Release Date: February 5, 2013
Series: Pantomime, #1
Publisher: Strange Chemistry, YA imprint of Angry Robot Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 392
Source: eARC received through NetGalley – thanks!
Interest: YA Fantasy; Circuses!
Buy the Book: IndieBound | Amazon | B&N
R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.
But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Riceballs
Book Review:
By itself, Pantomime is a pretty unique and fascinating book – it features very out-of-the-norm characters, explores a sort of familiar but still mysterious world, and has a good set of twists and turns. However, it’s still stuck in my mind how misleading the blurb could be, and how different the book could turn out from one’s expectations. Overall though, I still enjoyed the mystery and magic of the book!
The best part of the book is definitely the world of R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, and the world beyond it. The circus acts themselves were richly described and fun to read, and I always hungered for more of them! Along the way you also start to learn about the Chimaera that used to roam the lands, different gods like the Kedi, “Penglass”, and Vestige, a technology of a sort from past civilizations that is also used as a weapon. However, I still felt like I wanted to learn more about the secrets of the land, especially the Penglass, as the book blurb highlighted it. Hopefully these aspects are explored more in future books ^__^
The blurb might also mislead one about Gene and Micah. Though I thought the “twist” was pretty obvious, I’ll keep from mentioning it, but I was quickly able to figure out what the supposed twist was. Admittedly, I didn’t even read the blurb until about halfway through the book, and just by comparing a few details and judging by how YA books usually work, it was easy to figure out :/ On the bright side though, the concept behind the twist itself was very original and made my reading experience a bit… different, I suppose.
The plot was entertaining enough, but at times could be tiring or a bit boring to read. To be absolutely honest, the book wasn’t breathtakingly exciting until the climax of the story. There’s also a large number of flashbacks, which I felt weren’t ALL necessary. Of course, whether this is a good or bad thing depends on what type of reader you are. Personally, when I read fantasy world building is really important for me, but if you’re expecting page after page of action, you might be disappointed.
Pantomime’s characters and language, however, really shined out for me. Micah and Gene themselves were very unique characters, but were also likable because they never gave up and were easy to connect to. Aenea and Drystan were also likable characters and actually develop quite a complex relationship while forming an unexpected love triangle of a sort o___o Laura Lam’s language also flowed well, beautifully connecting the magic of the circus with her words. Prior to the start of each chapter, there was also either an excerpt describing the culture of Ellada, a fable, or story, which I also really enjoyed!
And of course, there’s a cliffhanger D: On one hand, it did disappoint me a bit, since there was finally a lot of excitement! However, it did make me want to come back for more of Ellada’s magic and follow the character’s journeys. I guess I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book!
The best part of the book is definitely the world of R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, and the world beyond it. The circus acts themselves were richly described and fun to read, and I always hungered for more of them! Along the way you also start to learn about the Chimaera that used to roam the lands, different gods like the Kedi, “Penglass”, and Vestige, a technology of a sort from past civilizations that is also used as a weapon. However, I still felt like I wanted to learn more about the secrets of the land, especially the Penglass, as the book blurb highlighted it. Hopefully these aspects are explored more in future books ^__^
The blurb might also mislead one about Gene and Micah. Though I thought the “twist” was pretty obvious, I’ll keep from mentioning it, but I was quickly able to figure out what the supposed twist was. Admittedly, I didn’t even read the blurb until about halfway through the book, and just by comparing a few details and judging by how YA books usually work, it was easy to figure out :/ On the bright side though, the concept behind the twist itself was very original and made my reading experience a bit… different, I suppose.
The plot was entertaining enough, but at times could be tiring or a bit boring to read. To be absolutely honest, the book wasn’t breathtakingly exciting until the climax of the story. There’s also a large number of flashbacks, which I felt weren’t ALL necessary. Of course, whether this is a good or bad thing depends on what type of reader you are. Personally, when I read fantasy world building is really important for me, but if you’re expecting page after page of action, you might be disappointed.
Pantomime’s characters and language, however, really shined out for me. Micah and Gene themselves were very unique characters, but were also likable because they never gave up and were easy to connect to. Aenea and Drystan were also likable characters and actually develop quite a complex relationship while forming an unexpected love triangle of a sort o___o Laura Lam’s language also flowed well, beautifully connecting the magic of the circus with her words. Prior to the start of each chapter, there was also either an excerpt describing the culture of Ellada, a fable, or story, which I also really enjoyed!
And of course, there’s a cliffhanger D: On one hand, it did disappoint me a bit, since there was finally a lot of excitement! However, it did make me want to come back for more of Ellada’s magic and follow the character’s journeys. I guess I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book!
Let’s Chat! Have you read or heard of this book? What do you think of Pantomime? Comments on the mysterious cover? What do you think of a book set in the circus? Know any other books set in the circus I should know of? I’d love to know :D
