This was a case of a very fascinating story that, in my opinion, could have done with some editing down. The story shone most in its action, but there were quite long sections of reflection and brooding that dragged the tale down quite a bit. Secondary characters with interesting, well-described backstories wound up being inconsequential to the main plot, except as sounding boards for the main characters to demonstrate and develop themselves; either giving them larger roles to play in the plot or whittling down the parts of the book devoted to them would have made for a more concise and more enthralling book overall. I would have liked to see more of Ashe's backstory, his actual being. We got most of it through dialogue, but I would have loved to see at least one scene other than the prologue (in which we were still ignorant of what to look for) showing the fullness of his power and the source from which he draws it. He was one of the best parts of the book, and I wanted more of him. The "romance" between Lucien and Charlotte was a bit oversold in the blurb, but I didn't mind it not being a huge factor. What I would have really liked would have been to see Odilon, Charlotte's abuser and evil person all-around, get to feel some true terror and suffer a little more of what he deserved. Okay, so his soul's apparently in hell, but I wanted the moment where he actually realized he was going to be heading there shortly. Truthfully, it is that I enjoyed the plot-advancing scenes and ideas so much that is letting me quickly forget that they were so often bogged down by descriptions and tangents. That's a testament to how powerful the book could have been, I think. (read less)

This was a case of a very fascinating story that, in my opinion, could have done with some editing down. The story shone most in its action, but there were quite long sections of reflection and brooding that dragged the tale down quite a bit. Secondary characters with interesting, well-described backstories wound up being inconsequential to the main plot, except as sounding boards for (read more)

I ended up really enjoying this book! I started out listening to the audiobook and found that I was a bit confused so I decided to go back to the beginning and follow along in the book while a listened to the audio which proved to be a much better experience. I really enjoyed the magic of the carnival and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out in the end. There is a pretty large cast of characters in this story. Charlotte’s guardian, Odilon Rose, brings her to Aurelius Ashe, who runs the Carnivale of Curiosities. Charlotte is in ill health and after exhausting other avenues Odilon has to to Aurelius for a possible cure. We get to meet all of the key players in the Carnivale with Lucien playing a key role. I liked the way that the story slowly unraveled allowing the reader to learn the backstories of the characters as we worked our way through the story. When all of the pieces fell into place, there were more than a few surprises. The Victorian London was incredibly well done and I liked that we got to see the poorer side of town in addition to the more wealthy area such as where Odilon Rose resides. I believe that this was my first experience with James Langton’s narration. I thought that he had a very nice range and like the voices that he used while reading the story. I had trouble keeping up with the larger cast of characters with the audiobook alone but once I really got to know the various characters, I had no issue with the audiobook. I would not hesitate to listen to more of this narrator’s work in the future. I would recommend this book to others. It was an entertaining story full of secrets, magic, and Faustian bargains. I thought that the book was incredibly well written and look forward to future works by this talented authors. I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio. (read less)

I ended up really enjoying this book! I started out listening to the audiobook and found that I was a bit confused so I decided to go back to the beginning and follow along in the book while a listened to the audio which proved to be a much better experience. I really enjoyed the magic of the carnival and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out in the end. There is a pretty large (read more)