Such a delicious, fantastical read. This is much along the lines of The Night Circus by Elin Morgenstern. Secrets and mystery abound within the pages of this book as the young Lara Barnes attempts to move on after her fiancé disappears. This is a book that is best read in long sittings. While initially I attempted to read it in short spurts, I found that I wasn't captivated with the story until I committed myself. Once I dedicated the time, the magic oozed off the pages and grabbed me. The essence of the circus itself is both enchanting and disturbing. Sayers writes layers and layers of intrigue into lives of the Cabot women. Equal parts of mystery, suspense, love, and macabre make this a mesmerizing tale.

I am in awe of this author. I read A Witch in Time by the author just before seeing this book on NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review. This was a book worth reading. Drop everything else, you won’t be sorry. This is a story told in the past and the present. The different time frames are not confusing. One is in the form of a journal written by one of the first witches of the secret circus. Great fantasy that is believable if you dream of magic or are just the kind of person that sees magic in the world around you. This book has witches, devils, circus stars, the River Styx , Paris and famous painters. It has men disappearing and it has love. I cannot wait for another of Constance Sayer’s books.

Much darker (and more magical!) than anticipated. When I began reading, I thought this was another of the Orpheus and Eurydice type stories, but it was definitely not of that line, but much more interesting. I enjoyed this immensely!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Ladies of the Secret Circus.

I was excited when my request was approved because the premise was so intriguing; a dark circus, dark magic, ladies of the night, horror, blood, strange disappearances...yes yes yes! Sign me up!

Lara is about to get married to Todd, the love of her life. But he disappears on their wedding day, leaving Lara crestfallen and with more questions than answers.

But, a missing man is not an anomaly in this small town, which has seen little crime in over a hundred years.

Soon, Lara discovers her missing fiance is the least of her problems. Someone is after her. And this woman won't be easy to stop.

What I liked: the world building was good, the description of the circus, the setting of old timey fun timey France. I also liked how all the main characters were women; Lara, her mother Audrey, Cecile and her sister, Esme.

But, there was so much filler and superfluous details.

Character development is essential in all books, but sometimes there can be too much detail.

For example, instead of devoting a page to Lara's father's love of Jim Morrison, a sentence or two would suffice. Or, how old and historic Ben's home is and how long he lived in it with his wife.

I love the elements of horror running throughout the book, but there wasn't enough. I'm dark like that, but there was a lack of exposition as to how this circus came to be.

Why is Althacazur Satan's favorite? What is the true purpose of the circus? For those forced to work in its arena to repent? Does it represent a theoretical circle of hell?

I was never scared, not even when Althacazur was exerting his power on his subjects. I'm not sure if that was the author's intention but I wanted to be scared. I wanted to fear the power of the dark circus. Of what Cecile's father could do.

His personality and character was inconsistent; at times he was furious and took his pound of flesh; then his behavior would shift and he would mourn the loss of his mortal wife, Juno, like a lovesick teenager.

I did enjoy the origin of Cecile and Esme's birth, how they came to be twins, and the sacrifice their mother made in exchange for their existence.

Their unholy sisterhood, encouraged and fostered by their demonic father, rages on as they grow up and become circus performers.

When Cecile discovers how she and her sister came to be, and the sacrifice made in order that they survive, she realizes she must shore up her strength and find the courage to face her sister.

Not surprisingly, I found myself more intrigued by Juno, their mother. How did she meet Althacazur? Did she know who he truly was? Why isn't she in hell for being married to a demon? Is she in heaven?

I love the idea of a circus in hell filled with horrifying, terrible acts, a circus that disappears after a performance, a performance you must be invited personally to attend, and the necessary blood sacrifice in order to maintain the illusion of this secret circus.

But as I mentioned before, what is the true purpose of the circus? To lure victims? Why does it perform in the mortal realm? Why does it not remain in hell and accept 'volunteers' every time evil souls die?

Parts of the narrative dragged, bogged down with scenes of a minor or supporting character (like Teddy) info dumping about their career and/or life and felt long, especially toward the end.

There were aspects to the story I enjoyed very much, yet that was tempered by the fact that I didn't like any of the female characters and the unnecessary details slowed the pacing of the narrative.

I think many readers will enjoy this, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to read something a bit unusual.

Known to have a little magic, Lara is preparing for her wedding. But when her fiance doesn’t show up, she knows something is amiss. As Lara tries to move on in her life, she keeps getting called back to him and her past. She must uncover the secrets that arise to move on.

I’m particularly fond of magical circuses, and when I saw my spirit animal, Jenny Lawson, had read and liked this, I had to request to review it from Redhook Books. While we have a few leading ladies in this one, all the characters are wonderfully rich, and they add to the overall macabre theme of the story. Cecile is incredibly naïve, and we can only read on, hoping she survives the secrets she’s unmasking, just as we cheer on Lara in much the same vein.

I love that music plays such a central theme in Lara’s life, and Sayers has artfully woven it into the story. We learn so much about Cecile and Esme’s life in the journals she discovers, and I love how it all comes together to form a complete picture. This is a dark and delicious read that keeps you up reading late into the night.

Lara’s fiancée goes missing on the day of their wedding and she is determined to find out what happened to him. Her search for answers leads her to a family history that she knew nothing of, and The Secret Circus.

As soon as I read ‘circus’ I knew I had to read this book and I’m so glad I did. Fantasy, murder, mystery, family drama, historical fiction, romance, this book has it all. Ladies of the Secret Circus was dark, magical, tragic, atmospheric, and I loved it!

Thank you netgalley and Redhook for the advanced copy.
Publication date 03/23/21

Hauntingly beautiful! The writing style was right up my alley and I fell in love with the characters. I will say that it was darker than I originally thought it would be but it wasn't unwelcomed.

I loved this dark, magical mystery about generations of circus women with unusual abilities … and a disturbing legacy. Looking for answers after her fiancé goes missing, Lara Barnes uncovers the journals of her great-grandmother, Cecile, a performer at a legendary circus in 1920s Paris. The story alternates between Cecile’s tragic story and Lara’s investigation into her family’s past as she discovers how her own fate is tied to the Secret Circus.

An historical novel that spans generations of a family that is connected to a magical secret circus located in Paris of the 1920's and the decades-long mystery surrounding the disappearance of their loved ones. Gorgeous descriptions of the most beautiful circus one could ever imagine witnessing abound in this fantasy mystery that does not fail to grab every bit of your attention.

"From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus.

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder - a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love.

Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance"

Ever since I read The Night Circus I've been searching for books of a similar ilk. Well I need search no longer!

Wow is all I can say. This book is awesome. The writing, the characters, the places, the plot. I had moments of disbelief and the next I was mad. I did cry a bit and I had goosebumps at the end.. Magical, enchanting with a twist. Run and get it.

Lara Barnes comes from a line of women circus performers, more specifically performers in a secret circus. Her mother, Audrey, doesn't ever want to talk about it and discourages Laura from talking about it too.

When Lara's fiance, Todd, disappears the day of their wedding she is lost while she searches for answers. Her constant meeting with the police chief, Ben, starts to bud into something more than just briefings about Todd.

Then Lara finds her great grandmother's journal. The journal of Cecile Cabot! Lara is drawn into the dark story of the secret circus and it's origins. Her grandmother was half daemon! And had a twin sister, Esme.

This book was full of twists and turns, romance and loss, good and evil. I gave it four stars only because I was a little disappointed in the ending.

This book was such a surprise - if you're looking for something different, this is it!

I found this story quite fascinating, atmospheric, compelling, and a little...strange? For much of the book, I had no clue where this was going. It was anything but predictable!

This starts out when a groom goes missing on his wedding day; then we get some more unsolved mysteries from the small town; then magic becomes a big element and the devil may or may not be involved. It's hard to say more without giving anything away!

I think I may have enjoyed it more if there was more of a cohesive plot, but I was also drawn in by the sheer mystery of everything which is what kept me voraciously flipping the pages. Overall, I really enjoyed this book though I can tell it won't be for everyone. I would be very interested to read more from this author!

Stories about dark and/or magical circuses are my absolute favorite to read. I was thrilled to get and ARC of this book. The story is entertaining and unique. The "dark" element of the circus went a completely different way than what I was expecting. The story was exciting and kept me reading to see what was going to happen.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

I love The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and am always on the hunt for something magical like that. After reading the synopsis and seeing the cover, I was sure I was going to be in for a treat with this one.

The synopsis of this book is very misleading. This is not anything close to a love story. In fact I would go ahead and say there isn’t a love story here at all. What is mentioned in the synopsis is a pretty brief part of the book as a whole.

This is my second read novel by Constance Sayers and I didn’t realize it until after I began. I was not a fan of A Witch in Time either. There were moments and scenes with real potential but the author just doesn’t get me there emotionally with her prose.

The Ladies of the Secret Circus aka Devil’s Circus because it is ran by a family of demons. Didn’t expect that from the synopsis, did you? In the 1920’s the main demon daddy was a bad daddy who coddled one twin and kicked the other. Naturally the poorly treated daughter was a nasty piece of work. The other daughter was sweet and kind but very naive.

Flash forward to 2004/2005 and Lara, the great-Granddaughter of Cecile Cabot (the sweet twin), is about to get married when her fiancée disappears without a trace. Weird thing is, this seems to happen every 30 years on the dot. Lara will do anything to get answers.

Everything happens because of this circus where one cannot even see it unless they have a ticket. One doesn’t get a ticket unless the magic ticket box issues a ticket which the circus itself controls. If you arrive with someone who has a ticket but do not have one yourself then you see nothing.

**a huge thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with an ARC!**

For Lara Barnes, the circus is in her blood. Le Cirque Margot is her great grandmother’s legacy, but Lara doesn’t even know the half of it. When a tragedy sets her on the path towards the Secret Circus, Lara unravels the truth about her family legacy.

What is it about books with magic circuses? I came into this expecting something similar to Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and that definitely is not what I found. This book is thrilling and dark in a completely unique way, and I was hooked from the very beginning. There were plenty of twists that shocked me and kept me on edge, and this book was far darker than I expected in the most intriguing way.

I loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the story progression, I loved the twists and turns, I loved the magic. Lara was one of the least interesting characters—solely because so many of the other characters were just that good—but even still, she was the perfect main character for this story. Watching her come into her own and learn about her own family history was amazing, but I loved how much this book emphasized that Lara never needed saving; even when she didn’t have to, she was perfectly capable of saving herself.

There isn’t much about this book that I didn’t like, really. It was long, to the point where I had trouble pushing through it at times, but I can’t pinpoint any parts that I felt should be cut. Generally speaking, none of the romances really drew me in, yet they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book, either. I also felt like this book was lacking in diversity.

Overall, I was looking for a good story about a magical circus, and this book absolutely satisfied that.

When Lara’s fiancé goes missing on their wedding day, she knows he hadn’t abandoned her. As she investigates, it leads her into a magical and stunning journey of her family history.

I love magical tales that still seem realistic! This was the perfect blend of magical realism. It did not get too crazy or far fetched. I love anything with demonology, and this story took a darker turn than I expected. Some parts were pretty macabre, which added a unique touch to the story. The addition of the circus background was so interesting. The three ladies of the circus were great, but I do with we got to know Sylvie a bit more. There were so many components to this story that worked well together... magical realism, circus, demonology, art history, even a bit of romance. I also loved that there was a scene in Paris at Jim Morrison’s grave, which is one of the places I’ve been so grateful to visit.

“The circus- the real circus- it is your destiny. One day, it will need lead you to your magic- I will call on you.”

The Ladies of the Secret Circus comes out 3/23.

Such a dark and captivating story that held me in it's thrall from beginning to end! Loved the setting, the characters and story had such depth! I had loved Sayers' "A Witch in Time" (also received from NetGalley back in the day) and knew this was going to be a great read, and was not disappointed!!!

Dear novel, you had me at circus. I must admit, it wasn’t love at first page. In fact, at first there was some apprehension that you might turn out to be some sort of a women’s fiction situation with light magic involved, you know, the girly whimsical option. But to you credit, dear novel, you went darker and further and turned out to be way, way more exciting than I originally anticipated, so thank you for being awesome. I’m glad we met.
This one sat around my kindle taunting, promise a potential adventure but putting off with its girth. And it did, in fact, turned out to be a pretty long read, two days instead of one, but absolutely worth the time. Once you get past the initial estrogen laden set up, this novel’ll take you places, magical places. Like 1920s Paris, like a circus so secret it’s in its name with a most unusual of owners that was created for the most unusual of reasons in the most unusual way.
The story follows several generations of Cabot family, from the 1920s to mid 2000s. Once high flying (literally) and now fairly regular women, who each share a romantic tragedy. Is it a mystery? Well, not quite, but it’s in there. It does begin with a vanishing groom. But then it goes off to tell a story so wild, so beguiling, so original…it’ll absolutely transport you, much like a proper circus ought to.
The thing is there really isn’t a way to talk about all of these exciting plot elements without giving something away and it’s best (by far) to go into this novel knowing next to nothing about it, outside of the fact that it’s very, very good. I’m not sure if I ever read the plot summary past the word circus and if I did, I promptly forgot it by the time I decided to read the book and was very glad for it. This way the book got a chance to surprise me, which it did, regularly and pleasantly. I loved the direction it ended up taking, the gorgeously vivid descriptions, the historical aspect of it, the supernatural angle of it, it was a great adventure all in all. The characters were good too, but frankly the circus stole the show, absolutely. Nothing came close to how spectacularly imagined and lavishly executed The Secret Circus was, not even the titular ladies of it. Le Cirque Secret is a thing of darkly menacing beauty. And definitely worth the visit, if you dare.
For fans of books like Night Circus and all those who prefer their fairy tales dark and magic deadly and romance tragic, this is the ticket. Step right up, enjoy the show. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

The Ladies of the Secret Circus was. Very good read. Anything about the circus is intriguing to me. The author lures you in and the result is a book not to be put down.
The characters are family members and without giving too much away, their history travels back and forth from 1925 Paris to 2004 Virginia. The mystery is unveiled and then the solution to all that has happened continues to keep the reader captivated. The book runs along the idea of The Night Circus but with a completely different tone. I highly recommend this book. I will be looking for other stories from the author.