Fiza Saeed McLynn’s The Midnight Carousel is an absolute triumph, an enchanting, emotionally rich debut that feels both timeless and utterly original. From the very first page, McLynn casts a spell, drawing readers into a dreamlike world where magic and memory intertwine in hauntingly beautiful ways. This is a book that lingers, not only for its lyrical prose but for the depth of its imagination and heart.

The story revolves around a mysterious carousel that appears only at midnight, nestled on the outskirts of a town that has forgotten how to believe. Each ride on the carousel doesn’t just spin its riders in circles, it transports them through fragments of their past, unspoken desires, and unfinished dreams. What unfolds is a deeply human tapestry of longing, loss, healing, and hope.

McLynn’s writing is nothing short of luminous. Her ability to craft prose that reads like poetry, while still driving an emotionally compelling narrative, is rare and remarkable. The characters are drawn with stunning empathy, flawed, brave, and achingly real. Readers will find themselves especially moved by the protagonist’s quiet resilience and the way her journey invites us all to confront our own forgotten stories.

The Midnight Carousel is more than a novel, it’s an experience. It invites you to pause, reflect, and believe again in the transformative power of wonder. With echoes of Erin Morgenstern and Alice Hoffman, but a voice entirely her own, Fiza Saeed McLynn has delivered a modern classic. Do yourself a favor: step onto the carousel. You won’t be the same when you step off.

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author Fiza Saeed McLynn.
I am in two minds about this one! I found the first half of the book very slow moving and difficult to engage with, and I was tempted to abandon it. Things sped up in the second half and I enjoyed it more, but I still found the characters a bit basic and two dimensional.
I think the denouement was clever, and added up, but it wasn't quite enough to save a frustrating start. 2 stars.

The Midnight Carousel

Maisie spent her early childhood in a ramshackle shed of a house belonging to her foster parents. It isn’t a home though, with adults who are happy to collect the money but not provide the care. The children are cold, hungry and dressed in rags. Luckily she has best friend Tommy to dream about a better future with. One day they find a fairground flyer with a beautiful illustration of a carousel. Maisie keeps it with her and many years later, across the Atlantic Ocean, she meets the carousel again. Her wealthy guardian Sir Malcolm ships it over to America and sits it in the grounds of his mansion. When Maisie decides to hold a party for local children she is so happy to see the carousel being used. It’s finally full of happy smiling faces, but when the ride stops there is one less child on the ride. The little boy on the caramel horse is nowhere to be seen. Maisie finds this particular horse hypnotic, it’s different to the others with the blue diamond decoration on it’s forehead and surrounded by the letters OEHT. She has no idea what it means. Maisie is taken in for questioning, but she’s surprised when a French detective arrives. Someone has already disappeared from this very carousel and a man went to the guillotine, found guilty of murder. Could there be an accomplice? Or is there something magical about the carousel after all?

The novel is set in the early 20th Century and takes us from the UK, to Paris and then to Chicago. Maisie certainly has a varied life after such humble beginnings, plucked from the shack by her Aunt Mabel who introduces him to Sir Malcolm and his daughter Catherine. Maisie only just starts to trust her new life when it is ripped away by Spanish influenza. As Maisie slowly recovers, she’s told that both her aunt and new friend Catherine didn’t survive. Maisie is sure she’ll be sent back to her foster home, so she’s surprised when Sir Malcolm asks if she’d like to accompany him to the USA. He’s bought a large house and land near Chicago. Once they’re settled in, Maisie feels like she has a home for the first time and feels like she has a father figure. I found Maisie smart and resourceful, very capable of helping out with business especially when time has passed since the terrible disappearance of the little boy they start to discuss the possibility of a business opportunity. They decide to build a theme park, with the carousel at the centre and call it Silver Kingdom. Maisie throws herself into work and while there’s still the residual trauma of losing her parents and then her aunt, she does start to find her feet. She jumps into the next choice far too quickly at times, but it’s an instinct born of trauma. The anxiety of feeling unsafe is too much so she is vulnerable to people who prey on that and makes bad choices.

