Release Date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Series: Pantomime, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website
R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a vanished civilization – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It's a place where anything seems possible... a please where anyone can hide.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.
But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.
But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Pantomime by Laura Lam was absolutely brilliant. I'm seriously at a loss for words! It was a gorgeous mix of fantasy and contemporary, with historical elements, all in the backdrop of a circus and the world of Ellada.
I really enjoyed this story from start to finish. It was quite a long book, but from the beginning there's a huge twist which I really didn't see coming. Not to give too much away, but there is a touch of LGBT in this novel, which I haven't actually ever read in fantasy– ever. In the YA category anyway.
This story is split into three "parts". Not so much parts, but more like two perspectives to begin with and then finishes off with a final section. The beginning is split into spring and summer, which feature Gene and Micah respectively. We learn more about them, and then as I've mentioned before, a twist comes in, which I TOTALLY did not expect and just kind of blew my mind.
I really ended up enjoying all the characters... they're all so different and have such unique personalities. I ended up loving Drystan and Cyril's characters, because they're both so sweet and really take care of Gene and Micah. The other characters which they meet along the way are also so great, they add so much flavor to the text and it's just a fabulous cast of characters.
The setting also completely blows my mind. This world was built up really well, and so we have that hint of a marvelous fantasy world with a contemporary issue. A clash of two worlds to create a great story.
Pantomime is rich as it is mysterious, and will have you hanging onto every last word. Laura Lam's debut truly ignites that magical spark inside of us, bringing to life this epic tale of identity, love and belonging. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel, which I'm sure will be as engrossing as this one.
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Laura Lam and Strange Chemistry for sending a copy of Pantomime for review and BTG2013! ▪ ▪ ▪
This is on my to-read list, and I'm really looking forward to trying it - it sounds really good! Unfortunately, I think the awesome twist was spoiled for me in the Goodreads review section, but oh well. I'm sure it'll still be epic. :) Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you said you haven't read much YA fantasy with LGBTQ characters...but if you're interested, I'd recommend Ash by Malinda Lo - it's an LGBT retelling of Cinderella that's really good. :)
Happy reading!
Awesome review, I'm really looking forward to reading this book & your review made me even more eager to get my hands on it! I like how you describe it as rich and mysterious ♥ I also like the idea of the LGBT element in there, definitely something we don't read about every day, especially in fantasy. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNew follower via GFC :)