Official Review: Carousel by Jennifer Renson

[Topcho]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Carousel" by Jennifer Renson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Come and enter the world of Carousel - a world of tiny forgotten kingdoms, royal heirs hiding behind masks, living dolls and evil doers.

Set somewhere around Italy, the Kingdom of Lucca is enjoying life of democracy after their royal family fled away years ago in order ro escape a plague that never reached their land. But while the people of Lucca live in prosperity and happiness, still there is something dark lurking around - a shadowy puppet-master makes deals out of human wishes, and someone - and something - is hidden in the old forgotten palace.

Carousel by Jennifer Renson was a short, fast to read novelette that had the very strong feeling of a fairy tale, set probably around the age of the Renaissance (I assume). It combined an original, intriguing story with beautiful atmosphere and charming characters - the protagonists as well as the antagonists were built with care and provoked in me either great care for their well-being, or deep interest in their background. I loved the pretty and kind Marian (and would very much like to take a bite of her pies!) and felt for the lonely Princio (let's admit it - we all have a soft spot for this kind of gloomy yet kind type of personage); and I couldn't help but smile when their relationship slowly bloomed from friendship into something more. The ideas of trust, kindness, self-esteem, family, bravery and love were introduced seamlessly in the story thanks to those two.

However, I would say that Feletti was the most compelling of all characters, even if he was the sheer manifestation of wickedness and evil. He was shrouded in so much mystery - his past, his motives, his nature and whole existence; and he was also the main source of magic in the book. The fact that the novel didn't give me answers to my questions about his background, was a mild source of dissatisfaction for me.

As I mentioned, the fairy tale atmosphere is very strong and it is visible not only in the general feel and in the way of narration. It was evident in the building of the characters, the good vs evil opposition and the way some situations were unrolled. The rather short length that comes with this genre was also present - Carousel is less than 100 pages. This briefness was a bit too much for me at some places. Actually, when I started the book and went through the prologue I was rather unhappy. Not with the story or the telling, oh no - quite the opposite. The prologue was filled with so many interesting events and unveiled secrets, along with the true nature of all the main characters - compressed in just few pages, that I longed them to be explored fully and slowly. But with the start of the real chapters when the story telling became more balanced, I grew happier with this read.

With all this said, I had a hard time rating this book. In the end I decided to round up and give it 4 out of 4 stars. It is not a full 4 star rating for the reasons explained above, but I liked so many of the book's aspects and took great pleasure of reading it. True, some episodes weren't as detailed as my adult self would like them to be, but in a way, this fitted well with the fairy tale structure of the novel. Fairy tales don't always give all the answers - and maybe it is this that always leaves us in wait of the next good tale...

I can recommend this book to teens and pre-teens and also to fairy tale lovers of all ages - and invite them to take a ride on the Carousel...

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Carousel
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[Tanaya]

Wow. What a wonderful review! Though it's length would bother me too. I like things to be well flushed out. Even so, it sounds like an enchanting tale.

[Topcho]

Thank you so much! Apart from the prologue, the rest of the story was covered very well in those pages. In any case, I will be keeping my eye on this author, in case she decided to add something more to the world of Carousel.

[anonanemone]

What a wonderful review! I've always had a soft spot for fairy tales. I might have to check this one out!

[rssllue]

Excellent review! It was very descriptive and already has me interested in the story! Nice job!

[kimmyschemy06]

I love it already! Basically, I'm into fairy tales, good vs evil stories, and of course, magic. I think I will be watching out for this author, too.

[Topcho]

Thank you all! I just love fairy tales too. All kinds - the classics, the retellings, the modern fairy tales and the original ones! This short book really got me into fairy tale mood. Right now I so want to start reading one, probably Beauty by Robin McKinley but I don't have this kind of time right now. Lol, but I already know the theme I will be voting for in December's theme for the month!

[zaynab_m]

Amazing review! I love the theme the story revolves around, just the kind I like! Definitely hope I can give it a read

[ALynnPowers]

I love new fairy tale stories! Thanks for the review!

[MgNell]

Thenk you for this review, Topcho! Like aways it is incredible and complete. I enjoy reading your reviews and make me want to read the book.