Well written, quite dark at times, incredibly atmospheric and Macneal does amazingly well at the world building. The story is enough to keep you gripped, but not always the cheeriest!

I really enjoyed Elizabeth Macneal's previous title, 'The Doll Factory', and 'Circus of Wonders' was a beautifully written second novel. The story was compelling, bringing the world of the Victorian circus to life, with all its curiosities and wonder. I really loved Nell, the protagonist and found her fight for acceptance incredibly moving. A hugely enjoyable read. A great book for book groups! Lots to discuss.

Macneal manages to encapsulate the Victorian era obsession with freak shows spectacularly. I was obsessed with the characterisation her previous novel, The Doll Factory, and this second one did not disappoint in that department either. Characters Nell and Jasper came alive on the page, each with their own story and motivations.

Themes of love and betrayal battle throughout, laced with secrets to keep the reader engaged at every moment.

Circus settings are my absolute favourite book settings and this one has been added to my favourites to recommend to others.

I fell in love with Nell’s journey and it’s one I won’t forget in a hurry.

After reading The Doll Factory, I was on the look out for Elizabeth Macneal’s next book. Circus of Wonders has NOT disappointed me.

Elizabeth Macneal has described what it is like to be on the margins of society - an outcast because you don’t look the same as everyone else. Nell lives in a time where you are shunned for having birthmarks such as hers. She is considered to be bad luck, a curse. Not helped by the fact that her mother had died in childbirth. Her father constantly reinforces this, and won’t even touch her. Nell’s beloved brother is her sole comfort. He cares for her, and promises to take her with him when he marries.

But Nell’s father sells her to Jasper Jupiters Circus of Wonders. Jasper is a man who is hellbent on being a success, and thinks nothing of using Nell and others like her, to achieve greatness. Jasper and his brother Toby, are both survivors of the Crimean war, and clearly carry many secrets.

Themes such as exploitation, ownership, differences, power, sibling love, secrets, love and loss are central to this book.

Nell is a constant surprise. She goes from being a scared, vulnerable girl, to becoming the centre of attention, in control of all those who come to watch her. This is the other side to the P. T. Barnum story. We’ve probably all heard of ‘The Greatest Showman’, but there’s the other exploitative side that seems to have been brushed under the carpet. This book shows that side.

I loved this book, and I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you all to go out and buy it!

After devouring The Doll Factory, I was so excited to read this and Circus of Wonders did not disappoint. Elizabeth Macneal's writing is simply stunning, and she seems to go from strength to strength.
Circus of Wonders is set in the Victorian era and is about a woman called Nell, deemed a freak by society, and is therefore sold to the circus by her father. I adored Nell, and loved following her journey - through acceptance of her differences, finding her place in society and having a voice. Some parts I found heartbreaking, but overall I just love what Macneal is doing, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I was captivated right from the start and didn't want to put it down. I got HUGE 'The Greatest Showman' vibes from this book and by reading other peoples reviews I think they felt the same!

The book is written from 3 perspectives. Nellie, Jasper and Toby. I liked how this allows the reader to get to know the story from each main characters point of view and allowed you to connect with each one in different ways. However, a slightly deeper character development would have made it that extra special for me.

This is a beautifully written book that goes into great detail of imagery that you can physically picture the scenes in your mind.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

This fits on with the theme of books I've been reading recently. I got really into it and think it was really well written.

I've had this on my TBR for so long, I really wanted to read it and I have no idea what held me back for so long. It was everything that I expected.
Told from three alternating points of view: Nell the leopard girl, the Queen of the Moon and Stars who has been sold to the circus by her father; Jasper Jupiter, the circus owner and ring master always chasing the next big dream and Toby, his brother, always living in Jaspers shadow.
I loved this look behind the scenes of the curiosity circus's of the Nineteenth Century. We see Nell who has been shunned by society and sold be her father making a name for herself. We see Jasper who is always looking for the next big thing that's going to make him famous, make him more money. You can almost hear the phrase "This time next year, Toby, we'll be millionaires". I loved Toby, he just wants to be seen, to be recognised as his own person, to stop living in his brothers shadow. His fierce loyalty is heart stopping.
This novel makes reference to household names; Barnum, Tom Thumb... but doesn't offer us a romanticised view of their lives. It gives us the stark reality of how these performers were treated, both inside and outside the tents. How the performers were nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold, but how that can still be so much better than the alternative.

Nell has been sold by her debt-ridden father to a circus. Nell is 18-years old. She was born with birthmarks (patches of spots all over her skin), that makes her look odd. She’s been a pariah in her town, seen as a bad luck. She resists at first but then in this circus she meets the other acts and discovers her own worth, her uniqueness and her confidence. She also falls in love with Toby, brother of Jasper who runs the circus. But Jasper has big plans to make money, and some of the plans means breaking his acts...
This was a decent read. It was well researched and atmospheric. I adored the acts in the circus and their feisty personalities. I did find Nell a bit boring, and found the story lacked momentum. It went in a typical Victorian story direction without giving much away and I personally I wished there had been some twists and turns. The story was just too straightforward for my liking. Nonetheless an interesting read.

Nell lives in a small village in Victorian England. Her skin is covered in birthmarks, which has resulted in Nell being an outsider all her life.
Nell's life changes forever when a circus comes to the village and her father sells her to Jasper Jupiter, the owner and showman.
Nell makes a life for herself as part of Jasper's Circus of Wonders, becoming friends with the other performers and growing close with Jasper's brother, Toby.
Will Jasper feel threatened by Nell's rising fame?

When I heard that this book was about a circus and set in the Victorian era, I immediately wanted to read it.
There were three main characters: Nell, who had been made to feel other until she became part of the circus because of her birthmarks; Jasper, who was the ambitious owner and showman of the circus; and Toby, Jasper's brother. I felt sorry for both Nell and Toby, but it was Stella, one of the performers, who was my favourite character.
The relationship between the brothers Jasper and Toby was a big focus of the book, and I did find it interesting. They were very different people, but they cared for each other deeply.
The setting was interesting, but it wasn't explored much as the circus was the main focus.
The plot was good overall, but not much really happened. However, this was more of a character-driven book than a plot-driven one, so I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd had a better connection with the characters, but I didn't feel very invested in them or what was happening.
The writing style was easy to follow, but it wasn't one that hooked my attention.
I am a little bit disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I did like it overall.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

A beautifully written, enchanting and utterly captivating story of determination and survival. Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy.

I have had this book sitting on my kindle for a long time. I have started it three times and never feel compelled to pick it up and read on so I have, unfortunately, given it up as a DNF.

Thankyou so much to Netgalley and Pan McMillan, Picador for this arc in return for an honest review.

Such a wonderful book, I loved the colours of the circus, the depth and complexity of the characters and the beautiful writing.
Elizabeth Macneal really captures the details, sights and wonders of the circus that you really feel like your walking through their camp and are admiring all the wonders; the wise bearded lady, the giant woman, the albino girl, the bear man, Elephants, Zebras, tigers and many more.

This captivating story follows Nell a girl who is covered in birth marks and refered to as the Leopard Girl. It follows her journey after her drunken father sells her to a circus for £20. But at the circus Nell starts to find herself building friendships with Brunette and Peggy, being accepted for the first time in her life and not feeling like a freak of the town. The only thing is she misses her brother and worries he had some involvement in her sale. She becomes the star of the show but Jasper doesn't like competing for the spot light of his own show, especially when Queen Victoria wants to see the show.

The novel also looks at Jasper the ring-master and his past during the war and how the secret he has kept has haunted him and his brother Toby for years. Toby wants to be accepted by his brother and wants to be noticed rather than shoved to the back and ignored, while his brothers plans might ruin the whole circus and everyone that works there.

Circus Of Wonders is set in the Victorian Era, where the author touches on the wonders and curiosities of the time and also mentions other Circus' around at the time including P.T. Barnum and Jenny Lind. It also looks at womens position in society, social issues and the attitudes of people of that era.

This book is full of; jealousy, horror of the world, power-struggles, family issues and broken dreams. A book on survival, acceptance and empowerment.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, the victorian era or if you enjoy a book with a good story with brilliant characters.

In the end we get triumph, which is mesmerising and full of hope.

This book begins in 1866, our lead character makes her living making candied violets with her brother. She has unique markings to her skin (leopard markings) and this clearly sets her apart from society.
The travelling circus arrives in town, and our girl’s father sells her to the circus for £20…
Whilst this is pretty heartbreaking (no one wants to be sold by their parents), Nell also comes to realise that this is actually one of the best things to have happened to her..

Whilst I found this story an ‘ok’ read, I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up to find out what’s next. For me, it was very similar to the Night Circus; beautifully written in its descriptions, and ability to paint a world for the reader, but the story was just a bit bland for me and I found it lacking something but not entirely sure what.

I found it difficult to rate, as the author is clearly a beautiful and talented writer In her ability to create a world and describe it so well, but I want to read a story, and this just fell a little flat.

Having read other reviews, I’ve realised I’m not alone in my opinion, it appears to be very much a marmite book. I think fans of The Night Circus/The Starless Sea etc will love it, but if you’re after a fast paced tale that grips you from the outset, then you’ll be disappointed.

I loved every page!
Elizabeth Macneal has this amazing ability to drag you in a story and make you feel completely immerse into not just the plot and the characters' psychology but the atmosphere, the streets, the whole historic world she depicts. I was so please with this book and cannot wait to read more from her - she deserves all the success she's getting!
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the editors to allow me to read this book in advance, in exchange of my honest opinion!

Great for fans of Caraval but also Water for Elephants, this character focused read delves into the darker side of not only the circus but people, which is quite a tough read in places as being circus folk really sounds like a hard and unforgiving life. From a suspenseful opening, I was particularly invested in what happened to Nell, and kept reading to find out as I was torn as to what would be the best outcome for her . Not my usual read but I enjoyed it.

Like many readers, I absolutely adored the author's dark and intoxicating debut, so couldn't wait to read her second release. I tried hard not to compare as The Doll Factory really is one of my favourite books of all time. I'm very happy to say that the writing is just as mesmerising and immersive; it didn't even matter to me that the story lacked in some areas as I just love the way Elizabeth Macneal writes.

Set in South England in 1866, the story centres around circus-extraordinaire, Jaspar, his guilt-ridden brother, Toby, and the circus' latest showstopper, Nellie Moon, the flying leopard girl. Bought for a measly £20, Nell is torn from her family and thrust into a weird and wonderful world filled with people who stand out, just like her. Though at first, she dreams of escape, she soon realises that she was born to perform. That is until her career is on the line when Jaspar's debts finally catch up to him and his desire to be the greatest showman may, in the end, cost him his livelihood.

I'm not generally a big fan of circus-themed novels but I appreciated that this one wasn't steeped in fantasy - circuses don't need magical elements and as a yet-to-be-converted fantasy reader I preferred that this one portrayed the realistic representation of Victorian entertainment.

I was absorbed in the Victorian setting which was brought to life as usual by Macneal's fine attention to detail. I was drawn into the circus, could feel the tingling excitement among the performers and patrons, could hear the carriages rattling along the roads on the way to their next destination. I listened to a lot of this one on audio which really helped inject life into the setting and story.

The main downfall for me was the characters; I wasn't really invested in anyone and would have liked more from the secondary 'wonders' as opposed to only seeing things from Nell, Jaspar, and Toby's POVs. I felt particularly disappointed by the war reveal with Toby, Jaspar, and Dash - there was too much build-up for it to make an impact when it finally came to light.

The ending also felt like a bit of a letdown but at the same time, it was unexpected which is not a bad thing. I think many readers would have wished for a different outcome but I appreciate when an author goes against the popular outcome and tries something new that worked but didn't make as big an impact on me as I hoped it would.

Still a strong 3.5 and one I'll be recommending.

Elizabeth Macneal is one heck of a talented writer, We were privileged enough to host part of her book tour for The Doll Factory, she writes wonderfully eerie historic fiction, she writes with such detail you would think she was a time traveller. Another huge hit, Well done Elizabeth, can not wait to read what's next.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

This is a beautifully written and compelling story about a circus, the men who own it and those who work there. It starts in a small village where Nell is ostracised by the other villagers because of their superstitions around the birthmarks in her skin. When Jasper’s circus comes to town, he becomes obsessed with her and her father sells her for a few pounds. Quickly she becomes a huge success and the circus grows in size and popularity but slowly we learn about the shadows that haunt Jasper and his brother Toby.

I loved everything about this book. The main characters were so well shaped and so complex - every time you read a new chapter there was a new layer to them and slowly their histories were unravelled. The settings - the battlefields of Crimea to the banks of the Thames - were so well researched and became a key part of the story. I could picture the circus tent and feel the atmosphere as the crowds waited for the show to start.

A really accomplished and enjoyable no

Okay, I know I'm very late with this review. I was approved on Netgalley, celebrated, preordered a signed copy of the book, and then let the ebook languish on my kindle & the paper copy sit on my shelf for months. I'd walk by the shelf and remember how keen I was to read it, but it didn't feel like the right _time_. It's a book about a circus and The Doll Factory was such a squirmy read for me that I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to get myself into, how uncomfortable it might make me feel.
This book is a masterpiece. In any other author's hands it would be contrived and trite and basically a nightmare, but Macneal walks that tightrope-- beautiful prose to describe terrible things. It's enthralling, and compelling, and one of my favorite reads of the year.