The premise was good - a carnival that has been operated by two evil men for over a century comes to town every few decades, always in October, and wreaks havoc. But, I couldn't get into the story. I don't know if it was the writing or the main characters - two young boys, whom I couldn't connect with and found annoying - or something else. I kept waiting for something big to happen and for something big to be revealed about the the father, but neither happened. Glad I borrowed, and not bought, this book.