Sleight Blog Tour | Review & Giveaway!

Greetings readers!

I am so excited to be participating in this blog tour for Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby! I had such a fun time reading this book, find out more in my review below and enter the INTERNATIONAL giveaway!

The Book:

Title: SLEIGHT
Author: Jennifer Sommersby
Pub. Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 424
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Delia smiles at the shadow only she sees—

Something slams into her. The lyra whirls like a half-dollar spinning on its edge.

My mother is thrown backward.

And she falls.

Growing up in the Cinzio Traveling Players Company, Genevieve Flannery is accustomed to a life most teenagers could never imagine: daily workouts of extravagant acrobatics; an extended family of clowns; wild animals for pets; and her mother, Delia, whose mind has always been tortured by visions—but whose love Geni never questions. In a world of performers who astonish and amaze on a daily basis, Delia’s ghostly hallucinations never seemed all that strange . . . until the evening Geni and her mother are performing an aerial routine they’ve done hundreds of times, and Delia falls to her death.

That night, a dark curtain in Geni’s life opens. Everything has changed.

Still reeling from the tragedy, the Cinzio Traveling Players are also adjusting to the circus’s new owner: a generous, mysterious man whose connection to the circus—Geni suspects—has a dark and dangerous history. And suddenly Geni is stumbling into a new reality of her own, her life interrupted daily by the terrors only Delia used to be able to see.

As the visions around her grow stronger, Geni isn’t sure who she can trust. Even worse, she’s starting to question whether she can trust her own mind.

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My Review:

I really enjoyed this book! Circus settings are some of the most magical and mysterious places for a story to take place. And since they are filled with their own kind of magic, it adds the perfect atmosphere to this kind of story!

What I Liked:

Characters:

Geni: Left with a mystery to solve that somehow keeps her connected to her mother, Geni had to be courageous enough to chase after the goods that the monsters who haunted her mother were trying to take away. I really enjoyed Geni’s character. Even though the hurt of losing her mother was fresh, she was quite spunky and fun for most of the book. A risk-taker, most definitely and she didn’t always think her plans through, but I would say that that is what makes her very entertaining to follow. She gets herself into a mess and then she does everything she can to get herself out of it.

Baby: #ProtectBabyatAllCosts. That is all I have to say.

Setting:

Something about the circus always enchants me! (Umm…Rendz the whole purpose of the circus is to be enchanting!) Yes, but in book form, pulling off enchantment can be a little hard, but I absolutely loved it. While I was a little hesitant with animals being part of the circus (Because animals need the wild, people), I really enjoyed the bonds that Geni had with her elephants and lion. But I especially enjoyed the personalities that these animals showed off!

That Shakespeare Influence:

Normally I don’t like it when authors spell out their influences in books, I like to figure it out as I go. But to be 100% honest, I was never going to think this book had Hamlet notions, mostly because my time with Hamlet began and ended in my final year of high school. Still the parallels are subtle and just right. The tragic parts were definitely present and…that is all I will say. *wink wink*

Magic System:

Not gonna lie, it took a while for me to understand, but I loved it in the end. Three magical books, three magical families and one magical Mesopotamia. (Though it is not set in Mesopotamia.) I thought that the magic was very interesting because it wasn’t the classic elements, but much deeper and more human related than that!

What I Disliked:

Romance:

Not a big issue. Like I would have shipped it IF the author had given it more time. I don’t think she chose the right moment for them to kiss or confess their feelings. Plus I don’t think they had known each other long enough or had spent enough time together to have such strong feelings.

Pace:

A tad slow at the beginning, then a rather rushed portion to the end. The slow beginning made me really appreciate the rush to the finale as I found it far more entertaining…but still, it could have used some evening out I think.

via Goodreads

Overall, I think this is a solid read! There was lots of mystery, magic and fun to be had. I’m not 100% sure there is going to be a sequel, but I hope there is because that ending was left wide open!

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Recommend: Yeah! Magical Circus here we come! (Plus, this is technically Canadian YA and I’m just gonna drop the fabulous Canadian cover…here.)

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About Jennifer:

I am a writer, copy/line editor, bibliophile, and mom of four living in the Great White North. 
Represented by Victoria Doherty Munro at Writers House.
Romantic comedies under Eliza Gordon.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

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Watch the Book Trailer!

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Giveaway!:

Details:

• International!
• 3 winners will receive a SLEIGHT Prize Pack including a finished copy of the book and swag!
• Ends on May 4th at Midnight EST!

Rafflecopter Link!

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Follow the Tour:

Week One:
4/2/2018- Novel Novice– Guest Post
4/3/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland– Review
4/4/2018- For the Love of KidLit– Interview
4/5/2018- Two Points of Interest– Review
4/6/2018- BookHounds YA– Interview

Week Two:
4/9/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert– Review
4/10/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Guest Post
4/11/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
4/12/2018- Page Turners Blog– Excerpt
4/13/2018- Eating Between The Lines– Review

Week Three:
4/16/2018- Wonder Struck– Review
4/17/2018- Jena Brown Writes– Review
4/18/2018- Blushing Bibliophile– Review
4/19/2018- Reading with Rendz– Review (You are here)
4/20/2018- Daily Waffle – Interview

Week Four:
4/23/2018- The Desert Bibliophile– Review
4/24/2018- Kati’s Bookaholic Rambling Reviews- Excerpt
4/25/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe– Review
4/26/2018-Margies Must Reads– Excerpt
4/27/2018- The Book Nut– Review

 Week Five:
4/30/2018- Book-Keeping– Review

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Let me know what you think! Have you read this book yet? Have you ever visited the circus? If you could be in a circus act what would you choose?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz