After Reading: CARNIVAL OF SOULS by Melissa Marr

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the carnival, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father—and every other witch there—fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable.While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the carnival. (Goodreads)

Lots of book reviews of late! I need to post some new content, and I will. Soon! Or as soon as I get a little time (hardy-har-har!)

Okay, so, this was an interesting read. I really enjoyed the world-building, with the different classes and intricate nature of the city of daimons. The witch/daimon war and general background was also really rich and quite fascinating. Honestly, that's what kept me intrigued throughout. The daimon characters--Kaleb, Aya, Zevi--they were also interesting and quite a lot of fun. Mallory felt like she needed a bit more fleshing out overall, but perhaps that's just because she was forced to be something she wasn't and that's how it came across in her personality? Or something, because I had a really hard time swallowing her situation. I also wasn't terribly fond of the way Kaleb went about the end of the book and their, well, "relationship"--it kind of struck me as icky and underhanded. I know it's a fantasy world, but I also wanted to see Mallory have some kind of free will in what she was roped into. Anyhow, my biggest complaint is the cliffhanger ending and the fact that there's not another book. What happened there? It's been 7 years and I'm pretty sure that means I'll just have to leave this world without any resolve :/

Have you ever read a book that clearly was intended to have a sequel, but didn't?