like something added on to juice up the end.

All in all, this book was fine. The vibes were cool if a little underdeveloped. But the chapters are super short and it’s a relatively short book so if you want something that feels kind of like a made for tv subtly paranormal thriller, this would be a good one to pick up.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book was not at all what I expected. The description was. Abit misleading to the actual storyline. Overall, a well done dark carnival setting with our main character having special abilities. This was a quick and spooky read.

I just couldn't believe the paranormal parts of the story as much as I hoped. The author has some amazing books, but I can't list this one with them/

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I was a bit disappointed in this one. I didn't really feel that the summary matched the actual book. Maybe the book is great, but not what I expected, so it was difficult to really get into and enjoy. Urban Fantasy isn't really my thing, so it never grabbed me.

2 stars for 'it was ok'

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I loved Melanie Golding's Little Darlings. But this one was such a disappointment to me. The cover and synopsis are great, but it seemed like most of the book didn't cover what the reader was lead to believe. It was a decent read, just not what I had expected. I unfortunately wouldn't recommend.