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Carnival of Souls

by Melissa Marr (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 3,481 ratings · 774 reviews

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 bl...more

Hardcover, 306 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by HarperCollins

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Jul 20, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc, signed-by-author

4.5 Stars

This was a deliciously dark, magic filled tale of daimons and witches, and their hatred of each other.

In Carnival of Souls, we have three POVs: Mallory, Kaleb and Aya.

Seventeen year old Mallory craves normal. She moves from town to town, always “the new girl” in school. She never has a chance to make close friends, or have a boyfriend, for that matter. This is because her adoptive father, Adam, is a witch on the run. He took something from the daimons long ago, and they want it back....more 4.5 Stars

This was a deliciously dark, magic filled tale of daimons and witches, and their hatred of each other.

In Carnival of Souls, we have three POVs: Mallory, Kaleb and Aya.

Seventeen year old Mallory craves normal. She moves from town to town, always “the new girl” in school. She never has a chance to make close friends, or have a boyfriend, for that matter. This is because her adoptive father, Adam, is a witch on the run. He took something from the daimons long ago, and they want it back. Adam has always taught Mallory to be constantly on guard and prepared for a daimon attack. Although for all their running she has had yet to set one. These are the rules she lives by until she meets Kaleb. Mallory knows that whatever attraction she feels for him can never work because he’s a human, and she could never share her crazy world with him, putting him in danger as well. Also, she’ll probably be moving again soon, if the past is any indication. Little does Mallory know, Kaleb is far from human and he was sent to find her.

Kaleb lives in The City. It’s is a world apart from humans with a rigid caste system in place, and Kaleb is on the bottom rung. He is hired for his skills in “black mask” work, fighting and killing, and that’s why he’s been hired to find Mallory. He finds his duty tested when he starts to care for Mallory. In addition to the black mask jobs, Kaleb has also entered into a competition. The Carnival of Souls happens once in every generation, and gives any daimon that wins a chance to raise his caste, and join in the ruling class. The price could be your life as this is a fight-to-the-death situation. Kaleb yearns to improve his lot in life and that of his pack mate, Zevie, and is willing to risk everything to do it.

Aya, is a daimon in The City in the ruling class. Because of the future that is inevitable for a woman in her position, she enters into the competition as well. Otherwise, she’ll be married off and forced to breed. Aya has plans to rule and improve her world, and having this future forced onto her does not fit into the plan.

I felt a strong and immediate connection with Mallory and Kaleb, and I felt as if their concerns were my own. Mallory is so innocent in spite of her violent training. She strives to please her father and be the good obedient daughter. Adam, her father, is keeping many secrets from her which I found irritating but I know it was motivated by his love. The relationship between Mallory and Kaleb had shades of insta-love but I didn’t find this annoying at all. Kaleb has to be my favorite character by far. His loyalty and desire to protect the ones he loves while trying to improve their lives, is very touching. I didn’t have an immediate attraction to Aya but as her story is revealed I understood the reasons behind her actions and warmed to her considerably.

This story was so well-paced and fast moving, it sucks you in from the first pages. I was eager to turn the next page and find out the next revelation or plot twist. Melissa Marr has a talent of writing dark tales where the lines between good and bad are often blurred and the characters are usually a little of both. This was the case in Carnival of Souls. While we’re not left with a horrible cliffhanger, the story is far from over. I eagerly await the sequel and will be picking it up the first chance I get.

You can find this review and more at The Readers Den.
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31 likes · like · see review

Sep 17, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, fantasy-or-paranormal, fantasy-or-pn-favourites, romance, paranormal, fantasy

A world of seduction and brutality surrounds Melissa Marr’s latest creation, the Carnival of Souls, where characters of The City enter Marchosias’ Competition to fight to the death. Emerging triumphant results in a place in the elite ruling caste, and for Aya and Kaleb, two of the main characters, this is the ultimate goal, though for very different reasons. In the human world, the sensuality of the carnival and the grittiness of the daimon-filled City are left behind to introduce us to Mallory,...more A world of seduction and brutality surrounds Melissa Marr’s latest creation, the Carnival of Souls, where characters of The City enter Marchosias’ Competition to fight to the death. Emerging triumphant results in a place in the elite ruling caste, and for Aya and Kaleb, two of the main characters, this is the ultimate goal, though for very different reasons. In the human world, the sensuality of the carnival and the grittiness of the daimon-filled City are left behind to introduce us to Mallory, a girl whose guard is permanently raised thanks to her ever-vigilant father. When Mallory’s path crosses with Kaleb’s and Aya is forced to connect with the human world more than she would have liked, the characters soon find themselves forced into precarious situations, with the war between witches and daimons at the heart of it.

Marr builds a deliciously sinister story that thrives of the pulsating atmosphere of the carnival at the centre of The City. With the lavish descriptions of the different coloured masks and the harsh implications of the illicit acts associated with them, the carnival is, as described, a swirl of masked pleasure and violence. Immersing myself into the daimon realm was as thrilling experience and Marr handled the world-building here incredibly well. While much of the story unravels under Marchosias’ rule in The City, Mallory has her fair share of the narration in the human world. The transitions between the two worlds, and between the alternating perspectives, was seamless, though I do have to admit, following the characters in the modern world had less of an appeal than when the story took place in The City. Regardless, Carnival of Souls, was beautifully told, and while the plot is not overly complex, Marr had my attention throughout.

The multiple points of view were all surprisingly engaging, especially for a reader like me, who rarely enjoys anything more than a dual narrative. Aya and Belias held my interest the most, with their tortured romance and stubborn personalities. While not especially easy to warm to at first, Aya’s ruthlessness soon gives way to a more tender side as the story unravels, making her one of the better developed characters in this book. In comparison, Mallory is a little less fascinating, at times even quite exasperating, but not entirely unlikable. The romance – if you can call it that – that blossoms between Mallory and Kaleb is a incredibly contrived, but not detriment to the overall story.

My only major qualm with this book is the ending. I wish there had been a little more substance during the last quarter or so, or something more distinguishable as a climax. A lot is left unresolved, yet this does provide a nice platform for an engaging sequel. Provided Marr takes the story down a more complex route in the next book, I am certain I will enjoy it as much as this one. Overall, Carnival of Souls proved to be a pleasant surprise, and more than anything, beautifully atmospheric. While Marr’s previous novels haven’t particularly astounded me in the past, I do feel this new series, however long it may turn out to be, could be a new favourite of mine.

(This review also appears on my blog)(less)

34 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Nafiza rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Strike one: The contradictory nature of the narrative. Mallory spends all her time learning how to be a good fighter but when she's faced with daimons that she has spent her life learning how to fight, she's useless. Regardless, her aunt speaks about wanting to use her as a killer...of what? Ants? Because I don't think she can kill anything else. Mallory calls her father "Daddy" most of the time but then all of a sudden switches to calling him Adam. It's jarring and conflicting with her characte...more Strike one: The contradictory nature of the narrative. Mallory spends all her time learning how to be a good fighter but when she's faced with daimons that she has spent her life learning how to fight, she's useless. Regardless, her aunt speaks about wanting to use her as a killer...of what? Ants? Because I don't think she can kill anything else. Mallory calls her father "Daddy" most of the time but then all of a sudden switches to calling him Adam. It's jarring and conflicting with her character. Adam supposedly "loves" his daughter but his treatment of her suggests otherwise.

Strike Two: The telling instead of the showing. I'm aware that there are times when you just have to give information but for the entirety of the book we are told that witches and daimons do not get along. What are Daimons? Are they demons? Why don't they get along? What's the history? Why do Daimons sound like werewolves? With packmates etc? The novel is full of unnecessary narrative and the main character, or rather the alleged main character, gets about 50 pages of face time. What's up with that? She is not developed at all. The romance is even worse. It just springs out all of a sudden and they are kissing and making out and belonging to each other. What the actual frack?

Strike Three: The treatment of women in this novel. A continuation of the romance. We are supposed to like Kaleb? Who went ahead and "married" Mallory without her consent and promised to have her "breeding" by the time she is 18? What the actual fuck? We are supposed to find it romantic? That she was Adam's daughter and now she is Kaleb's "wife." He legit calls her that, addresses her as such in his mind and we are supposed to coo and think it cute? I find it so freaking disturbing. That no one tells her true nature, that she's a freaking Daimon and they manage to hide such an intrinsic part of her so easily. She is never a person but an object. To fuck, to breed but never to be liked for the person she is though to be fair, she is not much of a person. We don't see much of her at all. And Mallory instead telling them all where to go at the end can't decide whether she likes them more for not telling her or less. What the actual frack?

