Circus of the Dead: Book 1 by Kimberly Loth

 

I recently listened to the unabridged audio version of Circus of the Dead: Book 1 by Kimberly Loth, which was well narrated by Sarah Puckett. 

Circus of the Dead is a young adult novel, which deals with the supernatural, horror, and fantasy genres all mixed together in one novel. I liked the concept for this novel, but it didn't play out very well... Or at least, as good as I hoped it would play out.

Callie, the main character, is a teenager sent by her mother to live with her Uncle Luke for the summer. Luke is Callie's mother's brother. Callie and Luke have never met before. In fact, Luke has no idea that Callie is coming all the way from California to the Louisiana Bayou to work at the circus. Things go wrong from the  very start of this novel and continue to go from bad to worse rather quickly. Callie is almost killed by a tiger when she is locked inside the tiger's cage. Then, Callie visits the fortune teller at the circus for a tarot reading. Callie draws two tarot cards that seal her fate. Callie's fate is that she will be stuck on the island where the circus is held, unable to escape forever, and that she'll fall in love. 

Throughout the remainder of the novel, Callie tries to escape the island numerous times without success. Callie is almost killed a few times... And Samuel, the mysterious ringmaster, has strange powers/control over the permanent residents of the island. Samuel isn't who he seems to be, yet Callie is attracted to him. Stranger still is the fact that Callie's parent's won't rescue her despite several pleas on Callie's part to come home. Nor do Callie's parents and her younger sister believe she is in any sort of danger.

Circus of the Dead: Book 1 by Kimberly Loth starts out pretty well and the ending is decent enough. However, the middle of the novel has a lot of action that doesn't move the storyline along substantially... Sure, we learn a little more about some of the other islanders and the circus itself. But, I felt like the plot didn't explain enough about the mysteries concerning the circus itself, or enough about Callies's Uncle Luke and her parents, or even much regarding the mysterious, Samuel, and his backstory. I will skip the rest of the 'Circus of the Dead' series.

Below is the plot summary for Circus of the Dead: Book 1 by Kimberly Loth found on the Goodreads website:

There are many ways to die at the Circus of the Dead. You’re invited to witness them all.

Mom sent me all the way across the country to the Louisiana bayou to join the circus and help my uncle for the summer. Except, there is something not quite right on this swampy cursed island, and after having my fortune told, I can’t leave. I try to escape, but Benny, an all too charming ghost gangster, tries to kill me by feeding me to a tiger.

Thankfully, I’m rescued by Samuel, the incredibly hot ringmaster who can’t be a day over 20. Can he?

In addition to avoiding the human scorpion, staying away from the big cats, and having trouble figuring out who’s dead and who’s alive, I have to find a way to escape this horror show.

Will I get out of the circus alive, or will I join their army of ghosts and become a murderer myself?

I am giving Circus of the Dead: Book 1 by Kimberly Loth a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix in September 2023 and really enjoyed this horror novel quite a bit. So, I added several other novels written by Grady Hendrix to my reading wishlist. 

I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix and narrated by Emily Woo Zeller as my first read for the month of July 2024. 

Listening time for My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix is 10 hours, 12 minutes and it is well narrated by Emily Woo Zeller.

Aside from wanting to read another novel written by Grady Hendrix, I specifically chose My Best Friend's Exorcism because it's set in the 1980s and features popular music references from the 1980s and other popular culture references from this timeframe as well. I attended both junior high and high school during the 1980s. So, I found it fun to listen to this novel for the 1980s nostalgia factor.

The writing for My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix was decent and engaging overall. Although, sometimes I felt like the characters and the plot were a bit over the top for me at times. Otherwise, I enjoyed the journey and the unfolding of the storyline throughout the novel. So, if you love horror novels, a good old fashion exorcism, supernatural elements, and 1980s references, then I think you'll enjoy reading My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.

Below is the publisher's plot summary for My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix found on Chirp's website:

A heartwarming story of friendship and demonic possession

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since the fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act … different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby.

Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

Like an unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist, My Best Friend’s Exorcism blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of 80s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.

I am giving My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!