my books. my life.

Title: Carnival of Souls
Author: Melissa Marr
Narrator: James Marsters
Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult
Pages: 320
Audio: 8.1 hours
Year: 2012
Publisher:Harper Audio
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Book Rating: 3/5
Audio Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

Aya and Kaleb, daimons living in The City belong to very different classes. But both enter the deadly competition that is part of this year’s Carnival of Souls. Back in the human world, Mallory lives with her witch father, running from the daimons who are after something her father stole. Through a series of events, their lives become intimately intertwined.

(This was a hard book to summarize. There was a lot going on.)

My Thoughts:

I’m trying something different for today’s review. Three things I liked and three things I didn’t.

What I liked:

• The switching viewpoints. The story is told from various perspectives and it keeps the story fresh and allows for a broader look at the world Marr created.
• The witch vs daimon dynamic. It has one of those old-feud feels which makes it seem real.
• The darkness. The book is really dark, with the carnival and the prostitution and the tyranny and all.

What I didn’t like:

• The pacing. By the time I felt like the story was really picking up, it was over. I get that it’s a series, but I still need the book itself to have a satisfying pace.
• The characters. Mallory is whiny and helpless. Aya is selfish. Caleb was the most likeable but really I’m on Team Zevi. He was the only one I really liked.
• The “daimons.” Why can’t they just be demons?

Audiobook Thoughts:

As much as I may want him to be my favorite narrator ever, I think I ned to finally accept that I should stick to Buffy reruns when I need my James Marsters fix. There is something about his narration that annoys me. It also seemed strange to me to have a male narrator for this one. I will probably switch to print for the sequel.