I legitimately felt gorge rise in my throat every time I read about women being referred to as breeders. Mallory has zero agency in this novel, no, giving her two guns and some knives does NOT make her a self-actualized, self-realized protagonist. She does not have agency when her freaking father figure keeps on wiping out her memory and keeping her submissive. And no, Aya being present as foil does not do anything to offset the way Mallory is treated.

I disliked this novel. A lot. In case you can't tell. Ugh.(less)

40 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Jeann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, young-adult, 5-star

Melissa Marr’s Carnival of Souls is an intoxicating journey into a fantastical world called The City, where daimons and witches reside. Every generation, The City offers its inhabitants an opportunity to join the ruling elite through the Carnival of Souls. Plagued by an unforgiving caste system, the Carnival gives fighters a beacon of hope – and the chance for those at the bottom rung to escape from dirty ‘black mask’ work which involves fighting and killing.

We follow the perspectives of fascina...more

9 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Four stars: A world where everything is for sale for a price at the Carnival of Souls.

At the Carnival of Souls bodies jostle in the crowded streets. Everyone is here for something....whether it be pleasure, fights, murder, favors, secrets, impossibilites and more. Everything and anything is for sale in this world. It is a world where the daimons cast out the witches after centuries of battle. In this society, there is an ordered caste system. The ruling class holds the power while the lowest me...more

11 likes · like · see review

Sep 01, 2012 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone sick of Bellarific protagonists

This review is from my blog, Studies in Storytelling.

Melissa Marr conquered the YA market with the Wicked Lovely series, and she’ll be expanding her horizons on Tuesday, September 4th when Carnival of Souls hits stores.

The first few things that happen in this novel are:

A demon woman sacrifices everything to a witch in the human world, for help protecting her child.

Another, Aya, matches against her ex-fiancee in battle, to further her aspiration to make a statement about women's equality and th...more

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.45/5
Sorely tempted, I am to grant that one-star that ending seems to be begging for. But I won’t because overall I was mostly entertained by the four voices in this one. This is so even with some choice actions on Kaleb’s part; and yes, this is so even with Mallory shifting down from kick ass to mopey somewhere along 77 because over all, yes, this was kind of awesome.

So, here we have two sides of daimon and witch at war (and I believe as the case usually is, with the humans, oblivious to it a...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Suzanne (Paranormal Pages) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Carnival of Souls was a really slow starter for me. I was kind of confused about the Daimons and the Curs and exactly what they are. If I'm honest, I'm still slightly confused. I know they're fast and powerful, and that they can shape shift, though I'm not sure exactly what they shift into, is it a dog type thing, a wolf maybe? Kaleb is a Cur, who are the lowest class of Daimon and he describes himself as being like a mongrel or stray dog, but I'm not sure if that's just a metaphor.

Mallory has...more Carnival of Souls was a really slow starter for me. I was kind of confused about the Daimons and the Curs and exactly what they are. If I'm honest, I'm still slightly confused. I know they're fast and powerful, and that they can shape shift, though I'm not sure exactly what they shift into, is it a dog type thing, a wolf maybe? Kaleb is a Cur, who are the lowest class of Daimon and he describes himself as being like a mongrel or stray dog, but I'm not sure if that's just a metaphor.

Mallory has been raised by Adam, a witch. She doesn't know what she really is or the exact danger she is in, because of who her real father is. She is aware of Daimons though and has been trained to fight. Everything starts to change when Kaleb enters her life.

Every generation, a fighting competition is held in the Carnival of Souls. It's a fight to the death, and the prize is becoming ruling class, the highest caste (class) of Daimon. The fight is down to the last few contenders and Kaleb and Aya are still in.

My favourite character was Kaleb. He has done a lot of horrible things in his 17 years but I love how he wants to be a better person for Mallory. And he is so caring towards Zevi, who is part of his pack. The relationship they share is an interesting one.

Mallory was really sweet. She comes across as very young and naive, but that's probably because every time something has happened to her (being attacked by Daimons etc.), Adam has spelled her to think it wasn't real and forget about it. She is very much a loner and when things do get dangerous, she is not afraid to stand up and fight.

I didn't like Aya at the beginning, she seemed very cruel and heartless. But after learning more about her, I really came to like her. I feel that she is going to be an awesome character in the next book and I'm looking forward to seeing how things will play out between herself and Belias.

But then we have a cliff hanger. I really felt like this book was only getting to the really exciting stuff and then I was turning the last page. I'm expecting great things from the next book.(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Marisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of fantasy, paranormal fiction and possibly fans of Kresley Cole.

Recommended to Marisa by: barnes and noble

UGH. UGH. ALL I FEEL AND THINK, MY EXISTENCE IS NOTHING BUT UGH.

description

WHAT IS LIFE?

Okay, so this book was very catching from the beginning, at least for me as a huge fan of paranormal fiction/fantasy and the only time I put it down from when I bought it this morning was when I went to get food. No other time. It traveled with me everywhere. Probably more than you needed to know but that was how good it was. Catching. The only complaint I really have is that it ended too soon, but that's what you get w...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Kyra rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: had-so-much-potential, ew-there-s-a-sequel, stop-telling-start-showing, series

1.5 stars. Didn't like it as much as her Wicked Lovely series. There was a lot of telling, including information-dump after information-dump. I almost put the book down permanently, however I was in a car for 5 hours, so I figured I would just finish it. Almost painfully passive story telling. Stop telling me what your characters are like. SHOW ME. And I am sick and tired of rushed romantic relationships. "Because MaGiC" does not constitute a valid reason for two people to fall in love.

And the...more

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May 16, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, dark-romance, young-adult, series-i-will-finish

So I'm actually reviewing this about a week after I finished it, which means I have almost completely forgotten everything about it. That doesn't mean this book was in any way forgettable, only that my memory has more holes than it that Swiss cheese...is that the one with holes in?...never mind.

So, on to the book review. This one's a bit of a contradiction really. Mainly because on the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was super immersive (yeah, that's right, I said super!!!) and alway...more So I'm actually reviewing this about a week after I finished it, which means I have almost completely forgotten everything about it. That doesn't mean this book was in any way forgettable, only that my memory has more holes than it that Swiss cheese...is that the one with holes in?...never mind.

So, on to the book review. This one's a bit of a contradiction really. Mainly because on the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was super immersive (yeah, that's right, I said super!!!) and always had me guessing as to which way a situation was going to swing or how a character was going to react. Which is obviously a plus because predictable books = major snores and drool puddles!!

And on the other hand? Lots of stuff that really annoyed me. The point though, is that it didn't. I didn't care that the main-ish character (I say 'ish' as there are lots of characters vying for the lead role) is a bit of an idiot and suffers from doormatitis. It also didn't bother me overly much that the author had a habit of repeating herself every few pages...you don't need to keep stressing the extreme danger her characters are in. We get it. Repeating it over and over again isn't necessary. Instead rely on your writing abilities to convey the tension and atmosphere of a the situation. We'll fill in the rest. Ok, it bothered me a bit, but no-where near as much as it should. There were more bad points, but I can't remember them, soooo, they can't have been that bad.

More on the plus side, we had split narratives, with each chapter told through the eyes of a different character. Even bigger plus, it was third person. Don't get me wrong. I love, or should say, loved first person perspectives. They're a real asset to a character driven story and give some real insights into their inner workings. But I've had enough. Every YA novel out there seems to be first person. It's BORING!! The danger was that some plot lines would be slightly less interesting and you'd be rushing the chapter to get to a more exciting part. But actually, they were all rather interesting, which I must say was delightful.

Though I mention earlier the main characters short comings in the brain department, I still empathised with her. Especially when we, as the reader, know things that she doesn't. It was frustrating, but I'm guessing that was the point. We are supposed to feel anger for her in her place. Or at least till she finds stuff out, then the shiteth will really hiteth the fan. Or I hope it does and she doesn't just accept it like she does some of the other revelations, which would have made me Hulk smash the shit out of everything within reach. In regards to the rest of the ensemble, there were plenty of good guys to root for and bad dudes (or dames)) to hiss at.

The world the author built was fascinating. Not the dull run-of-the-mill Earth one, but the world of The City. She gives an excellent impression of a debauched and dangerous city, not bothering to hide it's flaws, but that for all works well because every one who lives their knows their place in it and how it works.

To sum up then. By rights this should have irritated the flooping heck out of me. But it didn't. Huzzah!!

Wow, I managed to right more than I though. Go me!!!(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Rayne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-sept, can-i-get-my-hours-back, demons, disappointing, fantasy, magic, overrated-and-overhyped, shapeshifter, stalking-means-love, there-s-romance-in-there-somewhere, victims-of-the-insta-love-monster, what-a-jackass-or-creep, witches-and-wizards, works-better-than-sleeping-pills, young-adult, your-sexism-is-not-welcome-here

Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/1...

I think it is time I finally admit to myself that Melissa Marr's books and I are just never going to get along. It started with the dull first two installments in the Wicked Lovely series, followed by the snooze-fest that was Graveminder, and now concluded by the utter disappointment that Carnival of Souls turned out to be.

Personally, I believe her books suffer from what I call concept versus execution. Want a fascinating, intri...more Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/1...

I think it is time I finally admit to myself that Melissa Marr's books and I are just never going to get along. It started with the dull first two installments in the Wicked Lovely series, followed by the snooze-fest that was Graveminder, and now concluded by the utter disappointment that Carnival of Souls turned out to be.

Personally, I believe her books suffer from what I call concept versus execution. Want a fascinating, intriguing and badass concept for a story? All people should probably go to Marr for that. Her ideas are amazing, and with each book, I can't help wondering just how she comes up with such brilliant ideas. Now, just don't let her write them. I'm not saying her writing is atrocious, but it is not engaging or particularly pretty either. I love simple writing, but hers is simply boring. She tends to drag the story and focus it on unimportant and uninteresting sideplots full of insecure girls and possessive guys and their dull and instant and chemistry-less love connections. There's very little of this book that actually focuses on the Carnival of Souls or the action it promised. The only characters I remotely cared about were Aya and Belias, and their situation took a turn towards the melodramatic in the last few chapters. There's a bothersome lack of world-building and some of the secondary characters were flat and stereotyped to the core. The protagonist knew how to defend herself, but what makes a protagonist strong is not her ability to fight, but rather how she stands up for herself. By making her a swooning-giggly girl constantly thinking about the guy she just met and running to Daddy for everything, the author basically took away whatever strength she had given her with her training.

I did like many of the concepts of the story and I was intrigued by the Carnival and the Night Market and I enjoyed the darker tone she gave the story with the black/assassin masks and the red/pleasure masks. I did not enjoy at all the blatant sexism, even if it was part of the world-building. And I definitely did not like the way Kaleb took possession of Mallory and how he decided to claim her without her consent. The constant "I-love-you" dropping was not enjoyable either, or believable. The plot in this one, sadly, goes nowhere for the better part of the 300 pages and then ends up in a silly cliff-hanger that had no build-up to it.

I don't think I'll read the next one - or anything else she publishes. Like I said, I just don't click with her storytelling and it is high-time I start saving myself a few bucks from books I know I'm not going to enjoy, regardless of how amazing they sound.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favorites

Where do I even start?!! Melissa Marr has totally exceeded my expectations and I have no idea how in the hale I am going to wait for the next book! Carnival of Souls delivers that dark and gritty story that I have been waiting for ever since reading her previous series Wicked Lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed that series, but I always wanted more books centered around the Dark Court because Marr wrote that side ruthlessly and I tend to like that kinda stuff. She not only brought back the intense ruth...more Where do I even start?!! Melissa Marr has totally exceeded my expectations and I have no idea how in the hale I am going to wait for the next book! Carnival of Souls delivers that dark and gritty story that I have been waiting for ever since reading her previous series Wicked Lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed that series, but I always wanted more books centered around the Dark Court because Marr wrote that side ruthlessly and I tend to like that kinda stuff. She not only brought back the intense ruthlessness, but she has created a whole new world that is centered around blood, killing, assassins, fights to the death, and a centuries old battle between witches and daimons. I couldn't possibly ask for more!

I loved how this book is told from several different points of views. We get to see each side of the story and I think it was a brilliant move by Marr. It lets the reader really see what is going on behind the scenes and I feel like I understood the characters better this way. And oh my what a cast of characters we have! We have Mallory who has been raised by her stepfather, a witch. She has been brought up to hate daimons and everything associated with them. Kaleb who is a cur, the lowest caste in The City. Kaleb enters into the Carnival of Souls to win a better life for him and his packmate. Anya was born into one of the highest castes, but she wants a different life than what is expected of her. So she does the unthinkable and joins the games as well. No one expected her to get as far as she did, but she brings the badass and well she is just awesome what can I say. These three make up our central characters but the supporting roles are just as important. Zevi, Adam, Evelyn, and Bels are beyond amazing and I can't wait to see how their stories play out.

The story is complicated and just flat out amazing. I never knew what to expect with every page turn and all I can say is that Marr is one of the best authors ever!! She is brilliant at interweaving everyone's lives and I have to say that some of her twists were just so incredible that I had to read them twice to make sure I read it right! I know I am fangirling here but I guarantee after you read this book you will totally understand. It really is that good!

I am so in love with this book!! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one! The last time I was this impatient was after I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone. That book still holds a top spot in my favorite of all time and Carnival of Souls is right up there with it!

Thanks Rachel from The Readers Den for letting me borrow it!!! You rock!!

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Feb 21, 2013 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lovely-cover

Carnival of Souls is somewhere between a 3.5 star and a 4 star rating for me.

I love Melissa Marr's writing and world building. She definitely knows how to create interesting worlds and characters. I didn't mind the romance, even if it was mostly predictable. The biggest downfall of this book was the way women were treated (and the people in The City that were at the low end of life). It made my skin crawl at some parts and rubbed me the wrong way. (view spoiler)...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Lisa Dess rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a unique story following Mallory while she uncovers secrets in which those around her have kept. The ending really was jaw dropping as it just stopped with many unanswered questions.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Julianna Helms marked it as to-read

Shelves: bam-covers, own-arc, ala-12

So they had a Melissa Marr signing at ALA for this, right? And they gave out masks! MASKS!!! AND SHIRTS!!! WITH THE AWESOME COVER ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhhh sooooo pretty.

:)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Taryn Hipp rated it 1 of 5 stars

I read 93 pages before I finally admitted defeat & put this down. Very repetitive & boring (witches created the untamed land, we get it!) yet some characters & relationships are lacking detail & are confusing.

2 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2013 Jen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-books

So, let's take it from the top.

World-building. Presumably 'The City' is some kind of analogue of Pandaemonium, the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost. It's an interesting concept, or it would have been if we had been given a bit more detail and a bit more explanation. The explanation trickles in throughout the book, and I can see that 'info-dumps' are a bad thing - but on the other hand, only really being given all the puzzle pieces towards the end of the book isn't brilliant either.

What...more

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May 07, 2013 123laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

In Aya and Kaleb's world, there are strict classes of society in which daimons are born into. They cannot change their class unless they win a special tournament only hosted once in a generation. The Carnival of Souls. Two daimons are matched up against each other and they are forced to fight to the death. The winner of this tournament moves up to the ruling class and becomes the next ruler of the land.
In the human world, Mallory only knows that her father is a witch. She does not know that she...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Eira Daye rated it 3 of 5 stars

The cover is beautiful as well as it is haunting. I read this book in two hours, and the beginning was promising. I was waiting--waiting to patiently and graciously--for this book to have a kick to it. To leave me breathless with loss and happiness, or pain and anger and puzzlement, for me to yearn for the next book to the point where I couldn't stand it.
This book didn't have it.
It fell flat. Smacked down on hard cement of my heart where I only put where books that were wonderful turned out to...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed reading Carnival of Souls, it's not going to be a book that sticks with me for a long time.

Mallory is living a secret life with her father who is a witch, but Mallory doesn't realize that she is a daimon. Back in The City, the world of daimons, there is a competition involving fighting to the death to be allowed to enter the elite class of daimons. Aya and Kaleb are both top contestants in the fight.

Aya is already a member of the elite and a woman, and it is unheard of for a woma...more While I enjoyed reading Carnival of Souls, it's not going to be a book that sticks with me for a long time.

Mallory is living a secret life with her father who is a witch, but Mallory doesn't realize that she is a daimon. Back in The City, the world of daimons, there is a competition involving fighting to the death to be allowed to enter the elite class of daimons. Aya and Kaleb are both top contestants in the fight.

Aya is already a member of the elite and a woman, and it is unheard of for a woman to enter the competition. Aya has secrets of her own that no one must know. Kaleb is a cur, the lowest form of daiman. He is also an assassin and has been hired to find Mallory in the human world and kill her. When he finds Mallory, everything changes.

Carnival of Souls is a complex tale of witches and daimons, living in two separate worlds. They are at war with each other, but there are a lot of secrets about our main characters that muddy the waters between good and evil. Alliances are made, magic is used, and things happen so fast that I had a hard time keeping track at times. I found the characters that make up The City and their classes and traditions to be the most difficult to follow.

While Carnival of Souls kept my attention, I didn't really ever feel my heart pound or feel any emotional investment. I've thought about this quite a bit, and I think it's because of the characters. I didn't connect with Mallory because she's totally oblivious and therefore is a wimp. Aya is tough, but because of her secret, she has an unfair advantage that I found a bit convenient. I guess Kaleb was my favorite.

If I can't feel for the characters, it's just a good story. I could compare Carnival of Souls to Throne of Glass or Shadow and Bone. Both of these books had me so wrapped up in the main character that I was holding my breath with anticipation of their next move. Carnival of Souls just didn't compare to either of these books.

I also have (my usual) complaint about the "ending" of Carnival of Souls. It, like many books in a series, just stops. There really isn't an ending or any resolution. I absolutely despise when an author can't wrap up an episode but still leave us wanting the next installment of the series -- the next story. Not the end of this story. I shouldn't have to read another book to find out the ending. The entire story should be complete in ONE book. I'll stop now....

There's some great world building in Carnival of Souls and an interesting concept of war between witches and daimons. I just didn't connect enough with the characters to really make this a highly rated book for me.

I'll still recommend this to Marr fans and fans of adventure fantasies. I know that I've read many great reviews of Carnival of Souls, and this might be easier for teens to connect with than me.(less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Ines rated it 4 of 5 stars

I somehow missed the fact that even though this is the first book in the series, no other books are out yet. I’m a bit unhappy because of that.

The book is a mix of YA, paranormal and romance all in one, so I was bound to love it.
Reading the brief leaves many things unsaid. Like, the fact that women are treated as breeding partners in daimon marriages (not that that makes them partners actually), everyone has a secret to keep and pretty much power is dealt through these secrets, everyone is lying...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullies, community, families, fantasy, ncbla2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm always thrilled to get lost in a new books by Melissa Marr, and this one was, by turns, exhilarating and frustrating. The clash between the witches and daimons, and Mallory's utter lack of awareness of the fact that she is the thing her father stole from Marchosias years ago add to the tension in the book that builds steadily from its very first page and continues on until the last page, forcing readers to wait for the next book to find out what happens next. Her attraction to Kaleb is not s...more

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Feb 22, 2013 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 2 of 5 stars

http://openbooksociety.com/article/ca...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie

If there’s anything I hate more than a flowery third-person, it’s a cheesy plot-line Unfortunately for me, Carnival of Souls had both. And as you can tell, I was not pleased.

Let me begin again. My wanting to read Carnival of Souls started with the book trailer. If you haven’t seen it, you should! I was entranced, and the synopsis did nothing to help my interest. However, a few months later, when I finally came around t...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Sudha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf

In a set society where sex is a big part of their world, the Carnival of Souls spills blood and souls. High class women are required to breed and for Aya, the Carnival of Souls is her escape. Mallory is hidden from the truth. Kaleb was on a mission, but he fell in love. They're all connected along with a few other characters and the interesting part is, they all throughout the story share their POV.

At first I was hooked, but later it failed to succeed in keeping me reading. Sometimes some thoug...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Mersini rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, paranormal-fiction, young-adult

3.5 stars rather than 4.

A surprise of a book. Aware of her success with her Wicked Lovely series, I approached this book the same way I approach all other teen paranormal novels - with hope, but mostly with low expectations that mean I'm still disappointed at the end. And then this book came out of nowhere and took me by surprise.

