Horror Reader 13

DNF at 17%

This might actually appeal to someone young and female who enjoys Romance. However, although the writing itself is good, the research is non-existent. Carnival acts? Really?

I wonder if these books are written by people who didn't get taken to carnivals or circuses as children. The difference is plain to see the minute you step on the fairgrounds or into the circus tent. Yes, they are both amusement business, but they are not the same!

I might even concede that it's not unknown for a special occasion that a circus *and* a few carnival rides might get organized on the same site. It's not usual though, and the author lost me at "carnival acts" when she was talking about clowns and Big Top acts. That's the circus dear, the carnival has rides and games. The closest thing to a carnival act would be a freak show, and those are only photographs on a wall these days.

Why don't writers do their research?

The protagonist was young enough to worry about whether she had permission from her mother to wear a particular dress, but old enough to have a crush on some guy. This could be for the YA readers, if the author wasn't completely ignorant of her chosen setting.