Recently, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus celebrated its 15th anniversary. (Say it with me now: Whaaaaaat?) The debut fantasy novel about a magical circus is one of the biggest novels of the 21st century, and in celebration of it and its fifteen years of magic, I thought I’d recommend five more excellent fantasy novels also set at circuses or carnivals.
Now, I’m not saying that they’re Night Circus read-alikes, despite some of the publisher descriptions, and I would be hard-pressed to recommend one more than slightly similar. (Your best bet is to read Morgenstern’s second novel, The Starless Sea.) Because pretty much any novel set at a circus is compared to The Night Circus these days, like any thriller with a big twist is compared to Gone Girl. No, the books below are just great novels on their own. So grab some cotton candy and a seat and get ready for the fun!
(Plus, scroll to the end to find a sneak peek at the biggest SFF books out this week!)
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The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs
It’s not just that the Ashe and Pretorius’ Carnivale of Curiosities is a very exclusive engagement that few people are lucky enough to see. It’s after the show that the real magic happens, where one of the owners, Ashe, is said to be able to grant wishes. But when one of the most notorious men in Victorian London blackmails Ashe into signing a contract, it sends the carnivale spiraling down a dark and dangerous path.
Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
Runaway Esmeralda takes a job as a fortune teller at the Carnival Fantástico, hoping to outrun her past. But then Ignacio, the boy who broke her heart, shows up. He’s defected from the King’s army and is looking to take down its commander, his father. So Esmerelda and Ignacio make a deal: she’ll help him find the evidence he wants if he helps her get an act on the main stage. But their feelings for each other are still hard to shake, even in the face of risky secrets.
Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália Rodrigo
On the Caribbean island of Isla Bestia, the Carnaval de Bestias begins its nightly celebration when the skies turn dark. Sofía is a freedwoman from a neighboring colonized island who visits the carnival not for its entertainment, but to find out what happened to her brother, who was last seen there five years ago. But what Sofia finds instead is appropriation of her people and her culture, and the heady mix of familiarity and grief soon begins to seduce her with its charms, making it hard for her to leave…
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers
And speaking of disappearing acts: When Lara Barnes’s fiancégoes missing on their wedding day, she finds herself drawn to the journals of her great-grandmother. On the pages, Lara discovers the story of a family curse going back generations that has plagued the women in her family and is somehow tied to the dark secrets of a Parisian circus from a century ago.
Mechanique: a Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
In this dark debut, a steampunk circus of brass and copper performers entertains crowds, trying to take their minds off the war raging outside the tents in post-apocalyptic cities. But the magic holding everything together is threatened when the outside world begins to encroach on the circus, and the ringmaster must decide whether to trust a new alliance.
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcastAll the Books!and onInstagram and Bluesky.
A Sneak Peek at the New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Out This Week
Looking to keep up with the buzziest new sci-fi and fantasy books? Check out our New Release Index: a database of upcoming books, curated by Book Riot. It’s organized by release date, and you can filter by genre: below is a sneak peek of some of the sci-fi and fantasy books out this week.
Here’s how it works: scroll through the covers until you find one that catches your eye. Click on the cover for the book description, and then save the titles you’re interested in on your Watchlist.
The best part is that the New Release Index is included in your All Access subscription. For $6 a month, you not only get the New Release Index, but also all of Book Riot’s paid content.
Sign up for All Access to get started, or you can check out our guide to the New Release Index for more information.
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