I really liked the atmosphere of this. The author did a good job of capturing the feel of the setting. However, I personally found the writing a bit too emotionally detached from the characters, so I never ended up caring much about any of the characters, other than Pearl. Ultimately, not really for me, but I can see why others would enjoy this!

I enjoyed this one initially. I think the sense of atmosphere and time is well written. The characters, though, just felt a little wooden to me despite so much effort to make them dimensional. But overall there was a lot going on here and not much payoff. I really didn't like that ending. It's a bittersweet ending, which I don't mind as long as it feels earned and this didn't feel like the right note to end on. I felt like I wasted my time with this one.

I love a good circus book! I find the Circus fascinating especially the old days when there was true competition between troops and everyone wanted to one up each other. Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders arrives in a coastal village in southern England where Nell lives with her father and brother. Nell is different because she has birthmarks. Nell's father ends up selling Nell to Jasper's Circus to become a spectacle in the Circus . At first Nell is horrified by this, and rightfully so, but eventually settles into life with the circus. In a Circus of Wonders, she is no longer the outcaste and eventually billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. A far cry from the violet picker she was before being sold to the circus.

There is vengeance, friendship, love, comradery, and jealousy intertwined to make a well written and fascinating story. This story is memorable and sure to be a big hit in 2022. I would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy or Circus of Wonders in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #ElizabethMacneal #CircusofWonders

3 Stars

I was invited to read this via a publisher marketing email. I had read this author's previous book "The Doll Factory", of which I had high hopes- but wound up giving it a middling review. Both of these books have central elements that I love like the setting of Victorian London, a certain wierdness and melancholy.

This story focuses on two brothers named Jasper and Toby that are extremely bonded, but Toby has always idolized Jasper and has a bit of an inferiority complex. Jasper always dreamed of creating a circus of wonders travelling show. After a stint in the war where Jasper and his best friend Dash reveled in stealing valuables from dead bodies while Toby tagged behind (enlisted as a photographer), Jasper finally realized his dream. Jasper is the driving force and mastermind of the whole circus operation, while Toby is a mere handmaiden used to set up and take down the show. Not only do they boast the standard circus fare, but also "wonders" such as a bearded lady, a giantress, albino girl, along with exotic animals. They discover a young woman named Nell with birthmarks that resemble the sun and the moon. Feeling freakish most of her life, her forced recruitment into the Circus of Wonders transforms her life into one of fame and celebrity. In fact, upon seeing her, Queen Victoria invited her to Buckingham Palace for a private visit.

There is a dark vibe simmering and while Jasper is enjoying success, it is still not enough. His vision of wild acclaim causes him to take risks that may not be wise. This is the part of the book I enjoyed the least, as his foolhardiness was unsettling. The part I enjoyed the most was watching Nell survive the sting of being sold by her father into the circus and blossom into a skilled performer. Her joy at being accepted and valued for being different, enjoying a new kind of family, as well as discovering romantic love- were the best parts of the book. However, while I respect this author's flair for a sort of dense, poetic, atmospheric style of writing, I enjoy more of a straightforward and free-flowing style. I also tired of reading about the disparate relationship between the brothers and the financial issues. I did enjoy this book, but had I not been reviewing it perhaps might have put it aside.

Thank you to the publisher Atria Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

A dark, gothic Historical fiction. One of a kind feeling from reading Circus of Wonders.
Step up and read for yourself! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 big top stars

Set in Victorian England, this one is all about the behind-the-scenes of a circus. I sometimes forget that in those days, the circus also had lots of odd people as part of the act, not just animals doing tricks.

Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders features an elephant, trapeze artists, and a whole host of other animals and acts. We meet Nell, working away at a flower farm as the circus comes to town. Nell is covered with birthmarks and teased about them. Her greedy father sees an opportunity and sells her to Jasper.

A strange thing happens though as Nell is offered real meals and pay for her work, she becomes part of the circus family. She becomes the closing act -- the leopard girl is transformed into the Queen of the Moon and Stars. Jasper maximizes on her popularity and soon the circus is moving to London with the hopes of attracting attendance by the Queen herself.

This one was difficult to read in some places with animal cruelty and human cruelty. There’s a sense of impending doom and the idea that things will go horribly wrong for all of them. Can the circus survive Jasper’s greed and mistakes? Will Jasper’s brother Toby help save the circus and Nell?

Wow. This was different from anything I've read in quite a while, and in a great way.

