Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio UK for the audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book; it had been likened to other books and authors that I adore, and sadly I feel I went into this expecting something more than I got. I don't think that is the book's fault, but I found I couldn't engage with it and wasn't drawn back to the story.

There are some excellent ideas here, and the cast of characters is wonderful. I think with an injection of pace and a little refinement of the more TW topics, this could be an enjoyable tale. It just wasn't one for me.

2 stars

The style of this book, with an almost anonymous narrator, is unique, and has almost a 'marmite effect'; it's a love it or hate it kind of book. Personally, I loved it.

The author has done a stunning job describing the dramatic - literal - highs and horrific lows of circus life, and the historical side of it weaves in a line of women who should know their place, children who should be seen and not heard, traumas that should be accepted and forgotten.

Hard hitting, strong in every sense of the word, and beautifully crafted, this will be one I recommend to so many people for a long time to come.

A spellbinding mix of circus lore, folk tales and natural magic combine to bring us an absorbing story of rejection and survival, of searching for connection and identity. Fast paced and utterly engaging this is a remarkable debut. I cant wait to read more from Nydia Hetherington.

Having loved 'Water for Elephants' & 'The Night Circus' & seeing the cover of this book, was rally keen to read it. However I'm afraid it didn't do it for me. The story of a young girl, born into the circus to parents who didn't seem to have any time for her, she lived on the edge until the arrival of Serendipity Williams, a flame haired funambulist. She takes 'Mouse, under her wing & teaches her to be the greatest funambulist of all time. The story is told by Mouse. She is recalling her life & telling of her regrets. The book is beautifully written, but I just couldn't connect to the characters & was rather pleased to get to the end of it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book.

As a huge fan of fantasy (with a particular emphasis on all things circus related) I was extremely excited to read Nydia Hetherington's debut novel "A Girl Made Of Air". And what a debut it is! Protagonist Mouse is "The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived". For the uninitiated (i.e. me at the start of the book) funambulist = tightrope walker. Some of the descriptions of simply walking the wire are incredibly evocative. This story is heavy on strong females (another huge check mark!) and I particularly enjoyed the tales told throughout by flame-haired, fabulously named Serendipity Wilson.

In terms of setting, we have a travelling circus in England and a performer who graduates to Coney Island, with some cabaret thrown in. Yes, it is as marvellous as it sounds! Hetherington has created vibrant characters and skilfully shown us that there's so much more to circus life than spotlights, greasepaint and glamour. Despite the fantastical post-War setting, the themes of the book are universal and include love, friendship and losses of different kinds.

"A Girl Made Of Air" would make an ideal festive gift for anyone who enjoys the work of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern.

This story reads like you're visiting an elderly relative for an afternoon cup of tea and cake and listening to their musings. They ramble and repeat themselves and go off in tangents when some small scattered fragment pops into their mind. Occasionally there may be new snippets of information but mostly, you've heard their stories before. That's just human nature and old age. We're all haunted by regret and want to share our tales with someone before our time is up and our life story forever lost.

I really didn't get any The Night Circus, Nights at the Circus or Caraval vibes. And comparing it to them really does this book a disservice. It is a great story on its own. It's almost like the PR / marketing / recommendation AI bot selected a few keywords like "fantasy" and "circus" and decided they belong in the same category. They really don't. The magical elements woven into the tale are not fantastical but a mask for some dark and traumatic events. You certainly won't be blinded by the dazzling circus lights.

Recommended for fans of The Vanishing Act, The First Time Lauren Pailing Died, The Other Half of Augusta Hope, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for the ARC.

This book swept me away. I love books about the circus and the atmosphere in this one was so well-written. I could almost smell the popcorn! And the characters were distinctive and endearing. Thank you for the copy and I look forward to reading more from Nydia.

This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived...Born into a post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus. Now an adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again?
This was a descriptive read that really made you feel like you were living the circus life of the protagonist only known as Mouse. She was rejected by her circus parents so was brought up by Serendipity Wilson who teaches her how to walk the ropes. You really begin to feel for Mouse as you hear the hard life she has had. The story itself is quite dark and has a slow pace to it but is cleverly written in the style of letters and journals and post cards.
I was captivated by the life that Mouse has lived. She has had a tough time but still wants to do good for her friend who she saw as family. It was nice to see a different circus story in being that it was set mostly behind the scenes and then over time we learn how she became the Worlds Greatest Funambulist. It was a lovely story but one also filled with grief and tragedy, especially when we learn about what happened to her mother.
Overall it was a nice book to read, although being compared to The Night Circus I would say that is not the case, A Girl Made of Air is more of a historical fiction with a mystical twist full of myths and stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

An enchanting tale about extraordinary women. For people who enjoyed The Night Circus.

The narrator, Mouse, takes you on a journey with the circus and meet her family. She shares their stories and her own after she left. The mysterious Serendipity Wilson helps her onto the rope and become the greatest funambulist there ever lived. Mouse uses the same magic in her storytelling and story weaving as she uses in her performances. It might turn you off but to me, it really set the stage.

A perfect read for a rainy afternoon cuddled up with a cup of tea.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it just didnt work for me. I found it hard going to start with and while it did get better, I never really felt truly engaged by the story. Loved the circus parts of the story.

This was a more serious story than I had been expecting, but I found it charming nonetheless. The writing is lovely, and kept me engaged.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To begin with this has a very slow pace to it which I didn’t necessarily like. I like to be sucked straight into a story and carried away. But I persevered and it does get better around half way through.

I liked the way that it was narrated through interviews, journals and letters as it’s a different narrative than usual.

I like the focus on personal relationships and the way that it addressed the darker side of the circus to show that it’s not all wonder and awe.

A good read that I was very happy with.

With the promise of it being like "the Night Circus", one of my favorite book of all times, it set itself up to fail.
Parts of the book were mesmerising, getting into live at the circus, they fairy tales. Would give that part 4 stars.
The parts of her as an older woman looking back just felt awkward an unnecessary.
I finished the book mostly to find out how she and Bunny reunite, and then was robbed of a satisfying ending.
I felt with a different editor, or another focus it could have been a four star book.
Am sorry to not recommend it. I would read other works by her in the future.

This book had lots of drama and magic and I loved it! I did struggle a bit in the beginning, but by the end I was totally smitten. An amazing debut!

This is a book I have been looking forward to reading for a while, in part because of the jaw-droppingly gorgeous cover design and it absolutely did not disappoint. The story follows a young circus performer who finds her home as a tightrope walker. We never learn her real name, she is known to the reader and everyone else only as Mouse, and we join her on her strange, gritty yet ethereal journey through life. As an adult she desperately seeks a child she has a strong connection to who was lost from the circus in which Mouse grew up.

The first thing I have to say about A Girl Made of Air is that it is beautifully written. Hetherington knows exactly how to weave a magical, dark and often slightly bizarre tale which will entrance the reader completely. The book is filled with lovely lyrical prose and a kind of magical melancholy which I found really enjoyable to read. I kind of gently made my way through this story and fell in love with the beautifully odd characters. There are so many fascinating personalities in A Girl Made of Air, my favourite is possibly the brilliantly named Serendipity Wilson, Mouse’s mentor who is one of the most important people in her life and who dances off the pages in such a charming and sometimes frightening way. In all honestly, though, there are so many fantastic characters and tall tales that Mouse encounters which make for an engaging and incredibly original story.

The circus has a magical dark glamour to it whilst at the same time being an often coarse and gritty place to spend your life. It always fascinates people and it is evoked in such a skilful and compelling way in A Girl Made of Air that I completely understand the hype with this book. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fantastical and strange read filled with both sadness and beauty. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next book from this talented author.

I loved the cover of this book first of all but when I read what it was about I was totally fascinated to find out what was inside. There is a shadow that moves around the edges in the circus tent, one that people catch from the corner of their eye but dismiss. A young girl, small and uncared for by parents that dress in style and love the spotlight and admiring looks of the crowd. There is no love or hugs, she barely scraps through and survives. Everything changes for her when Serendipity Wilson arrives, the little urchin of a wisp of a child becomes known as mouse and is welcomed into the light.

The story, set in present-day, is pieced together with newspaper stories, tapes, letters and journals from the past, going back to when mouse was born in pre WW11 years in the USA. Serendipity Wilson as a bright and colourful character that mouse learns to trust eventually to become The Worlds Greatest Funambulist who ever lived. But mouse is on a mission to put right a wrong, a mistake that she made and has never forgiven herself for.

The story is full of sadness and tragedy with so many of the circus family but my heart broke over and over for mouse who desperately needed to be loved or even acknowledged. The story spans years’ with so many misunderstandings that throw the characters onto different lifelines.

