If you're a regular reader of my reviews, you will know that I am not a big fan of circus/carnival books and the only one that I truly loved was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I've read a handful more of similar storylines, yet they never seem to leave me hankering for more. Daughter of the Burning City was better than other circus/carnival books that I have read but it still wasn't a book that I would read again and again.

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the travelling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear.

One of the things that I really enjoyed was the main protagonist. She was such an interesting character and one that I had never read about before. She had no eyes, but she could see everything. I was very intrigued by how that worked and I was even more intrigued about her background, but we weren't given any of that which was a shame. We just know that Sorina is the Proprietor's adopted daughter.

Another thing that I really liked was a good proportion of the world building. The only thing that confused me about it at first was the whole 'uphill' and 'downhill' part. At the beginning of the book, I genuinely thought the 'uphill' and 'downhill' had something to do with the whole politicalness of the book and that the 'uphill' was the one that the festival didn't like or... whatever, yeah. You get the point, I was confused. But as the story carried on, that finally became clear to me. I actually enjoyed the political element of the book; I found it interesting and I wish I could have learnt more about it.





"Walk the line between normal and monstrous."

- Amanda Foody, Daughter of the Burning City






I also thought that the suspense was pretty perfect throughout the novel, and there were little hints dropped here and there such as the handful of pictures that made an appearance every so often throughout the book. The pictures conveyed the 'blueprints' of the illusions that Sorina had drawn, and across the 'blueprints', the killer had scrawled how they were going to kill them. I was quite eerie actually but it was an element of the book that I loved and - when I was reading - I couldn't wait until I came to another picture.

I genuinely had no clue who the killer was, I was clueless the whole way through. I read through some reviews of Daughter of the Burning City on Goodreads and some people said that they guessed it pretty early on, and others said that they had no clue. That's me. When it was revealed, I was actually quite a surprise and it seemed quite a stretch, to be honest. But I can understand why Foody chose that character to be the murderer. But yeah, the whole thing seemed a bit of a stretch which is what let the reveal down for me.

The final thing that I have to say about this book is that there is great LGBT+ diversity. Sorina is bisexual, Luca is on the ace-spectrum (he seems to be aromantic/asexual? But I'm not 100% sure, so some follow-up is definitely needed) and Nicoleta is a lesbian. I did read this book a few weeks ago so I can't remember if there are any people of colour in this book. But I will definitely try and find out and then include it in the review once I find out (or if someone can comment and let me know if there is racial diversity, that would be fab!)

Overall, this was a good book. The beginning was slow, and I got confused at first, but the rest of the novel was intriguing and I loved Sorina as our main character (thank you, Amanda, for creating a female protagonist that goes against YA norms) but alas, the ending let me down. I am on a mission to try and find a circus/carnival book that I enjoyed as much as Caraval, but I can't see to find one anywhere.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

There is a lot to enjoy here. It tells the story of Sorina, a young girl living in the travelling festival city of Gommorah, her family and the war between the Up-mountain and Down-mountain peoples. Firstly, there are some incredibly original ideas interwoven into the narrative. I really liked the idea of illusions as portrayed here and I liked the atmosphere of the city. It falls somewhere between a giant circus and a market town and there are a lot of well-drawn periphery characters that enhance the description of Gommorah. Sadly, there was quite a bit of plot that I just found all too familiar and quite predictable. The villains, the love interest and the overall structure of the narrative did not live up to the originality displayed in some of the other aspects of the book. That being said, this book is an enjoyable read and will definitely appeal to it's target YA audience - it just didn't blow me away.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It's always a risk when one picks up a book on a whim. It's impossible to know what to expect when you've never heard of a book, and there's always the potential of it going disastrously wrong. But Daughter of the Burning City ended up being a pleasant and refreshing surprise that stands out from the YA fantasy crowd.

The story is set in the travelling circus-city of Gomorrah, with a girl who can create powerful illusions as it's protagonist. Sorina lives and performs with the family of illusions she created for herself, all of whom have special abilities. As illusions, they should not be able to die, but when one of them is murdered, Sorina teams up with a boy who cannot be killed in order to track down the culprit and protect the rest of her family.

The murder mystery is by far the most exciting aspect of the novel. The story had me guessing and double guessing at every turn as to who the person targeting the illusions was. What made this even more exciting was that the physical copy of the book has illustrated pages of the characters scattered throughout, with words scrawled like a killer's hitlist. I haven't seen something like this done before, but it really kept up the intensity of the story.

I did struggle for a while in remembering all of Sorina's family members. There are a lot of them, and because the language did more telling than showing I found it hard to form a connection with any of the characters. The flat language was also part of the reason I read it a bit slower than I read typically. I felt like I was being told that Sorina saw Villiam as a father and saw Venera as a sister, but I didn't completely buy that connection, nor did I feel the threat of the potential war or anything beyond the main storyline.

I liked how sexuality is never a thing that is questioned in Sorina's world, and that nobody takes issue with the fact that she is bisexual or that Nicoleta is attracted to women. But I did feel weird that everyone treated Luca with discomfort becuase he was asexual, calling him 'strange' and acting as if he were abnormal because of it. With a story focused on the characters of Gomorrah having specific peculiarities, it didn't feel right that that was what made Luca unusual.

Daughter of the Burning City was definitely a mixed bag for me, but I did love how the focus and structure felt different from other books of the genre. I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a fantasy that's easy to read and just a little different.


Diversity note: bisexual protagonist and asexual main character

Warnings: stabbing, death, murder, drowning, blood, gore, decapitation

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I had no idea what to expect with this one, and was pleasantly surprised to find out I completely loved this book. Definitely on my top ten for this year so far. Its premise and characters are so unique and interesting, and it appears to be a stand-alone, which is rare in YA fantasy.

This fantasy novel tells the story of Sorina, an illusion worker at the Gommorah travelling circus. Sorina has no eyes but she can see. She creates illusions. The illusions she creates are so real they have become almost as real as real people, to her, they are her family, and together they perform the carnival freak show. Each illusion has it’s own special ability. Sorina has also the adopted daughter of the festival proprietor. She is the heir and will take over running the whole show one day.

The festival is travelling across their land, they are from Down Mountain and travelling Up Mountain. The Up Mountain people appear to be the rich snobby people. There’s a war brewing between the two factions hinted at throughout the novel. Sorina’s illusions are being murdered. Each stop a different illusion dies and the novel tells the story of Sorina’s investigation into the Murderers and the truth behind the Gommorah Festival.

The writing is incredible, it’s quite a dark fantasy really. Sorina becomes enamoured with another illusion worker – a poison worker, Luca who’s unique talents make him impossible to kill. His show involves festival goers paying to try to kill him. The characters are all so different and well written. The plot is very twisty and impossible to predict. I was very surprised when the truth was revealed. Sorina learns quite a few shocking home truths as her investigation progresses. The family connection was brilliant, how they all came together, not without drama and plenty of emotion wound through as various family members were brutally murdered.

Not a lot to recap as it would be really spoilery. There was hints of a romance but it wasn’t the sole focus of the plot and the characters were all delightfully diverse as well. Really interesting world building as well. A political undercurrent later on as the war brewing takes alarming shape. Morally questionably acts. It was quite violent in parts.

Over all it was excellently written. A fantastic read. I loved it so much I bought a finished hardback.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for approving my request to view the title.

Gomorrah is a traveling city that wanders bringing a stunning festival to life fuelled by the magical folk that live there. Caught between lands that face war and yet free to move and bring excitement and wondrous entertainment to those who dare enter its gates. Sorina has been a part of Gomorrah since she was a child taken in by the proprietor and she uses her gift of illusion to bring the Freak Show to life. Yet the freaks who reside there are no more real than pigs that fly as they are all creations of Sorina's imagination and therefore not real or are they? Each has there own personality and dreams, each can make their own choices and yet still somehow are tethered to Sorina. The festival is meant to bring joy and wonder but there's a dark underbelly that will shake everything Sorina believes and it all starts with the impossible, the bloody death of one of her creations!
There is a lot of political intrigue here that somehow didn't quite work. I found it difficult to really understand the reasoning behind the apparent uprising. I think for me it just needed more fleshing out and clarity as it was never made clear exactly what the true objective was.
Sorina is an interesting character. First she was born with no eyes and yet can see. We are told she sees because of her illusions around her but she can still see when they are not around which had me a bit confused but hey ho I didn't let that spoil things because with magic anything goes. Her illusions are the family that she has created for herself so it was easy to understand her emotions when awful things started to happen to them. This young girl is clearly lonely and knows that few would look upon her with kindness but she doesn't let this hold her back.
The various forms of magic described are incredible and at times very complex. There is romance here but it's a quiet gentle thing that never overtakes the story which is heavily backed up by the dark menacing aspects of the carnival. Human nature being what it is those ordinary town folks are all too keen to take a walk on the wild side but yet again the establishment that feels so conservative and buttoned up constantly makes its presence felt. All this led to a conclusion that was surprising and also very sad. Trust is a valuable commodity and so easily broken although luckily the author ( I believe this is her debut) ended this with a bright shiny new dawn for Gomorrah.
Oh and I must just mention the illustrations that pepper this book as they represent the drawings of her creations which Sorina made in her childish hand but which the villain has taken and added his own chilling footnotes to. I struggled to rate this between a three and a four because yes it wasn't exactly perfect but I dearly wanted to know the outcome so for that reason I will post as a four.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

