Crimival: Carousel Crimes by R.L. Walker

This was a delightful read. I frequent a lot of fairs and carnivals and always wondered what it would be like to work for one and constantly be moving. I liked the imagery that the author gives about the setup and tear down being similar to a life cycle. That’s a great way to think about it and adds a lot of atmosphere to the story.

I really liked Zoe, though she seems to be a lot older than 16. She can pretty much handle her food stand and business on her own. Besides that one issue with Uncle Ike, she’s doing great and it’s nice to see a young girl be so independent. The mom and aunt are also strong ladies so i like that aspect of the story.

I feel a bit lost when is comes to the relationship aspects of some of the characters though. How old is Ezra supposed to be? I think a lot of that was explained in the first book but it wasn’t really reiterated here. I feel it maybe have been better to start with book one. Zoe’s powers and stuff aren’t really explained…they just exist and are accepted. So i’m guessing book one would have the explanation.

I’d say the story overall was pretty quick moving and without a lot of flowery writing. I like books like this because i can step into another person’s life and quickly experience things from their point of view without being bogged down with a lot of adjectives and other indirect language. It’s an interesting writing style and def contributes to the length of the book.

Overall it was a super fast and interesting read. I do want to go back and read the first book as well as the prequel, so i can understand a bit more of the interpersonal parts of the story. I loved reading about the carnival and want to find more books on this topic…fascinating.