Fascinating, compelling and utterly unforgettable.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

My first thought about A Girl Made Of Air was its distinctly ethereal feel, from the timely insertion of Isle Of Man folklore, to the magic of the circus and the big top. In the centre, our unnamed narrator, sometimes referred to as Mouse took our hand and guided us through her story, one of neglect, of friendship, love and regret.

She was the girl born of parents who didn’t see her, didn’t love her, forced her to fend for herself, as they became wrapped in their own love and woes. That was until she met Serendipity Wilson, the funambulist with the shocking red hair who took her into her wigwam and wrapped her in the love her parents deemed incapable of, yet it set of a chain of events that resonated throughout her life.

Hetherington didn’t make me feel sorry for her, instead she used Mouse’s voice to talk directly at us, or at someone else, someone alluded to but not revealed. I loved that it gave the novel a close personal feel, that enveloped us in her words, thoughts and feelings, a long winding stream of consciousness.

As she sat in her hotel room, wrote her story, Hetherington portrayed a young girl, who under the tutelage of Serendipity became a great tight rope worker but also learnt the hardship of human nature. She grew up in front of us, her naivety laid bare, the truth of her parentage shocking, her one supposedly good act thrown back at her, caused her untold grief that made you want to wrap her up in soft warm blankets, tell her it wasn’t all her fault.

Hetherington gave us the workings of the circus, the glamour stripped away, the hard life its performers, both human and animal led. There were the petty jealousies, favoritism, the dirt, the transit nature of their lives that prevented friendships and education, but it was home until Mouse decided it wasn’t and it was time to find what was lost.

Hetherington took her to the new world of America, of Tv’s shops, streets full of people, Mouse lost in the melee. Yet she was brave, determined as she found herself on Coney Island. Hetherington conjured images of a rundown island, of the tired acts, the poverty, but the sparks of hope and love Mouse discovered made me smile and hope that finally she had found peace. It wasn’t to be and the promise of wealth and fame led her away, almost to her downfall and you wondered if she would become lost, forget who she was and why she was there.

You wanted that happy ending to what was a truly wonderful story full of colour, of the frailities of human nature. I can only recommend that you borrow or buy and discover the wonderful story for yourself.

Right. This book had me questioning my commitment. From the first quarter, I was 100% sold on this (it’s about circus and folklore after all), followed by an ‘urgh I’m on the struggle bus but don’t want to ditch it yet’ and being yoinked back in at the end. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, drama-soaked book, then this might not be for you. That being said, it’s got beautiful nuggets speckled throughout.

The story begins with Mouse – an intriguing woman writing a letter to an unknown journalist, detailing every little intricate detail of her life as the Greatest Funambulist That Ever Lived. If, like me, you had no damn clue what a funambulist is, it’s people who have magical feet that let them flip around on wires whilst I struggle with the prospect of walking in a straight line on the floor.

Mouse (who’s definitely human) lives her early years with her adopted circus family after her mother refuses to acknowledge her existence. She lives her live watching her parents (a mermaid and a lion tamer, naturally) continue on with their lives whilst living on scraps and befriending llamas. The latter part being enviable.

BUT fiery and literally luminescent haired Serendipity Bloody Wilson comes beaming in like that scene from The Thing and becomes her saviour. Figuring this gal has some potential, she flings her up on a wire and, well, you probably sussed the rest.

This is a story about taking chances and, once you realise that, you’ll quickly notice the chances that the other characters took in their own lives that led them on different paths.

This is a beautifully written story and the snippets of folklore had me dying to learn more, but did I fall in love with it…?
Well let’s just say I’m smitten.

I struggled with this book - it was not what I expected. I had to make myself keep going - once I was 70% in I read the remaining in one session. I could almost not decide what type of story it was - it seemed to be a mismatch of several genres which did not quite work for me.

Mouse - a high wire artiste - is recollecting her background growing up in a circus with an array of characters - her greatest attachment is to Serendipity Wilson and it is the loss of her daughter, Bunny, which forms the central premise of the book.

I did not take to Mouse and struggled to understand her. The only supporting characters I liked were those she met towards the end of the book - the circus folk I found quite dark and oppressive.

A slow read - worth reading but not enjoyable for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC for honest review.
‘A Girl Made of Air’ is about a famous funambulist named Mouse, reminiscing her days growing up in the circus. What makes her story different is that unlike a joyous circus trip it felt more like getting a peek of the dark enigmatic secrets inside circus tents. It was an interesting read.