So this is the first book from fairyloot that I have actually picked up and read and I have to be honest it was quite good.

I was hooked from the beginning and it was only small things, like having to go to work, that stopped me reading in one go. Sorrina and her cast of illusions were instantly my firends. Sorrina was a typical teen, scared of the further, loyal to her loved one and determined. She also had a the traumatic problem for have a flat space where her eyes should be... If I'd have been her I would not have gone outside.

One thing I did expect was the thrill of the carnival to play a bigger role. For the carnival to be central to the plot, but it really just felt like a way to move from city to city. When I frist read the synopsis I thought that it would be more like Caraval by Stephanie Greber. But I can assure you it is not. This is more a murder mystery with a bit of magic to spice things up.

My main issue with this book is that I felt like there were some huge plot holes in how Sorrina magic worked and what was going on. It felt so confusing and too complex for what was going on. Luckily the plot hole only hits you when it's happening. I think that the main problem was there was too much thought in to how things had happened. But as this is a debut that's ok.

This was an addictive, unputdownable book. That had more mystery than I would have thought possible and a lot of secrets. Magic and murder in one place? Who'd of thought.

I loved this book so much and I cannot wait for Amanda's next book. Daughter of the Burning City was so much more than I expected and so I have high hopes for the next book I pick up.

This is my review as posted on Goodreads. There is a slightly more detailed and coherent review on my blog (linked below).

I should add that this book may have suffered from being read in strange places like airports and a few thousand feet in the air and in a hostel dorm room in Dublin. I usually read things in one sitting, so they're always a bit disjointed when I don't.

I should also say that I know the author a bit; we collaborated on a joint blog for a while a few years ago and have stayed in touch online. That doesn't affect my review, but it did influence how I approached the book and the preconceptions I had about it. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd have picked it up based solely on the blurb, because there are very few circusy books that I've read which haven't been a disappointment. Thankfully I did, and it wasn't a disappointment.

So, I enjoyed this a lot. The plot was probably the strongest aspect for me, as it had clear stakes and was compelling enough to hold my interest despite the somewhat choppy reading experience. It had plot twists that I didn't see coming, which I greatly appreciate, as someone with a frustrating knack for randomly guessing twists based on nothing at all and therefore ruining books for myself. I didn't find the political machinations entirely convincing and I felt they could have used more development, possibly via an alternate POV, as these characters were only really mentioned once they were immediately relevant and that made it hard to engage on more than a surface level. On the whole, though, there was interesting worldbuilding, even if I didn't entirely follow all of it, and an intriguing cast of characters. I particularly liked the originality of the 'freaks', some of whom were entirely unlike any I've come across in other books.

That said, there were a few aspects that bothered me. I didn't really understand why the protagonist had no eyes if she could see anyway. I realise that from an aesthetic point of view it made her into a 'freak' and contributed to her sense of being an outsider and so on, but it felt a little bit too much like those books where a character is sort of disabled but that's negated by their magical powers. That said, she's never portrayed as being disabled and it's treated as an aesthetic disfigurement and no more, but eh. It sat uneasily with me.

Likewise, I was pleased by the inclusion of an ace-spectrum character, but when another character alluded to that being his 'freak' characteristic and an example of a mistake or error in his creation... well, although I don't think the reader was supposed to agree, it wasn't actually explicitly called out on page and nobody pointed out what a harmful idea that was (and how common). I think he was meant to be demisexual because he talks about needing a personal connection and so on before experiencing attraction; that's not my identity, so I can't talk about how realistic or otherwise it might have been. Though I felt under the circumstances it might have made for a more interesting relationship dynamic if he had been asexual, but maybe that's just because I find reading about kissing pretty dull. There also seemed to be a fair bit of conflation between romantic and sexual attraction, which was misleading at times. So, while the ace-spectrum rep was something I was looking forward to about the book, it didn't end up being something I particularly loved about it.

I liked the writing style: it didn't blow me away, but it also didn't BUG me, and tbh any writing style that sufficiently blends into the background so that I don't notice it while reading is a good style in my book. Too many books that I've read recently have been written in a way that distracts from the story; this didn't do that. I'd expect no less, from someone I know entirely through writing circles! :)

It's strange, though, because the parts I enjoyed most about this book are the aspects I didn't expect to engage with. I'm rarely surprised by plots, because of my aforementioned knack of guessing twists at random, and in some ways I think that's just because I've read SO MANY books. But this one managed to surprise me. While other aspects of it which drew me to the book (such as the promise of ace rep) ended up eliciting mixed feelings.

The overall impression was a positive one, though, but it was really hard to decide on a star rating. I wasn't going to include one at all (I didn't on Goodreads), but NetGalley won't let me submit this unless I choose on. I'd probably go for 3.5 stars? But I'm really not sure so take this as an arbitrary quantitative judgement that doesn't say much about my opinions.

I requested this book as I'm a big fan of stories set in festivals/carnivals and it did not disappoint!

The characters are wonderfully written, and I especially loved the illusions. They are really brought to life on the page and didn't feel like Sorina's creations, but like people as real as any other characters.. The descriptions of both the characters and the setting are vivid which helps you to imagine what the world looks like.

The murder mystery element of the story also kept me engrossed as I didn't know who could be trusted.

There is little I can say about this book without gushing. It was beautifully written and took several twists I did not expect. It had similar themes to Caraval, by Stephanie Garber and the Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern due to its setting. But this book was completely unique. The plot and the characters were incredibly developed and there as enough foreshadowing in place that I could see hints of what was to come without figuring the ending out. It was a delightful debut that shows just how talented Amanda Foody is. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for the world.

There is a murder mystery at the heart of Daughter of the Burning City but it is not like any murder mystery novel I've ever read before. Partly, this is because the real mystery is not only who the murderer is but how it is possible for them to kill Sorina's illusions in the first place, but mostly it is because of Sorina herself. Sorina is a compelling protagonist. She has no eyes, yet she can see perfectly, and she can make other people see whatever she wants them to see. Because of both of these things she finds it difficult to make friends and so instead she uses her illusion-work to create a family of fellow 'freaks', who she loves as though they were her real family, and who she mourns that way too, even as she worries that most of the friends she has are ones she made up. Sorina is full of these kind of contradictions, which make her feel all the more real as a character. Just because her illusions aren't real, doesn't mean she won't do anything to protect them.

Sorina's illusion-work is certainly one of the most interesting aspects of the novel, as is Luca's poison-work, a word he has chosen himself because he appears to be the only one. At first Luca is a little difficult to warm to. He's rude and kind of mean, but as Sorina gets to know him better, so does the reader, and the story avoids the dreaded insta-love trope. If I have one complaint about Daughter of the Burning City it's that I would have liked to have seen more of Sorina's family of illusions, but only because what we do see of them is so interesting: a girl with wings like a hawk, a tree that walks, and a boy with two heads, just a few examples. In the grand scheme of things though, this is a small complaint, as the story is so interesting, fun, and unique, with plenty of twists and surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat, and plenty of characters to enjoy spending time with.