She also struggles with fitting in. She is often asked about her heritage because of her dark complexion, but having no memory of her parents she can’t answer. The milk lady, Mrs Papadopolous says she’s Greek. The fairground runners think she might be one of them, or possibly Italian. She feels rootless, as if a wind might uproot her at any moment. Motherhood is a theme that runs throughout and those women made an impression on me. Mrs Papadopolous is warm and loving towards Maisie, giving her a sense of belonging by saying that home isn’t a place, it’s knowing who you are. There’s also a fortune teller who is always keen to tell Maisie her future, but notices that she’s the only person on the fairground who’s never asked. She makes is clear that Maisie does need to be on her guard, especially where the fairground is concerned. Whereas Sir Malcolm’s sister-in-lane seems to pit herself against Maisie from the start. Perhaps always expecting to inherit his money, she is put out by this orphan who seems to have usurped them. Nancy struggles to conceive and doesn’t cope, descending into alcoholism and bitterness. When Maisie is pregnant the rivalry worsens although she does try to be gentle, knowing that she has everything Nancy wants.

A love story weaves through the mystery very well, with all the traditional obstacles and absences you would expect. There were times I was screaming at Maisie to open her post! Especially when there were misunderstandings and having the whole picture was dependent on the next letter. Her love for Laurent is all encompassing, that once in a lifetime love that lasts forever. They do miscommunicate a lot, mainly due to not expressing their true feelings or not being free. The ‘will they - won’t they’ does last years and I so wanted them to find a way back to each other. There were some parts where I was so engrossed in the romance that I totally forgot there was a mystery to solve. There was also her husband’s bootlegging, the search for Maisie’s birth parents, the drama surrounding a character’s will and each of these strands did take my mind away from the central case a little. After the carousel claims another victim, Maisie decides to encase the caramel horse in glass, so no one else can ride it. I was so looking forward to a magical explanation or for the mystery never to be solved. I wanted to see Maisie’s original vision realised. When she first rode the horse she had a vision or hallucination with stars and what she thinks might be a glimpse of another time or dimension. It was this magical element that kept me reading, rather than an urge to solve the case. That said, the author found a way to do both leaving me with a sense of satisfaction but also a little touch of intrigue.

This is a beautiful story with a very dark secret - for it's not safe to take a ride on The Midnight Carousel 🎠🎪

The carousel in question is built by Gilbert Cloutier immediately after fin de siecle Paris, a glittering time but he's immersed in grief and hate following the death of his wife and child.

Eventually, after a series of unexplained deaths, the doomed carousel finds it's way to Chicago in the 1920s where Maisie Marlowe creates a magical amusement park. When more deaths and disappearances are linked to the carousel, a detective from Paris who led the initial investigation, is the only one who can solve the deadly puzzle and absolve Maisie of the crimes. This story had me gripped from the start, it's so evocative of the time and places, it's really magical!

A mesmerising read that drew me in from page 1. Beautiful author craft, a captivating story and some really great characters.

An enjoyable and adventurous historical novel featuring a mysterious fairground carousel which seems to be linked to the disappearance of several people. The book had a great sense of place and time, and the mystery elements kept me hooked.

I really enjoyed this. The gothic and glittering atmosphere is well executed and the mystery and magic are woven in beautifully. The premise is intriguing and pulls you in but the really joy is in the characters. You go on such a journey with Maisie o was sad to say goodbye to her.

Such a great novel – gothic, intriguing, twisty-turny, with an epic love story at its heart and a wonderful atmosphere.

The carousel is built by Gilbert for the Exposition in Paris in 1914.
There are a number of disappearances seemingly linked to the Carousel.
Maisie makes a good main character she is strong and resilient.
The story has great characters and is mysterious with a good ending.
The carousel is bought by Sir Malcolm who Maisie goes to America with aand there are disappearances there again.
It is a an intriguing book the author is new to me but I will look for other books.
Thaks to Netgalley and the publisher.

The Midnight Carousel, just the title of the book drew me in, and then the book blurb had me hooked. This book covers most of the twentieth century, from he early 1900’s to the 1980’s and takes the reader from France to England to America. I lived near a fun fair as a child and the carousel was always my favourite ride, but what about a carousel where you get on but never get off, simply disappear into thin air, a great premise for an immersive book. This book doesn’t fit into any of the established genres, instead it crosses crime, mystery, romance, history and a touch of the supernatural, an excellent cocktail in my opinion.

The plot if this book and fascinating and really got into my head in a good way. The Carousel is made for the Paris Exposition of 1900, a beautiful work of art and for the maker a peice to remember the son he had lost. However, after three people vanish whilst riding the carousel, Detective Laurent Bisset feels he has the murderer but there are no bodies. This is a case that stays with him, so a fews later when he reads of the same thing happening in Chicago he has to go and investigate.

Detective Bisset is a complex figure, his mother commits suicide when he is young and he is brought up by his domineering father for whom he is always a disappointment. As a detective he is dogged in finding the truth, even after the man he arrested got the death penalty. He is able to accept that they got it wrong which plays on his mind.

The other main character is Maisie who also had a troubled childhood. She spent the first years of her life with a foster family who were violent and cruel until her aunt came to claim her. Her aunt’s employer becomes her guardian and she gets a new life in America, a life where her guardian buys her the carousel. Maisie was my favourite character, she overcame her foster years, the fact that she was mixed race and faced prejudice to becoming a succesful business woman in running her own fun fair, the Silver Kingdom. Her relationship with Detective Bisset grew throughout the book, not only in trying to solve the mystery of the carousel but also on a personal level. Both have had troubled childhoods and have trust issues but in each other they find understanding, friendship and romance.

As a debut novel this is really impressive, with its multi layered plot, characters with depth and reality and a prose that grabs you. I just loved the idea of a carousel where riders simply disappears, like Detective Bisset I tried to think of how this could happen; how did they vanish, how could there be no bodies and where was the killer. The other thread was the beautiful blooming romance between Maisis and Detective Bisset, how he tried to find her parents for her, searching Paris at night. As I was reading The Midnight Carousel I felt it had a feel of one of my favourite books, The Night Circus with it’s magic, romance, suspense, and the beautiful prose. The historical aspect was also well written especially in the descriptions of America in the 1920’s, the bootleg alcohol, the jazz clubs, the mix of cultures and the opportunities available.

The Midnight Carousel is a book that has stayed with me since reading it. It left me with a soft fuzzy feel in relation to the characters whom I loved and a feeling of fascination and awe in regards to the plot. Beautifully written and imagined this is an enchanting and magical read and I can’t wait to read what Fiza Saeed McLynn writes next.

I really enjoyed reading The Midnight Carousel, I found the story to be intriguing and I loved how it spanned over the years. The story of Maisie was fascinating to me and I really liked her character, she went through a lot but still showed strength and resilience until the end. The mystery of the carousel and the disappearing children had me intrigued and I really wasn't sure where it was going or what the outcome was going to be. I found this to be cleverly set up and I was surprised with the revelation. I loved the writing and how it felt like the story played out effortlessly, I was drawn in straight away and I loved the journey I was taken on.

I love it when a book becomes more popular than you expected. A story that wraps you into itself it provides comfort in its imagined fiction and spurs you on to read the next page relentlessly.

The Midnight Carousel is a wonderful book with an original and quite magical story spanning a lifetime of dreams.

Fundamental to the story is a splendid fairground attraction created for the Paris Exposition of 1900. It was a delight to all who saw it and enjoyed riding the beautifully crafted horses of a carousel.

This is a ride I have enjoyed on lesser examples of this attraction and one I always thought safe in adventure parks and fairs where runaway trains and rollercoasters sped one into danger. The object of beauty in this special story is far more sinister and becomes associated with the abduction of children.

The book is character-centred and the early life and survival of a young Maisie captures the heart of the reader. She then drives the book and is all that is wonderful in the story. A counterpoint to this storyline is the detective in Paris trying to solve the mystery of the missing children. Laurent travels to Chicago when the carousel is re-invented and children disappear on the amusement ride.

A bewitching mystery. A fairy tale for modern times with potential horror awaiting anyone brought simply to have fun. This supernatural element isn’t over played but it sits brooding over the events.

The book never falters. It reflects well on the history of the time and the developing trends. It is full of interesting and wonderfully penned individuals- it has tones of Dickens in the beginning when Maisie is struggling to survive in the ‘care’ of the Sixpences.

Yet the book is more adventurous and bolder in the themes it addresses. Separation, acceptance, love and belonging are touched in various strands of this narrative while colour and gender also is covered in overlaying prejudice and abuse. The story touches your soul and although it remains fiction in one’s rational mind it moved me to tears.

A wonderful book I am so pleased it was brought to my attention- I loved it from cover to cover.

This was most definitely a fun and engaging read, however I don't think I was the target audience for it.

If you enjoy a softly eerily atmosphere, would definitely reccommend!

I loved The Midnight Carousel. I thought it might be along the lines of The Night Circus but it wasn't, however it is equally as good. There is magic, love and so much more. .Lots of great characters to keep you hooked. An around great read.

This book was a fairly good read.

It had a great FMC, someone who went through quite a life journey. Enduring poverty and strife when she was young, progressing to living a fairly well off life, and being a lady of independent means in a time period that did not look favourably on WOC.

The premise was excellent and alluring. However, I found myself disengaging from the tale occasionally. Although it promised the whimsy and the magic of a fairground, it felt almost scooby doo-esque in the final 20% of the novel.

I do find myself thinking about the story after the tales conclusion, so it was definitely a memorable story.

This is the most amazing book that I have read in a long time.
.The central premise of this story is a beautiful carousel.
However this carousel has a dark secret because early on in its history a young child has disappeared without trace.
Maisie the central character in the book who as a child found a picture of a carousel always dreamed of riding on one.
A child abandoned by her parents and rescued from a life of child exploitation by her aunt is taken to Jesserton a county house where she is the housekeeper to Sir Malcolm a man who later through death becomes her guardian and takes her to Chicago in America.
Maisie arrives in Chicago by train and as they are disembarking the train see the most beautiful wooden horse which is part of a carousel and pleads with Sir Malcolm to purchase it.
This is the beginning of the story of Maisie’s life and the influence the carousel will have on her.
It is a brilliant story and the conclusion one could never work out.
It is a mystery and a love story all wrapped up in one with Maisie at the centre.

A darkly mysterious carousel, that seems to be cursed is the centre of this story.
Maisie has a dream to see this amazing carousel. As an apparent orphan she dreams of another life. Everything changes when her aunt takes her to live with her, and this spirals into an adventure in America where she ends up owning this magical carousel.

Nothing is what it seems though and this carousel will change the course of Maisie's life, for good and bad.

A stunning carousel is presented in Paris, more beautiful than anything anyone has ever seen before and whilst it is attracting many fair goers, it also seems to be the centre of a mystery: some who ride it disappear without a trace, including the person who built it. Eventually Detective Laurent Bisset puts a man behind bars who is punished for his crimes but Laurent is not convinced he’s got the right man when the disappearances don’t stop.

Meanwhile, Maisie is growing up in England, at first in a workhouse then rescued by her aunt in a country house. She feels very lucky even though she wonders what happened to her parents for her life to be as it is. A few years later, as scarlet fever sweeps across the country, Maisie ends up in America and unbelievably becomes the owner of the carousel from Paris. But tragedy strikes again and Maisie’s and Laurent’s paths cross. Can they solve the mystery of the carousel together? And will Maisie ever learn of what happened to her parents?

This book is both a lifestory of the characters within and a story of love, obsession and grief. Maisie is such a strong yet kind woman and it’s nice to see her grow and develop as the story enfolds. The setting of early 20th century England and America is brought to life beautifully by the author. If you enjoyed The Night Circus then I think you would enjoy this one too.

A carousel holds a special kind of enchantment on young and old hearts alike and this wonderful novel captures the magic perfectly! Maisie and Laurent’s characters captivated me from the start and the mystery of this carousel that holds the reader throughout. I really enjoyed this book, it felt like it took me back to my youth.

This was a very unusual story, all centred around a carousel. I did feel for Maisie, she had a very hard childhood and then just as her home life had improved, things were about to change again. Maisie did endeavour to make the best of any situation she found herself in. There is a mystery to the story concerning missing children. Maisie also experiences racial prejudice as she was of mixed heritage. Also she had little idea who her parents were or where they came from. I did like the way Laurent, the French inspector, tried to help Maisie. He too, had his own domestic problems, particularly from his childhood. There are some heartbreaking moments, that had me holding back the tears and also some people who aren’t helpful to Maisie. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.