This book had a lot of good things to say about love, family, identity, and religious hypocrisy. I can see it resonating with some readers.

For me, the execution was subpar, especially compared to Cornwell's other books. Rosie's poetry chapters added nothing, just repeated what we learned from Ivory's chapters and thus bloated the book and slowed the pace. Ivory's internalizations seemed much more juvenile (and expositional) than her actions and age warranted. Lots of fairytale elements were spattered in without actually exploring them in any kind of depth or coherency. The author clearly tried for a poetic prose style but didn't take it far enough to succeed. ( )

The premise underlying Betsy Corwell's The Circus Rose is engaging. Imagine an Earth-like world where religious fundamentalists fight against what they call "lies"—which include everything from fiction to magic to, you guessed it, circuses. Now imagine a circus traveling by air ship, run by a bearded woman whose twin daughters each have different fathers, featuring a chorus line of dancing boys who incite desire among audiences of all sexual proclivities, and a faerie who is both a magician and double-gendered. One of the twin daughters dreams of becoming an engineer; the other is a circus performer whose closet companion is a performing bear. When the circus is burned to the ground and then its performers and staff begin disappearing, it is up the the would-be-engineer twin, Ivory, to figure out what is happening and to rescue those she loves.

Yes, there is a lot going on in this book and it is peopled with interesting characters. The plot, however is less complex than the context in which it's set. It begins slowly, then races to a too-easy conclusion at the book's end.

If you love plot-driven narrative, The Circus Rose may disappoint you. If you enjoy fiction that creates and sustains interesting worlds and characters, you should find The Circus Rose an enjoyable read.

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )