This book was phenomenal. Based in a fantasy world, it still resembles our own world. The descriptions of the characters were so vivid. I was so absorbed into this book, I couldn't put it down. I am already on my way to buy the second in the series.

A superb YA novel and the first book I read where the main character is both male and female.
The world building is brilliant, the characters well drawn, and the plot interesting.
Highly recommend

I'm sorry I was not able to read and review this book before it was archived due to serious health issues.

I ended up DNF'ing this as the writing did not grab me and was, at times, confusing. I do appreciate Lam's diverse main character, however.

I gave feedback on this years ago. It suddenly reappeared on my shelf after the addition of audiobooks. I contacted Netgalley a week ago and have heard nothing back so am getting these off my shelf this way.

I have lost interest in this. I will not be reading and reviewing this book at this time but may do so in the future.

I read this book when I downloaded, but unfortunately forgot to leave a review at that time and no longer remember enough details to give a proper review.

This is set in a place (Ellada) which is not our own, but has a Victorian feel to it. Brought up as a girl, Gene (Iphigenia Laurus) and her parents are hiding a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female and prefers tomboyish pursuits with her brother and his friends, to the debutante circuit she's about to be launched into. She also has magical abilities to interact with glowing glass mounds left by a previous civilisation.

When her parents plan a devastating betrayal, Gene flees home as a boy, reinventing herself as Micah Grey, and joins R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic. There he learns to fly. Intersexuality and bisexuality form the baseline for happenings within the circus itself and are sensitively dealt with. Gene/Micah is a, engaging and sympathetic character.

Laura Lam's writing style is clear and engrossing. We don't learn much about Micah's magical abilities, However. I felt they could have been used to cause more trouble for him in the circus, though I'm sure the next two books in the trilogy will deal with them more than adequately. My only real beef with this is that it's the first part of a trilogy and so doesn't really resolve at the end. It's terribly tempting to have a cliffhanger ending when writing trilogies or series, but I do like an ending, even though some threads are unresolved (or are resolved but immediately come unravelled at the beginning of the next book).

Interesting premise but wasn't enough to hold my interest. I got in a few pages but sadly it wasn't what I was expecting so I had to put it down. I might not be the right audience for this one.

Wow, this book is amazing!

Micah Grey is a fantastic gender fluid, intersex main character that is bisexual! There is a wealth of character development here and I love how he (as he is in the present) comes to accept himself. The plot is not fast and does not have very much by the way of action scenes but it has a lovely slow, gradual build up to the ending. This focuses more on the characters and their relationship versus a heavy emphasis on plot.

This is something I have not read ever in the YA genre and it was done so well too. Although I can't speak for the authenticity or genuineness of the portrayal, the book seems earnest and full of heart.

I apologize for the delay - I thought that I had submitted feedback regarding this book, but it appears that I did not. I read it a long time ago and I am sorry that I do not recall the specifics of the book. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I apologize for any confusion.

I didn't get a chance to read this before it expired on my nook. I'm sorry! I do hope to one day buy and read this!