In 1860 circus mania is sweeping the nation. And crowds jostle for the most thrilling of all the so-called "human wonder's." #Circus of Wonders is a fun and entertaining novel. And so the story begins, in a poor coastal town. Nell, is sold to the ringmaster as the "leopard girl" and is utterly devastated.....
Thank you for the advance copy,
# Netgalley, # Elizabeth Macneal, and #Atria Books

If you enjoyed "The Life She Was Given" by Ellen Marie Wiseman, you will enjoy this as well.
When Nell's father sells her to the Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders, her life goes from hiding in the shadows to being thrust in the spotlight. She overcomes what could have been an obstacle to finding a community and a life for herself. As with all the performers, this is a story of resilience and taking control of her life. The women are strong and find their own power.

Elizabeth Macneal does it again, creating a Victorian England fit for Dickens.

There's a circus of wonders running in 1866, run by Jasper Jupiter. Just like P.T. Barnum, Jasper's circus is full of oddities and freaks. There's something wrong with Nellie's skin. She's speckled. She's called "Leopard Girl.". Her dad sells her to Jupiter for £20. At first, she's depressed, but then she figures out how to chart her own course. I love watching Nell get a sense of herself and gain confidence as she comes around.

Jasper's brother, Toby, falls in love with Nell but can't see that she might love him too.
Whenever I read historical fiction I always learn something. But I also want to be entertained. That's what this book does.

In the Crimean War, Macneal shows us that "all history is fiction" and anything can be twisted to tell a story. The story deals with ownership, self-worth, jealousy, and family loyalty. It totally captures the times - the same age of discovery that led to scientific advancements also fuelled an interest in curiosities among rich and poor alike.

I was engrossed in all the characters, good and bad, wondering how their stories would turn out.

A story of how difference can be seen as a curse or as a blessing. Examines power, agency, celebrity, war, and so much more. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Stunningly well researched adn written a story that leaves you with alllll the feels. Happy, sad, hopeful and bereft. I love the writing.

Unfortunately, I could not get through this book. It was not my style, per se. I had really hoped it would be!

Circus of Wonders is a fascinating story. I'm always drawn to stories about circuses from the 1800s to early 1900s when there were strange people and creatures that just don't seem possible. This is a love story between brothers and also between a couple. It's about friendship, greed, fame, sacrifice, family and being different. This story was in a sense happy yet sad. I really enjoyed Circus of Wonders and especially Nell. Jasper not so much, put of course, we weren't supposed to really like him.

”All of history is just fiction.”
A well researched novel about the circus during the time of P. T. Barnum, although he doesn’t feature in the novel. Elizabeth MacNeal brings us into the realm of those who do do not look ‘normative’, and it’s truly a display of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The characters are all well flawed and feel quite human. The practicalities of the personalities, choices made, and hopes and desires of each person reflect upon the circus quite well. From the lowly mouse to the large elephant; and from a birthmark speckled girl in a small village to the startling charism of the Ringmaster; we see the classism that exists inside the small community of a circus. Our lead characters are quite different from one another; and yet all of them wish to be so much more than they are. Dreamers who will strive for more and often, inevitably, fall short.

My favourite part of Circus of Wonder is the ending. It’s so rare to come across an ending that is both happy, yet sad; both realistic, and idlidic; and ultimately feels appropriate, even if no one really wins or looses.
If you enjoyed The Night Circus this might be for you. But be forewarned, there is no magic here. Just dangerous stunts, and conditioning, along with some genetic deformities. This is a story about life, making choices, and then living with those choices. No matter how it turns out there is one thing for sure; we can write our own history and make it as fictional as we want whilst brood

“Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.”

Circus of Wonders
By Elizabeth Macneal

I really enjoyed in wonder this gorgeous and immersive story, a historical fantasy romance fiction by Elizabeth Macneal. There is nothing like reliving the past in glorious detail about the Victorian era obsession for the sights of wonder - many call freaks or oddities. This is a story about Nell, the so called Leopard Girl for the birthmarks all over her body - for this she was seen as different and had to suffer through loneliness and ridicule - and being sold by her father to the Jasper Jupiter's circus. There in the circus, among others that are just as different, Nell finds herself being part of a new family. There are complex themes in play within this story and I just love the well developed characters and their back stories. I just found this so captivating and so entertaining - really enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

I really struggled getting into this one. It felt heavy and a bit depressing and I was unable to finish the book

I was pumped to read this one, but it was so sloooooow that I just never really got hooked and by the time it got going, I just kind of didn’t care any more. I am a little hit or miss on circus stories to boot, so maybe should’ve known this one wouldn’t be for me.

This book took a long time for me to finish because I just had a really hard time getting into it. I've always been fascinated by circus culture, and have read many other circus-related books, but probably enjoyed this one the least of all of the ones I've read. The characters are difficult to connect with, and they don't truly connect with each other, for the most part, so I found it hard to be tied to their stories as much. I'm glad I read it, but this is a "one-and-done" read for me.

2.5 stars

I'm a big fan of circus and carnival themed books, especially if they take place in the late 1800s in the Barnum era. So many people hadn't seen anything like it before, with the acrobatics, exotic animals, and unique performers, there's a sense of wonder. (I do understand that a lot of people and animals were mistreated in these shows, I'm just talking about a fictionalized version.) The setting of this immediately made me want to jump in and there were parts I enjoyed, it just wasn't the book for me overall.

The story seems to be about a girl with birthmarks covering her body who gets the chance to join the circus and become a famous figure throughout England. I did like that Nell got to change her situation and live a life where she was a star instead of hiding in a cottage somewhere with her brother and his family. Nell's character was kind of flat and not developed super well in my opinion.

The real main characters were Toby and his brother Jasper. Jasper runs his own circus and "buys" Nell from her father to be his main attraction. There are times you hate him and times you kind of understand where he's coming from. I like characters like this because they're interesting and keep you guessing as to what they'll do next. Toby is a gentle giant, he just wants his brother's love and a happy life. He's done some bad things in the past, but is a sweet guy and I felt bad when Jasper was cruel to him.

The beginning and end are where the interesting parts are and the middle felt like a slog with too many flashbacks that were difficult to differentiate from the current story. I wanted more about the circus acts, more about the side characters, and a shorter middle that didn't drag. I also hoped the ending would be a bit happier, but one character did get what they deserved and made me smile.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I am new to Historical fiction as a genre and while this book was full of details I don't believe this was the read for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction reads set in the 1800s!

I love circus books. They are atmospheric and always a wild ride. This one fell a bit flat for me when it was all said and done. I loved the characters and thought they were written really well. The story was good, but I was hoping for some more conflicts or more scary situations for the characters. It felt like it was just that they had a hard life, which they did. But I was hoping for more specific situations. The writing got a bit repetitive with certain phrases throughout the book. And I didn't like the ending. So overall I was underwhelmed. It was mildly entertaining, but left me wanting more.

Circus of Wonders is an intriguing novel depicting 1800's circus life, behind the scenes politics, and the humans and animals with their uniqueness, exposed and displayed to be awed at. Great characters and an interesting story. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I was not the intended reader for this book and I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did. It was still a solid read, just not my kind of book. This author definitely knows how to write!! I loved the detail and was not expecting this book to be so deep. I loved these characters so much and the premise… I just didn’t really connect with the story itself and therefore didn’t feel the emotions I should’ve felt. I would still recommend this to the right reader.

I enjoyed this book, great historical fiction and character development. I liked following each character and finding out about there stories and how they played out. It was a bit sad at it does take place in war times so that made it a bit of a heavy read but I like how the main character found happiness in her connections with others in the circus. overall 4/5 stars for me. Will read more by this author !

This book is a captivating story of magic, mystery and romance that is absolutely forbidden. I would never have picked this book up if Atria had no gifted me a copy, but I’m so happy they did! After a slow start, the story picked up and had my full attention. I enjoyed the multiple narrators from Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders. You could feel the characters pain and joy so vividly. A great story with jealousy, love, greed, control, and survival at the heart of it.

This is the book I was most anticipating this year! I was so excited to get the gifted ARC from Netgalley and Atria Books as well as the gifted physical copy from my new friend @sweet_reads! It’s absolutely beautiful!

I know I’ve mentioned before but historical fiction, realistic fiction, and thrillers set in or around the circus/amusement parks are my absolute favorite! This story was everything I’d hoped for. Macneal’s writing captures all the excitement and mystery of the vintage traveling circus. It’s beautifully, captivating, magical, and haunting all at the same time! I LOVED it!