By A Charm and A Curse by Jaime Questell {review}

By A Charm & A Curse 
by Jaime Questell
♦publisher: Entangled Teen
♦release date: February 6th, 2018
♦hardcover, 300 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

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. 

{Amy's Thoughts}

Unique and truly original, By A Charm and A Curse keeps all the wonderment of the circus, but also adds to it a sense of danger and mystique. With a stage of strong characters, and a story that has deep roots, readers will quickly fall for this one.

Told in two alternating voices, you will be able to see the circus from both sides.  One voice, who’s unknowing sacrifice throws her into the harsh life of the circus changing it forever, while the other one calls the circus and all its many secrets home.  This opens the storyline for forbidden romance, secrets, and lies while also setting the scene for betrayal and the choice between family and love.

Jamie Quenstell, portrays circus life in a believable manner, as one large dysfunctional family that ultimately needs each other to survive, unwilling to add an outsider to the mix, making Emma’s forced transition into the circus one filled with angst and uncertainty.   Quenstell’s writing is well rounded, delicately building the tempo as she goes, giving you a multitude of vessels to think about all at the same time, while also not giving you a one-stop solution to a problem.  Jamie Quenstell gets it right, with a fully developed storyline, strong characters, and without any structural flaws.

Like a lone Ferris Wheel spinning at night, this book catches you eerily unaware, taking you within its grasp.  If only it came with a faint smell of cotton candy, and the carnival music playing in the distance.

•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 book seller (fair warning: book lovers who become book sellers 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. Currently, she lives in the suburbs with her family, one derpy dog, and one imperious cat. If she had her way, she’d have an army of corgis, like the Queen of England.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

*A little note*

 I decided to throw a linky down below for anyone who'd like to use it to hop around to other WoW posts.  The Waiting on Wednesday meme is still very much credited to Jill @ Breaking the Spine, but with the current linky at her site stretching to well over 1300 links, I thought it might be nice to have a fresh one.  This is just for the time being, and I'll do it weekly if it's something people want to use. And of course, I'll discontinue as soon as Jill returns!

By A Charm and A Curse 

by Jamie Questell

hitting shelves March 6th, 2018

from Entangled Teen

Goodreads:

Pitched in the vein of Maggie Stiefvater meets Tim Burton, in which a teen girl is entrapped by a cursed carnival when a kiss turns her into a living doll, and must figure out how to break the decades-old curse so she can become human again — without destroying the carnival (and the boy) she's growing to love in the process.

Edelweiss:

The Night Circus meets Tim Burton in this enthralling debut.

LeGrand’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. Seventeen-year-old 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, passing out fortunes and searching for the poor soul she can transfer the curse to with one frosty kiss, Emmaline begins to fall for the quiet carnival carpenter Ben Singer. Ben is just as desperate to start a life outside the carnival as Emmaline is to escape her destiny—but giving in to their undeniable attraction means Ben’s fate would be sealed.

Breaking the curse seems like their only chance at happiness—but no curse means no charm, either, dooming every circus worker they’ve grown to care about in the process.

My thoughts:  So..I had to include both available descriptions. The EW one gives a little more indepth info, but OMG that one important detail we get from the GR description! She gets turned into a living doll???  I've suddenly got all the creepy Coraline shivers, not to mention Doctor Who (if you're a fan, you're sure to know the episode I mean xD). Plus, AMAZING cover, cool carnival setting (still irresistable even though it's everywhere), and chilling curses. Yep, I'm excited for this one. 

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?