I think I'm going to have to revisit this book again to review because my god; what beautiful chaos that I'm struggling to find the words for. It was very literary marmite (thankfully I love marmite) - a mysterious, magical and feverish dream of a story full of wonder and a stunning allegory for the otherness of queer people in society.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the e-arc, all views are my own.

Very much enjoyed this one, was very atmospheric but also an interesting premise.

This book turned out to be everything I had hoped and more. The premise of a weird and wonderful freakshow infiltrating a neglected Scottish town grabbed my interest, but it was the pure (naked) poetry of Jane Flett's writing that took me by the throat and threatened never to let go. The pure lyrical filth of Freakslaw had me watching my own multi episodic TV extravaganza in my head and by the end I was desperate for season 2!

i’ve been sat for 30 mins trying to firmly rate this and i truly truly cannot tell if i loved this or hated it or both

set in a small town in scotland where everyone knows everyone, a freak show fun fayre rocks up and starts creating havoc amongst the residents albeit maybe not entirely of their own accord.

i think for a book that’s meant to be an allegory for us vs them, queer vs non-queer, “freak” vs “non-freak” it wasn’t exactly a revolutionary spin on the genre and i think that’s what my biggest issue was. at face value it’s an entertaining extremely weird read about strange people doing strange things and the way the town reacts to them. but it’s nothing below surface level and that i think is where it falls a little short.

however, i think for someone new to the genre it’s a great stepping stone, a toe in the pond, a worm in the mud (read it you’ll get it).

the characters were extremely intriguing - especially nancy who i could never fully work out. but i will say this runs into the issue every book with a character list in the front runs into and that is that some were introduced and under-developed. sure i didnt expect a full freak show to have a chapter for every performer but it introduced certain characters in a chapter as if they were about to get their own storyline and then relegated them to background noise for the rest of the book. i appreciate it almost had to be this way or else the book would’ve rivalled war & peace in left but i would have rather they just been background the entire time rather than one dimensional.

all this being said i did get through the last 50% of this is almost one sitting. like it was WEIRD but i ate that shit up!!!!

thank you for an ARC/free copy for review

This is honestly a whirlwind of a read. You get a real sense of being in a funfair with the ups and downs, a real sense of speed and bright lights and chaos. A small Scottish town is the perfect setting for this quirky and unique story.

Much to like about this intriguing book but somehow I failed to connect with the cast of characters. Loved the setting and the premise, the bizarre and the grotesque but despite this was left slightly detached from the characters, maybe that's best!

This booked ticket a lot of my boxes: unusual, set locally (I.e not USA) and weird in all the right ways!

A really enjoyable read, great pace and the most intriguing of characters. Would happily recommend to friends!

It's 1997 and a circus/carnival/freakshow rocks up in a small Scottish town. At first the inhabitants are horrified but soon their curiosity wins out and they're lured in both by the magic of the incomers and their own needs. It was dark & very entertaining.

i love books set in scotland and i liked the initial cast of characters. i just didn't connect much with them after a while and wasn't invested.

Freakslaw by Jane Flett takes us back to 1997, where the carnival has just rolled into the small town of Pitslaw, Scotland.

The residents of Pitslaw have mixed feelings about it - some are intrigued, some are disgusted, some are terrified, and some, like teenagers Ruth McNamara and Derek Geddes, are intoxicated at the prospect of some excitement...and maybe a way out of Pitslaw.

But this is no ordinary carnival. Teen witch Nancy and her family have an agenda - four hundred years ago, 36 "freaks" were killed in the village square. The gang are out for revenge - but first, they want to have some fun.

Look, any book that opens with a quote from "The Craft" already has me hooked, and when you name one of your main characters Nancy, there are big boots to fill. I loved the setting of late 90's Scotland, I loved the descriptions of the carnival, and I loved how the families were written. Derek and Ruth's stories were brilliant, both really evoked the feeling of growing up in a small town dreaming of escaping but being hindered by family circumstances.

The Nancy thing - parts of her story made me really uncomfortable, especially considering her age. I get that there was a need to make her as intimidating and powerful as possible, but I did wish she was just a couple of years older.

I loved the overall vibe of it, I mean what's not to like about a dreary small town in the the 1990's becoming obsessed (for better or worse) with a travelling group of queer, witchy, revenge-obsessed performers?! Derek's story was my favourite, and I'd happily read a standalone book about him.

[3.75]

What a debut! I love weird books about strange people, so there's little surprise that I enjoyed Freakslaw.

Set in 1997, the Scottish town of Pitlaw is rocked when the travelling circus Freakslaw sets up base and the town will never be the same.

It's vibrant and grotesque and oddly heartwarming. The writing is also incredible: bold and, for want of a better word, aggressive. But in like, the best way.

Already looking forward to this authors next work!

I love everything circus / carnival and so I knew I would really enjoy this !!!

The writing was fantastic and I really felt as though I understood the characters. I thought the different POVs were great and really fit the tone of the book.

My only criticism is that it was too short ! I would have loved a more concluded ending, however, I do feel like the ending was true to the book, therefore, it’s only a lil tiny thing.

Really really enjoyed my time reading this !

Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for an #ARC of #Freakslaw.

I honestly don't know where to begin describing this book, weird, wonderful, quirky and fabulous! It is an intriguing read, leaving the reader wonder where it might be leading.

Utterly fabulous but might be hard to recommend with certain scenes in the book (animal cruelty, violence), but I would certainly read again.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. An interesting read with good character development. Unfortunately it failed to capture my interest in the second half as it did in the first half. However would definitely recommend to anyone who likes wants to read a varied and unique story

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5

Thoroughly enjoyable read with all the fun of the freaky fair! Absolutely loved this quirky read. Loved the setting of Scotland in the 90’s. Loads of characters in and out of the fair to become familiar with. Stand outs for me were Nancy and the relationship of Derek and Zed.
Gorgeously written, I would definitely recommend this and will look out for future stories by Jane Flett.

It's 1997 and the conventional town of Pitlaw in Scotland is about to be hit by a whirlwind.
The Freakslaw travelling funfair is coming to town!
All manner of people are represented fortune tellers, deviants, witches amidst many others.
The town isn't ready for it or for the ensuing chaos.
Staunchly traditional in their views this is too much for them to handle.
Yet insidiously the carnival folk intertwine with the locals and lure them to the funfair.
The teens are entranced especially Derek and Ruth, longing for a chance to escape their hundrum and often violent family backgrounds.
But the newbies have darker machinations and their motives are bent on revenge.
It's Pitlaw against the Freakslaw but who will win and also, who will survive?
A really clever idea for a story, deliciously creepy and in a way left open for a sequel.
The ONLY comment I make against it, as it's a personal trigger for me is the level of animal cruelty mentioned.
I get the violence aspect of it but it added nothing to the story and actually detracted from it a little so skipped certain paragraphs.
But I have to give an honest review and my triggers won't be the same as other readers, so basing it all in context this was a good, creepy read.

A wild and crazy read, this book is all about what happens when the fair comes to a quiet and nondescript town. The culture clash , the dark secrets and repressed emotions all come to the fore in this glorious collection of exploits. The free natures of the self-described 'freaks' of the show in contrast with the staid and locked-in personalities in the town leads to some very dark places but has an underlying sense of joy and freedom that can't be shaken too easily.

Sassy and fun!
Exciting, intriguing, compelling, disturbing...
So many ways to describe this fantastic story. I loved it!
Written in a fast-paced style which draws the reader deeper into the mysteries of the travelling fun fair.
The show is full of freakish, quirky characters who live together as a 'family' - moving from one town to the next to bring joy and pain to the residents.
The town is full of strange characters who each have emotional and psychological issues to deal with.
Pitlaw is a sleepy place which is soon woken up by the experiences from the spectacle in town - some enjoyable, some unpleasant,some desired and some unwanted,
Everything is unexpected - and they don't realise that the fair folk are seeking revenge for the wrongdoings of the townsfolks' ancestors...
The town is changed dramatically when the fairground closes up, packs it's bags and heads for another group of unsuspecting victims.
I enjoyed this story immensely - it was vibrant and colourful.

I was sent a copy of Freakslaw by Jane Flett to read and review by NetGalley. Wow! What a fantastic book, in many senses of the word! It’s compelling, magical, erotic, exotic, engrossing, and beautifully written. I absolutely adored it! I was hooked from the very first page and didn’t want to put it down. There is a great array of really interesting characters and the sense of place, both within the fairground and the town, is fantastic. The novel deals with a range of pertinent issues including bigotry, racism, sexism and bullying, to name but a few, and does it in style. My only complaint is that I have finished the book and would dearly like to still be amidst the Freakslaw!

If you're a fan of "American Horror Story" and "House of 1000 Corpses," this book is perfect for you! It's dark, depraved, shocking, and gruesomely satisfying in every way possible.