An interesting story full of twists and turns. It took me a little while go get properly into it. But once I did I was hooked. I really wanted Maisie’s life to improve and although it did it was never straightforward. The end was fitting. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advance copy.

As soon as I saw the front cover and then I saw The Night Circus meets Water For Elephants I knew I had to read and review it and it didin't disappoint. I couldn't put it down

I picked this book on a pure whim. Perhaps, like so many characters within the book, it was the lure of the carousel that drew me in.

This is a treat, with the start of the book taking place at a couple of different time periods while the bulk of the tale is set in America from 1919 onwards.

A carousel, something magical, innocent and yet people vanish from it. Adults and children are snatched away with nobody seeing anything - aside from our main character who is haunted by the look of fear on the face of a little boy, moments before he is gone...

Its hard to go into detail without spoiling the plot, but this is a mystery, a love story, an exploration of what it means to be a woman in American at that time - and a woman born from two different heritages at that. The many strands are woven skilfully together, and while there are a few choices I couldn't understand the main character making, she was a powerful, well written character who was fighting to make her place in the world, while also protecting that world from an evil she thought only she could see.

The last 100 or so pages felt almost rushed, with everything being rapidly tied up - answers were given, storylines were resolved, but after the magical, almost mystical build up, it was a bit of a shock to the system. I am glad there was resolution however, and was satisfied by the solution even if I didn't quite buy into the motive.

~Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC in return for an honest review~

Whenever you decide to read a book by an author who’s new to you, you never really know what to expect and there’s always a risk you won’t like it, particularly when it’s a debut novel like this one. Fortunately, I loved The Midnight Carousel from the beginning; it’s such an original, unusual story that I was completely captivated by it.

The carousel of the title is built in 1900 by Gilbert Cloutier for the Grand Exhibition in Paris. Gilbert is struggling to come to terms with his grief over the recent loss of his young son, so he decides to add some special features to the carousel in memory of the boy. This is the last thing he does before disappearing without trace. Over the years that follow, the carousel gains a sinister reputation when it becomes linked with further disappearances and Detective Laurent Bisset is asked to investigate. He thinks he has caught the culprit, but several years later history begins to repeat itself, leaving Laurent questioning whether he has made a terrible mistake.

Meanwhile, in England, Maisie Marlowe is being raised by abusive foster parents in Canvey Island, Essex. Maisie has no idea who her real parents are and the only things that sustain her through this miserable period of her life are her friendship with her foster brother and a picture of a beautiful carousel that she found on the beach. Eventually, an aunt comes to rescue her and takes her to live in the home of Sir Malcolm Randolph where she has just taken a job as housekeeper. Due to an unexpected sequence of events, Maisie ends up emigrating to America with Sir Malcolm where they open an amusement park in Chicago with a magnificent carousel as the star attraction – the exact same carousel as the one in Maisie’s picture and the same one that was built at Gilbert Cloutier’s factory in Paris.

When the disappearances begin again, Laurent Bisset is sure there must be a connection with the earlier incidents in France, so he travels to Chicago determined to uncover the truth this time. Here he crosses paths with Maisie, bringing the two threads of the novel together. I loved both characters and was interested in their personal stories – Maisie’s Dickensian childhood and her incredible change of fortune and Laurent’s dedication to making amends for his past mistakes – but I also enjoyed watching their relationship develop as they come together over the mystery of the carousel.

The mystery element of the book is not so much a whodunit as a howdunit. How can people be disappearing into thin air while riding the wooden jumping horses? Is the carousel itself haunted? Did Gilbert Cloutier place a curse on it? Is someone somehow snatching people from the horses without being seen? Although there were a few clues that I thought could and should have been noticed by Laurent and the police, I can also understand how they could have been missed. When we eventually get some answers, they are both clever and creepy and what I found particularly unsettling is that all through the book I never really knew whether I was reading magical realism or something with a more human explanation. The eerie atmosphere, along with the fairground setting, kept reminding me of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, but I think this is a better book.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Midnight Carousel and loved getting to know Laurent, Maisie and the secondary characters – I particularly liked Mrs Papadopoulos the dairy seller and Madame Rose the fortune-teller. I’ll certainly be putting Fiza Saeed McLynn on my list of authors to look out for in the future.

When I read a book written by the author I'm not familiar with, I try not to have any expectations, if I can help it. So I did for this book... And I'm unsure wherether that had any part in my opinion on this book.. But you know it's pretty darn good!

Interesting plot, some twists and turns, some ups and downs.. Some questionable decisions and lifetime feelings.. But so is life. A little bit sentimental.. But so are a lot of people.

At first I thought that carousel might serve similar part in the book as Something Wicked This Way Comes and maybe, in some part, it was a nod to this brilliant book. But it wasn't truly what it was. It has different meaning, different mystery and kind of different horror to it.

I wouldn't want to say more without spoiling it.. But it was well worth my time!

A Dark and Enchanting Tale – 4 Stars!

The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn is a beautifully atmospheric novel that takes readers on a captivating journey through time, mystery, and tragedy. Set across two compelling timelines, it combines a sense of eerie enchantment with a gripping, suspenseful narrative that kept me hooked from start to finish.

The first timeline takes us to Paris in 1900, where Gilbert, a renowned carousel-maker, is struggling with the haunting grief of losing his wife and son. As he pours his sorrow into his masterpiece, we sense the creeping darkness in his mind, which adds a layer of intrigue to the story. Gilbert’s obsession with his work and the way it consumes him was beautifully written, and I couldn’t help but be drawn into his tortured soul and the emotional weight of his creations.

The second timeline shifts to 1920s Chicago, where Maisie Marlowe begins a new chapter of her life, uncovering an old and neglected carousel. As she restores it, Maisie unknowingly becomes tangled in its sinister history—a history that includes unexplained disappearances. The way McLynn weaves this thread of mystery throughout Maisie’s journey was cleverly done, creating a sense of tension and foreboding that built up throughout the novel.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the atmospheric setting. McLynn does an excellent job of bringing both Paris and Chicago to life, capturing the magic and allure of the carnival and the darker secrets lurking beneath. The carousel itself becomes almost a character in its own right, its beauty and mystery intertwining to create a sense of danger and wonder.

The characters were well-crafted, though at times I felt that some of their motivations could have been explored in a bit more depth. Maisie, in particular, could have used a little more development to make her more relatable, but her determination and resilience still made her an engaging protagonist. The gradual reveal of the carousel's dark history kept me intrigued, though I did feel the pacing lagged slightly in the middle, where the story’s tension seemed to dip.

Overall, The Midnight Carousel is a beautifully written, darkly enchanting novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction with a touch of mystery and the supernatural. While there were a few moments where the pacing could have been tighter, the compelling atmosphere and intriguing premise more than made up for it. A solid four-star read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story that blends history, magic, and suspense.

Parts of this were lovely, I was really engaged at the beginning with the beautiful carousel and then the mysterious disappearances, but it all got a bit too busy, the characters were a bit wooden and it was all descriptions of happenings, little magic. I thought it had great potential but felt a little underwhelmed.

Grief stricken Gilbert Cloutier constructs a beautiful carousel for the 1900 Exposition. In 1914 in Paris, Detective Laurent Bisset is on the mysterious case of missing children that seems to link to the carnival carousel. Meanwhile, on Canvey Island, Essex, Maisie Marlowe has had a tough start to life but her fortunes change when her aunt Mabel takes her under her wing and into the household of Sir Malcolm Randolph. After a number of tragedies, Maisie emigrates to the USA with Sir Malcolm and they settle in Fairweather House in Chicago. Sir Malcolm buys a carousel on a whim and eventually they establish The Silver Kingdom amusement park with the carousel as its centrepiece. However, sadly, history seems to be repeating itself.

About the only thing that I love about fairgrounds is a carousel and I don’t take much persuasion to choose my horse and jump on. So a story that has a carousel as it’s focus has my interest immediately and this is a very promising debut novel. There are some vivid descriptions especially of the mysterious carousel and it’s easy to picture the scenes that occur around it, especially as the author cleverly hints at the magical and certainly weaves in the very mysterious. It’s therefore a very atmospheric read with great settings and really good characters creating a harmonious whole. Maisie goes on a real emotional journey and experiences danger, loss, grief and love and through it all she forges her way, rising above everything that is thrown at her with determination and resilience. It’s always good to have a central female character that is strong and tough. All the characters are well portrayed from Laurent to Sir Malcolm and Mrs Papadopoulos, the latter who is immensely likeable with some great dialogue between her and Maisie. She has a clearer grasp of Maisie’s strength perhaps more than Maisie herself.

I enjoy jumping on this ride with Maisie and although the ending does come at us with some speed, it does take things full circle. Congratulations to the author for this lovely tale which suggests that she has a promising future as an author.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated epub in return for an honest review.

The Midnight Carousel is a page turning mystery with a hint of magical realism. It centres on a young woman called Maisie, of uncertain origin, who is drawn into the sinister history of a fairground carousel. Children throughout the decades have mysteriously disappeared when they have written on one particular horse. A police detective joins forces with Maisie to try and solve what looks to be a very dark crime. This is a beautifully written historical novel, set in a time period that I knew little about, and focusing on a little known aspect of fairground history. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look out for more by this author.

Loved this. I love reading anything that involves fairgrounds or circuses and this one didn’t disappoint. The story behind the carousel was fascinating and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the end.

We meet the carousel first. It's 1900 and Gilbert is building it--his masterpiece--for a major exhibition. He is working through the deep grief he feels due to the recent deaths of his wife and son. Staying in Paris, but in 1914, there is a series of unsolved missing persons cases that appear to tie together somehow. The police make an arrest. The crimes are solved--or are they? And what does the carousel have to do with all this? Moving a bit back in time, we go to Sussex and a dreadful, abusive foster home where Maisie and Tommy are inseparable and help each other to survive. They spend a lot of time at the water's edge and find many things there, including a bottle with a picture of a beautiful carousel. One day, Maisie's life is changed forever when her aunt comes to take her away and into a new life, which eventually brings her to Chicago. She has no idea that her life will become so intricately intertwined with the carousel, and that there are mysterious and troubling events in the carousel's past and future.

This is an excellent book. The plot is intriguing and handles themes of family, grief, abandonment, love, and substance abuse really well while also telling a great story. The characters were well drawn, for the most part. Many of the 'supporting cast' members were excellent--I loved Mrs. Papadopolous. Maisie's acceptance of the fact that she will always be an outsider for one reason or another gives her a sense of freedom and a firm understanding of her own mind. This can make things more difficult for her at times, especially because most of the story takes place in the 1920s and women's lives were quite circumscribed. She did make some questionable choices, but given her past and her fears, I could understand why she made them.

The last section of the book felt a bit rushed to me. Some things were glossed over, happening suddenly and in a kind of perfunctory manner. It felt like a race to the finish, which was a big contrast to the rest of the book, which went along at just the right pace. However, there were no loose ends and I didn't feel like I was left hanging about anyone or anything. In spite of my quibble about the last section of the book, I'm still glad I read it. I loved it and I definitely recommend it.

This is a very clever novel and I loved the characters of Maisie and Laurent. There is mystery, intrigue, romance and perseverance all set at the beginning of the 20th century. Very enjoyable.

This is the story of a young woman from an orphanage in England who ends up living on a wealthy Chicago estate in the early 20th century. It's a broad and complex story with a mystery at its heart that revolves around a sinister carousel.

The writing is pacy and draws you in and I liked the complexity of the story. There's elements of mystery, romance and an underlying theme of racism that worked well

A very enjoyable, high quality, well-written novel.
A carousel becomes the binding ingredient of a mystery and crime story spanning years and characters.
We start of with a well-described unresolved crime, then move on to more emotional focus on other characters, such as Maisie. a girl with a bad fate. who writes her own fate later.
I will surely revisit this again for the story and writing.

I was a little underwhelmed by the opening of‘The Midnight Carousel’ as it introduced us to a grief stricken Gilbert putting the finishing touches to his finest creation. Thankfully the focus quickly shifted to Maisie Marlowe, a plucky orphan struggling against the odds to eke out a meagre existence for herself and her best friend Tommy.
Maisie’s fortunes fluctuate wildly as we plot her progress in England, America and France. She never loses her kind, indomitable spirit and the reader shares in her joys and disappointments. The eponymous carousel lends a degree of mystery to the plot, but this is Maisie’s story and is all the better for it.

In turn-of-the-century Paris, Gilbert Cloutier builds his final carousel. Devastated by the death of his wife and son, this is his last act before his disappearance.

Fourteen years later, his nephew Victor is guillotined for the crime of Gilbert’s murder, and the disappearance of three others, including two little girls. Detective Laurent Bisset has closed the case – but is still haunted by the missing bodies.

