Blood Circus

The Blood Circus #1

by Camila Victoire

In this world, death is a performance—and she is on stage.

At the end of the twenty-first century, climate change and famine almost ended humanity—until the discovery of the Klujns, a barbaric, humanoid species with strangely colored eyes and even stranger abilities. Their crystal claws and bones fertilize barren soil, and their tender meat is a super-protein. Klujns are both humans’ saviors and natural-born enemies, meant to be hunted and used.

When sixteen-year-old Ava finds herself on the wrong side of a military fence erected to protect the North American Territory, she’s captured by Klujns and made to participate in the Blood Race, a macabre tradition where young human hostages compete to the death for Klujn amusement. At first, she is terrified, but as Ava observes Klujn behavior that contradicts what she’s learned, she begins to wonder: Are Klujns as different as she was led to believe? And, as she fights for her life, does it matter?

Inspired by the dark, bohemian influence of the circus she traveled with for five years, Camila Victoire delivers a twisted coming-of-age tale that combines elements of fantasy, magical realism, and suspense. Blood Circus will capture fans of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. Its masterful worldbuilding, plot twists, and boundary-pushing Blood Race are wholly immersive—and compel readers to call their own long-held assumptions, values, and belief systems into question.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense

350 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 2023

About the author

Camila Victoire is a French Canadian / Australian novelist and screenwriter currently based in Montreal. She toured for four years with a circus before going to study writing for film and TV at the Vancouver Film School, from which she graduated in 2015. The daughter of two performance artists, she is a born nomad. Her stories are nourished by her adventures, from exploring the haunted forests of Transylvania to venturing deep into the jungles of Peru. Blood Circus is her first novel.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

dont let the title or whimsical cover fool you like it did me. im disappointed this has nothing to do with an actual circus…

im also let down by the uninspired nature of it all. this story just feels so recycled to me. for a debut novel, i want to see something new and original and fresh. i dont want to read a 100th iteration of the hunger games, even if it does have an alien-like twist to it.

i think younger readers will probably enjoy this because it does try to be edgy and they might find that cool. but as someone who has better and more mature versions of this kind of story (and also as someone who was hoping for something different in general), this just didnt work for me, unfortunately.

thanks for the ARC, blackstone publishing.

↠ 2 stars

[Jena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hearing the premise of Blood Circus, a barbaric “Hunger Games” reminiscent fight to the death in a circus setting, I thought I would love this book. However, the writing style and character writing never allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story. I found Blood Circus to feel quite generic, and its characters very flat and uninteresting. Though I’m sure someone will enjoy this book, personally, I found the writing style quite bland, and couldn’t get past that.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enormous thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and of course, Camile Victoire for providing me with an eARC of this novel. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

First of all, if you’re looking for a beautiful tale of wistful circus performances, this isn’t the book for you. This is a dark, twisted tale set in a world that doesn’t seem too far off.

I enjoyed the world-building immensely and would love to see more of this world. It’s definitely got a lot about preserving our world and what we’ve got and not continuing down the destructive path we’re on.

This book is for anyone who’s a fan of dystopians and revolution. For anyone who enjoyed Maze Runner and Hunger Games, this fits in quite nicely.

This book contained so many little twists and turns, it kept me sucked in from the very beginning. I absolutely adored the story and absolutely cannot wait for another book to be in this world once again.

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

…the bullet points
- dystopian fantasy
- not about a circus
- gladiator-esque
- heavy-handed climate change rhetoric
- and wolves —they were the best part

Did the actual content live up to the amazing cover? Meh…I don’t know. I found my mind wandering quite often. But overall this wasn’t too bad…as long as you’re okay with it feeling a lot like The Hunger Games but with less likable characters. There also could’ve been some plot holes or maybe I just missed some things because I wasn’t paying attention…I guess I’ll never know…🤷‍♀️

…about the narration
🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️/5
- Kyla Garcia performed very well.

...the score
➨ 5.79/10 | Opening-7 | Characters-6 | Plot-5 | Atmosphere-6 | Writing Style-5.5 | Ending-5 | Overall Enjoyment- 6

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, first, this is not a circus book like Night Circus or Caraval with all the glitz and performance and delights. If you are looking for those, this is not your book. BUT, if you are looking for brutal, gory, competition like Hunger Games, then yes I will recommend this one.

I have those expectations while starting this book, and not disappointed per se as it took an entirely different turn. The somewhat near-apocalyptic vibes is strong, and I love that this book carried underlying messages of preserving natures and about consuming habit, also about having blind faith and willingness to look from both sides of the story. The world building is immersive, the suspense and challenges were gripping, it's almost impossible to put down.

I love Ava as leading character, especially her relationship with Wolf! I get that this might be the first book in a series, a lot of things going on, but I wish she showed to display a stronger personality like Wendy or even Elizabeth had. To be fair, she was in a situation she could only follow her instinct, but I hope that in the following book we will get more about her personality as she discovers who she really is and what is she going to do about that. Same goes to Diablo (although maybe because we didn't get enough pages of him haha)

Overall, it was a strong debut! Excited for the next book!

< Review copy received via Netgalley for an honest review >

[Fanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this was like walking on a path you know leads where, and despite the predictability, the nostalgia of certain themes like competition and wolves in this futuristic fantasy keeps you going. Sadly, the details were unclear and a lot of the plot was unravelling without establishing enough interest in the characters. Still, the hints of magic in a dystopian tale is easy to impress and the commentary on climate destruction as well as xenophobia is worth considering. But at the end of it all, the marketing of the book probably sets up for a lot of disappointment since The Hunger Games as a comp title doesn't ring true enough and the promise of a circus-like backdrop is false.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What we could become

I am overpowered by the thought of how the world could possibly turn out and the Cruelness of mankind that is related in this book.
I enjoyed the book tremendously and it's a really good read and it's a fairly quick read at that because you just get so involved so yes I do recommend the book and I look forward to reading more from this author

[Ms. Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. Yes yes yes!! Perfect combination of some of my favorite books! Original and intriguing concept! I hope that there is a book 2, because I need a book 2! C'mon more Diablos and Ava please Cami!! Anyways 5/5 stars!!!

[Sam Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - the title of this book is deceitful, there is no circus which is hard to get over that feeling of disappointment but setting that aside for this review.
This is a story written for a younger audience, not myself. The messaging is heavy handed, the writing wasn't my cup of tea, and the trials/competition were lacking a little. I really struggled with the setting of this story having a mix of modern day with fantasy but also didn't feel like any particular time. I did enjoy the trials for what they were and the suspense they caused, but I really enjoyed the female characters, especially the friendship between Ava and Wendy. This is more of a cliché debut young adult fantasy but again I think younger readers who like dystopian stories will enjoy this, it doesn't have subtle themes but it still makes you think about society. The ending really lost me, I commonly felt my mind wander elsewhere and picking up distractions while listening to the audiobook. This could've been a shorter story and I would've enjoyed the pacing a bit more. Overall I would recommend this story, with the expectations going into it knowing this has nothing to do with a circus.

[rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Maybe we need to get publishers to stop comparing every book with a gladiator-esque premise to The Hunger Games. I went in expecting the next Suzanne Collins and instead got a story with commentary on climate change and the greed of humankind. Not that I'm complaining, but when you promise me The Hunger Games and I get The Uninhabitable Earth, I'm going to be, at the very least, surprised.

I'm also majorly simplifying the premise of Blood Circus. The book follows a young woman named Ava, who struggles to fit in with the ideals of her dystopian future. She identifies with nature, but the planet is dying and an electrified fence separates her from a dangerous species of "animal" --Kljuns-- that live in the most fertile land. In a twist of fate, she's thrust into a dangerous Kljun competition to the death, but instead of being revolted, she finds herself identifying more with the Kljun than with her own "species."

Reading that back, this sounds a lot more like The Hunger Games than I initially realized, but trust me that a solid 70% of this book revolves around concepts of saving planet Earth, the saving graces of crystals, the food we consume, and identifying with other species/animals.

Nevertheless, Blood Circus falls into a lot of pitfalls that is (most-likely) lending to its lower rating.

#1 - The main character is painfully unique and special. Despite being a natural introvert, her specialness automatically makes her a leader, and there's this implication that she's better than everyone else, even though she insists she's not.

#2 - Despite its differences from the Hunger Games (and my prior claims that it's really nothing like that series), there are aspects that feel like a blatant rip-off from THG. An electrified fence? A fight to the death involving children? An evil President? The main character being described as having the exact same characteristics as Katniss Everdeen???

#3 - The commentary borders on excessive at times, and is very thinly-veiled. I strongly believe that there needs to be more done to prevent climate change, but I'm also not going to turn around and blame the people for eating meat or not recycling enough, when it's the corporations and government inaction that are lending to the majority of greenhouse gas emissions.

Like... Recycle, but also don't blame yourself for the world going to shit just because you put your newspaper in the trash can instead of the recycle bin.

#4 - The world-building beyond the climate disaster was... a disaster. By the book's end, you know nothing about the Klujns, what makes them different from humans, why crystals function the way they do, why tyranny became the solution for humankind... It's like the author had a really interesting dystopian premise and forgot to include what led up to the world being dystopian. Also, they vape, dye their hair, and have all these advanced technologies but have no phones???

#5 - And --most irksome to me-- is how the book felt like it ended at the beginning of the climax instead of the end. It was in desperate need of an epilogue. It was like if The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part One ended with Bella dying instead of her waking up as a vampire. It was like if The Hunger Games' Catching Fire ended with the arena explosion instead of Gale's bombshell.

In other words, it left open one too many questions that were in desperate need of being answered instead of having one, over-arching question/hook that makes readers want to buy the next book.

But, I'm being too critical: Blood Circus still had a plethora of shining characteristics. There was lots of representation; going from sexual and gender identity, to disabilities, to cultural and racial identity. I was impressed. Even with the commentary being a bit overkill at times, the underlying message was great, and I'm appreciative to how much more diverse and encompassing YA literature is becoming.

So, maybe I'm not the primary audience for this book, but I would absolutely recommend it to someone a couple years younger than me... After, of course, I make them read The Hunger Games.

[Amy Imogene Reads]

It's literally called Blood Circus, obviously I asked for this

Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Penelope ~Conversations with my cat~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all this had nothing to do with a circus, which was disappointing. Second, the main character bothered me. I'm glad she had an awakening as to why the Klujns are better than humanity and empathized with them, but she had a pick-me attitude the whole time. I thought the memories/flashbacks were interesting, but then would be disappointed when we came back to the scene. I also liked several of the other girls better than Ava.

Though similar in concept to The Hunger Games, this book did not hold up to that standard in its writing.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This book was seriously SO GOOD. I didn't really know anything going into it but I loved it. I did predict the main/first "plot twist" but it was still totally worth the read. The world is so beautifully fleshed out and provides such an interesting look into human nature and society. The writing was so vivid and captivating. I loved the characterization of different people. I did not want to put this book down and was slightly enraged to find the sequel has not even been announced yet... I will be waiting (in)patiently.

SMALL SPOILER
One thing I will say is the potential romance happening here that the author just BARLEY hinted at was not the vibe, also the MC clearlyyyy had an attraction to that one Klujn girl so don't EVEN try to pull the "I was jealous of her" card- No you're attracted to her.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the advanced reader copy. Firstly I would like to go over the critiques i have for this book then go into the things i liked about this book. Number one being i do think the handling of Rory’s entire storyline could’ve been handled with a little bit more care than it was, I think that if given to sensitivity readers they could’ve pointed out the ways in which it was wrong/borderline problematic and it could’ve been corrected and executed more gently. Number two I didn’t find that the “circus” element wasn’t really there, yes they had tents and moved around but that was all really in the background and wasn’t very present in the overall plot. Number three, I understand that this is a debut author however I found the writing to be a bit weak and there was really very little to no worldbuilding. Number four the plot twist was way to predictable it tried and failed to subtly hint at it but it really was just shoving it in your face every time, almost as if the author wanted you to guess it from the first 100 pages. Number five, Ava’s conflicting feelings about what she has been taught and what she is now being taught are again not very well written, one second she is completing accepting what she is being told the next she is completely dismissing it, the same could also be said for her motivations and reaction to the big plot twist. Last critique is that the characters seem to be very forgetful, one second they figure something out or something is being told to them and then it’s completely forgotten for the next few chapters until they “discover” it again and personally I wanted to scream at them and say “you already knew that!!” With all of those critiques as aide though, I found the story to be enjoyable and unique. The characters (most of them anyway) are easy to root for, and while it is on the predictable side, it was very easy to get through.

