From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story set in Jazz Age Paris and modern-day America of family secrets and lost love set against the backdrop of an extraordinary circus.
THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS
by CONSTANCE SAYERS
Series: standalone
Publication date: March 23, 2021
Published by: Redhook
Genre: fantasy, magical realism
SYNOPSIS
Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder-a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family's strange and magical circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows-until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything.
Virginia, 2005: Lara Barnes is on top of the world-until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother's journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations.
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Praise for The Ladies of the Secret Circus:
“Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder.” ―Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation
"A spellbinding historical fantasy....Fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women."―Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch
"Encompassing as many genres as a circus carousel has animals to ride, this is ultimately a story about love. Highly recommended for lovers of timeslip fiction, readers who enjoy their genres very bent indeed, and those who have dreamed of running away to the circus."―Library Journal (starred review)
"The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a dazzling tale, laced with sinister magic, blood and beauty, love and loss. This is a book that will haunt you long after the last page is turned."―Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel
"Romance, mystery, and a family curse — The Ladies of the Secret Circus has it all.” ―Popsugar
“Spellbinding. The Ladies Of The Secret Circus is a dazzling, high-wire feat of storytelling." ―Catherine Taylor, author of Beyond the Moon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Constance Sayers' debut novel, A Witch in Time, is available now from Orbit (Hachette Book Group).
A finalist for Alternating Current’s 2016 Luminaire Award for Best Prose, her short stories have appeared in Souvenir and Amazing Graces: Yet Another Collection of Fiction by Washington Area Women as well as The Coil. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.
She lives in Maryland and is the co-founder of the Thoughtful Dog literary magazine.
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The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance SayersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
How do you really prove magic?And in the end, do you really want to?
There's something about a circus that's truly magical. The wonder and awe that it inspires makes it feel otherworldly. What if it truly was magic? Not a dazzling, exquisite kind, but one that is merely beautiful on the surface. Inside, it's a rotting, macabre thing that is filled with despair and lost souls. The blurb for this book fascinated me, so I knew I had to read it to discover all of the secrets that were inside. There's an ominous feeling hanging over you as you read which makes you almost not want to know them. Lara Barnes has no idea what secrets her family has been hiding for generations, but on the day of her wedding, she gets her first tragic clue.
After her fiancé disappears, Lara is determined to get to the bottom of what happened. She fluctuates between anger and sadness, not knowing if she was abandoned or if some horrible accident has befallen Todd. You really sympathize with her as you experience her loss and confusion. When she starts to see bizarre coincidences about the circumstances surrounding Todd's disappearance and others in Kerrigan Falls, things start to get even stranger. Not only have there been other missing people in the past, they are the only suspected crimes or tragedies to have occurred. The people in town have enjoyed an almost utopia like atmosphere where the only bad things to have happened are the mysterious cold cases that have almost been forgotten.
As the book wears on, it seems that rather than getting answers, the questions only build. Lara's mother Audrey seems to know things but won't divulge anything of importance to her. She goes out of her way to keep her in the dark, and many times her fear reveals that Lara is facing something she could never conceive of. Ben Archer, the chief of police seems to be the one person in town who wants to unravel the mystery as much as she does and a personal relationship grows between them over time. Although he hasn't had to put his investigative skills to work in their strange little town, he's sharp as a tack and it doesn't take him long to start to connect some of the dots.
The story has two timelines-one in Lara's 2005, and the other in her great, great grandmother Cecile's time in the 1920s. Cecile's flashbacks are told through her first person experiences in her journal. We don't get to see that perspective until a solid chunk into the book, but her story is the key to everything. Lara must know the full extent of her family history before she can understand what is happening in the present. The journal entries are exciting to read and more than a little fantastical. However, right from the start you understand that Cecile's doomed life is not a pleasant one.
The past and present are tied by a trio of paintings done by Émile Giroux. The paintings titled, The Ladies of the Secret Circus are the stuff of legends. They're told to depict Cecile, her twin sister Esmé, and a third secret circus performer. If they exist, they would be the only concrete evidence of the dark manifestation that was the subject of curiosity throughout the ages.
This is a difficult review to write, because so much of the plot is shrouded in mystery that I don't want to reveal too much. Part of the draw of this book is following along on this mindboggling riddle. I give the author serious props for her ability to create such an unpredictable, disturbing tale. I think that the best thing about her books is knowing that she will keep you guessing and feeling nervous for her characters. When you don't care at all, that's where you have a serious problem. I can definitely say that there is no chance of that happening here.
My one complaint about this story was Lara. Her one major character flaw was how impulsive she was which led to some very bad decisions. It's okay for a character to be flawed, in fact, it makes them more interesting most of the time. Especially if there is growth in overcoming that by the end. Lara did a couple of things that REALLY had me pulling my hair out and questioning her sanity. As well, her feelings of admiration for the secret circus were so puzzling to me. I mean, in a way it made sense because of who she was, but on the other hand, I couldn't fathom her draw to a place that was essentially a prison of torture. Logically you would think that anyone would be repelled. I guess I just couldn't relate or connect to who she was and I suppose that's okay. I don't necessarily have to as long as she makes sense. It was the choice she made at the end that I was left feeling very conflicted about. I didn't hate it, but I honestly didn't know what to think.
If you want a book filled with mystery and danger that won't be quite like anything else you've ever read, this one is for you. It's unsettling and grim, but oozing suspense from every chapter. A Witch in Time had some similar themes, though don't make the mistake of thinking this is too similar to Ms. Sayers' first novel. They both manage to be unique in their own right, so if you loved her first book, there's a very good chance you will love this one as well.
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