In the meantime, orphan Maisie Marlowe is rescued from poverty by her aunt and her benefactor Sir Malcolm, eventually finding herself running Silver Kingdom amusement park in Chicago.

However, after two children disappear from Silver Kingdom, from the very same Cloutier carousel, Laurent and Maisie must solve the decades long mystery.

A beautifully crafted historical novel intertwined with a compelling and clever mystery that captivated me until the end.

Maisie is a child abandoned to the care of a cruel family in Canvey Island. She lives a very hard life until she is one day rescued by her aunt.
We follow the ups and downs of Maisie’s fortunes in England in the early 1900s, and in America. Entwined with her life is an amazing mechanical carousel, first seen as a picture, then the real thing, which is almost a characters in its own right.
Laurent is a French detective who is investigating mysterious disappearances of people connected with the carousel, and his and Maisie’s paths cross.
Their story, and that of the mystery of the carousel, set against an American fairground is a compelling read, but I was hoping for a little more fantasy and magic.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

So the carousel was built for the festival or exhibition in Paris as they called it then to welcome 20th century into its birth. Year or whatever the expression is.

The 1st few chapters give us some history some family info of one of the horses creatures and context then the story launches and will send you into various directions and emotions. There are plenty of twists and a variety of characters all from yonder years that seem strange to us but genuine for the eras covered, and both continents though must characters are European. There is an unforgettable mixture of backgrounds that come together in unexpected ways and make for a wonderful journey.

So my take on this is a wonderful read that takes you back to years well before I was born and so a welcome escape from the present times. There is intrigue a whodunit or how did they do it, the ending is very clever and will give you some questions to keep you carring on thinking, or I should say it did me. All this was in a way I loved. So I highly recommend this and hope you enjoy it a lot as I did. Its a wonderful read.

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review The Midnight Carousel. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.

Paris, 1900

Celebrated carousel-maker Gilbert works night and day to finish his masterpiece in time for the city's Exposition Universelle. But Gilbert is struggling in the wake of his wife and son's tragic deaths, and as he finalises his creation, a dangerous idea forms in his mind...

Chicago, 1920

Maisie Marlowe has come to America in the search of a new life. When she unearths a beautiful, neglected old carousel, she seizes the opportunity to carve a thrilling new destiny for herself. But Maisie doesn't know that beneath its glittering facade, the carousel is hiding a dark secret. Twenty years ago, it was linked to a number of people inexplicably vanishing into thin air - and now history has begun to repeat itself...

This is THE author to watch! Wow! I do not know how she's going to match let alone top The Midnight Carousel. It gave me all the vibes that The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern did. I was so utterly immersed in the world that Fiza created.

This book just has so many different aspects that I love. The mystery itself was interesting and kept me wanting to know more. In my spare time whilst not actively reading the book I was conjuring up different conclusions to the mystery, it had me hooked.

The characters are everything. There was development all around which was great to see. Even the minor characters had stuff going on. I am quite literally obsessed with Maisie and also Laurent.

I genuinely do not have a bad word to say about this book. The mystery was intriguing, the characters were wonderful and the pace was perfect. Going a little deeper into the pace, it wasn't so slow to the point where you become bored but it's also not too fast so that you speed by everything and it's over before you know it. This book took it's time but not unnecessarily. The descriptiveness was beautiful but absolutely needed to create this universe. Sometimes I find that authors can be descriptive for the sake of it and not because the story calls for it.

This is an absolute work of art. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to find themselves immersed in this story.

Fiza, I hope you are proud of yourself. You have every right to be, this is a beautiful book.

I am still baffled as to how this is someone's debut novel, it is simply amazing.

A wonderful historical fiction read with added mystery and magical, superstition elements. A story of love, life, loss and grief, spanning decades moving from 1900 in Paris to England, then 1920s Chicago with Maisie as our main heroine. Central to the story is a beautiful, enchanting carousel with a mystery. Several people go missing whilst riding the carousel. What is happening to them? I loved the writing, maisie was a wonderful, strong, resourceful character who was a joy to spend time with. Also, some wonderful side characters, too, such as Laurent, Mrs. Papadopolous, Arnold and madame Rose. Some sad and emotional scenes towards the end and some outcomes I didn't expect. I'm so glad I read it, and I will certainly watch out for more of this new authors works in the future.