by Melissa Marr
Published September 4th 2012
Published September 4th 2012
by HarperCollins
Thoughts:
I must say Melissa Marr's writing has indeed improve a lot from her Wicked Lovely days. I had a hard time reading that series so initially I was a bit hesitant about Carnival of Souls. But really that cover and the enticing trailer that has been floating around the web kind of seduce me to check this out. And I'm so glad that I did!
At the heart of the story are two girls; Mallory and Aya who are trying desperately to survive in their harsh surroundings while braving an uncertain future. Mallory; the daimon child raised by a witch in the human world is constantly on the run with her father. While Aya the witch raised in The City among daimons have to enter a deadly competition in order to hide her true nature. Kaleb and Belias are the two daimons caught in the struggles of the two female protagonists. Kaleb who comes from the lowest caste daimon is hired to track down Mallory and end up falling in love with her. Belias on the other hand originates from the ruling caste and is trying to protect her once betrothed; Aya from being killed in the competition but was killed instead.
I must admit that the many twists and turns of the story made it such a delicious read. There's a connection between Mallory and Aya which is only revealed towards the end. And I just love how the author is able to integrate the daimon world and the human world so brilliantly and portray the characters with a certain kind of depth. The story is amazingly written, dark and thrilled me to the end.
However, it is overwhelmingly violent in certain parts that I'm not sure whether this is indeed appropriate for teens to read and the scene where Kaleb is forced to formalise his daimon wedding with a bride proxy is just disturbing.
Verdict: 5 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
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.
Thoughts:
I must say Melissa Marr's writing has indeed improve a lot from her Wicked Lovely days. I had a hard time reading that series so initially I was a bit hesitant about Carnival of Souls. But really that cover and the enticing trailer that has been floating around the web kind of seduce me to check this out. And I'm so glad that I did!
At the heart of the story are two girls; Mallory and Aya who are trying desperately to survive in their harsh surroundings while braving an uncertain future. Mallory; the daimon child raised by a witch in the human world is constantly on the run with her father. While Aya the witch raised in The City among daimons have to enter a deadly competition in order to hide her true nature. Kaleb and Belias are the two daimons caught in the struggles of the two female protagonists. Kaleb who comes from the lowest caste daimon is hired to track down Mallory and end up falling in love with her. Belias on the other hand originates from the ruling caste and is trying to protect her once betrothed; Aya from being killed in the competition but was killed instead.
I must admit that the many twists and turns of the story made it such a delicious read. There's a connection between Mallory and Aya which is only revealed towards the end. And I just love how the author is able to integrate the daimon world and the human world so brilliantly and portray the characters with a certain kind of depth. The story is amazingly written, dark and thrilled me to the end.
However, it is overwhelmingly violent in certain parts that I'm not sure whether this is indeed appropriate for teens to read and the scene where Kaleb is forced to formalise his daimon wedding with a bride proxy is just disturbing.
Verdict: 5 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
The cover/trailer/blurb for Carnival of Souls is enticing indeed! I was also on the fence about getting this book because I really did not like Wicked Lovely. My main issue was with the author's 'tell instead of show' writing style so I'm glad to see there is change. Thanks for the review!
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