Week 12 Reviews: Girl on the Wire, Girl on the Shadows

From Goodreads:
A ballerina, twirling on a wire high above the crowd. Horses, prancing like salsa dancers. Trapeze artists, flying like somersaulting falcons. And magic crackling through the air. Welcome to the Cirque American!

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father's footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.

Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.


As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don't figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.

From Goodreads:
Eighteen-year-old Moira Mitchell grew up in the shadows of Vegas's stage lights while her father's career as a magician soared. More than anything, Moira wants to be a magician too, but her father is dead set against her pursuing magic.

When an invitation to join the Cirque American mistakenly falls into Moira's possession, she takes action. Instead of giving the highly coveted invitation to its intended recipient, Raleigh, her father's handsome and worldly former apprentice, Moira takes off to join the Cirque. If she can perform alongside its world-famous acts, she knows she’ll be able to convince her dad that magic is her future.

But when Moira arrives, things take on an intensity she can't control as her stage magic suddenly feels like…real magic. To further distract her, Raleigh shows up none too pleased at Moira't for her. As tensions mount and Moira's abilities come into question, she must decide what's real and what's an illusion. If she doesn't sort it out in time, she may forever remain a girl in the shadows. 

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading these books! They dealt with these institutions that are slowing dying, circuses, and those are are reinventing themselves, magicians. And I enjoyed reading about both, and how they sometimes come together!

I think I preferred the first book just a little bit more, because it was more of a mystery, if there was magic or not. The second book, that's all been dealt with, and while it might be new to the characters, it's not so to us readers.

The characters in these books were fantastic! Like how headstrong Jules was. And the feud between the Maronis and the Garcias. It just brought everything to life! Especially since they are doing such dangerous stunts! That just got my heart pounding and my palms sweaty!

In both of these books, the past is a big influence. Because it's why everything that is going on now is happening. And figuring out that past is a bit part of each of these books. And the events of the first have an effect on the second, given the coin and all!

Loved reading these books, and I'm open to more books in this series!

Author: Gwenda Bond
Series: Cirque American #1, 2
Read: March 24th, 24th, 2017
Source: Ebook.bike, NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Books, and Girl on the Shadows is a WoW Book!
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: October 1st 2014, July 5th 2016

Girl on the Wire:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Girl on the Shadows:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars