Saturday, January 19, 2013

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr


Published: September 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 306
Copy Provided by: Library
Summary: Goodreads

Summary:
In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and Graveminder, comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Review:

I LOVED this title.  Once again Melissa Marr strikes out into a new series and makes it fantastic!  The intricacy in her stories always makes you wonder where things are going while reading and then BAM!  It all comes together and you think - wow!  How did she set this up??  Carnival of Souls is a complex story diverse with rich characters.  Each storyteller has something special to share with the reader and it is never what you expect it to be.  

One of the main settings for this story (obviously) is the Carnival of Souls which was reminiscent of the Goblin Market in Sarah Rees Brennan's series - The Demon's Lexicon.  Although they are completely different novels, both supply an area of trade and entertainment for anyone who is not human.  In Marr's environment, there is a heavy emphasis on caste and different levels of society.  The Carnival of Souls offers readers a multi-faceted world where anything can happen.  The interplay between characters is brilliant and their motives are fascinating.  Ms. Marr has laid the groundwork for a series that could last several years.  Well done!

I would recommend this title to lovers of The Demon's Lexicon, Graceling, and Nightshade.  If you enjoy a story that you can really sink your teeth into and commit yourself to reading sequel after sequel, I think you'll enjoy this one.  


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