Cirque and the Shadow Chasers was simply magical! It’s very rare for me to become so totally captivated by a young adult tale that speaks to my head and my heart.

The author has woven a fantastic tale that manages to focus on so many issues plaguing youth. From issues of family, love, sacrifice, bullying and abandonment- this story has something for everyone.

I absolutely adored the prose and how the author was able to articulate such complex emotions with elegant simplicity.

Cirque and the Shadow Chasers perfectly encapsulates the struggles of both parents and kids which I highly appreciated. All too often books focus on one pov instead of taking into account how hard it is for both ends. There is a level of maturity in the novel that can speak to both parent and child.

“Being a parent is just as hard as being a kid.Parents are just kids with a few more years on them.”

There are such powerful lessons to be learnt from this book- not judging your parents without having fully experienced their story, having faith in yourself and the power of forgiveness and second chances. The most profound lesson is definitely accepting that bad exists in the world whether we choose to accept it or not. As a child it’s so important to understand that we cannot run from the bad or our mistakes but instead should embrace it and learn how to weather the storm.

I absolutely recommend this book to everyone who has kids who are experiencing complex emotions as it can very well speak to them. The stories and lessons are appropriate for anyone and will remain with you well after you’ve read it.

Thank you to the author and Reedsy Discovery for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.