a clash of cultures is inevitable when a circus rolls up to a small scottish town. the residents are repulsed by and drawn to its gender-bending, contortionist, fortune-telling performers. but as tensions rise, a dark secret in the past reveals the circus's true motivations and a reckoning is due.

the story is dark and visceral, with vivid descriptions and sharply-drawn characters, who embark on fantasy-inspired journeys to their darker selves. it's definitely influenced by folk horror.

it's definitely a reflection on my mood, not this novel, but i found it hard to sink into. the glittering imagery and wry tone made me feel quite distant from the characters and i had to make an effort to absorb what was happening. again, not a reflection of this book's quality, and normally it's the kind of story i'd love - i think it's just not what i need at this moment. i may return to it in a few months and see if i change my mind.

thank you netgalley for this review arc.

The interesting premise drew me to this book, but unfortunately I really struggled with it. Sooo many characters to attempt to get to grips with made it a struggle to get into and keep track of, which ultimately pulled me out of the story.

Roll up, roll up the Freakslaw funfair is rolling into town! And the Scottish town of Pitlaw best watch out, for these misfits have more than just fun on their minds.

The book begins quite slowly, but the tension builds and builds like a pressure cooker about to blow.

The Townsfolk of Pitlaw are repulsed and enraged by this tribe of degenerates; Miss Maria The Fat Lady, Cass & Henry the conjoined twins, Nancy the contortionist/scheming witch, Drag performer Gretchen Etcetera, Human pincushion the Pin Gal and Werewolf Louie stealer of hearts (including mine), to mention just a few.

However, intrigue draws the Townsfolk in one by one, and as they find their way to the funfair, the ancestors of the Freakslaw call for atonement to settle a historical wrong. The culmination is a violent eruption of hatred and prejudice.

I loved the funfair atmosphere, the seductively mystical characters, the narrative of a dark past at the centre of the unrest, and the tug-of-war over who the real bad guys were.

#AD/PR Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for my e-ARC in exchange for my review.

4.5*
This book was deliciously depraved. 
I couldn't stop reading. 
Think house of 1000 corpses meets the craft with a can of ironbru for good measure.

Do check trigger warnings

Disturbing yet addictive. American Horror Story vibes, in the best possible way. Intriguing from the beginning. An excellent debut!

Unfortunately my high hopes for his book were not met and I ended up DNFing this title at about 25%.

While I normally like multiple POVs, I found that too many of the POVS in this book were lacking excitement or anything that particularly drove the narrative forward and felt that this novel could have done with less POV changes, or at least those that didn’t drive anything could had been cut so this was the main reason for my DNF.

Set in the summer of ’97, in the drearily named town of Pitlaw, we have small minded people guarding their small minded town. Enter the Freakslaw – a band of merry misfits with a flair for the dramatic. We’re talking deviant queers, a contortionist witch, and don't forget the adorable lil werewolf!

Pitlaw’s teens, especially Ruth and Derek, are drawn to this spectacle like moths to a neon flame. At first I wasn't sure about this book, I thought we had a series of vignettes, but actually they were a steam train, slowly building and merging. From about 50% I couldn't put it down and finished in a day, although it took a little for me to get into it at the start.

The buildup is deliciously tense, and as the stories slowly unfold and evolve you find yourself wanting things to happen with sometimes little idea what's actually going to happen. It had an air of Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls about it, and I think it was perhaps on purpose. It's very much in the tradition of the disruptive gothic horror, although actually less horror than I was expecting!

So, if you’re ready for a ride that’s part carnival, part revenge fantasy, and all people, "Freakslaw" is your ticket. Just buckle up – it’s going to be a bumpy, brilliant ride.

I've removed a start because it was brilliant, but I was expecting more punk, and I didn't quite feel Ruth's story landed the way it was supposed to.

I had such high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis, the idea sounded exactly like something i'd enjoy. Circus full of 'freaks' come to titilate and intrigue the small Scottish Town of Pitslaw. Unfortunately I've had to call it quits at just over 20%.

There are too many characters and too many alternating chapters told from varying points of view where nothing actually happens before it's on to the next chapter/character.

At first It reminded me of the way Stephen King includes different characters and really builds his worlds. But for me these characters fall flat as I just don't know anything really about any of them as their chapters are so short and it's too slow moving for me to want to learn any more.

The idea sounded awesome, but sadly for me the execution is not.