[Penelope Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Blackstone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a wild ride from start to finish. This book devastated me. Multiple times. When I started, I couldn’t put it down. The world was addictive. The message was urgent. It is a book that everybody needs to read now. My only complaint (**incoming spoiler**) is that there is no romance, because I’m a sucker for romance. But at the same time, I understand that the story didn’t need a romantic plot line. These girls are trying to survive and they have bigger things to think about. It’s up to them to save themselves. The focus is on their friendships, their strength, and the bonds they develop despite their gruesome circumstances. So I kind of love that the author didn’t follow the tropes that so many other YA books do. (There are the seeds for a possible love interest, though. I’m looking at you, Diablo. . . ) Overall, an easy five stars. I am looking forward to seeing what the author does next.

[Jan farnworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
The Blood Circus premise tells you it is a vicious "Hunger Games" where you fight for your life in competitions that will end you in a circus setting. The Kajun are described in detail, from their crystal claws to the tribes they live with and what humans genuinely think of them. We get an inside look into one of the more vicious tribes when one of our characters is kidnapped to participate in the blood race.
Final Verdict:
If you like dystopian fantasy books not about a circus, gladiator-esque, climate change setting, and wolves, this may intrigue you. Instead, the book is geared toward fans of hunger games and gladiator-type sets. I thought it was a unique debut and look forward to seeing what else this author writes.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you enjoy stories that have a strong viewpoint? Books that then beat you over the head with said viewpoint while also poorly attempting to disguise this strongly held view under what can only loosely be described as a plot? Have you been considering vegetarianism or veganism? Do you believe vegans or vegetarians are inherently better than everyone else? Do you like books where the title implies there's a circus, but there isn't any circus?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book is for you.

[Cassie Swindon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so conflicted after finishing this. It will tend out as memorable compared to so many other YA fantasy books I’ve read but it also feels too dark to be YA. I saw it won some sort of “kids ___ award” but I wouldn’t recommend this for under age 16 for sure.

The author did an amazing job of making me care about the main character but I still wanted more emotions shown for the terrible events that were happening. It was intense and sometimes they brushed over it for the sake of moving on in the plot.

a strength was how much I was impressed by the social issues and environmentalism playing such a huge role in the theme of a fantasy novel and it works into the world building naturally.

I think I need to give this a 4.3/5 for now but am not set on that.



Here’s my live thoughts while reading (be careful of possible spoilers):

Okay. I’m already so intrigued that it’s sci fi date of year 2121ish. What do these klujn creatures look like? Are they human like?

I love that it’s set in autumn timeline as a fall read.

What does her adoptive mother know that Ava doesn’t and how long has she lived with them?

Is the scar actually from a a wolf?

Who put here outside the fence when she was unconscious and why?

Why do they only steal females?

Why 14?

Why are her memories coming back of the orphanage as if they were all wiped clean at some point?

Will she ever get her pendant returned?

How did her classmate get captured too?

How can their city by so detailed and lived in if they’re nomadic? How long do they stay in one place?

I’m surprised no one died during the first cave challenge.

Halfway it feels like a mix of Divergent and The Hunger Games but all female. Unfortunately there’s no romance so far.

The 1:1 battles are much more intense than I expected.

The dinner scene for what they had to eat was almost too much for me.

I’ve felt a disturbing sense of unease through the majority of reading this and it’s not pleasant

The concept of the third and fourth eye is quite interesting and unique.

Did Circo know the hunters would track her?

I don’t know how I feel at the end since it’s a cliffhanger. There are no inklings online for a sequel. I looked at the author’s insta page and website and nothing points towards a follow up.

[Kayla Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blood circus takes place towards the end of the 21st century and humanity is threatened by climate change and famine. But, as humanity is at the brink of extinction, the Klujns, a barbaric humanoid species is discovered. Their claws
and bones surprisingly fertilize baren soil and their meat is a super protein. When it comes to the Klujns, they are the saving grace for humanity, but just at the same time, they are humanities natural born enemies. In Blood circus, we meet Ava, a 16 year old who just finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in her being kidnapped by the klujns. The Klujns have other human hostages and for their entertainment and pleasure, they make the humans compete to the death. As Ava competes, she starts to question everything she knows and have been taught about the Klujns.

