The Contortionist (Harrow Faire) Paperback – September 3, 2020

Cora lives a mundane life, plagued by chronic pain. All of her dreams and goals have been put to a halt and she resigns herself to a boring job that she’s overqualified for. But when a certain circus comes to town, Cora wishes to relive some of her childhood joy. However, things are not what they seem and something strange lurks within. Kathryn Ann Kingsley has captivated me again with this dark, horror romance. I have not read any circus toothemed books before and boy was I missing out. Kingsley crafts a tale that perfectly blends mystery and creepiness that devoured me whole.Cora is an extremely likable and sympathetic character. Her voice throughout the story was well-balanced and interesting to read. I was also impressed by the way her chronic pain was portrayed throughout the story. I myself do not suffer from any chronic pain, but I have a brother in law who does. I applaud the author for the raw, and honest portrayal of such afflictions. And the Puppeteer? Oooh! Talk about creepy. This character is deliciously insane with a mysterious past that I am dying to read about. I love that his possessiveness of Cora turns her off and she is ready to GTFO. All of their interactions together felt real. There was never a moment where I rolled my eyes and said, “girl, really?” Cora is very level-headed and she knows danger when she sees it. She is not stupid and she reacts like a normal person. However, I am genuinely curious to see how their relationship develops in the sequel. I finished the book in one day and I downloaded the sequel equally as fast. I cannot wait. To end, all I have to say is, “don’t go through the dark path!”

I enjoyed this book so very much. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because I don’t give those out lightly. I recommend reading! There is suspense, mystery, creepiness, romance.. all of my favorite things!!

I followed this book down the rabbit hole, and enjoyed every minute of the experience the rest of the books had to offer. And an experience it is: somewhere along the lines of Alice in Wonderland meets a Hieronymus Bosch painting. As with other novels by this author, it is indeed a darker read with just as dark of a romance; however, that being said, this author always does a spectacular job at walking the path of morally grey. If you are someone who is easily triggered or does not enjoy darker themes, this book would not be for you. If you are someone who likes books that push boundaries and walk between good and evil, buckle up because Harrow Faire is a fun ride.Simon is hands down one of the most endearing, unhinged and chaotic characters I have ever read; and I loved every inch of him. You never knew what pot he was going to stir next, or what ridiculously poor decision he was going to make. I could, in all ways, totally get behind that. Cora spent the book confused, conflicted and often in a state of complete disarray, but again, Simon was to blame for at least half of it.This book has more intellectual under themes, dabbling in the ideals that no one is completely good or completely bad, but rather both reside in all of us. It also explores the concept of how our social environment we are raised in, makes it difficult for us to break out of and veer onto a different path. All of that being said, this has become one of my favorite series, and I will be reading it over many times for years to come I am sure.

This reminds me a lot of the Circus of the Dead books, but that's a good thing because they were fantastic. There is enough different to make it fun and it is more adult than the other series, which is always a plus. ;) I love villains. Looking forward to the next part.

The writing is great! I feel like there isn’t a ton of filler. I also love the FMC and MMC!

I really enjoyed this book. Perfect combo of magic and macabre. Characters are very interesting and I can't wait to learn more about each of them in the rest of th Harrow Faire books!

Ms Kingsley, you KNOW what you did here. This book is PERFECTION. Ugh. I FREAKIN LOVED IT. I couldn’t put it down. The carnival was so creepy cozy, the characters so odd and lovable.. I want to curl up in this fascinating yet terrifying world you’ve made and be a part of it.I absolutely LOVE the “wants to kill her, but then falls for her” trope and you really nailed it so far. He absolutely turned on her at end and I didn’t think he was going to. I thought he had grown to like her too much, but DAMN he’s savage. Just goes to show we’ve got lots of character growth to look forward to, and I am HERE for it.Without further ado, on to Part 2!!!!

Really loved this first book. It is beautifully written (if we don't count a few details that are a bit repetetive) and it will keep you hooked from the first chapter!It has some dark themes and it's captivating page after page. I'm really looking forward to read the rest of the series.

I avoided this book for a while because I was afraid it’d be too much horror, but I think it walks the line between too much and too little quite successfully. Also has authentic chronic illness representation of which, I could not get enough.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable quick read. It is like a YA novel with a little more adult theme. Give it try.

J'ai dévoré lez 5 livres de la série Harrow Faire en quelques jours.C'est devenue, de loin, ma série préférée. La qualité d'écriture de l'actrice est un délice. L'ambiance est sombre et Simon Waite est un vrai méchant avec du style et beaucoup d'humour, pas simplement "grey minded", Cora est une FM forte avec des réflexions qui font sens et ça on apprécie aussi.Bref une merveille dont on entend malheureusement pas assez parler !

I was looking for some good circus horror and this book was a perfect fit for me. I love everything!