Elizabeth Macneal

As with The Doll Factory, Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal is dark and a very slow read. The parallels between the two books continue with closely bonded siblings, birth anomalies, collectors of oddities, and the dark Victorian gothic setup. This book is very much character driven. However, other than Nell, is there growth in the characters? Is there enough to keep a reader engaged and invested in their story. Unfortunately, this reader does not find that.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/circus-of-wonders.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.… (meer)

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.… (meer)