very entertaining, the magic & illusions were described so vividly. really enjoyed the mystery but i didn’t feel connected, just disturbed at times

Once again, the setting and the mystery are both plusses, and the side characters this time around are fun as ever.

Libby/audio

This isn't my favorite series in general, but sadly this installment was not the best of the bunch either. 

The things i liked:
1) the cover. I like the cover. 
2) the setting. The series is generally centered around pretty grim themes, and leans a little into horror, which isn't really my thing. This one reminds me more of Titanic. I saw that movie 3-5 times in the theater. It's imprinted on my brain. This books adds in some whimsical Carnival content, so that is kind of fun. Adds some dazzle. 
3) though in the past this series has been fairly ham-fisted with its strong feminist themes and commentary, this book, still contains some, but it isn't as overt or heavy handed about it, which i appreciate. 
4) i didn't guess the murderer/reveal. Mostly because the book didn't care to focus on the investigation, but i digress. 
5) there are a couple moments where AR and Thomas both have surprisingly mature conversations and make some important decisions. This was not the direction i expected the book to go, and was pleasantly surprised in those moments. 
6) the actress who Narrates the ABs is really good. I enjoy her. 
Wow, i liked more about this than i expected. Ha! 

What i didn't like:
1) Audrey Rose. After reading the authors note, quite a few things that annoyed me about this book made a lot more sense. But without that knowledge going in, there is a lot to criticize. AR is supposed to be especially gifted/talented in her field. This book shows her to be exceptionally average if not completely incompetent. She is the least logical and observant investigator i have ever seen. As for her 'amazing forensic expertise'-well, she simply repeats things for her uncles notes(things i assume he and Thomas have previously discovered when alone together) and altogether this feels mostly like a student taking some practical study test rather than a showcase of what makes her so special(shes a girl. Thats her special talent apparently. Thats it!) It's actually comical how utterly inept she is in this book. Everything that makes her 'smart' is actually her taking credit for what Thomas deduced/observed/investigated/concluded. 
2) there are a ridiculous amount of murders on board this ship, and no one seems to mind. Its weird. They keep happening in a similar nightly event, but they are treated in a blasé way. Most of the victims are not event ID'ed. But the show goes on. The book says its to keep the mob from panicking, and to keep the Capt and the Carnival from getting bad press/ruination from financial backers. Sure Jan. Whatever.  
3) Audrey Rose is pushed into a ruse where she must go uncover in the Carnival for most of the book. This results in her being separated from her Uncle and Thomas most of the time. She makes a secret Bargain with a character i call Meso, and it is essentially a way to throw a love triangle into the plot. Not only is that irritating, and hurtful toward certain characters, most, if not all of the things set up by this bargain go unfinished, or ignored by the end. Meso gets most of the attention, and while i do find him interesting, most everything else that should be focused on in this book is pushed out or forgotten in the name of sexual tension between Meso and AR. I still have zero idea why he is so fixated on mediocre AR. There is literally nothing special about her that i can see. 
4) the title of the book makes no sense in the plot. 
5) my imagination created a much more interesting and compelling mystery plot than the book. I had all kinds of theories on the go, and none of them happened. The final reveal was interesting, but sort of felt like an afterthought. There are many 'clues' that fizzle out to essentially mean nothing. Everything hinted at is disolved away, and i dont even really care that much, since the book never gives me anything to care about in the first place. 
6) zero depth. The entire book only cares about Meso. As i said, he is interesting, but literally no one else gets any attention. Do we care about the victims? The first victim starts off well. She and AR have some fun banter. The setup is promising. The book goes downhill from there. All the other characters introduced are essentially stick figures. AR occasionally has a bit of a freak out when someone dies, which only reinforces her incompetence rather than any real depth or sense of shock or concern from the reader that the character has been murdered.  As for the various suspects, we get surface level interactions with them at best. 
7)historical propriety. This book follows this rule in absolutely no way. AR talks about it a lot, but she spends almost the entire book alone with Thomas or Meso late at night, or completely alone with a murderer on board, all the while her Uncle and her Chaperone are constantly oblivious or walk away from her. Its bizarre.  She also dresses herself, and wears makeup. That just seems out of place, but i may be wrong about those things actually making an impact or breaking continuity for the time period. 
8) as part of her bargain with Meso, she must learn slight of hand, and practice with all the acts for one week, in order to participate in the finale. This is utterly ridiculous, as these skills require a lifetime of practice to achieve competence. One might assume that this is a ruse to help AR investigate the suspects, and gather clues. It's mentioned a couple times, but i don't see any evidence of it. There is mostly off page action in this regard. In theory this is the purpose, but we don't see this. Mostly it's a way for AR to self congratulate her skills at sleight of hand. Which is impossible. But okay. Sure. 
8) most everything happens off page. Uncle and Thomas are off investigating by themselves. We don't see much. The uncle is weirdly fixated on a dismembered arm, rather than any of the other victims, and we have no idea why. Im still not even sure that the finale reveal answered that question. It isn't clarified. Love all these loose ends! 
9) the final conflict is heartbreaking, but is resolved after Liza gives AR some much needed advice, and AR does exactly zero work/sacrifice to gain the resolution. Thomas does it by himself. Im left gobsmacked. 
10) the final confrontation results in a nonsensical injury that makes little sense to me. The physics aren't mathing. 

After i read the authors noted, a few things clicked into place. I personally think those things should have been more emphasized in the actual story, to prevent this confusion in the first place. 

This book was a weak edition to the series. Im really doubting that AR has the charisma to stand on her own as  the Main Character. 

I think i know where the next book is going, and i am not particularly excited about it. I will read it to finish the series, but i don't have high hopes. 

Thanks to Whiskeyinthejar for buddy reading this with me, I'm sorry i picked a dud, but i do hope you enjoy the other books more, and i haven't ruined the series for you. It can only go up from here, right? 

Because we buddy read this, i had to stop at every chapter, write notes, and generally read slower than i usually do. Im not sure if that resulted in any different thoughts and impressions of the story in general. It was a different experience from the norm for me. Im not sure that matters, but take my thoughts with a grain of salt.