Review: Gods and Monsters by Rachel Langella (Carnival of Mysteries)
Welcome, Traveler, to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries!
What you see before you is no mere vagabond circus. Indeed, our show is full of wonders and delights that will leave you breathless, but whether that is with amazement or dread depends entirely upon you. We are unlike any other band of creatures you have ever encountered — and you few brave souls who choose to step beyond your mundane expectations and join us may witness sights beyond your wildest imaginings.
So sit back, relax, and let us entertain you. For time and worlds are fleeting, but each soul has a tale to tell.
For centuries beyond count, Errante Ame has taken his Carnival of Mysteries from world to world and across times, never staying in one place too long lest his great enemy discover his location. Along the way he has accumulated friends and built a family of sorts among his ragtag band of performers, yet he doesn’t dare let anyone get too close to protect them from becoming a target as well. He stands apart, an outsider even among those closest to him, concealing his true nature.
The Carnival is all Rafe Harper has ever known. Plucked as a toddler from the remains of a destroyed village on a world he doesn’t remember, he was adopted by Calliope, the Tattooed Lady, and raised among the performers. As an adult, he was given the position of Ringmaster by Errante — though he secretly longed for far more from the enigmatic leader of the Carnival. Despite all the wonders he has seen, Rafe stayed with the Carnival to remain close to Errante, wondering if someday he could break through Errante’s walls and finally reveal how he truly feels.
But unbeknownst to either of them, a traitor lurks among their friends, and unless Rafe can discover the secret of his past, he stands to lose Errante, the Carnival, and perhaps his very soul.
Gods and Monsters is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a mysterious hero, a lonely wanderer, a vengeful god, and a guaranteed HEA.
Dear Rachel Langella,
I enjoy seeing the carnival theme in the books and awhile ago I read a couple of books in this series written by the different authors. I felt that connection with carnival in these books was a bit forced and not explored in much depth (that is how it read to me of course), so I was not planning to read any more. A couple of days ago I stumbled on Ami’s review of your book at Good reads and realized that this is actually about Carnival and its mysterious owner finding love and decided that I have to read it after all.
First and foremost, seriously can this blurb be any longer and can this blurb at least let some things be a mystery for the reader? I mean I am exaggerating somewhat of course – the blurb does not tell us the mystery of Erante’s past or who he truly was, or what does happen at the end and how he deals with his enemy, but I thought that the description overall was too detailed.
What I liked the most in this story was magic. I thought the description of Errante moving the carnival through time and place was beautiful and overall I just really liked what he was supposed to do with his magic and I actually liked that the author made sure to show that there were some important things that Errante *could not* do with his magic.
Before I started reading this story I was also worried about how Errante’s age will be portrayed. I am not spoiling for you Errante’s true identity or how he came into his magic, or anything like that, but surely after reading this blurb it is clear for the reader that Errante is an old being because as blurb states:
“For centuries beyond count, Errante Ame has taken his Carnival of Mysteries from world to world and across times, never staying in one place too long lest his great enemy discover his location”
When I know that a character had lived a long time before we met him or her I always worry what the author will do with them because an old character (even if in years only and not in appearance) should not behave like a teenager and especially in a story with a romantic storyline, such scenarios do come to live at times.
I should not have worried because the hang up Errante may have had about getting close to Rafe was rooted in a very easy to understand fear about exposing Rafe to danger and he does not get into pages of angst and actually gets over it pretty quickly, pages wise, and the rest of time I did feel that it was plausible that an old being who may have travelled to many, many places but basically could not leave Carnival would behave like Errante did.
I liked Rafe just fine and thought they were good together, but I did think that his backstory offered too much of a coincidence to close everything at the end with a tight bow. I do not complain too much, I just note this for the record.
I very much like the theme of found family which we see emerges for several Carnival workers, I enjoyed their friendship and support, but I also did not think that most secondary characters were portrayed with much depth.
I also enjoyed some fun twists on well known mythologies that story offered.
Grade: B
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