I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity. 
A darker take on the circus story. The writing is OK but unusual in that it lacks flown so feels disjointed at times. The characters feel distant and not very familiar to the reader. 
An OK read.

This book was wonderful.  Beautifully written and plotted.  I had heard rave reviews about this book on social media and was so pleased to find that it lived up to the hype.  Highly recommended.

A Girl Made of Air follows a nameless woman, raised as a tight-rope walker in a British circus and hailed as ‘The Greatest Funambulist in the World,’ as she searches for a lost girl from her childhood in New York City. She tells the story of her rise to fame, her tragic past and the magic and stories of her best friend, Serendipity Wilson.

This is a strange book that I initially struggled to get into but, after a while, I was swept up in the magic of the circus and the fairy stories shared by Serendipity. The constant shift between the protagonist’s situation in New York and her past life in the UK kept me hooked as I desperately tried to figure out why she was where she was and how she came to be there. The struggles she faces along the way are gripping, fascinating and, at times, completely heart-breaking.

The best thing about this book is its beautiful writing style. It’s so easy to imagine the circus and Coney Island as she tells her tales, and so many times throughout, I found myself wishing I could experience the magic of one of the shows in the Big Top circus tent. It was immersive, beautifully described and a wonderful blend of historical fiction and magical realism.

I would absolutely recommend this book; however, I have to admit that it is not a quick and easy read. It’s completely worthwhile, but definitely took a lot of concentration to get fully immersed in. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for some magical escapism, this could definitely be for you.

I didn’t have many expectations going in to ‘A Girl Made of Air’ other than what I learnt in the blurb - that it was a circus fantasy tale. As someone who has spent her life working in theatre, the circus has always held a fascination for me – it’s an artform and way of life which is so similar and yet so distant and I was excited to find out more.

A Girl Made of Air is an odd mix of narration; a lot of it is 1st person past tense as the older ‘Mouse’ tells her life story. There is also a few transcripts of conversations and some unrelated folk stories weaved in as well. Although I enjoyed the folktales at the beginning of the story, when I started to get more invested in Mouse’s plight I found them a little annoying as a distraction from the main story. The story itself is rather dark and depressing, we don’t get much of a description of Mouse’s funambulist beginnings or the performance side of the circus which I thought was a little disappointing. I would have loved a little more description about Coney Island as well – it’s such an exciting place to set half of the book in and yet the setting felt like a missed opportunity in this instance as we get description of the house where Mouse lives and a very brief description of her travelling the wire a few times. I found myself not really feeling invested or sympathetic to any of the characters – especially Mouse who makes some silly decisions in places.

The book is fundamentally about a child’s obsession with an adopted mother figure of ‘Serendipity Wilson’ (a woman whose name is always spelled out in full despite there being no other Seprendipity’s in the book!) We get the story of a girl who wanted to find a family, who messed up her chance and who spent her life trying to redeem herself. It’s an ok story and it is genuinely moving in places, but it isn’t exactly action packed or sparkling.

Overall, A Girl Made of Air is a depressing story which is moving in places but missed the opportunity to add some of the flair of the circus into its writing. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a copy of A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington to read and review by NetGalley.
What a fantastic book, in many senses of the word!  I absolutely adored this novel.  It was beautifully written - in the first person which I love as it gives a real insight into the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings.  The story was tender but magical and captured a life that I kept wanting to find out more about.  In fact there wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t like.  I can hardly wait for more outstanding work from this author.  Fabulous!

The debut novel,  A Girl Made of Air, looked and sounded so promising. Beginning with the  narrator reflecting on and sharing her life story as ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’, I was expecting a fantasy themed read along the vein of  The Night Circus. 

This was, however, not a YA fantasy novel - but a much darker read. I was looking for a circus read with that magical feel to it but it was much sadder and a hard book to get through. I had not been expecting this. Despite solid writing I found it to be slow, not drawn in by the plot or characters and it struggled to hold my interest. 

A Girl Made of Air is a book for those seeking a specific read - sadly, that was not me. I am sure there are readers out there who will engage far more with what this book has to offer. 

‘I was a silent child, standing in the shadows of my glorious parents, the pocket audience for the lives of my progenitors. As I grew, I became withdrawn from the physical world. I locked myself deep inside the confines of my mind, where I could pretend to be a spirit, a girl made of air and clouds.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A decent read with a gripping storyline and characters that it’s almost impossible not to root for. It wasn’t my favourite read but would recommend to fans of the genre.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio UK for the audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book; it had been likened to other books and authors that I adore, and sadly I feel I went into this expecting something more than I got. I don't think that is the book's fault, but I found I couldn't engage with it and wasn't drawn back to the story.

There are some excellent ideas here, and the cast of characters is wonderful. I think with an injection of pace and a little refinement of the more TW topics, this could be an enjoyable tale. It just wasn't one for me.

2 stars

The style of this book, with an almost anonymous narrator, is unique, and has almost a 'marmite effect'; it's a love it or hate it kind of book. Personally, I loved it. 

The author has done a stunning job describing the dramatic - literal - highs and horrific lows of circus life, and the historical side of it weaves in a line of women who should know their place, children who should be seen and not heard, traumas that should be accepted and forgotten. 

Hard hitting, strong in every sense of the word, and beautifully crafted, this will be one I recommend to so many people for a long time to come.

