BOOK REVIEW: Showtime (Marvelle Circus, #1) by Chloe Kayne

BLURB FROM BACK OF BOOK:

The grandeur of the traveling circus is at its peak in the early 1920s when sixteen-year-old Laila Vilonia is searching for an escape from her bleak future. Behind the gates of the legendary Marvelle Circus, she is thrust into a mysterious world she never knew existed—a paradise populated with outcasts. It’s in this glamorous new home that Laila sparks a controversial romance with notorious sideshow performer, "The Disappearing Man," and learns just how dangerous her new life can be.

Touring the picturesque eastern coast of America, Laila’s immersed in friendship, vaudeville, festivals, sequins, and serial killers. But behind the curtain, a sadistic plan is brewing that will crack the very foundation upon which she’s become so dependent.

REVIEW BY: Charity, The Mom

SPOILER ALERT:

Laila Vilonia is an outcast in the world and the book opens with her and her friend, Hannah, getting into a fight with some local kids. In the process, the security for Marvelle Circus breaks up the fight and hauls Laila to the head carriage. Laila is given the opportunity to join the circus because she implies that her parents are both dead. Laila moves into a carriage with 3 roommates and her life begins to get interesting and better than she had ever dreamed. Laila comes from a mother who works in the brothel and a father who had a failed attempt at suicide and is now in the insane asylum. Laila was being forced to grow up in the brothel and join her mother in the ranks. At Marvelle, Laila works very hard and even becomes the feature performer. She falls for a sideshow attraction, Dex, and learns things about him that she never wanted to believe or hear. 

All I can say about this book is WOW! Chloe Kayne had me hooked from the first page. She uses very descriptive words and images and its like you are watching a movie unfold. Laila is a very easy character to relate to and you can't help but feel sorry for her. Chloe Kayne is in the process of writing a sequel and I cannot wait to read that one as well. I think that this book is a great read for young adults (starting around age 14) and up and I give it 5 out of 5 stars!