While an interesting and okay book, I didn’t feel it reached its true potential. I loved the premise and the cover immediately grabbed my attention. The dark, gothic feel of the circus drew me in and sent my imagination running wild. I loved the themes of shock, creepiness, and desperation peppered with moments of friendship and romantic development. Despite enjoying these parts, I struggled with the characters and their lack of depth. I felt Callie was singularly focused on going home which didn’t allow her (or the reader) to really explore and embrace all the circus and secondary characters could offer. Several of the other main players had minimal page time and even less background information to really help me connect to them. In an attempt to sustain and draw out the mystery of the circus, the story stalled in fairly repetitive scenes with little progression and revelations until the final chapters. The ending was exciting and gives the most insight into the circus and character motivations but left me wishing I’d had it earlier in the story. Overall, it was enjoyable and while it didn’t blow me away, I think readers will still enjoy its originality and intricate set-up for the next book. If you enjoy circus or gothic themes or are more story driven, it’s probably worth a try. I felt the narrator did a good job. She had a deeper, breathier presentation which fed into the darker feel of the story and she captured Callie’s teenager tone well. She also differentiated each character’s voice well too.