This book is set in 1860s England, post Crimean war, when circus mania was talking the whole world by storm. Nell was born covered in strange birthmarks, leaving her as an outcast in her tiny rural town throughout her entire life. When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders comes into town, her father makes the despicable decision to sell Nell, against her wishes, to be a part of the show. Despite this, she find an unexpected family amongst the other women in the show. However, the circus faces various dangers and the brothers who own it have secrets of their own, and debts to powerful and dangerous people.

This is a story about sisterhood and belonging, of fighting against stigma’s and finding your place in the world. It prompts you to think about the concepts of redemption and penance, and what people are willing to take from others to gain power.

I loved the feminist influence of this and the setting. Anything with a circus or carnival involved grabs my attention, and the author did a great job painting this picture with both its whimsical ad magical sides as well as the dark and oppressive ones. Nell’s story is really inspiring, and it made me think about what it means to take back your own narrative after being painted as a “freak” for so long.

The story behind Toby and Jasper is particularly heavy and moving. The two show owners are Crimean war vets, and they are both doing their own version of healing from what they saw and did, while also reconciling with the complicated nature of the relationships to one another. Jasper is easy to hate, to be honest, but also somehow so complicated and well fleshed out. I think the biggest let down for me was Toby’s particular ending, as I felt he deserved so much more.

The women of the shows ending, in contrast, brought me so much joy. It pulled together the sordid history of “freak shows” and circus’ at this point in history and allowed for a space to be hopeful about what also may have been possible for women who have had so much taken from them, only to take it back and come out independent and on top. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys historical fiction set in wartime, as well as fans of books like Water for Elephants. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing!

"From the #1 internationally bestselling author of the "lush, evocative Gothic" (The New York Times Book Review) The Doll Factory comes an atmospheric and spectacular novel where one woman’s life is transformed by the arrival of a Victorian circus of wonders.

Step up, step up! In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. Crowds jostle for a glimpse of the lion-tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists and, most thrilling of all, the so-called "human wonders."

When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life of one young girl changes forever. Sold to the ringmaster as a “leopard girl” because of the birthmarks that cover her body, Nell is utterly devastated. But as she grows close to the other performers, she finds herself enchanted by the glittering freedom of the circus, and by her own role as the Queen of the Moon and Stars.

Before long, Nell’s fame spreads across the world—and with it, a chance for Jasper Jupiter to grow his own name and fortune. But what happens when her fame begins to eclipse his own, when even Jasper’s loyal brother Toby becomes captivated by Nell? No longer the quiet flower-picker, Nell knows her own place in the world, and she will fight for it.

A gorgeously wrought exploration of celebrity, power, and belonging, this is a historical novel unlike any other, with an unforgettable heroine at its heart."

I just read a short story by Elizabeth Macneal, and let me tell you, it has me clamoring to read more of her work!

In a time where anyone who looks different is considered a curiosity, Nell is born with birthmarks that make her somewhat of a spectacle in her small town. She tries to hide and not draw attention to herself for her entire life. Then one day Jasper Jupiters circus of wonders, comes to town. Nell’s father sells her to Jasper Jupiter thinking she will find a place where she will belong, with other curiosities like herself.

Nell finds a place in the circus and discovers who she can be when her differences are celebrated instead of scorned.

The novel also tells the history of Jasper Jupiter and his brother Toby. This backstory helps explain the dynamics surrounding the circus and it’s performers.

I loved the strong female characters in this book. I loved seeing Nell grow from a girl trying to hide from the world into a true confident performer.

With beautiful prose and compelling characters this book is sure to be a favorite!

I did not quite know what to expect from this story or its tone, but it was ultimately good but not great. The beginning was very intriguing and I loved some passages and points about the time period and how people who were "different" were treated. However, the story was missing some sort of magic for me and I did not totally connect with the characters.

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

My rating of this story is based on how utterly depressed it made me feel. The story is well written but it is a really bad fit for me. Too much death, human and animal, the feeling of being mired in the muck, blood, gore, offal of this world was almost too much to endure.

Nineteen year old Nell was born with birthmarks, large and small, covering her body. The people of her poor village shun and or ridicule her. She gets no love from her drunken cheat of a father and her mother is long dead. The only person who cares for Nell is her beloved brother Charlie. But Charlie is getting married and Nell hates that she has no future, just life as the help in Charlies shack.

