Overall, I really did enjoy this book. Lately, I have been really interested in Circus culture for some reason. I got this from the Amazon Kindle First section because the idea sounded interesting, especially compared the other three books that were offered. I read this after finishing Cirque du Freak 3 and after buying Geek Love.
The book was kind of slow in some places, but when I did put it down I thought about it throughout the day (this is always a positive sign for a book). I didn't really find the Romeo and Juliet(a) portion cheesy, in fact, the romance parts of this book were some of the best parts.
This book didn't really feel much like a mystery or thriller to me, there was not enough action or intrigue for that. I did find myself wanting to know who the big bad was as I neared the end and I will admit I was slightly surprised by the ending.
SPOILERS
The death of Julieta's brother/cousin is one of the main reasons I rated this book three and a half stars rather than three stars. Its not that it was all that emotional for me, but it added a kind of genuineness to the book that otherwise was sort of lacking. The whole issue of magic was kind of weak in my opinion, but the fact that people really got hurt and Sam died made it more real. I kept thinking throughout that the characters were just really superstitious and were making their own luck or bad luck. The mind is a powerful thing.
SPOILERS END
As some of the others have stated in other reviews, I think one of the main things missing from this book was the overall circus "feel." The parts about Julieta's mothers act, the trapeze artists (which I REALLY enjoyed - I just loved the Garcia characters, especially Remy and Dita), and Kat the dog trainer were just about all the other acts we got to see. I did enjoy the fact that this book explored a little more of the business side of the circus in some of the parts where Julieta and her father talk to Thurston.
But really, the book was good! The dialogue was interesting and the characters were very relatable.
The book was kind of slow in some places, but when I did put it down I thought about it throughout the day (this is always a positive sign for a book). I didn't really find the Romeo and Juliet(a) portion cheesy, in fact, the romance parts of this book were some of the best parts.
This book didn't really feel much like a mystery or thriller to me, there was not enough action or intrigue for that. I did find myself wanting to know who the big bad was as I neared the end and I will admit I was slightly surprised by the ending.
SPOILERS
The death of Julieta's brother/cousin is one of the main reasons I rated this book three and a half stars rather than three stars. Its not that it was all that emotional for me, but it added a kind of genuineness to the book that otherwise was sort of lacking. The whole issue of magic was kind of weak in my opinion, but the fact that people really got hurt and Sam died made it more real. I kept thinking throughout that the characters were just really superstitious and were making their own luck or bad luck. The mind is a powerful thing.
SPOILERS END
As some of the others have stated in other reviews, I think one of the main things missing from this book was the overall circus "feel." The parts about Julieta's mothers act, the trapeze artists (which I REALLY enjoyed - I just loved the Garcia characters, especially Remy and Dita), and Kat the dog trainer were just about all the other acts we got to see. I did enjoy the fact that this book explored a little more of the business side of the circus in some of the parts where Julieta and her father talk to Thurston.
But really, the book was good! The dialogue was interesting and the characters were very relatable.
