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shawna_reads 's review for:

Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess
4.5
dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"I did my good deed. Go there if you want. It's your funeral." 

In the summer of 1989, there was a massacre at the local carnival, Cirque Berserk, where a group of teens killed dozens of people and then disappeared. Fast forward to 30 years where Sam and Rochelle are on their senior trip. To make it more adventurous, they and their friends decide to go to Cirque Berserk to see what they will find. Legend has it, the teens still roam the grounds of the carnival.. 

I'll say it again, I absolutely LOVE horror books about carnivals and this novella delivers! At under 200 pages, this story packs a punch and it is filled with dumb teenagers and bloodshed 💁🏾‍♀️ 

I really enjoyed the dual timelines between the 80s vs. 2019 and how it all came together. Also, the different POVs between the teenagers were great and distinguished well by the characters' names and what timeline we were in as to not confuse the reader. The chapters are also short so I found myself flying through the pages. 

My only gripe is that there could have been more depth into the demonology aspect of the story. The satanic ritual was kind of brushed upon quickly and that was it. Other than that, I had a lot of fun reading this and I look forward to reading more by this author, as well as checking out the other books in the Rewind or Die series!