Rating:
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery
Recommended Age: 16+ (violent deaths, sexual content, but lots of diversity)
Pages: 377
Author: Amanda Foody
Amazon
*Disclaimer I was given an arc of this book on NetGalley then obtained my own copy. Thanks, NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.
But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.
Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear.
In 2017 there were three major books about carnivals that came out. Why carnivals? Well, because they always have had an aura of mystery and intrigue about them. And from reading this book I think I have found out why they seem so mysterious. Mostly fantasy, but part mystery, this book centers on an eyeless girl named Sorina and her ability to create illusions. And then someone starts killing her illusions and she must work to find out why this is happening and most importantly how. I thought the characters were all very well developed and the plot was very intriguing. The book was adequately well paced as well, which made me not want to put down this enthralling read.
However, I did feel that there was some room for more world-building. Two things that are central to the plot are the politics of the Upper Mountain and Vallium and Angi’s backstories and development. While the book did excellent at surprising the reader with the “whodunit” portion of the book, it made me wonder if there were intentional clues left behind or if this revelation came out of nowhere like it appears to me right now.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a mystery fantasy stand-alone novel this is your book! It’s weird and fun and amazingly well written and it’ll keep you guessing until the very last page.
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