Title: Freeks
Author: Amanda Hocking
Release date: January 3rd 2017
Summary:
Welcome to Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow, where necromancy, magical visions, and pyrokinesis are more than just part of the act…
Mara has always longed for a normal life in a normal town where no one has the ability to levitate or predict the future. Instead, she roams from place to place, cleaning the tiger cage while her friends perform supernatural feats every night.
When the struggling sideshow is miraculously offered the money they need if they set up camp in Caudry, Louisiana, Mara meets local-boy Gabe…and a normal life has never been more appealing.
But before long, performers begin disappearing and bodies are found mauled by an invisible beast. Mara realizes that there’s a sinister presence lurking in the town with its sights set on getting rid of the sideshow freeks. In order to unravel the truth before the attacker kills everyone Mara holds dear, she has seven days to take control of a power she didn’t know she was capable of—one that could change her future forever.
Bestselling author Amanda Hocking draws readers inside the dark and mysterious world of Freeks.
Review:
★★★★
I was so excited to get a chance to read this book, thanks to St. Martin's Press. I've read Amanda Hocking's work before, and loved it. I'm happy to say that Freeks didn't disappoint!
One reason that I really enjoyed this book is because the plot centers around a sideshow. One way to ensure that I read a book is to make it feature a side show, carnival, or circus. I have no idea why, but it's one of my absolute favorite settings to have for a novel. Naturally, this is what lured me into reading Freeks. I wish there would have been a little more focus on the actual traveling show, but that's nitpicking a bit.
It's also pretty dark and creepy, which is a huge plus. Hocking is great at getting that unsettling undertone into her writing, so that you're not exactly sure where the twists of the story will take you, but you know you should brace yourself for when it happens. Hocking also demonstrates her writing skills when it comes to the depth of her characters. They're the ones who sell this book, and by the end of the adventure you'll definitely have some feelings and connections to Mara and Gabe.
Speaking of Mara and Gabe, this book also features a romance. This was a little shaky for me. It wasn't bad, necessarily. I actually can't really explain why the romance didn't work perfectly for me. The timing seemed off somehow. It's okay, but there were some spots in their story where I was left raising a brow.
All in all, I am not sorry that I read Freeks. It is a paranormal young adult romance set in the 1980s that has the dark, southern charm of Louisiana mixed with a traveling side show and a super cool cast of characters. It's like Cirque du Freak grew up into a teen and got itself a boyfriend. If you like supernatural talents, mysteries, romance, or circuses and freak shows, I recommend Freeks for sure.
Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Get it Here:
Amazon | Macmillan | BN | BAM
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Giveaway:
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, who offered up one hardcover copy of Freeks for a US reader!
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