I received Blood circus as an arc via Netgalley and I actually started the e-arc on my kindle, but as I got a few pages in, I found myself having a hard time to get into the story and found it boring.

I decided to put the down for a bit and keep my eye out for the audiobook on Libby. It is now March and I finally listened to this book. I'm actually glad that I picked it up on audio because I would have struggled so much more if I read it physically. I even was wishing for the audiobook to just end.

I feel like this book was all over the place and a bit of a Hunger Gaines want to be. The characters fell flat too and I could never connect with this book.

[Chelsea (2_girls_bookin_it) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Browsing NetGalley, I knew I had to read Blood Circus the moment I came across it. The blurb immediately drew me in and I'm so glad I was approved for this ARC.

Blood Circus is set in the future, after climate change has made the world almost inhabitable. That is, until humans discover Klujns and find out their claws return nutrients to the soil and their meat is full of protein. Since the hunting of Klujns began, one Klujn stand annually kidnaps young humans and forces them to participate in the Blood Circus (which isn't actually a circus, but more a competition to the death).

Blood Circus is a mix of climate change education and The Hunger Games. The book does seem to lean away from medicine a bit, which I don't necessarily love, but it also stresses the importance of clean food and respecting nature.

Some reviews say this book in unoriginal, and while this may be the case in some aspects (again, the Hunger Game vibes), the aspects that center around climate change are new to me in a #fantasyread. Plus one part of the story, I literally reached over and grabbed Derek when I was reading it because I was so shocked.

I really enjoyed Blood Circus and gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Thank you NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Gunnar]

Thank you, Netgalley and the publishing company, for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Blood Circus follows a world on the brink of collapse. The only food source is grown in a lab that utilizes the last remaining soil on an otherwise barren planet.

Soon after starting this book, I didn't like how the leaders of this failing world addressed the topics that led to this crisis.

There just wasn't much that I found all that interesting about the story, so, unfortunately, I had to DNF.

[Juliana Callahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blood Circus leaves a lot to be desired with a plot that feels somehow too fast and too slow at the same time. I really didn't see the hunger games comparison until I was almost halfway through and it felt pretty laid back all things considered. I feel like most of the focus was on the messages the author was trying to push and not really on the book itself. I felt like I was constantly reading reasons why I should become a vegetarian as opposed to immersing myself in the book. I would be open to reading a sequel but it's not an anticipated release.

[Laurence Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. 

At first, I was mixed. I expected a lot more, I was hoping for a circus and not a story about clowns.  But I've changed my mind. The more I read, the more invested I was in the story and the trials.

I think if you surpassed the word "circus" ( as the "traditional" circus) and more as the real definition of a circus you will enjoy as I did.

Hoping for a sequel in the future.

[Josh Epp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really thought I was going to be indifferent about this one. It’s hunger games, with a little circus mixed with trails and werewolves. Really well done! I found myself wanting to know more about the characters. It did have some moments of slowness but the story was built pretty quick with a couple twisty moments that I didn’t see coming. I normally don’t enjoy werewolf like things but this was a veryyyyyyy different take on them! I highly recommend!

[Deon Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! It was a tad preachy at times (you could feel the author stepping out and telling you how she felt about things versus the story revealing them) but the plot was very engaging. I’m hoping this isn’t a stand alone, as I want to know more, but with the themes present, I believe it might not have a sequel.

[Jessica Magelky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the problem with the success of The Hunger Games is that subsequent series that are compared to it will never be able to stand on their own and will only be a comparison. This falls into that category…it is subject to the comparison. And it’s not the the Hunger Games, and it has a lot of similarities,but it has some unique characteristics as well. So, on its own if it wasn’t being compared, it was good and did what it set out to do well.

[Jeff Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Interesting ideas, characters and plot. Sad at parts but the author did a great job with her writing to keep the story flowing and not keeping the reader hung up on events. If you like dystopian novels with different creatures this is a great read. Reminded me in some way of I am number four.

[Sav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I found it different in comparison to the top trending fantasy/dystopian books today which was nice. There are things that were predictable and things I did not expect that left me staring into with shock lol. Also really loved the violence, reminds of a couple scenes for game of thrones. I think this could be cool for a tv series.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline just feels like it goes so slow.

[Jordan Villarreal · Rating 1 out of 5]

no circus and a weird attempt to copy the hunger games.