Review: The Mumbo Jumbo Circus

This book counts for the Debut Author challenge.

"Would you like to run away and join the circus?"

Evan is wary, of course, of a suspicious offer from a strange man.  But there's no reason for her to stay in the hell on earth that is her current abusive foster home, so she accepts.  She quickly feels at home in the Mumbo Jumbo circus: a circus where, even backstage, the magic seems almost real.  Because it is real.  The Ringmaster is able to bring out the innate abilities, or donrovai, in his performers.  And Evan has a special donrovai: the ability to read horses' minds.  Although she has a lingering fear of horses, Evan's willing to work at developing an act - especially if it means she gets to spend more time with Wally, the handsome young Goth cook.

But the Ringmaster has an old enemy who will do anything to take down the Mumbo Jumbo Circus: arson, kidnapping, and worse.  Soon, Evan finds herself the only one able to save the circus...

Entertainment: ★★★★


I really liked this book.  It was cute and fun, it had interesting characters, and it had interesting illustrations, too.  I finished it in only a few hours, but it was well worth the time.


Plot: ★★


It loses a few points here because I just didn't find the plot as interesting as other aspects of the book - it was a little weird at times and rather predictable at others.


Characters: ★★★★★


Let me just say that I loved the Ringmaster to death.


That said, I also liked Evan quite a bit - as a character and a person - and many of the side characters were quite cool as well.  I didn't like the villains much - they weren't all that scary or even that interesting, to me - but the rest of the cast was awesome enough that I was willing to overlook the villains.


Writing: ★★★


I thought the description, dialogue, and everything else was very well done.


End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.

Review: Entwined

This book counts towards the Debut challenge.




Azalea is poised on the brink of her debut as a princess and a very eligible young lady.  Years of balls, light, laughter, young men, and most of all dancing await her.  But her mother's sudden death whisks her glittering future away and plunges Azalea and her eleven younger sisters into a world of darkness, mourning, and silence.  Worst of all, none of the princesses are allowed their only comfort: dancing.

The Keeper understands, though.  Each night, he allows the princesses into his magical world to dance the night away, wearing holes in their shoes as they forget, for a few hours, their unhappiness.  It seems like a perfect arrangement.  There's only one problem: the Keeper likes to keep things... and he may be much, much more than he seems.

Entertainment: ★★★★

I thought it was quite a clever take on the fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses.  I liked Azalea very much, I thought the villain was very well done, and overall I enjoyed the story quite a lot.

Plot: ★★★

I expected the ending, more or less, and really I can't say there were any surprises.  It wasn't a story that kept me on the edge of my seat.  But it was still nicely-paced, interesting, and entertaining.

Characters: ★★★★

Azalea was pretty cool, and her sisters were all right.  Their father was very well-done, for a side character, and very realistic.  I loved the complicated relationship between the children and the King.  I loved the Keeper.  He was eerie, scary yet seductive, the kind of villain that gives you goosebumps.  He was amazing.

Writing: ★★★★

I like Dixon's style - it's quite easy to read and very enjoyable.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.

Follow Friday Blog Hop Funness

Hi, blog hoppers, welcome to novapsych!

Follow Friday Question: 


What are you doing to prepare for an upcoming zombie apocalypse and/or the return of Mel Gibson to the silver screen?

Stockpiling Ramen and otherwise preparing for a siege.  Either I will need to hide from zombies or friends talking about Mel Gibson's movie, and so it's better to be prepared to send the house into lockdown at any moment.

Blog Hop Question: 

Share your favorite post from last month and tell us why it's close to your heart!

Well, (excluding the one where I wished myself happy birthday, of course,) I'd have to say my review of The Iron Thorn.  It's a fairly well-written review, I'd like to think, and I loved the book.

Review: Shapeshifter's Quest

This book counts towards the Shifter challenge.




Syanthe is a shapeshifter.  She was born the first of a set of twins, and as a result was hidden away from the priests when they came for her younger brother.  So she, alone, out of the entire shapeshifter tribe, doesn't have the deadly tattoos on her cheek that would activate and kill her should she ever try to leave the forest.  As the only one able to leave the forest, she is sent off to find a cure for the mysterious sickness striking down the forest and the shifters....

Entertainment: ★

I really don't like writing bad reviews... but I honestly couldn't think of anything I liked about this book.

Plot: ★★

It was quite simply uninteresting.  The plot was very expected, the romance far too fast and rather cliche, even the ending pretty dull.

Characters: ★

Characterization?  What characterization?  Essentially, there was zero.  Also, all of the characters had an odd, stilted way of speaking.  Oh, and they all sounded exactly the same.  I kept forgetting their names every other page.  Let's just say I was massively underwhelmed and leave it at that.

Writing: ★★

The dialogue was oddly written and read awkwardly, at least for me.  The shapeshifting seemed odd, too.  I don't know what exactly it was about Landon's writing style, but it really didn't appeal to me.  At all.

End Result: two stars.  I was not impressed.

Wishlist Wednesday

All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her own. And she’s close to reuniting her parents when her father disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a  vengeful sea goddess and a mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family – and the Theatre Illuminata – from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate.
I fell in love with the cover before I ever even read the description... but the description sounds great too!  I seriously can't wait to read this book!  What do you think - will you be reading So Silver Bright when it comes out?

Trailer Tuesday (23)

I like the unusual video game-style animation of this video - it really works.  Plus the little "dead stylish, dead powerful, dead," quotes were pretty funny.  Overall, I thought this video was clever, intriguing, and unique.  What do you think of this video?

Review: The Iron Thorn

This book counts towards the Debut Author challenge.






Aoife Grayson's time is running out.  She lives in Lovecroft, in what was once America, where a great engine turns underneath the streets to provide steam and aether to power the city.  She studies to be an engineer, but she knows that she will never truly become one.  Her mother is locked up in an asylum and her brother tried to kill her; the same madness, a dormant form of the necrovirus, lives in her blood.  When she turns sixteen, she, too will go mad.


But a few weeks before her birthday, she gets a letter from her brother.  Find the witch's alphabet.  Save yourself.  To save her brother - and her sanity - Aoife will have to flee the Proctors and escape her city.  She will have to survive ghouls and all sorts of dark necrovirus monsters.  She will have to open the gate between worlds - and she will have to save them both.  Or go mad trying...


Entertainment: ★★★★★


Loved it to death.  The steampunk elements were tasteful and cool, the faerie world(s) were awesome, the characters were interesting and unique... overall: awesome.


Plot: ★★★★★


I liked the plot, and I loved the twist/twisted ending.  It was gripping, exciting, fast-paced... yeah, it was pretty cool.


Characters: ★★★★


I took off a star here because I didn't like Dean all that much.  He seemed kind of shallow - not self-absorbed, just like there wasn't a lot of depth to him, nothing really interesting.  That would have been fine if he was a side character or something, but I expect a little more from a love interest.  Cal was cool, until his secret was revealed, and then he transitioned to amazing.  Aoife herself was pretty neat, a strong kickass heroine with an interesting Weird (magic gift.)  The side characters and villain(s) were also quite well done.


Writing: ★★★★


Well-written.


End Result: five stars.  A really excellent book.  Read it.