TBR Thursday: The Circus of Wonders

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted here at First Impressions Reviews. It’s a chance to showcase what is on your to be read pile. It doesn’t matter if it’s one book or the whole stack, the point is to share great books and why they were added to that ever growing tbr mountain.

On My TBR This Week

Circus of Wonders
by Elizabeth Macneal
Pages: 368
Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date February 1, 2022
Goodreads

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of the “lush, evocative Gothic” (The New York Times Book Review) The Doll Factory comes an atmospheric and spectacular novel where one woman’s life is transformed by the arrival of a Victorian circus of wonders...
Step up, step up! In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. Crowds jostle for a glimpse of the lion-tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists and, most thrilling of all, the so-called “human wonders.”
When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life of one young girl changes forever. Sold to the ringmaster as a “leopard girl” because of the birthmarks that cover her body, Nell is utterly devastated. But as she grows close to the other performers, she finds herself enchanted by the glittering freedom of the circus, and by her own role as the Queen of the Moon and Stars.
Before long, Nell’s fame spreads across the world—and with it, a chance for Jasper Jupiter to grow his own name and fortune. But what happens when her fame begins to eclipse his own, when even Jasper’s loyal brother Toby becomes captivated by Nell? No longer the quiet flower-picker, Nell knows her own place in the world, and she will fight for it.
A gorgeously wrought exploration of celebrity, power and belonging, this is a historical novel unlike any other, with an unforgettable heroine at its heart.

Why It Is On My TBR

Even though I find circuses to be cruel I find their history of them to be fascinating. I think the plot of Circus of Wonders is very intriguing and along with a beautiful cover (yes I’m a cover snob) is why it has landed on my tbr pile.