Name: Irene Lydia Bintou's review of The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers
Item: The Ladies of the Secret Circus
Rating: 4
Author: Irene Lydia Bintou

Constance Sayers

'Romance, mystery, and a family curse - The Ladies of the Secret Circus has it all' Popsugar From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus. Perfect for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The surest way to get a ticket to Le Cirque Secret is to wish for it . . . Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder - a world where women weave illusions, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, but when her fiancé disappears on their wedding day every plan she has for the future comes crashing down. Desperate, Lara's search for answers unexpectedly lead to her great-grandmother's journals. Swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love, secrets about Lara's family history come to light and reveal a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé's mysterious fate . . . Why readers love The Ladies of the Secret Circus . . . 'A spellbinding historical fantasy . . . Fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice' Publishers Weekly (starred review) 'At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women' Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch 'Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder' Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation 'The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a dazzling tale, laced with sinister magic, blood and beauty, love and loss. This is a book that will haunt you long after the last page is turned' Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel 'Spellbinding. The Ladies Of The Secret Circus is a dazzling, high-wire feat of storytelling' Catherine Taylor, author of Beyond the Moon

enter a world of wonder with this spellbinding novel

The Ladies of the Secret Circus

Irene Lydia Bintou

"Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder--a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, but when her fiancé disappears on their wedding day every plan she has for the future comes crashing down. Desperate, Lara's search for answers unexpectedly lead to her great-grandmother's journals. Swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love, secrets about Lara's family history come to light and reveal a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé's mysterious fate"--

Katrina Meyers

Shawna Delellis

Wow, what a story! Magical and mysterious! The details and story telling here were amazing! (There was only a few times I felt the details were a bit too much) I would highly recommend to fans of “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue”

Abby Williamson

Disappointed. The story line was promising but ultimately fell flat

From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus. Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder - a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, but when her fiancé disappears on their wedding day every plan she has for the future comes crashing down. Desperate, Lara's search for answers unexpectedly lead to her great-grandmother's journals. Swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love, secrets about Lara's family history come to light and reveal a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé's mysterious fate . . . Perfect for readers of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, Erika Swyler's The Book of Speculation and Gwendolyn Womack's The Fortune Teller.

Jennifer

Preliminary Review:

Wow, this book is such an exhilirating ride like a thrilling Circus show!! With excellent historical research, fascinating mystery plot, and dazzling Circus backdrops I found this novel difficult to put down as soon as it took off. It's glamorous and sinister all the same. 

I'm drawn towards Circus themed books because I enjoy digging beyond the shiny surface to immerse myself in the twists & turns which keeps me guessing what would happen (I usually get surprised). The Ladies of the Secret Circus is one such Circus book done well. 

If you're into Circus books like me, definitely check out this book! It features superb mystery plot, dark fantasy elements, and fascinating female leads!

P.S. This review will be expanded in due course.

N.B. This book contains following content warnings: death, kidnapping, hospital visits, near death experience, illnesses, death, loss of loved ones, and emotional blackmail

Heather Harrington

*I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

There are plenty of ways to entertain yourself in 1920s Paris, but they all pale in comparison to the circus. To receive a ticket to the famed Secret Circus is to open a door to an entirely different world than our own. Here you'll see acts that defy imagination: from carousels that take you back in time to trapeze artists that seemingly float through the air. Cecile Cabot has spent her entire life bound to her father's mysterious circus, only allowed out for certain amounts of time along with her twin sister and best friend. The circus is all Cecile has ever known, but when she meets a charming young artist, she begins to wonder if there could be more for her out in the real world. The pair enter into a passionate affair, and while Cecile may be blissfully happy, she soon finds that joy comes with severe consequences.

In Virginia, 2004, Lara Barnes is getting ready to marry the love of her life, but her excitement soon turns to heartbreak when her fiancé goes missing on their wedding day. Despite many search attempts, it's as if he disappeared right into thin air. When a strange man appears to Lara with information, she begins an investigation which leads her to her great-grandmother Cecile's journals. Here she discovers the strange history of her family and their relationship to a dark circus that has been claiming payment from all the women in her family for generations. Lara has always known her family was different from others, but it will take all of her might and powers beyond her measure to break the curse before it's too late.

For whatever reason, I'm drawn to stories that take place in the circus so this immediately caught my eye. I loved the premise of this dark twisted circus and a curse that's been plaguing a family for generations, but I found the execution lacking a bit. The first half was very hard to get into and a little confusing due to all the time jumps that were spliced in. It felt like I couldn't get my bearings and it was difficult to figure out what was actually happening. Midway through, I felt the story hit its stride and I started to enjoy it a lot more. The writing felt more cohesive and less clunky. I liked learning more about Lara and her family and how they tied in with this Hell circus. The mystery of the curse itself was well done and there were a few twists I wasn't expecting. Overall, I thought this was very atmospheric, I just wish the first half was as strong as the second.

Sophia Geron

There were so many great reveals in this book, but the end of the book fell flat for me. There were a lot questions I still have, like where did this magic originate from? How does a daemon even have magic? Also there was no character development and so much more could have been done, especially with the "bad guys." The hooks in this book are really imaginative and I did still like it, but the ending and how the plot fell through which left me disappointed.

Dani C

For fans of The Night Circus and supernatural thrillers, you MUST pick up The Ladies of the Secret Circus!! I was blown away by this story! There are secrets wrapped in mysteries wrapped in more secrets, all with magic and history complicating things, resulting in a tale that is a bit slow to start but once it does it SUCKS. YOU. IN. 
There's so much I want to say but don't want to accidentally spoil it for anyone! The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a story about finding yourself as an individual, within a family, and within the grand scheme of the universe. It's about believing the unbelievable and the power of confidence. It's about facing your demons head on and the ways we struggle with our demons. Yet Sayers writes about all of this in a way that you don't realize the journey you're going through yourself because you're so sucked into the story of the Cabot family!

Irene Lydia Bintou &
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers

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Irene Lydia Bintou &The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers

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Irene Lydia Bintou &
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers