Welcome to Litsy!

Open to those who signed up for #book2book with @AllDebooks

Comment below if you‘d like to take this one home. If multiple folks are interested I‘ll draw a random number. I‘m in the US.

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2004: When Lara‘s fiancé disappears the night before their wedding at the same place a friend of her parents‘ disappeared decades earlier, she sets out to find the truth.
1925: Cecile is bound to her father‘s circus, a magical place that moves around Paris and is invite only. Sinister secrets abound and Cecile is desperate to hold on to the love she has found.
I really liked some things, I think it needs a re-read.
Finished 8/20/2022

I‘m bummed because I thought I was going to really like this. Unfortunately the writing didn‘t flow well for me and the characters felt like caricatures, sort of cliche. Oh well, ticked it off my TBR and into my LFL it goes.

I am excited about my new Christmas Cactus though, I haven‘t had one in years and got two of different colors a few weeks ago.

The first 20% was a bit of a slog and the setting was yet another modern day southern belle story centered on strife with the rogue hot guy. I tried to push through but it's really hard to ignore the eye roll elements when I couldn't get behind the setup. I really wanted this to be about circus witches, instead it took far too much time dawdling with a privileged beauty and her missing bad boy.

Starting this while the hubs waits in line for ice cream

This was so much more than I expected! Very mysterious and a bit dark, with wonderful magical realism throughout. You're drawn into the enchanting world of the circus in 1920s Paris. But there are mysteries to solve in the present that are somehow connected. Between small-town Virginia, Jazz Age France, and the circus from Hell, this book is a whole vibe. And I loved it.

#SavvySettings Circus 🎪
One of my current reads. This was an impulse buy because of the cover - one of my hobbies is aerial so the lyra caught my eye.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

This is a new author for me and I adored this book! It is a murder mystery (ritual, serial spanning 100 years) combined with a magnificent backdrop, a circus in hell. Lara learns of her lineage through searching for her missing fiance. Family secrets are unveiled, a journal from 1925 takes the reader back in time and the vivid imagery of the Big Top kept me intrigued throughout.

Maybe I was thinking too much of Erin Morgenstern, when I started reading this book, but Sayers just couldn't really convince me with her story. It lacks atmosphere, and even though the ideas are good, the writing style is too low to get the pictures right. Only towards the end the plot gets faster and more interesting. Still, I'm sure I won't read any more books by this author.

@TheAromaofBooks #BookSpinBingo #BookSpin

I finally managed to finish my #BookSpinBingo board for December. Starting in January I'll be doing the whole challenge by hand - so no fancy boards anymore. Sadly, right now I totally lack the time to always create something new... Well, it's about the books and the reading, right? 😅

@TheAromaofBooks

I have both kidneys so I think I‘d die in this book. I don‘t know what I didn‘t like about this book. It was meh. I wish I could have gotten more into it but have no idea why I didn‘t. Better luck next time.

I ended up loving this book. What seemed to start off like a slow-paced young relationship in a sleepy town turned into a magical circus adventure in Paris. I liked the idea of where this circus originated (seemed very original to me), and I thoroughly enjoyed every part of the book. I did not guess the twist at the end until about 1 chapter before it was revealed. 9/10

I am not typically a fan of circuses, but this was a book club read and despite my reservations, I enjoyed it! A nice mix of past and present, some mystery, some supernatural, and some dark undertones. But I liked the way it was all pulled together.

I'm not sure what to write about this book, but if dark mysterious circuses that are set in hell are your jam, then this book is for you! I couldn't read this quickly enough! A truly engrossing mystery about men who've mysteriously disappeared, a circus in the underworld, and the women who are connected to it. This book kept me turning the pages, and I'm keeping my eye on this author for the future. 5 star

8-1-21: My 80th finished book of 2021! Wow, I loved this book! It‘s got something in it for everyone. Paris in the 1920s, Virginia in 2005, magic, the circus, demons, disappearances, solving old time murders, music, art, and love, lots of love. I can‘t describe the story because I don‘t want to give anything away but trust me, it‘s great! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👍🏼📖#️⃣8️⃣0️⃣

I started Sarah's Key but quickly realized I'm not in the mood for WWII so I'm starting this instead...so far just 50 pages in but it sounds intriguing. 🧐

7-30-21: Another day reading by water. I have the pool all to myself! 💖📖🌴

7-29-21; Starting a new one at the beach in New Smyrna. 🌊📖🌴

This story has been compared to The Night Circus and see the similarities but the comparisons missed the mark. I felt little during this book for the characters except for moments of true sacrifice, those moments always get to me. I did not feel the passion or excitement that was exhibited. I was not drawn in with my every breath, nor my heart ripped in two with the reveals, and I should have been. The magic was there, it just did not reach me.

Excellent historical fiction fantasy with the circus trope. The narrative is incredibly atmospheric & fun with just the right amount of dark. It started off a little slow, then swerved to the left & went dark. The world created by Sayers is awesome & creepy. The characters were rich & well-written & things felt highly tangible. I read the majority of the book in one sitting. Dark, magical, beautiful, & haunting. A fantastic read.

The circus is a jealous wench. Indeed, that is an understatement. She is a ravening hag who sucks your vitality as a vampire drinks blood ... She is all of these things, and yet, I love her as I love nothing else on earth.

—— Henry Ringling North

After telling myself I would make book collages like all the cool kids, I finally did! #nerdlife

Just finished this audiobook, and it is absolutely one of the best books I‘ve read in a while. I loved the author‘s first book and this was even better. I can‘t recommend this more highly.

Doing some #audiopuzzling with my audiobook.

I was obsessed with this one. As in I sat up all night reading obsessed. This book has intrigue, romance, paranormal fantasy elements and more! Constance Sayers is swiftly becoming a favorite author of mine.

My first 11/2 hours of #24in4readathon was finishing the tagged book
This was a unique story that had be wanting more,the main character Lara is about to get married when her fiancé goes missing, Lara has magic she is discovering and this story takes off with old world Paris a murder mystery, mixed with a other worldly circus ? great characters there will definitely be a sequel!

So very highly recommended on a podcast... Hope it comes through! I need some energy after a bit of a slow read

Going to be honest....I am sadly struggling with this one a bit, which bums me out majorly! Anyone else reading and having a hard time????

High ranking demon passes on special powers to his mischievous progeny who perform in & are forever linked to a magical demonic circus from Hell for all time. There's betrayal, a love triangle, a perilous romp through the streets & ages of Paris, family drama, Bad Ass females & the men that love them, a treasure hunt & muuurder dum dum dum. The twist on Hell seen through the windows of the circus is unique plus a cool magical showdown at the end.

I usually love any book with a circus setting, and this is no exception. A mix of romance, fantasy, magic, and mystery, it was a little darker than I expected, but the story was intriguing with well-developed characters. Lara‘s fiance disappears on their wedding day and sets in motion a tale of good vs. evil that spans multi-generations.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

High ranking demon passes on special powers to his daughters. His magically mischievous progeny perform in & are irrevocably linked to this circus for time immemorial. There's a magical, demonic circus from Hell plus life or death events, a perilous romp through the streets (and ages) of Paris, familial drama and maybe the most imaginative and tempting depiction of Hell I've read in a while.. There's possible MUUUUURDERS... dum dum dum...