A spellbinding mix of circus lore, folk tales and natural magic combine to bring us an absorbing story of rejection and survival, of searching for connection and identity. Fast paced and utterly engaging this is a remarkable debut. I cant wait to read more from Nydia Hetherington.

Having loved 'Water for Elephants' & 'The Night Circus' & seeing the cover of this book,  was rally keen to read it. However I'm afraid it didn't do it for me. The story of a young girl, born into the circus to parents who didn't seem to have any time for her, she lived on the edge until the arrival  of Serendipity Williams, a flame haired funambulist. She takes 'Mouse, under her wing & teaches her to be the greatest funambulist of all time. The story is told by Mouse. She is recalling her life & telling of her regrets. The book is beautifully written, but I just couldn't connect to the characters & was rather pleased to get to the end of it. Thanks to Netgalley  & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book.

As a huge fan of fantasy (with a particular emphasis on all things circus related) I was extremely excited to read Nydia Hetherington's debut novel "A Girl Made Of Air". And what a debut it is! Protagonist Mouse is "The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived". For the uninitiated (i.e. me at the start of the book) funambulist = tightrope walker. Some of the descriptions of simply walking the wire are incredibly evocative. This story is heavy on strong females (another huge check mark!) and I particularly enjoyed the tales told throughout by flame-haired, fabulously named Serendipity Wilson. 

In terms of setting, we have a travelling circus in England and a performer who graduates to Coney Island, with some cabaret thrown in. Yes, it is as marvellous as it sounds! Hetherington has created vibrant characters and skilfully shown us that there's so much more to circus life than spotlights, greasepaint and glamour. Despite the fantastical post-War setting, the themes of the book are universal and include love, friendship and losses of different kinds. 

"A Girl Made Of Air" would make an ideal festive gift for anyone who enjoys the work of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern.

This story reads like you're visiting an elderly relative for an afternoon cup of tea and cake and listening to their musings. They ramble and repeat themselves and go off in tangents when some small scattered fragment pops into their mind. Occasionally there may be new snippets of information but mostly, you've heard their stories before. That's just human nature and old age. We're all haunted by regret and want to share our tales with someone before our time is up and our life story forever lost.

I really didn't get any The Night Circus, Nights at the Circus or Caraval vibes. And comparing it to them really does this book a disservice. It is a great story on its own. It's almost like the PR / marketing / recommendation AI bot selected a few keywords like "fantasy" and "circus" and decided they belong in the same category. They really don't. The magical elements woven into the tale are not fantastical but a mask for some dark and traumatic events. You certainly won't be blinded by the dazzling circus lights.

Recommended for fans of The Vanishing Act, The First Time Lauren Pailing Died, The Other Half of Augusta Hope, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for the ARC.

This book swept me away. I love books about the circus and the atmosphere in this one was so well-written. I could almost smell the popcorn! And the characters were distinctive and endearing. Thank you for the copy and I look forward to reading more from Nydia.

A magical read that takes the reader on a journey back to a post-war circus. A young girl born to a mother who was the main attraction and so in love with Manu, her father, all else failed to exist for her.
Through the eyes and ears of the child a new charismatic character arrives in Serendipity Williams, a flame haired funambulist, who calls the child Mouse and will teach her to become the greatest of them all.
Another child is born into the circus and years later lost. Can the now famous tightrope walker find a girl who has been lost but not forgotten all these years?
I was mesmerised by the acts and larger than life characters that performed on the pages throughout The Girl Made Of Air. Surely a highlight of the year.

This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived...Born into a post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus. Now an adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again?
This was a descriptive read that really made you feel like you were living the circus life of the protagonist only known as Mouse. She was rejected by her circus parents so was brought up by Serendipity Wilson who teaches her how to walk the ropes. You really begin to feel for Mouse as you hear the hard life she has had. The story itself is quite dark and has a slow pace to it but is cleverly written in the style of letters and journals and post cards. 
I was captivated by the life that Mouse has lived. She has had a tough time but still wants to do good for her friend who she saw as family. It was nice to see a different circus story in being that it was set mostly behind the scenes and then over time we learn how she became the Worlds Greatest Funambulist. It was a lovely story but one also filled with grief and tragedy, especially when we learn about what happened to her mother. 
Overall it was a nice book to read, although being compared to The Night Circus I would say that is not the case, A Girl Made of Air is more of a historical fiction with a mystical twist full of myths and stories. 
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

An enchanting tale about extraordinary women. For people who enjoyed The Night Circus.

The narrator, Mouse, takes you on a journey with the circus and meet her family. She shares their stories and her own after she left. The mysterious Serendipity Wilson helps her onto the rope and become the greatest funambulist there ever lived. Mouse uses the same magic in her storytelling and story weaving as she uses in her performances. It might turn you off but to me, it really set the stage. 

A perfect read for a rainy afternoon cuddled up with a cup of tea.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it just didnt work for me. I found it hard going to start with and while it did get better, I never really felt truly engaged by the story. Loved the circus parts of the story.

This was a more serious story than I had been expecting, but I found it charming nonetheless. The writing is lovely, and kept me engaged.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To begin with this has a very slow pace to it which I didn’t necessarily like. I like to be sucked straight into a story and carried away. But I persevered and it does get better around half way through.

I liked the way that it was narrated through interviews, journals and letters as it’s a different narrative than usual.

I like the focus on personal relationships and the way that it addressed the darker side of the circus to show that it’s not all wonder and awe. 

A good read that I was very happy with.