Suspended

Suspended tells the tale of the Vagabond Circus, a place where dream travelers could be safe and be able to utilize their powers without fear of what the outside world would think.  Things begin to change when a stranger joins the ranks and Dave changes the story of the circus to accommodate a new act.  There is someone else creeping around the circus, attempting to take the life of the circus's ringmaster Dr. Dave. .  Dr. Dave has two rules for the circus, only two, 1. Respect one another, 2. No relationships.   Finley keeps himself a mystery which causes the others in the circus including his partner to have a hard time respecting rule number 1, and question his motives  and why Dr. Dave allowed him to join the circus.  Secrets become revealed and members of the circus begin to risk their lives to save the only home that they know.




I  have really been in a circus theme lately (and am finding it hard to find more books with this theme).  I was pleased with this book because I was not sure what to expect from it.  I picked it up as part of a kindle daily deal and fell in love with it, I need more both from this series as well as Sarah Noffke.  The cover is beautifully done and draws the reader into finding out more about the novel. The book starts off a little slow, but still pulls you in with someone lurking in the shadows.  The book does end with a cliffhanger which left me almost screaming at the kindle screen. 


I liked the dream traveler aspect of the story and wished this was utilized more, but I hope that it is in future novels.  The characters themselves were interesting.  I had a love/hate relationship with Findley, I wanted to like him so much but he was so mysterious even with his partner, Zuma whom I absolutely loved but could tell there is something more to her character that we haven't been introduced to yet.  I am interested to see where Noffke takes Zuma's character.  The phrases within this novel are what dreams are made of really, they are beautifully written and gives readers an insight to what's to come for example:


"Finley was a tornado, changing every second, beautiful and dangerous and unpredictable.  But Zuma loved storms.  Always had."


Does this tells us more about their relationship than we know?  I get goosebumps re-reading lines I wrote down.  It didn't seem like there was a dull moment, everything in the story lead up the suspenseful ending and revelations throughout the novel.  Somethings can be predictable while other things are not like you know someone is out to get the circus but you don't know who (or what).


My hats off to Sarah for writing an excellent novel and leaving her audience craving more from her.  I highly suggest this book to anyone who loves a good novel regardless of their normal genre.  For a rating I would give this a 4 out 5 because I think more of the dream travel scenes could have been used such as during practice.  Otherwise fantastic.

Night Circus

A mysterious circus arrives in town, it is only open at night and there is not a sign of color only black, whites, and shades of grey.  Patrons are dazzled by the acts and displays throughout the circus that they long for it to return again.  Some even follow the circus around to different cities.  What the patrons don't know is there is a competition going on behind the scenes.  Marco and Celia are in the midst of a duel since childhood.  The two don't know the exact rules of the game, aside from that they control the circus but cannot interfere with one another.  There can only be one winner in this battle of imagination and skill.  Despite their best efforts the two stumble into love.  Regardless of their love the game must keep going, even with the fate and future of those involved with the circus are at the hands of Celia and Marco.  Who will become the victor?

I originally fell in love with the cover of the book, it really drew me into the story and got in me interested.  The story within didn't completely disappoint.  It was a little difficult to get used to how the story jumped around in the beginning, but there was a lot of story to follow and each character's story meant something in the end.  Everything weaved together and played off of the last that I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what will happen.  The first few chapters were incredibly interesting with magical undertones and the promise of a fast-paces magical competition, but the middle began to drag on, filling readers with characters that didn't seem to make sense to the story.  Don't get me wrong the characters are interesting and the images are exploratory.

Marco and Celia start out not knowing who the other is and continue to create tents for one another.  At some point, without much build -up, the two begin a love affair (which we also do not see) and continue to profess their love for one another.  Neither try hard to get away from the competition, aside from Celia mentioning being in pain simply from  thinking about leaving.  I kind of expected more from that as well as the battle between the two other than creating more tents.  I understand the idea was the two of them controlling and providing energy/protection to the circus, but I hoped for a little bit more to that.  I think part of this is because there was so much going on in the story and so much descriptions.  While I like descriptions and being able to feel as if I was a part of the story, but not at the risk of losing development of the characters.

I liked the characters enough, but it didn't feel like there was enough for them to be developed enough in the story. There were times when I was wondering how the story got to different points because there didn't seem to be anything that lead up to, and after reading it I am not entirely sure what happened at the end.  I tried explaining this book to someone and was unable to do so.  Regardless of some of the less savory aspects of the book..i really liked it.  I was drawn into the story of Marco and Celia and kept wanting more from them.  While I wasn't compelling to spend all night reading it, I was still anxious to pick it back up.  I would recommend this book, but not as enthusiastically as I have in the past.  I would give this a 3 out of 5 rating.  I wanted more from the book, but I did enjoy reading it and getting lost in the circus.

Gifted By Liz Long

After the loss of her parents, Lucy Sullivan finds herself running away to join the circus.  Donovan Circus is not your everyday normal circus, the performers and workers all have special powers, Lucy included.  Lucy is a firestarter, probably the most talented.  As she is learning to control her power, someone is killing members of the troupe and sabotaging some of the performances.  A human scientist is enamored by the gifted community and has been experimenting on people he kidnaps from the community for years.  He has his sights set on Lucy and does everything he can to entice her to be his test subject and give him her power.  Lucy needs to learn who she is able to trust if anyone, who is telling the truth, and how will she be able to defeat someone who is determined to ruin the lives of those in Donovan Circus.

As soon as I began reading this book I fell in love with it.  Liz Long does an amazing job creating a world that captivates her readers.  I love stories that combine different magic powers, but sometimes those stories don't mesh well with numerous powers.  This one makes use of the powers in a great way, each person helping someone else train and great strong.  Lucy at first comes off as being a whiney little girl, but as the story progresses she becomes stronger and comes into her own fire abilities as well as skills as a leader.  She comes to realize not only who she is as a person but the strength she has as a Firestarter.  Throughout the book she relies heavily on others to help her around the circus, but it doesn't come off as a girl incapable of completing a task, it is one of teamwork and family unity.


There is a little bit for everyone in this novel,:mystery, romance, and fantasy.  Liz writes a fantastic tale that is difficult to put down.  It has an even pace and doesn't feel like it is forced. One of my favorite things was the character Gabriel, he was an Empath.  Liz takes the idea of an Empath a step farther in that they are able to control the emotions of someone else rather than feeling every emotion.  I also enjoyed that there were different levels to the gifts like with Firestarters there are those who can control fire, make fire, or even those who could just withstand it.  A lot of things in the book were unique and different from what I have seen in other books, and that makes it fantastic in my mind.

I know there is more to the series and I eagerly await the next book in the series to find out what will happen next, whether someone else will come along to replace Felix or if something else worse will happen.  I give this novel a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Water for Elephants

Title: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Media Source: Paperback
Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendation:  I highly recommend reading the novel rather than watching the movie.  This novel is captivating and full of action.

Jacob Jankowski is a 93 (or 90 he can't remember which) old man content with his life in the nursing home in which he lives.  Memories of his past have been shoved back into the recesses of his mind.  That is until one day a circus begins setting up in the lot across the road.  He begins to remember the events that led up to him climbing aboard a passing train only to realize the train housed the Benzini Brother's Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  He finds himself the veterinarian for the show as well as learning what it truly means to work in the world of circus performers.  A world that is both salvation on hell on earth.    The show takes on a elephant who cannot perform and steals lemonade.  Marlena (the star of the equestrian act), Augustus (director of the animals) and Jacob must come up with an act for Rosie to perform with Marlena. 

I devoured this book in one day, that is how spectacular it is.  I could not put it down.  The is so well crafted that the reader can picture everything happening before their eyes.  I particularly enjoyed having the story flawlessly going back and forth between present day and his memories.  It added a certain quality to the book and  kept as a reminder that he tried so hard to forget everything that happened.  Gruen weaves a tale of intrigue, love, humor and distress.  She creates characters that remain with the readers long after they finish reading the novel.  Jacob is the most loveable character as well as Rosie.  One couldn't help but laugh when readers find out that Rosie stole lemonade.  When Walter looses his dog Queenie, your heart breaks for him and rejoices when she is returned to him.

The story depicts the bond and love between animal and human as well as hatred that can form when the animal is not treated properly.   The novel also depicts the social hierarchy of circus performers and circus workers.  This is one of those novels that can be read time and time again and still be entertaining.  There was a movie made based off the novel, and honestly the novel is far better than the movie.