Book Reviews: Spellbound, Vaticinator, Delirium, Strike, Maladapted, and Requiem
They say the Colony Carnivale appears without warning, rolling into forgotten towns under blood red skies, offering laughter, lights and salvation for the bored and the broken. But beneath the painted tents hides a different sin,, each act out a different obsession. Lust. Power. Revenge. Fear. The carnivale feeds on it all, and so do the souls trapped inside..
The games are rigged, the prizes are cursed and the performers aren't quite human. So buy your ticket, brave the insanity and pray the lights go out after you do, because once you enter, the show owns you.
Welcome to The Colony Carnivale where the fun never dies, it just screams louder...
Barnaby uses sleight of hand by day and steals souls by night. Will he be forever be beholden to the creatures of the dark, or will the arrival of a beautiful young woman coax him back to the light?
Debauchery, torture and forbidden fruit. When darkness and light come togetehr there's bound to be a storm...
My Review
This book takes you through a whole gambit of time periods. They all center around Barnaby. He came to the carnivale back in the 1800s. He never left and became one of the acts. As the years progressed, he grew more powerful. I like Barnaby and his story. What I struggled was to form a connection to the other characters in the story. Therefore, I did not really feel any which way...good or bad about what happened to the rest of the characters. This is a gory book. I am fine with the gore. In fact, this did help make this book good.
They say The Colony Carnivale appears without warning—rolling into forgotten towns under blood-red skies, offering laughter, lights, and salvation for the bored and broken. But beneath the painted tents hides a different sin, each act a different obsession. Lust. Power. Revenge. Fear. The Carnivale feeds on it all—and so do the souls trapped inside. The games are rigged, the prizes are cursed, and the performers aren’t quite human. So buy your ticket, brave the insanity, and pray the lights go out after you do. Because once you enter, the show owns you.
Welcome to The Colony Carnivale—where the fun never dies, it just screams louder.
Allie
My soul is trapped here for all of eternity – and so am I.
Agatha and the Colony Carnivale own me now. I never asked to be saved, but I guess people like me don’t get to die. No rest for the wicked and all that jazz.
Now I spend my days reading fortunes and my nights twisting fates. During my training here I have learned countless ways to kill. Playing god to those foolish enough to enter my tent. I don’t discriminate; I kill everyone with the same level of brutal savagery. But apparently my fellow Carnivale workers are off limits, and in an attempt to keep his employees safe, Darious gives me a little gift.
Someone I never thought I would see again.
And another I have never met.
......Or have I?
If I can’t learn to play nice, my new toys will be taken away from me. Can I learn to channel my bloodlust into something more productive? For all our sakes, I hope so. Because now not even death can stop me.
My name is Allie. I am the Colony Carnivale fortune teller. I am death incarnate.
My Review
If you are a fan of FF books, then, you will enjoy this book. To make things even spicer, it is a FFF romance. This book is a fast read. Allie is a prankster. She is very lucky that Dario did not ban her or make her part of his act. Avery and Edith are fun additions to this story. Edith is a minx. This book involves one spicy scene between all three. A fun read.
Every bloom is watching.
By day, Oculara Hemlock harvests living eyes from the darkest attraction in Colony Carnivale. By night, she serves Delirium, a drink distilled from memories no one should ever relive.
But when a man who cannot stay dead sees a future where Oculara murders him, the line between prophecy and obsession begins to blur... and something beneath the Conservatory is ready to bloom.
My Review
Oculara is a very intriguing character. As a plant lover, I really loved this book. She is like the darker, more modern version of Poison Ivy. The banter between her and Rook is great. It is their love language. Yeah, Oculara has not kissed Rook and shuttered at the idea, but Rook is warming a spot to her heart. I would describe their trope as dislike to like.
Ok, this is my absolute favorite book in this series. Yes, I said it. Ashlynn just slayed it with this book. I am obsessed with Rook and Oculara. My excitement got even bigger when I learned that there is more to come with these two in a new book from Ashlynn.
They say The Colony Carnivale appears without warning—rolling into forgotten towns under blood-red skies, offering laughter, lights, and salvation for the bored and broken. But beneath the painted tents, hides a different sin, each act a different obsession. Lust. Power. Revenge. Fear. The Carnivale feeds on it all—and so do the souls trapped inside..
The games are rigged, the prizes are cursed, and the performers aren’t quite human. So buy your ticket, brave the insanity, and pray the lights go out after you do. Because once you enter, the show owns you.
Emery is eighteen years old, just graduated high school during the summer, is taking a year off and is planning on attending college in New York the following fall.
When Emery steps inside the Colony Carnivale with her boyfriend and four friends she is expecting a normal night filled with fun, prizes and food.
However when she meets twin workers Asher and Cole, at first they look normal on the surface, working the Milk Bottle Toss attraction during the day, but Emery and her friends' night starts to take a darker turn.
Once she wins Briney, a porcelain male doll dressed in a sailor suit with blue gray eyes that match the twins from the Milk Bottle Toss attraction. Strange things begin happening, and Emery and her friends find themselves trapped in rounds of twisted Carnivale games run by the sadistic twins.
Where each game is more unforgiving than the last.
Welcome to The Colony Carnivale—where the fun never dies, it just screams louder.
My Review
While I like how twisted and demented Cole and Asher are, I found myself struggling with this story. I am a fan of this author, and this author writes great books. So, I was sad this time to find that I was struggling. Emery is fine. I just did not really see the great appeal that the guys had for her. Still a good read.
Brett has come to the carnival for an experience he won't forget and when he finds twins with an interesting dynamic, he uncovers a life he's been craving and a potential ending to the numbness he's learned to endure.
But Colony Carnivale doesn’t let people leave unchanged.
Behind the music, masks, and roaring crowds waits something rotten—something hungry. And as buried truths claw their way to the surface, the line between victim and monster begins to disappear.
One thing is certain: once The Colony Carnivale sinks its claws into you… it doesn’t let you leave with your soul intact.
This story is part of the Colony Carnivale, a 31-author shared world where every attraction hides a new nightmare.
The lanterns are lit.
The gates are open.
And something inside is hungry.
The Colony Carnivale is home to monsters who wear beautiful faces.
A succubus who steals more than kisses.
A vampire illusionist with a pet bat whose unicorn girlfriend is somehow the least disturbing thing you’ll see.
A human desperate to belong.
And something lurking beneath the carnival that has come for only one thing…Her.
Step beneath the crimson lanterns. Lose yourself in the Hall of Mirrors. Kiss the Devil’s Darling.
Just don’t look too long into the darkness…Because the darkness is already looking back.
Welcome to the Colony Carnivale. Where monsters fall in love… and love stories go to die.
My Review
Yes. Jasper, Vlad, Skittles, and Sera are back. I absolutely love them all. I am obsessed with the grumpy vampire. Sera and Jasper are amazing together. Anytime I can get more Vlad and Skittles is a very great thing.
"This is how we do it. No soft kisses or flowers. Jaw a raw, violent need that feeds both of us."
I love how Ashlynn wrapped up this series so nicely with this book. It flowed naturally and I was left satisfied with how it all ended. Sad to leave the carnivale but it has been a wild and amazing journey. It is only fitting that Jasper and Sera end this shared world.
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