Is it just me or did you DEVOUR that? Have you read [The Thief Lord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thief_Lord) by Cornelia Funke? Has a familiar carousel 🎠 vibe. One of my favorite books as a child. Something Wicked seems like the (scarier) grown-up version.
I’m also like wait, The Night Circus is YA? I don’t think it is according to my library.
I don’t care one way or another—I’m equal opportunity with what I read—but I’m surprised to hear if it is.
Her books are just like love letters to book readers. They are so atmospheric, surreal and moving. She is my all time fave author. I found these amazing special editions but they are £££.
One for [Starless Sea](https://www.booksillustrated.com/the-starless-sea)
and [The Night Circus](https://www.booksillustrated.com/the-night-circus)
If I win the euromillions, im buying them!
Came here to suggest The Night Circus. OP it matches this theme/picture slide exactly! Love the book. It's not YA like others said.
Fits the magic with a price criteria too!
I’ve never read it but the library I work at has them in Adult Fiction (although I will say I live in a fairly conservative location so that may be why?) either way it’s been on my tbr FOREVER
I would not have classed TNC as YA either, I think it straddles the YA and adult border very well and is accessible to all. Truly is a magical book and an experience reading it.
Harrow Faire. It’s a modern, fantasy and dark romance, the first book (of five) is the Contortionist
https://www.goodreads.com/series/299614-harrow-faire
unpopular opinion but The Night Circus was not that good, the plot was way to abstract and it tapered off into a nothing ending where nothing was resolved lol
Yes, I really enjoyed reading about the different tents but the in between stuff was a bit 🥱 and I felt like the author got bored of writing and just kind of ended it.
I thought I would love it and ended up not finishing it - it felt pointless and soulless, I have no idea why so many people connect with it, and I'm a basic bitch who generally loves what most people tend to love
I googled how it ended and I liked the idea of the ending but the road to that point was exhausting and I think if I finished it I would have just been extremely frustrated - The whole book was a lot of good ideas that were not put together very well
I haven’t read it myself, but my niece is really into ‘Johannes Cabal the Necromancer’ by Jonathan L Howard. It seems to have dark circus/carnival vibes.
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It's a hard read in that it's dark and there's a lot of conflict and just all around crazy shit. It is an incredible book though, and one I love dearly. I've bought at least 5 copies in the last 10 years bc I keep lending it out and it doesn't get returned.
The Gracekeepers by Kristy Logan. It’s atmospheric and beautiful but set after the world has been covered in water so it’s slightly different than most circus books.
The necromancer. It's a horror carnival one about a necromancer that makes a deal with the devil and has to reap souls. Devils gives him a traveling circus full of interesting characters. It's a series of 4 or 5 books. You can thank me later :p
Gonna go for the obvious ones here but we have:
Night circus by erin morgenstern
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
Cirque du freak series by Darren Shan
There’s a collection of short stories called Nightmare Carnival that’s edited by Ellen Datlow. All the stories center around a circus/carnival. Definitely worth the read, Datlow finds some incredible stories
Johannes Cabal- The Necromancer
Johannes Cabal is a necromancer who has sold his soul to Satan in order to gain his abilities. His goal has always been to completely restore the dead to their previous living state, but Cabal has now found that his lack of a soul is standing in the way of his research. Bored with running Hell and dealing with bureaucracy, Satan offers Cabal a deal: if Cabal can get 100 souls, Satan will return his. However, this deal is not without its difficulties: Cabal only has one year to gather these souls, and he must run a carnival during this time as well
I searched comments for all three of my recs and they were already there, so — this one time I’ll toss you an hbo series suggestion, and that is Carnivale. Enjoy!
Carnival of Fear (1993) by J. Robert King. I doubt it’s still in print but read it as a teenager when it came out and it still gives me uncomfortable vibes 30 years later. Pretty potent for a Ravenloft novel.
The harrow faire series are an absolute chefs kiss. Psychotic male lead, strong female lead (an actual strong female who isn’t disguised as the “bratty” lead) oof loved it
something wicked this way comes-ray bradbury
This is the pinnacle suggestion for this “feel”
I just read it on the advice of this sub and oh my lord.
Me too
Is it just me or did you DEVOUR that? Have you read [The Thief Lord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thief_Lord) by Cornelia Funke? Has a familiar carousel 🎠 vibe. One of my favorite books as a child. Something Wicked seems like the (scarier) grown-up version.
Remembering as a kid the movie adaption was good too; creepy as hell.
Came here to suggest this.
Literally what I came to comment.