Daughter of the Burning City is a very atmospheric read, which is perfect because Gomorrah is a very atmospheric place. Foody's description really brings the reader into this smoke covered traveling city, filled with magic and danger. It's impossible not to imagine walking through the city with Sorina and Luca, not to feel the wonder when Sorina discovers a new part of Gomorrah that she's never seen before, or the grief when she loses one of her illusions. Strange a place as it may be, I would definitely love to visit Gomorrah for real. Although I might pass on Luca's show.

this was EXACTLY my sort of book. which means, if you know anything about me, that it was weird as hell.

the originality in this book is honestly stunning; it was like nothing i've ever read before. i did get vibes of Seraphina (Rachel Hartman) and Pantomime (Laura Lam), but they didn't really have much in common at all. (that said, if you liked this book then you'll like those books, so check them out. and vice versa.)

this wasn't just an original high fantasy with the most interesting magic system i've come across in a while, but also a meditation on what it means to be a person. the worldbuilding was also very intricate and detailed, and the reader learns about the political climate and the nature of the city of Gomorrah without it being an info-dump.

the suspense was also perfect throughout the novel, with little hints being dropped here and there but the plot was so exquisitely woven that even if you figure out one thing, you'll never be able to figure it all out. unless you're some sort of supergenius, but that's pretty unlikely.

also: diversity! the main character is bi, luca is on the ace-spectrum (demiromantic/sexual, maybe?), nicoleta is a lesbian, there's a bunch of racial diversity... so that was nice.

the romance was really well-done, too. i'm not a particularly big fan of romance but i have to say that this one was realistic and well-developed, and there was FINALLY the distinction that someone can have an instacrush without it turning into an instalove-relationship - because let's be real, instacrushes happen aaall the time but instalove-relationships hardly ever happen, yet it's the latter that YA authors (and authors in general) seem to portray. but not so here!

if i had one tiiiiny gripe it was perhaps that the political intrigue was hanging in the air a bit at the ending, but really the story focused on sorina and her illusions so it wasn't that much of a big deal. i think there's definitely the potential for sequels tho. not sure if the author's planning more books, but i'll be keeping an eye out.

conclusion: this was the perfect blend of magic and mystery, and it's probably one of the best YA high fantasies out there. highly recommended!!

Whilst there were things I really enjoyed about this book I found this, ultimately, to be another instance of the hype surrounding this to lead my expectations to be too highly placed.

Sorina can conjure illusions that seem and feel as real as any of the humans that come to see the freak show they perform together. This girl with no eyes is given a way to view the world through the senses of her creations and, so, their dual reliance on each other causes a dysfunctional, little family to form.

I found this to be such an unusual and innovative character set that I was expecting a whimsical and magical tale about their lives to emerge. Instead this quickly transferred from being just that to a romantically-centred story, and a mystery thriller with a dash of fantasy thrown in.

Also the setting, a travelling circus city of sorts, was such an intriguing notion that I was expecting this to give me The Night Circus vibes, which I have been looking to see duplicate since falling in utter adoration of that novel. Again, I found this initially did just that before allowing this to become alike to any other world, both real or imaged, with only the barest hints of anything unusual.

It seems the first third delivered everything I thought this would. It soon lost itself to mediocrity, however, and I found myself longing for the initial whimsy. This first section could have been drawn out into a full-length novel and I would have adored an extended exploration of Sorina's life in the circus, but I felt dragged away from this too soon and was instead given something I felt I had read and seen delivered in many similar fantasy novels. Not bad, but not what I was expecting from this.

This is my new favourite world. I was so sad to leave it. Both Gomorrah and the cities it was travelling through were so well built. The tension outside of Gomorrah with the people against Gomorrah and the people who reside within it made such an exciting background to such a personal story of family and loyalty.

The illusions were wonderful. I loved the way that Sorina's family were introduced and how the illusions were all introduced through the performance. The emotions within their family quickly got intense after they started to be murdered. Aside from the rather creepy drawings throughout depicting how the murderer was planning to kill them, which were really unnerving but added nicely to the atmosphere of the book.

Though I guessed the ending, it didn't feel predictable at all. It was such a brilliant plot, woven beautifully to create a creepy wonderful murder mystery.

I love circus themed books for the escapism, wonder, and adventure they promise, so when I saw this book I had to buy it. The premise seemed interesting and unusual - an illusion worker whose illusions are being murdered despite this being impossible. It's quite a dark mystery and certainly isn't a light-hearted book.

Gomorrah itself was incredibly fascinating and it's definitely been added to my list of fictional places I'd love to visit. Sorina is an independent, sixteen-year-old, illusion worker and was fun to read about. Luca is slightly arrogant and seemingly asexual, which was certainly an interesting aspect of his personality. A couple of the characters took a while to develop so I wasn't invested in them at first.