First off, it fits very much into the teen side of things; Mallory is a teenage girl who is not what she thinks she is, is overprotected but has potential - the usual s...more 3.5 stars rather than 4.

A surprise of a book. Aware of her success with her Wicked Lovely series, I approached this book the same way I approach all other teen paranormal novels - with hope, but mostly with low expectations that mean I'm still disappointed at the end. And then this book came out of nowhere and took me by surprise.

First off, it fits very much into the teen side of things; Mallory is a teenage girl who is not what she thinks she is, is overprotected but has potential - the usual stuff you expect from a protagonist. Then there's Aya, the fighter. She's less typical as a protagonist, but her archetype appears often too in this genre. And Kaleb is the lover-assassin - hired to kill, but ends up falling in love with his prey. What sets this novel apart is the way it fits a bit more into the fantasy genre than it does into the paranormal. There are elements of it reminiscent of fantasy novels where knights fight in tournaments, only in this novel, fights are usually to the death and it's less of a tournament and more a way of changing your social status. It's called the Carnival of Souls, and it's in contrast to the mortal world - another thing which sets it apart from the usual paranormal novels.

What brings it down is its predictability, and the treatment of women. It's getting boring to state that as a reason for rating a book less, but it's true. In this case, it fits with the world created, that medieval, patriarchal type of society, but it's still disconcerting to see Mallory passed off as a piece of meat, fit for nothing but marriage. And then it's problem when the person who marries her, despite claiming he loves her, doesn't a) ask her permission or propose marriage to her, b) actually get married to her, but someone who is supposed to be a stand in for her at a marriage she doesn't know is happening, and c) doesn't even tell her that they're married. It's a huge problem, and while he's supposed to be saving her from some harsh fate, it doesn't justify any of the above.
Then there's Aya. Hope for a woman to have a decent shot at equality. At last! So far it seems to be going reasonably well, except for the fact that she basically had to sacrifice the man she loved, has to fight to the death on a regular basis, and in the end, might be screwed over anyway because the original prize of the competition doesn't apply to her (god forbid she wins and then is forced into a same sex marriage with Mallory - although, as a side note, that could make for one hell of an interesting novel). Still, this is the beginning of a series, it seems, so there's hope yet. Or else we'll add this to the list of books and series which disappointed us.

I'd say this is for the reader who wants something a little less teen love triangle, and more on the story side of things. It's easy to read, and even if it's not the greatest book out there, it's better than a lot of the other paranormal ones out there.(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Tish rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this more than I did. It sounds so deliciously dark and creepy. There is a lot of potential here but there are some things about the book I found impossible to like.

(view spoiler)...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review: I am a fan of Melissa Marr’s other young adult novels so I gave this one a try. I was in no way disappointed.

I am still a little shocked that this is a young adult novel. I know there is “The Hunger Games” where teens are forced to fight to the death, but this goes beyond that. So here is my warning, there are some very in your face adult sexual themes and death in this book.

There are three main characters in this novel. Kaleb is a daimon, one that struggles to stay alive in the caste sy...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Josie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Ugh, this was so terrible. The entire time I was reading this I felt like the characters existed in a vacuum. Where was the worldbuilding? Never having anything explained went from baffling to frustrating to downright annoying. I can't work out if Marr is just lazy, or a terrible writer who doesn't actually think about what she's putting down. There's no mention of the technological level in the City (what's the energy source? magic?), or how Kaleb's gate works or even what it looks like, and th...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Gemma rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5

Good things
-The shift between POVs was very well done
-The stories seemed to weave together really well
-Adam and Zevi
-The daimon/witch world
-Weapons training
-Story kept me engaged

Bad things/things that could be improved on
-The whole Carnival of Souls/Night Market element... never really got it
-Marchosias. He seems really important and is often referenced, but there are very few actual interactions with him... just want to see more of this character
-Aya/Mallory. Annoying female characters, bu...more

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5 stars= If I love you, I'll buy you a copy from this list of books. (Pls note, if you are my family or dearest friends, feel free to remind me to do so. I am lousy w remembering birthdays/holidays.)

4 stars= Don't even ask to borrow it. You should prob buy it though.

3= If you borrow it, you better not lose it, mangle it, or keep it too long.

2 or 1 star= I don't use these. If it's not a 3 star or...more

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