By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell Published by Entangled Teen on February 6th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 300
Source: NetGalley
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing)
My rating:
Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic isn’t like other traveling circuses. It’s bound by a charm, held together by a centuries-old curse, that protects its members from ever growing older or getting hurt. Emmaline King is drawn to the circus like a moth to a flame…and unwittingly recruited into its folds by a mysterious teen boy whose kiss is as cold as ice.
Forced to travel through Texas as the new Girl in the Box, Emmaline is completely trapped. Breaking the curse seems like her only chance at freedom, but with no curse, there’s no charm, either—dooming everyone who calls the Carnival Fantastic home. Including the boy she’s afraid she’s falling for.
Everything—including his life—could end with just one kiss.
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Who doesn’t love a book about a magical circus? A circus with both a charm and a curse? Sign me up!
What Fed My Addiction:
- The circus atmosphere. I don’t know what it is about a traveling circus or carnival, but I just love this setting. There’s already such a sense of awe and wonder there that it works really well for a fantastical story. Plus, they’re a little creepy (I think I always think back to Something Wicked This Way Comes), which works well for this story.
- Emmaline’s curse. The curse itself is, again, creepy in all the best ways. Emmaline is turned into something along the lines of a living puppet. She’s solid, her senses are dulled, and she’s suddenly living a sort of shadow life. There was a lot to play with here, and Questell does it well. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for Emmaline as she suffers the effects of the curse.
- Ben. Poor Ben has been trying to escape the circus life for a long time, but he can’t seem to break ties with the people there that he loves. His mother is overprotective of him (for a reason, but still) and he can’t really live his own life. I enjoyed the romance between Emmaline and Ben, though it did perhaps move a little quickly into true love territory.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
- Few plot holes? I had a hard time understanding why everyone seemed to act like Emmaline would be able to trick someone into taking her place almost immediately when the last person had been in her position had been there for years. And why did no one seem to know the specifics of the charm and the curse or be all that interested in them? It seemed odd to me. But the biggest lack in logic was that when things started to go wrong, people didn’t immediately figure out that it was tied to the curse—Emmaline and Ben, especially—I didn’t understand the doubt there.
- Bullying villains. The tumbling brothers were bullies for the sake of being bullies, it seemed. The book just needed a villain, maybe?
This book was utterly unique and it was definitely entertaining.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
JAIME QUESTELL grew up in Houston, Texas, where she escaped the heat and humidity by diving into stacks of Baby Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High books. She has been a bookseller (fair warning: book lovers who become booksellers will give half their paychecks right back to their employers), a professional knitter, a semi-professional baker, and now works as a graphic designer in addition to writing.
Jaime Questell’s Top Ten Addictions
Please read Rules & Regs in Rafflecopter
I am so so excited for this book. I too love the traveling circus setting. We need more of these kinds of books. Great review can’t wait to get my hands on this book.
Nothing better than a circus!
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with a carnival or circus setting but this one definitely sounds unique and interesting (despite the issues with plot holes). I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this one, Nicole!
Who doesn’t love a circus?
I love circus settings. So many different characters. I’m a bit worried about plot holes. They haunt me:)
Yeah, sometimes they can completely ruin a book. I was able to get past these.
I love circus/carnival settings too! They do have their own atmosphere that really adds to a book. And a living puppet curse? That does sound interesting, glad to hear the author used it well! The plot holes might bother me too, but overall it sounds good. Glad you liked it!
It was definitely an interesting concept!
I’m so excited to start reading this one, even though I’m not a big fan of circus settings. Every single one I’ve picked up over the years ended up being very disappointing. But, this one sounds so different from what I’m used to and the curse part makes it even more fascinating! It has definitely piqued my interest and I sincerely hope I’ll enjoy it! Thanks for sharing your amazing review!
Hope you like it better than the other circus books you’ve read.
Awesome review! I’m so glad you enjoyed this book 😀 I am curious about this one 🙂
Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
I couldn’t resist the circus theme. 🙂
This sounds pretty interesting. Nice review!
It is! Thanks for stopping by!
Oooh nice review! I remember seeing this cover and being intrigued by it! So pretty! The story definitely has a creepier edge than I expected! Adding this to my wishlist asap! Great review!
I liked the creepiness. 🙂
I had pass this ARC because I don’t like circuses very much but you make it sound good Nicole! Someone is turned into something like living puppet sound so deliciously creepy! I think I need to go back to NetGally I saw that was still available!
The living puppet thing was definitely creepy!
I so love the book cover! I bet the story is really interesting also.
It is!