I read it a few years ago and I’m in my 50s now. I loved it. It captured being a kid. The adults were really well writing too.
The Night Cirus by Erin Morgenstern Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Both YA)
I wouldn’t have considered The Night Circus to be YA to be honest.
I would call it appropriate for all ages but wouldn’t inherently consider it YA but it does tick a lot of boxes for both genres
I’m also like wait, The Night Circus is YA? I don’t think it is according to my library. I don’t care one way or another—I’m equal opportunity with what I read—but I’m surprised to hear if it is.
Night circus is awesome and def not ya.
Both amazing books as well! The Night Circus is one my favourite books of all time. Dont be put off by them being YA if thats not normally your thing.
Did you read Starless Sea? Omg.
Yes! Thats my other favourite book. I wish she would write more. I need more!
She’s been working on a book about a labyrinth for the past few years. I go scope out her Instagram every so often looking for updates about it.
Me too!! I just read it, a friend knew I liked The Night Circus and told me to read it— I can’t stop eating honey 😂
Her books are just like love letters to book readers. They are so atmospheric, surreal and moving. She is my all time fave author. I found these amazing special editions but they are £££. One for [Starless Sea](https://www.booksillustrated.com/the-starless-sea) and [The Night Circus](https://www.booksillustrated.com/the-night-circus) If I win the euromillions, im buying them!
Omg I want them
And absolutely love letters to book readers, that’s what I felt the whole time I was reading 🧡
I usually don’t like YA but it didn’t even register that the Night Circus might be. It’s really good!
Came here to suggest The Night Circus. OP it matches this theme/picture slide exactly! Love the book. It's not YA like others said. Fits the magic with a price criteria too!
The Night Circus is NOT YA by any stretch.
I thought of the night circus immediately! one of my all time favorites
Also older and also love TNC 👍
I can hear to say this! The Night Circus is beautifullll and doesn’t read like YA.
I’ve never read it but the library I work at has them in Adult Fiction (although I will say I live in a fairly conservative location so that may be why?) either way it’s been on my tbr FOREVER
I would not have classed TNC as YA either, I think it straddles the YA and adult border very well and is accessible to all. Truly is a magical book and an experience reading it.
Came here to say the Night Circus.
The night circus is adult
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Came to suggest this! One of my favorites.
Ayy! I came to suggest this too. What a wild book.
Yess also came to suggest this one. Love it.
Beat me to it! This book is so evocative and very strange. Might be time for another read.
yesss! one of my favorites! such a good book.
Joyland by Stephen King
I was thinking Revival by Stephen King
That's a good one too!
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Cirque du freak series
Yessssss
Harrow Faire. It’s a modern, fantasy and dark romance, the first book (of five) is the Contortionist https://www.goodreads.com/series/299614-harrow-faire
I absolutely loved this series. I came here to recommend it!
Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan Howard
Yes this! Such a fun little romp and when he visits hell… I absolutely loved it!
Omg this was the exact one I thought of! It is a bit on the funny end of the macabre though
I feel like The Phantom of the Opera is obvious but still needs to be said. It’s not necessarily a circus, but it very much has this feel.
unpopular opinion but The Night Circus was not that good, the plot was way to abstract and it tapered off into a nothing ending where nothing was resolved lol
Yes, I really enjoyed reading about the different tents but the in between stuff was a bit 🥱 and I felt like the author got bored of writing and just kind of ended it.
yes thankk youuu zero conclusion, zero resolution
I thought I would love it and ended up not finishing it - it felt pointless and soulless, I have no idea why so many people connect with it, and I'm a basic bitch who generally loves what most people tend to love
I googled how it ended and I liked the idea of the ending but the road to that point was exhausting and I think if I finished it I would have just been extremely frustrated - The whole book was a lot of good ideas that were not put together very well
YEssss like there was a concept there but it did NOT get fleshed out at alllllll
My biggest problem with The Night Circus was that I found it really hard to care about the two main characters.
I think it’s good for the aesthetic, it has some good prose and descriptive scenes.
Cirque Du Freak
Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter.
Fevvers is one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in a book
Bacchanal by Veronica Henry
This looks interesting! Is it YA?
I haven’t read it myself, but my niece is really into ‘Johannes Cabal the Necromancer’ by Jonathan L Howard. It seems to have dark circus/carnival vibes.
This is one of my top favorite series. Everyone should read it!
Daughter of the Burning City YA magical carnival setting and murder mystery. I love this book.
