SK recommended The Chaos Circus to me and since being active on book-nook, I have found a couple people in the community have read and immensely enjoyed this book! I did too! 🙂 If you are looking for a quick read that will remind you of The Night Circus and Alice in Wonderland, amongst other masterpieces in Fantasy, go check out this book! Here is the synopsis:
All Tessa LaRoche wants is to be the most ordinary person on Barrow Island. After a stint in a mental asylum, she’s had quite enough of being anything else, thank you very much. But when a commission at her new reporting job forces her into the path of a not-quite-human murder suspect, Tessa finds that the unordinary is not through with her yet.
Spirited away by a devilishly charming Nicolai to the Mirror Lands– a parallel reality manipulated by the immortal Deathless– Tessa loses one of the most precious tethers to her sanity. In order to reclaim it, she must risk entering The Chaos Circus: a citywide fair where mortals trade years for prizes in vicious attractions from which the Deathless draw their power.
But there’s a catch: if Tessa can’t defeat the Deathless at their own freakish carnival games, she will lose her mind…and Nicolai will lose his life.
Forced to rely on one another despite the secrets that come between them, Tessa and Nicolai embark on a dangerous adventure through the deceptively beautiful life of the Circus, where little is as it seems–even the games, their pasts, and the strange whirlwind of memories that Tessa can no longer recall.
Thoughts
It’s been a long time since I have been to a carnival and who knows when they will reopen again? The Chaos Circus was nostalgic in that regard. Walking through a marketplace, every booth trying to attract you to take part in their game or spend sometime watching their show… But don’t mistake this place to be as friendly as it looks. They might tell you that your desires can come true but there are costs at being and playing at the Circus.
On Self-Discovery
Tessa’s memories are incomplete. All she knows is that something happened and she ended up at a mental hospital where the people tried to fix her madness. There are so many rules that she has to follow to stay in society and the voices of the individuals who ‘helped’ her are a constant companion.
Part of Tessa’s journey is figuring out who she wants to be and how much other people’s opinions matter. Another reason I loved Tessa was for her resilience and not taking the easy way out. She is willing to face the trials and get the answers she needs. Situations change, the past comes calling back and she continues to persevere, sometimes looking deeper into herself.
These stages of self-discovery were relatable to me and it was a great experience to read about a protagonist with whom I share some experiences.
On the Deathless
This is no ordinary circus with no ordinary tent hosts. The Deathless are immortals who are bound to the Circus. They have their own unique role to play and in the process of becoming immortal, they have given up something. Nicolai is a Deathless and I really liked his part in this story. He provided a side to the Circus that would not have been possible with just Tessa.
We meet some other Deathless in the story too, whether as organizers of the trails that Tessa must face or people who help her and Nicolai. Their powers were quite interesting and the challenges themselves were tricky and thought provoking. Tessa’s creativity shines through.
On Food
Food is very important to mention here because it stands out in The Chaos Circus.
A long table extends before me, decked in a flawless chiffon-white cloth and heaped to the uttermost with food: whole suckling pig with a candy-coated apple in its mouth; tureens of vegetables dressed in rich balsamic glaze; savory lilac custards that jiggle in their porcelain settings as if sharing in the jokes. Towers of rainbow fruit, decanters of brandy, water, and wine, and scores of potatoes line the table’s spine, all the way to the desserts: three-tiered trays of decadent chocolate mousse pies, heart-shaped tarts, tiny cakes in frilly pink cups dusted with crushed almonds and peppermint stalks.
How many times do you read the descriptions in a book and feel hungry? Not often, I bet! Well, The Chaos Circus has all the perils but it also has amazing food! Jerusha shared about this book on book-nook during Fantasy May and Renee dropped by during the gushing session and confirmed Tessa gets all the sugar that Renee can’t have.
Overall, this was a book full of mysteries, perils and adventures, and I loved it! This is YA book and, as I had suspected in my May TBR post when I first mentioned this book, I am getting around my hesitation with YA by finding amazing books, thanks to recommendations of friends.Â
Thanks SK, for the recommendation and Jerusha, for chatting with me as I read the book! Stay tuned for an interview with Renee tomorrow! Meantime, go get The Chaos Circus or add it to your Goodreads for later! 🙂
** The Chaos Circus is available for purchase on Amazon! **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
(available on Kindle Unlimited)
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