The religious fanaticism permeating the book adds another dark thread to the story. The followers of Ovren promise punishment to those they deem impure, i.e. the "freaks" of the festival and the physically imperfect. The book was much darker than I expected but I really enjoyed it. The only question I would love to have answered is how Sorina managed to see without eyes? Was it magic that enabled her? I would definitely recommend this book for lovers of YA fantasy and circus themed books.

Daughter of the Burning City follows sixteen year old protagonist Sorina and her life as part of the dark and wondrous Gomorrah Festival. Sorina is different from others in the festival though as she has a rare kind of jinx magic. She is an illusion-worker. Creating illusions is her talent. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show. Suddenly thing start to happen that Sorina never believed possible and she seeks help in figuring out what is going on.

"Walk the line between normal and monstrous."

To begin with I didn't really get sucked in to the story straight away as I found it rather confusing to figure out what was going on. I think this was because you are kind of thrown straight in the deep end and immersed in this wondrous world. So many things are happening straight away that it's hard to get into and keep up; but as you keep reading it's like you enter into the world yourself. I was about a hundred pages in and I was like; "Oh my god I am in love with these characters and this is so good!" It was like I had a revelation and finally realised how much I was enjoying reading the story.

"The festival comes to life in a rush of opium smoke, the blinking lights of dancers, the smell of pastries that stick to your fingers, the thundering of the fireworks."

The only word I can think of to describe Amanda Foody's writing is magical. The thing I think that I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the more you read the more you get pulled in. It's like I was walking around Gomorrah experiencing everything for myself. The world building in my opinion was really fabulous and I found it very easy to picture everything. I've been very much enjoying books based around circus/festivals lately and this book only added to how much I enjoy the concept. I do have to say however that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped to. Even though it was a very enjoyable read I just felt like there was something missing. As I was reading I couldn't help but recognise how well this was written and also how well this concept was executed which made me want to love it more than I did. I think this might be one of those books that I will enjoy more the second time around. But honestly don't get me wrong this was absolutely fabulous and I can't really come up with a reason why it fell short for me. I've decided to give it four stars mainly because it took me a while to get into and the fact that I feel like there was something stopping me from becoming fully invested in the story as I was reading it. 

"...I will be alone. The certainty of it weighs in my soul like a stone lodged in my throat. I cannot breathe." 

The characters the author created were very intriguing and so well developed throughout. I've never read about a main character quite like Sorina and the mystery around her was what kept me reading throughout those first few chapters. I'm very glad that I did keep going as it got better and better. I loved how Amanda Foody seamlessly weaved in so much variety into her characters. It was refreshing to read in a fantasy as i often feel the genre lacks that a lot of the time. 

Overall I highly recommend this book and am extremely excited to read more from Amanda Foody in the future. It's definitely worth the read. This whimsical, twisty tale is full of shocking plot turns that will keep you constantly on the edge of your seat.

4 Stars

Early digital copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

More 3.5 than 3 stars, I found Daughter of the Burning City a bit of a mixed bag - on the one hand the world is totally unique - though the theme of being a carnival will draw comparisons to other similar settings, Gomorrah is a place unto itself. BUT it felt very hard to navigate, which I think was down to being told how the world worked, rather than shown at first. So much is crammed into the first few chapters that the early world building I rely on to ground me felt lost. Sorina is a really compelling character, BUT she also felt slightly too unreal for me to invest in, there was a definite disconnect for me there. The pacing wavered until the final 100 pages, which were truly gripping, but overall it felt messy, slow, then rushed during the first murder, then slow again. The language is beautiful, and I'm interested to see where it goes next - in the meantime I'll give it a re-read and see if that helps me connect a little more with it.

**This review is scheduled to go live on my blog on 23 August 2017**

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, however I also bought an early sale copy too.  Neither of these facts affect my opinion.  This is a spoiler free review.

Daughter of the Burning City is the much-hyped debut novel from Amanda Foody.  I was approved to read this book a few months back but was holding off for some reason.  Good reviews kept pouring in and when I saw early copies on sale at YALC, I had to have a physical copy.  I'm so pleased to say that I was surprised by Daughter of the Burning City in the best way possible!

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

 But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear.*

There was just so much for me to love about this book.  From the sumptuous description of the world to the characters and their abilities, everything about this book just worked.  The Gomorrah Festival was such a wonderful setting.  Foody’s writing makes the Festival come to life as the reader’s mind is filled with its the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells.  The descriptions of the food in particular were excellent – and kept making me hungry.  It is so cliché to say so, but it really did feel like the Festival was a character in the book.  So much of the wonder and twisting of reality was complimented by the setting.

The Gomorrah Festival is the perfect setting for the mystery plot that takes place.  When one of Sorina’s illusions is murdered, the home she has always known no longer feels safe.  When she begins to investigate, she enters areas of the Festival – particularly the Downhill area – that she has never ventured into.  So in a way, we are seeing it for the first time along with Sorina, which was an effective way of introducing us to her, the Festival, and the magic that fills her world.

I really loved the characters in Daughter of the Burning City.  Of course we spend most of our time with Sorina, whose illusion-work is the reason a number of the characters exist.  She is content with her life and her family of illusions.  She’s unusual not only for her illusion-work abilities, but also for the fact that she has no eyes.  Although she is still able to ‘see’, much of her identity is wrapped up in this feature and the masks she wears reflect her feelings at the moment.  Sorina is a strong character, yet realistic.  She’s dedicated to her family, who she treats equally despite knowing that they’re ‘not real’.  When it comes time to investigate, her reality is twisted and she doesn’t know what to believe, but she still acts with her family’s best interest in mind and makes tough choices.  I really respected her as a character.

The other characters in the book were just as fascinating as Sorina.  From Luca, the charming and rapidly-healing gossip-worker, to Villiam, her kindly father figure and proprietor of the Festival who will teach her everything he knows, these secondary characters don’t fade into the background. 

The other members of the freak show were fantastic and fascinating as well.  They were more than their abilities and outward appearance – each had their own lives and personalities.  Foody did such a great job making sure that they had defined personalities, and it really paid off.  You feel their fear, their sense of loyalty, and their connection as a family.  The illustrations peppered throughout the books not only enhance them as characters, it adds to our fear when we don’t know who will be safe and who will be fall victim to a killer.

There are so many other things I can say about this book and it’s plot, but you should really discover them on your own.  Read this book – it is so refreshing in its inventiveness.  The romantic subplot enhances the story rather than dominates it.  The world-building is wonderful and the magic system is fabulous.  You cannot trust your eyes until the very end.  Daughter of the Burning City kept me guessing – I thought I had it all figured out, but I did not – and was such an entertaining read.  I highly recommend it!

*copy courtesy of Goodreads

I loved this book so so so much! EVERYTHING was perfect and amazing! A must read!

Guh. I loved this book! Daughter of a Burning City is beautifully written, with compellingly flawed characters and an creepy, dark atmosphere. I thought including the little sketches Sorina used to design each member of her family (edited by the killer) were a nice touch, interspersed throughout the story.

I really liked the main character Sorina, and her family of illusions. Sorina's up-front and determined but still a little naive and childish. She tries her best to protect her family but isn't flawless and makes some mistakes. Each of the illusions has their own life, motivations and well-developed character, even the ones we only see for a short while. I was totally sucked in, terrified for them while they worried about who was hunting them down.

I loved(!) Gomorrah itself. It's a travelling circus city, dark and complicated, with a personality all its own. I would happily read some stories about the previous Proprietors and their fates if Foody ever decides to write them. I loved the idea that all the creepy magical wonders we saw through Sorina at first -- the Freak Show, the Menagerie etc -- were all just the tip of the iceberg and that even she didn't know the full extent of what went on at the Festival. Gomorrah would definitely go on my list of fictional places I'd love to visit.

A small drawback was that the mystery was a little predictable. There are a few red herrings, but they're just not that compelling so I had my suspicions about the real murderer. It didn't really bother me though. The characters and the setting far outweigh any lack in the plot twist. I also had a bit of trouble understanding why Sorina was picked for the mission towards the end. It was dramatic, but surely she's too valuable to risk when she's so inexperienced?

Those are minor gripes though, and I'll be recc'ing this book a lot.

REVIEW
As I chose this book I wanted something a little different than my recent reads which have been shifter, and dystopian books. I am also quite fascinated with old style travelling circus theme.

I've seen two covers for this book and have described them below in my Cover Compare feature. I love the purple colour that is featured on both covers which represents the fog and smog smoke from the constant magical burning in and around the moving city that is the Gomorrah Festival. I think just based on the colour alone, this book would catch my eye enough to it pick up and learn more about it from the blurb.

The main character is Sorina who is just sixteen years old, she was adopted by the proprietor of the Gomarrah Festival, Villiam. Life within the travelling city of Gomorrah is all Sorina has known. Sorina, along with some of the other performers in the carnival/festival have what is described as Jynx-work. Sorina is a lonely character and even within the festival she doesn't know or talk to many people. The festival has been banned from certain places for around three years then suddenly Villiam has been told that the festival is once again welcome on those areas. Sorina has her own tent which is entitled the "Freak Show" which consists of her, "The Girl Who See's Without Eyes". At first I thought Sorina was a puppeteer which I suppose she is in a way except the strings to her illusions are invisible. The book begins with a nervous Sorina peeking through the heavy velvet curtains. One by one her illusions perform, then for the finale Sorina is "The Girl Who See's Without Eyes". Sorina doesn't think of her illusions as a freak show act. Sorina feels all her illusions are their own persons and her family, there's Gill the troutman who can breathe in water who is like an Uncle to Sorina, Blister who is the baby that breathes fire and the two twin younger brothers which are Unu and Du who share a body but have their own heads and opinions that they don't mind sharing and arguing with each other. The problems begin when one of the illusions is killed. If illusions aren't really a living human how can they be murdered/killed? That is the puzzle that Sorina and a newer member of the festival called Luca who says he is a gossip worker which means he hears a lot about what is going on in Gomorrah.

I struggled to begin with and at one point actually thought I won't be able to finish read this one. Then suddenly the pace and intrigue picked up and I felt more drawn into the book with the intriguing details of the 'freaks' created by Sorina and their individual acts in the Gomorrah Festival. It certainly had me asking questions quite early on in the book too. Why after over three years is the festival suddenly being allowed? Why has the 10pm Menagerie show been cancelled?
Who killed Gill? And why? Who is the important up mountain man that has gone missing that provoked such an uncivilised and fierce reaction from the local up mountainers? Why did Jaifu not turn up to the usual place he meets up with Sorina to split the proceeds of his thefts do she can pay for Kahina's medication."
I absolutely had to continue reading as I wanted to know what was going on, who was doing the killings, why are they killing those closet to Sorina? Why is the festival suddenly allowed to visit cities it had previously been barred from for the past 3 years?
As I said I founder the very early part of this book slower paced than I usually like but by about half way through I was glad I had to persevered.

I feel I shouldn't go into much more detail as you need to read the book yourself. It has slow beginning and at times I thought it was a little odd but as the story develops it becomes more interesting and you feel yourself pulled deeper. The plot speeds up and there are so many suspects for the killings, you easily become more involved and it certainly keeps you guessing who the guilty party is. This book becomes more complex, and intriguing with every page. Just when you think you have worked certain characters or parts of the plot out there's another twist or turn!

I liked the character of the somewhat naive Sorina as well as Kahina, the one who is a mother figure to Sorina. Yet when Kahina contracts the dreaded snaking disease it is Sorina that has to use rather unscrupulous methods to obtain the money to pay for the procurment of the necessary medication. I was also intrigued as to how Sorina has created her own band of friends/family that perform in the freak show along with her. Another character I loved was Luca, a male gossip worker who was quite stand offish towards Sorina but ends up being an increasingly important person in her life. Sorina quickly develops a crush on Luca, but does he feel the same way about her? I thought Luca came across as a very innocent young man, which at first I thought suspicious but then later in the book there is a perfect explanation for his inexperience. When Luca is explained more in the book and certain things are revealed his reactions and behaviour all make sense. To be honest if I had to choose just one favourite character it would be Luca. I loved the descriptions of the outfits he wore, his whole terminology and how he spoke.
A character I thoroughly loved hating was the proprietor of the festival, Villiam. Villiam is the man who adopted Sorina all those years ago, who says one day she will take his place and be the proprietor, yet he seems reluctant to begin training her and revealing the secrets and harsh realities of the festival. At times he can be rather dismissive of Sorina. To me he became a little patronising of her, telling her only the bare minimum of what she needed to know. Then in my opinion when it suited him he actually used Sorina and her little family as part of a very dangerous plot for power.

So to finally sum up my final thoughts as I finished this book were, Wow! How on earth can I describe this book? . . . . .brilliantly weird, strange and compulsive reading. Amazingly different character within an olde worlde setting of a travelling festival/circus.