Pantomime (Micah Grey #1)

Pantomime - Laura Lam

4.75/5 Stars

Gene's life resembles a debutante's dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. When her parents plan a devastating betrayal, she flees home and joins a circus.

This Book is seriously underrated and more people need to read it! It is honestly one of the best Young Adult books I have ever read!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love circuses and I think this book does an excellent representation of showing the magic and mystery surrounding a fantasy circus. I mean ... what's not to love about bearded women, creepy clowns and contortionists.? However, what really set this book apart from a few other circus books I have read, is that there are Chimaera! I just think that Chinaera fit so neatly into the setting of a circus and really add to the dark, creepy and imaginative atmosphere it should have!

Putting my slight circus obsession aside, this was still a highly enjoyable read and had a very intriguing plot throughout. I found the pacing to be perfect, as I was never once felt bored, but at the same time no plot points ever felt rushed or glossed over.

The main character, Gene or Micah, is now one of my favourite YA protagonists! Gene is intersex and therefore both male and female, however she goes by the name of Micah, disguised as a boy for the main course of the novel. I have personally never read a book with an intersex main character and I found it so interesting to see the world from this perspective. I don't know how accurate the representation of being intersex was, but frankly this is a fantasy book, not a contemporary... and I loved how Laura Lam put her own fantasy twist onto this topic.

Gene is also a runaway (for valid reasons) and ends up at a circus, which is a trope I will never grow tired of! Despite her understandable running away, I appreciated how Laura Lam briefly included the effects this had on Gene's family, which is something that I feel isn't discussed enough with these kind of things. I find that the family is often forgotten about and never heard of again, when in reality they have just lost their child...

I also loved all of the side characters in this book, especially Aenea, who is an aerialist in the circus, but also all of the smaller characters, who each had their own unique roll to play in putting on a show. Despite this, I would have preferred it if there was more time dedicated to more circus members and their back stories, but I understand how this could have disrupted the pace of the novel for a lot of people... Maybe I'm just being greedy!

I never tend to take much notice to the romance in books (especially in YA), however I actually adored the romance in this novel and there was no insta-love. It was more lighthearted and slowly built, which I feel a romance should be at the beginning stages and not confessing your love for each other after two weeks, like some other Young Adult books... *eyerolls* I also found Gene to be highly likable in this respect as she was often kind and calculated, but also selfish when she needed to be and put herself first, which is something I personally admire in protagonists.

Despite all of this, I do have a few little quibbles.

In the beginning stages of the Novel , I found it very hard to picture the main character, which is never normally a problem for me! It was only half way through, when there was a description of Micah's Auburn hair that I started to get a solid image in my mind. I don't know if I missed some earlier description, but it definitely bugged me a little bit.

I also wish there was slightly more world building. I don't think the world building was bad by any means, but I just wish there was a little more! This could just be a personal preference, as I know not everyone cares for lengthy descriptions of places and lore, but I do ... :D Also, I understand how this is the first in a trilogy and I hope that a lot of things mentioned will come into play in the later installments.

Another thing to note is that this book switches between the past and the present a fair bit, which I personally don't like in books, as I prefer a chronological narrative. However as I read on I adapted and understood the reasons behind this choice in structure and it actually kinda worked for me by the middle stages.

I do think that these issues are very minor and down to my own personal preference and not objective flaws to the story itself and should by no means put you off giving this book a shot! If you love circuses, or just want a fun YA book then look no further! Or if you want to read Caraval then read this instead, as it deserves so much more attention :D I'm not salty over that book... I swear ;)

My Goodreads Review