Ringmaster, or Rin for short, is the leader of a group of extraordinary individuals in a travelling circus in the 1920s. In this alt-history world, some people have been gifted with strange and wonderful abilities, but not everyone sees it that way. Rin and her circus travel the U.S., bringing joy and a little magic to everyday lives. But everyone has a past, and Rin’s is fast catching up to her. She’ll do what it takes to protect those she loves from the dangers of the past, present, and future.
I cannot stress how much I LOVED this book! I knew very little going into it other than some positive feedback. I’m often a little hesitant with circus themed stories, but this was done beautifully.
Every character in this book had such a fleshed out personality. Conversations felt natural and realistic. They really complemented the story and each other well. Rin made a fantastic protagonist. It was hard not to sympathize with her or really feel the emotions that gripped her. Jo is a great counterpart to Rin throughout the story that causes just the right kind of tension that adds to the chaos.
This story was told with a literal time hopping mechanic that really worked in its favor. In addition to chapters that hopped back in time to give us a sort of constant running prologue to the events, Rin has the ability to move through time. Much of the drama from the story comes from Rin outrunning a toxic figure from her past and being aware of the nightmares of the future and trying desperately to change them. This kept my emotions on constant hyperdrive and I actually needed to put the book down a few times to process. This is a huge win for me.
In addition to the fantastical elements in the book, it does a great job tackling some very real themes as well. Desperation, homophobia, war, racism, religious discrimination. The list continues. These are handled so beautifully and, again, add to that need to step away and process.
The ending really couldn’t have happened any other way either. I genuinely fretted over how the plot was going to conclude and honestly it was perfect. Anything else would have felt cheap.
This book is fantastic for anyone who enjoys an emotional punch to the gut that grips you from start to finish.
Order it now from:
Bookshop.org
Bookshop links will support your local indie bookstore of choice.
Libro.FM
Libro links will support your local indie bookstore of choice.
Leave a Reply