Then Nell's wretched father sells her to the circus. Nell is torn away from everything she's ever known and from her brother, Charlie. But Jasper, the circus owner, transforms her into Queen of the Moon and Stars, the star of his show, and Nell finds that she finally belongs. She loves her fellow performers even as she despises Jasper and his cruel ways. She also falls for Toby, Jasper's quiet, gentle, brow beaten brother.

We see that, for most of the performers, the circus becomes a real home for them and the other performers become the family most of them never had. But we also get horrible wartime scenes via Jasper and Toby's memories. As life was worth nothing during wartime, it also seems to be worth nothing in the world that Nell inhabits. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for a few of the characters but I can't see how they got from their wretched lives to their happy destination.

Thank you to Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Dark tale of sibling rivalry and exploited physical nonconformities in the 1860’s, CIRCUS OF WONDERS portrays the complex bonds developed among performers as they travel around the countryside. While the image of a circus implies wholesome fun, the background story is decidedly different. For our protagonist, her participation occurs through bondage; her family sold her to the owner to ease their poverty and embarrassment. Unable to explain the cause of her physical markings, her father found the only real solution was expulsion. Although, she finds a measure of fame and personal power once she accepts her role in the circus, it’s a rough road with many bumps. The tale is a good one and worth reading. I received my copy from the publisher.

Macneal sure knows how to do historical fiction right. Like her last book, The Doll Factory, she captures a time period so thoroughly and elegantly, you can almost smell it.

I enjoyed Nell the lead character the most, and would have like even more sections about her POV. Her story, about being sold to the circus and rising to stardom, is the backbone (and soul) of the book. Loved her posse of friends and the way she gave us an inside lens on the circus family.

The book does gives equal weight to the stories of Jasper Jupiter (who is a nuanced villain) and his brother, Toby. I was a bit less smitten with their storyline (especially the parts in the war).

Perhaps I've just heard (and witnessed firsthand) the tale of too many entitled men who quest for fame and glory to care too much about these two. Ultimately, I didn't care if Jasper flew too close to the sun or Toby found his dream house and wife. I cared about Nell's hopes and dreams, and that of the other circus performers.

Still, that's an artistic quibble with narrative structure. Overall, this was a well-written, engrossing read. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Somewhere between 2 and 2.5 stars (it was ok). This just really didn't grab me at all. I think it was the writing style I just didn't connect with so it may work for others. I think I may also not be captivated by circus books? But I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters, I found I didn't care what happened to any of them, and I honestly don't think I really even liked any of them. I actually picked up a different book and finished it in the middle of this one because I needed something that would keep my mind occupied and this book wasn't doing that for me. I think if this wasn't a NetGalley ARC I wouldn't have finished it which I almost never do (maybe I wouldn't have because the completionist in me wouldn't have allowed it).

To sum up, I just didn't connect with it but it seems plenty of other people have so take my review with a grain of salt.

This book was both challenging and rewarding. The challenges - while beautifully and skillfully written, it is not linear. If you’re a person who doesn’t like a lot of jumping around in the timeline, this may not be the book for you. The characters are… complex, to put it mildly. Even the primary protagonists are not always likeable. And the story itself is damned dark in parts.

But if you can stick with it, you’ll be rewarded by a luminously atmospheric and memorable reading experience. I loved this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

I love this cover! I thought this book was a little sad and depressing. Nell is sold by her father which is sad enough. She’s thrown into a wagon and into a different type of life. She does come to love her new life and performing.
I thought parts of this book were good and the rest just kinda ho hum.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Intrigued by anything circus related, I couldn’t resist requesting this title. Laced with sideshow related history, this was a compelling look at the inner workings of circuses at their prime. Throw in family dynamics, discrimination, jealousy, greed and love…this was a captivating read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for an early copy of Circus of Wonders (Elizabeth Macneal) to review. This is a story about childhood dreams and "misfits" that end up as a circus act. It is set in a time when circus owners were desperate to outdo other owners and become more famous than Barnum. It also shows what can happen when someone's ego is allowed free rein.

This one started out strong for me but by the 4th part it definitely lost me. I really wanted to love this one as I find books written around the circus are kind of magical. The author’s writing is captivating, the plot just eventually lost me.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Set in 1860s England where circus mania is sweeping the nation."

Wonderful story about those who are trying to live in a society where they are being treated as outcasts. Good and appropriate ending.

As a side note... this is not a 'magical, steampunk' story even though it is being dumped into those genres. ??!!

3.75☆