Carnival of Souls by Melissa MarrPublished: September 4, 2012
By: Harper Collins UK
Source: Copy provided by publisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Carnival of Souls was a really slow starter for me. I was kind of confused about the Daimons and the Curs and exactly what they are. If I'm honest, I'm still slightly confused. I know they're fast and powerful, and that they can shape shift, though I'm not sure exactly what they shift into, is it a dog type thing, a wolf maybe? Kaleb is a Cur, who are the lowest class of Daimon and he describes himself as being like a mongrel or stray dog, but I'm not sure if that's just a metaphor.
Mallory has been raised by Adam, a witch. She doesn't know what she really is or the exact danger she is in, because of who her real father is. She is aware of Daimons though and has been trained to fight. Everything starts to change when Kaleb enters her life.
Every generation, a fighting competition is held in the Carnival of Souls. It's a fight to the death, and the prize is becoming ruling class, the highest caste (class) of Daimon. The fight is down to the last few contenders and Kaleb and Aya are still in.
My favourite character was Kaleb. He has done a lot of horrible things in his 17 years but I love how he wants to be a better person for Mallory. And he is so caring towards Zevi, who is part of his pack. The relationship they share is an interesting one.
Mallory was really sweet. She comes across as very young and naive, but that's probably because every time something has happened to her (being attacked by Daimons etc.), Adam has spelled her to think it wasn't real and forget about it. She is very much a loner and when things do get dangerous, she is not afraid to stand up and fight.
I didn't like Aya at the beginning, she seemed very cruel and heartless. But after learning more about her, I really came to like her. I feel that she is going to be an awesome character in the next book and I'm looking forward to seeing how things will play out between herself and Belias.
But then we have a cliff hanger. I really felt like this book was only getting to the really exciting stuff and then I was turning the last page. I'm expecting great things from the next book.
Buy this book: Amazon/The Book Depository
So glad to see you enjoyed this one as well, Suzanne. I really ended up loving Kaleb, his loyalty and protection are all qualities I want in my book boyfriends! I can't wait to see more of Mallory and Kaleb. I was glad I got to like Aya after getting to know her background. Wonderful review Suzanne. :)
I felt the same way about Aya! I really enjoyed the characters and the book overall though, especially the atmosphere surrounding The City and the carnival. I'm hoping for great things in the next book too. :) Brilliant review, Suzanne!
I've heard the book is a bit confusing but it sounds unique! The Carnival of Souls and Daimons and Curs seem intriguing. I do hate when a first book feels too much like a set up for the next book. I like to get into the action right away.
great review! I've never read her books before, but this one's blurb is confusing and after watching the trailer, I'm still not sure what's going on lol. It's added to my TBR though!
Argh, I totally want to read this because of the worldbuilding (I'm very interested in the carnival itself), but the cliffhangers are just killing me these days!
Lovely review, Suzanne. I'll probably read it soon anyway and then end up suffering until th sequel comes out.
It does seem to be a bit confusing but I like the sound of it. The characters sound great, especially Kaleb. I absolutely love the cover of this book. Glad you enjoyed this one Suzanne =)
When I first saw this way back I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read it because I wasn't overly impressed with her fairy series, but I think I'll still give it a whirl. I'm gald you got to like Aya and that Kaleb and Mallory were favourites from the start. They sound like such great characters. Oh no, a cliffhanger? They're the worst sometimes. :( Hope the next one impresses you! Wonderful review, Suzanne! :)
I'm not a big fan of Marr's books but I've got this one on my wishlist. The premise sounds interesting and a carnival setting may be fun. Hopefully I'll enjoy it too :)
Sorry about the late comments. I haven't been feeling very well the past few days and have been sleeping a lot.
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