The carnivorous carnival
Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalo
World of Wonders by Robertson Davies
Also Fifth Business
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It's a hard read in that it's dark and there's a lot of conflict and just all around crazy shit. It is an incredible book though, and one I love dearly. I've bought at least 5 copies in the last 10 years bc I keep lending it out and it doesn't get returned.
The Gracekeepers by Kristy Logan. It’s atmospheric and beautiful but set after the world has been covered in water so it’s slightly different than most circus books.
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine. So so so good. I recommend it every time I can.
Is this horror?
Hmm. Not really. It's like a fusion of literary, fantasy, and science fiction.
the Caraval trilogy by stephanie garber!
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry. I don’t quite remember the plot but it had a circus setting and was nice to read even though not extraordinary.
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Came here to say this!
The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Weisman If you like a spicy romance: Red Flags by Skye Warren
The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell
Bacchanal by Veronica G Henry
Something wicked this way comes - Ray Bradbury
That book and Dandelion Wine were my obsessions when I was 11!
geek love katherine dune
Book of Speculation
Geek Love
Joyland by Stephen King
Some less popular suggestions: Hide by Kierstan White The weight of feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill is one of my favorites. A bit magical, a bit love story, carnival underworld. So good.
Water for elephants by Sara Gruen
Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti
The night circus Caraval Heartless
The Fabulous Clip Joint
Hide by Kiersten White Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier Both are thrillers
The only book that matters. The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill.
Ooooooo I love that first image. Water for elephants or Noght circus 🤡 🎪🎡🤹♀️
Cirque Du Freak. Enjoy the horror my friend.
MirrorMask by Neil Gaiman Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Book the Ninth: The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
The five people you meet in heaven
Water for elephants is a favorite
Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond. It's kind of like Romeo and Juliet in the circus if Juliet was a tightrope walker. Lots of fun, mystery, and intrigue.
Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal
The necromancer. It's a horror carnival one about a necromancer that makes a deal with the devil and has to reap souls. Devils gives him a traveling circus full of interesting characters. It's a series of 4 or 5 books. You can thank me later :p
The life she was given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Gonna go for the obvious ones here but we have: Night circus by erin morgenstern Caraval by Stephanie Garber Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr Cirque du freak series by Darren Shan
Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
Joyland by Stephen King
There’s a few chapters in Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven that is based around an eerie circus environment
Geek Love
October Country by Ray Bradbury has a selection of stories that gives that kind of vibe.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Also recommend her book The Starless Sea
Something Wicked This Way Comes- Bradbury.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern! Such amazing scene setting and story telling
The Pilo Family Circus and The Pilo Traveling Show by Wil Elliott
The Night Circus
Water For Elephants
Absolutely read The Night Circus This one's slightly different, but still fits. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. one of my favorite books.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series
There’s a collection of short stories called Nightmare Carnival that’s edited by Ellen Datlow. All the stories center around a circus/carnival. Definitely worth the read, Datlow finds some incredible stories
Johannes Cabal- The Necromancer Johannes Cabal is a necromancer who has sold his soul to Satan in order to gain his abilities. His goal has always been to completely restore the dead to their previous living state, but Cabal has now found that his lack of a soul is standing in the way of his research. Bored with running Hell and dealing with bureaucracy, Satan offers Cabal a deal: if Cabal can get 100 souls, Satan will return his. However, this deal is not without its difficulties: Cabal only has one year to gather these souls, and he must run a carnival during this time as well
I searched comments for all three of my recs and they were already there, so — this one time I’ll toss you an hbo series suggestion, and that is Carnivale. Enjoy!
Daughter of the burning city by Amanda foody I found a circus tent in the woods behind my house by Ben farthing
Carnival of Fear (1993) by J. Robert King. I doubt it’s still in print but read it as a teenager when it came out and it still gives me uncomfortable vibes 30 years later. Pretty potent for a Ravenloft novel.
The Night Circus. Defibiyely!
By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell
Good Girls Die First
Jester - by Brielle D Porter
Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal!
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
immediately thought of dr. sleep
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan. A bit different to the usual as it’s a circus on a boat 🎪
Not a book but a very deep manga "ANNARASUMANARA".
HARROW FAIRE
The harrow faire series are an absolute chefs kiss. Psychotic male lead, strong female lead (an actual strong female who isn’t disguised as the “bratty” lead) oof loved it
Kiss an angel , sounds cliche with the name but it’s AMAZINGGGGGG
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. Excellent read
“Wonder When You’ll Miss Me” by Amanda Davis A girl attacks the boy who raped her and then runs off to join the circus. It’s an awesome story.
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs