Review Detail

What worked: Beautifully written tale where a girl performer breaks away from her cage and enters a competition of magicians that goes terribly wrong. Carnival meets Night Circus with a twist of Phantom of the Opera.

The beginning of this novel pulled with in with it's lavish scene setting and a girl that desperately wants to break away. Kallia finally breaks away from her master 'Jack' and ends up in Glorian, a town filled with mysteries and deadly secrets. I really loved the world-building and the mystery behind Kallia. Jack calls her 'Firecrown', which hints at her magical powers. The premise of Jack taking people's memories was intriguing. So was his true relationship with Kallia.

What I had issues with had to be once Kallia ends up in Glorian. The writing is fast-paced, with numerous different characters. I got confused more than a few times on what was really happening in the story. There is a three-way love triangle between Kallia, Jack, and Demarco, who has his own secrets. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Kallia and Demarco. I did feel it with her and Jack though and wanted to know more on what exactly held them together. Hopefully that will be revealed in the second book in this series.

Gorgeous writing throughout this story. I really wanted to love this story, but the different plot twists and turns confused me. I ended up wanting to know more on why it was so dangerous for Kallia to be in Glorian. I especially wanted to know more about Jack and his own magical abilities.

Carnival meets Night Circus set in a lush world of magic, intrigue, and danger. Perfect for fans of circus stories with magic.