If you’re looking for a story filled with passion and violence, love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal, poverty and greed, new friendships and heartbreaking loss—this book is for you! The pages are filled with vivid characters, including a greedy circus owner, an equestrian director with multiple personalities, a young man fleeing a personal tragedy, a woman trapped in an impossible relationship, and a menagerie of vibrant animals—all enslaved by this traveling circus.
I would consider this an easy read for historical fiction lovers, with just 331 pages packed full of drama.
Hands down, my favorite character was Rosie the elephant. Not only is she incredibly intelligent, but she also seems to sense and respond to human emotions with remarkable empathy. She reminded me of the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which explores the surprising intelligence of Marcellus the octopus. Both animals display amazing problem-solving abilities and social skills similar to humans.
While the story includes difficult and sometimes dark moments, I truly enjoyed the ending. Jacob is a relatable protagonist. He’s a young man standing at the threshold of adulthood and a career, and whether readers have faced personal tragedy or not, most will understand his inner turmoil. He struggles with his identity, with those around him, and with survival, friendship, self-discovery, and love. I especially loved seeing the world through both young and old Jacob’s eyes.