I feel it unfair to fully review books I haven't managed to complete so will not be leaving a review on goodreads or amazon for this title.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this book is very special to me. It depicts what it's like being an outsider, and still being able to find your family. I felt very recognised in this.
I kinda wished it had leaned more into the horror element. Partly, it focused a lot on gore and being disgusting, but I would've appreciated a bit more atmosphere, especially against the backdrop of a funfair. However, I was impressed how every character had such a unique voice. This book is told from a lot of perspectives, and yet you can tell them apart very easily. It's not a long book, just about 300 pages, and yet nothing felt like it fell short. The writing style also matches the vibes perfectly, being very chaotic at times, especially when looking at the freaks.
I spend a long time thinking about whether or not I had a favourite character, and I came to the conclusion that none of them were really loveable. This story is filled with anger and a need for revenge, in a way that is so incredibly understandable. But it also poses to question of wether you can answer violence with violence, if you should hurt those who have hurt you, or maybe even if you need to to protect yourself and others. And what does that make you? What does it leave you with? I think that part will stay with me for quite some time.
On the other hand, I wasn't a fan of how one specific part was handled towards the end. I don't want to spoil anything here, but I'll give you a CW for teen pregnancy & abortion. That in itself didn't seem badly handled to me, but one specific thing left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Idk.
Nevertheless, I love me some feral teenage girls. Teenage girls should have a right to be feral, and somewhat disgusting. Love that.
In conclusion, I really liked this book. I should've expected less atmospheric horror, but I'll hold the hope of being strange and still being loved, not despite but because, very close.
4/5

Set in the small Scottish town of Pitlaw in the summer of 1997, the story revolves around the arrival of a peculiar fun fair, Freakslaw.
This is the perfect choice for readers who enjoy dark, fantastical tales with a touch of horror, highly recommended for those looking for something different and exciting!

Unfortunately this novel wasn’t for me. I found the introduction of all the characters at the beginning to be overwhelming, I prefer to find the characters naturally throughout the elements of the novel.

As far as I read I did find the writing and premise interesting but it didn’t grip me enough to continue. It might have been an unfair comparison but I felt a Geek Love sort of vibe from it early on and I felt that might have skewed how I was expecting the novel to turn out.

I do think I would consider this for a re-read in the future if I had the time but at this point I have had to DNF.

4.5

The half point off is because I wanted more. I wanted a longer book. Its not a bad criticism is it? I'd definitely read more by Jane Flett.

I loved this. It grabbed me right from the start and (appropriately) felt like an absolute roller coaster of a ride.

The story centres on the funfair that has come to the small Scottish town of Pitlaw. The Freakslaw has arrived to mess with the residents. They've come for fun, danger and for revenge. But is Pitlaw ready for them? Will the freaks go too far too fast and who will pay for the consequences?

The characters in this book are the stars. From the moment you meet Maria the Fat Lady sent to the local cafe to keep her weight up you know there's going to be a clash of cultures on an epic scale. The residents are most definitely not going to welcome the obese, the strange and the magical. In fact they're ready to teach them a lesson but there could be enough of the town lured by the lights and the glamour to tip the scales.

A great story with luminous characters. I'd highly recommend it. I looked forward to reading it and struggled to put it down. The end isn't what I expected at all. It just came way too soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

I really was not sure what to make of this book to start with but slowly got quite engrossed in it. There were a couple of uncomfortable scenes that I wish I had not read but overall enjoyed the book. Definately something a bit different.

I’m not really sure what to make of this book. I will be rereading because there were lots of characters and I felt that whilst I was getting my head around it all, I was missing exciting nuggets of information. I am giving it 4 stars though because I found it unusually exciting to read.

A wild thrill ride of a book with fantastic characters that will leave you breathlessly gasping wtaf?

Such an interesting book. The characters are well written and I found myself wanting to know more about them with each page. I loved this!

Freakslaw is a wonderfully descripted, time capsule of carnival ride.

A freakishly hot summer sets the scene for the joy ride of carnal pleasures await the residents of the Scottish working class town of Pitlaw. That is if any of them are brave enough to take a bite of the candy apple of delight that awaits them?

A Witch, a Seer, conjoined twins and many more, are some of the characters that set the scene in this vertigo inducing thrill ride.



A more than promising debut from Flett,

Blood butterflies beauty freaks sex magic the place you wish to be but repels you all the same FREAKSLAW WATCH AS THE FREAKS COME OUT you'll be mesmerised as the norm meets the extraordinary. Excellent read unputdownable

I did not enjoy this book. From the blurb I thought I'd love it as it's got a very similar sound to Grady Hendrix., but despite Flett's beautiful and descriptive writing I just couldn't continue past 35%. I have absolutely no issue with expressing sexuality and will read most things. A vivid account of a 16 year old masturbating with a doll is not something I, or anyone, should enjoy reading about though.

It’s Summer 1997 and the Scottish town of Pitlaw is crying out for changes to happen.

Along comes Freakslaw, a travelling funfair with defiant queers, a witch, an amazing powerful fortune teller, and many other masters of mayhem. The Freakslaw people infiltrate Pitlaw’s grey and gloomy world where the teenagers dream of escaping and are drawn to the fabulous Freakslaw world.

However the strangers have a darker side and that’s revenge and with tempers and tensions ready to explode a violence that’s been dormant is about to rain on the town of Pitlaw

This book is weird and strange but it’s definitely a great read. The range of characters are interesting and the story starts slow but then it all comes together with the mix of people from Freakslaw and the town of Pitlaw. The ending did exactly what it needed to do and possibly could lend itself to a second book. Who knows but this book for me was a 4 star read.