Circus at Devil's Landing

Dark Earth Rising

by Debra Castaneda

"Debra Castaneda is extremely talented at writing creepy, atmospheric folk horror." - PopHorror.com

Decades before a deadly attack wipes out a neighborhood along Roy’s Slough, a circus ship crashes ashore at Devil’s Landing.

Among the wreck’s a young woman from the mountains of Mexico seeking to free her captured lover, a vile ringmaster, and creatures that howl in the night.

The lifeboats carry more than the circus troupe to the fog-shrouded harbor on the central coast of cages, secrets, and a lifetime of resentment.

Hoping to fund the rest of their journey, the circus performers put on a show in the isolated village, but when a new animal act debuts, things go horrifyingly wrong.

The events that follow reveal the depth of the ringmaster’s ambition, the true nature of the beasts, a test of Ana Maria’s love, and the real story behind the deadly Slough Devils of Devil’s Landing.

Read the origin story of the creatures in Debra Castaneda’s coastal horror novel, The Devil’s Shallows, part of the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels. Read the books in any order.

Genres: Horror, Horror Thriller

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 6, 2023

About the author

Debra Castaneda is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and dark fiction based on the central coast of California.

Her works include Barely Magic, the first book in the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series of urban fantasy novels; The Spore Queen, The Devil’s Shallows, The Root Witch, The Copper Man, Circus at Devil’s Landing, and A Dark and Rising Tide, which comprise the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels, and The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, an International Latino Book Awards gold medal winner.

Debra loves writing character-driven stories about people who experience scary or magical things, and how they react when confronted with the unexpected. She’s committed to representing Latinas and Latinos in her books.

For inspiration, she draws from her experience as a TV and radio journalist, and as a third-generation Mexican American

Debra now lives on the central coast of California with her husband. She enjoys rediscovering the Mexican dishes of her childhood and texting her two daughters about her latest binge-watch.

~Subscribe to her newsletter for the occasional giveaway and the latest news at www.debracastaneda.com;
~Stay in touch with her at: @castanedawrites on Facebook & @castanedawrites on Instagram .

Reviews

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

CIRCUS 🎪 AT DEVIL'S LANDING is a horror-driven, romantic, Gothic, historical delight, and serves as the origin story for the DARK EARTH RISING series of stand-alone horror novellas, set on California's Central Coast. This one takes place also in Mexico and then on the Central Coast, beginning just prior to the tragic and horrendous 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The nature of the Horror and the manipulation of Dark Arts and Science by the hubris of humans has resonances of both Silvia Moreno-Garcia and H. G. Wells, and the indefatigable heroine is strongly empathetic. Suffering terribly, she yet perseveres, and no man is going to stop her.

[LZW · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the opportunity to read this in advance of publication, and omg I’m so glad I got too! This is the 4th book in her Dark Earth Rising novel, and it focuses around a woman (Ana Maria) set in the 1900’s. Normally, I’m not a fan of period reads-but this was so well written- I thoroughly enjoyed it! Loved the pacing, the character development/interactions, and the world she constructed! Highly recommend to read this if you love horror!

[James McIntosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not What I Expected

Truthfully I purchased this book because of the cover. Guess I was looking for something more along Stephen King's 'Dr. Sleep'. That is not the case here. Its an ok book book but needs a bit of tweaking. Perhaps by starting out with the Hinsworth family history and then developing the characters tad more. A little too fast paced in the story telling for me.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was overjoyed to be given the chance to read this before publication, thanks to the author gifting me with an ARC. Castaneda never disappoints, and her Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels has been one of my favorites. 'Circus at Devil's Landing' is the fourth entry in that series, a novella; in fact, it's a prequel to the 3rd book, 'The Devil's Shallows,' a brilliant cryptid/urban legend horror novel. In 'The Devil's Shallows' there was repeatedly mention of how the cryptids ended up in the California seatown of Devil's Landing, and it all went back to a European Circus and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. In 'Circus at Devil's Landing' we finally learn what exactly happened, where the monsters came from, and it's not a pretty story. The narrative has a strong female protagonist, the Mexican Ana Maria, and it's actually a mix of dark fantasy and romance. Unlike the previous books, where an atmosphere of dread dominated throughout, the novella is a bit lighter, brimming with lore and magic. I usually don't like fantasy, dark or otherwise, but knowing this is a Castaneda book, and she doesn't mess around, I stuck to it and finished it in one go. Great read and I highly recommend it!

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of getting an advanced copy of Debra Castaneda's new release Circus at Devil's Landing. This book is the origin story of the cryptid creatures in Debra's other work, The Devil's Shallows. I have yet to read The Devil's Shallows, but I do not feel that it is necessary to enjoy this Circus romp. And enjoy it I did!

Circus at Devil's Landing is set in 1906. Our main character, Ana Maria, leaves her home in Mexico on a quest to rescue her kidnapped lover. He was sold to a villainous circus ring master and taken to a ship to be an unknown participant in a mysterious circus act. In order to save him, Ana Maria joins the circus and its band of misfits and sets sail with them to San Francisco.

Ana Maria has led a troubled life and has some secrets that she would like to stay hidden. But, in order to perform with the circus, at least one of her secrets will have to be revealed. And it's a doozy! I can't give it away because it was an awesome reveal, but trust me, it's not what I expected.

Overall, this novella has proven to me that Debra Castaneda is extremely talented at writing creepy, atmospheric folk horror. The settings are perfect, she writes thoroughly complex characters and gives backstories for them all without using info dumps. I adore her writing and look forward to following her career for a very long time.

Highly recommend for lovers of folk horror, dark fantasy, and wonderful characters.

[Casey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've truly become fond of Debra Castaneda's writing, the compelling characters she creates, and the imagination that floods the pages of her books. Her new novella, Circus at Devil's Landing, was no different!

We follow the journey of Ana Maria, set in the 1900s, traveling the harsh sea to a new world, the destination being California. The traveling circuses ship she's joined, abruptly wrecks on the shore of Devil's Landing, where Ana Maria will seek to free her love, the crew will perform showcasing the strange talents that bring them together, and the ringmaster has a surprise in store for the townspeople, bringing new beasts to tempt their fate!

Read if you love:
- Dark Magic 🎩
- Strong willed MC's
- Outcasts
- Commradery
- Lost love
- Strange Talents
- Occult horror
- Period Pieces ✨️
- Beasts/unnamed creatures

Thank you so very much to the author for providing me with an ARC for review. All opinions are my own!

Strange, weird, terrororfilled novella that I highly recommend so that you, too, can see the beasts that await at Devil's Landing! 😉

Note: Prequel to The Devil's Shallows BUT reds as a standalone as well. I'm now going to go grab my copy of The Devil's Shallows!!

[Bookish_Spren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much @castanedawrites for my gifted e-arc of Circus at Devil’s Landing! Her Dark Earth series is an auto-buy series for me. I had to get myself the physical copy because I knew I would love this novella!

Circus at Devil’s Landing is a prequel to The Devil’s Shallow (highly recommend). You can read them in any order. We follow Ana Maria who lives in Mexico with her evil brother, Nestor. Unfortunately her brother sells her lover, Javier to Hinsworth who owns a circus. Ana Maria is determined to get him back so she gets a job with the circus and has to travel to California by ship with them. Things do not go the way Ana Maria planned and she encounters a very dark evil and things only escalate even more when the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits.

The pacing of this novella was perfect. It can easily be finished in a day. Loved that it’s a gothic circus novella with a bit of a romance. I’ll be honest that I’m not usually a fan of romance but this was done just right!! Perfect for fans of Isabel Cañas and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
.
Now I want a prequel of the Hinsworth men! 🤞🏽🙈 It also left me wanting to reread The Devil’s Shallow!

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is set in 1906, which I discovered afterwards was a significant date (no spoilers). Ana Maria, daughter of a Mexican coffee plant owner, hasn't had the carefree life her implied wealth would indicate. As the story starts, she arrives at the coast in pursuit of a circus owner, Hinsworth, who has purchased her lover and other plantation workers (even though they are not slaves) from her cruel and drunken brother. The captive men are taken onboard a ship bound for San Franscisco. Ana Maria convinces the woman in charge of hiring that she has a marketable skill which can form the basis of a circus act, and joins the circus. Aboard ship, she tries her best to stay out of Hinsworth's way and tries to find a way to free her lover and the others. But tragedy ensues thanks to the dark magic of the Hinsworth family.

This was a short novel, possibly just a novella, as it's not always easy to tell when reading on Kindle. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the other two books I've previously read by this author. There was a strong female protagonist, dark magic, the vibes of a creepy circus, but something about it didn't quite gel for me. I've since learned it's a prequel to a novel I haven't yet read so I hope I will enjoy that one more. I rate this one at 3 stars.

[Siobhan Falen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars

Ana Maria throws herself into a desperate quest to save the man she loves after he's sold to the proprietor of a traveling circus. What she doesn't expect is that there are fates far worse than whips and flames and no one is walking away unscathed.

I have yet to read a book of Castaneda's that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. This one, though shorter than her usual as it's an origin story for another one of her books (The Devil's Shallows), met that expectation and exceeded it.

It's a beautifully done, gothic terror revolving around a circus and a ringmaster with a terrible secret about the new beasts he's brought on board. You know it's going to end badly, you can feel it through the atmosphere soaking every page, and yet, you still hope that maybe you're misinterpreting where things are going.

The ending felt a little too wrapped up for my taste, too tidy, but overall, the book was just excellent. Castaneda's way with words is magic.

I recommend and will continue to hunt down the books of hers that I do not own yet.

[Joan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 rating

This Scifi Horror story contains kidnapping, sea travel, romance, and especially a circus. It's the preview to
The Devil's Shallows.

The MFC is brave enough to create a plan to rescue her beloved finance. She experiences some hell raising situations, especially learning the secrets that lie below the forbidden decks of the Iron Maiden. Will she be able to face the terror and rescue her finances?

In the Devil’s Shallows their are creatures that seem straight out of Lovecraft's imagination. In the Circus at Devils Landing, the reader learns how these mysterious vicious creatures arrived at Devil’s Landing and so much more.

This begins as a slow burn that took me until the MFC reveals her circus act to her roommates. I read the last half of the book in one sitting. I enjoyed Dark Earth Rising series.

[Tara Losacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I'd hoped it was going to be! Debra thoughtfully dedicated this book to me bc after reading, and loving, The Devil's Shallows I was remarking on how interesting the story of the beasts was and that I'd love to learn more about where they came from. Well that conversation gave her the nudge to write this amazing book. I found our main character, Ana Maria totally relatable and it felt as if I was on this journey with her. A journey starting out trying to free her love, then turns to dealing with a selfish ringmaster, dark magic, a shipwreck, and finally ending with savage beasts and mayem at the slough. Just a great read, overall. Thank you Debra for creating an origin for the beasts and for the dedication 🖤

[Erin Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im quitting the book. I am 80% through and I just do not care what happens to any of them. I do not feel a strong enough connection to Ana Maria. I never really met Javier to have any emotion for his and Ana Maria's "relationship". Hinsworth is awful and gross and so is Silas....but for whatever reason I do not even hate him! I could not care less about the "beasts" because I didn't mee them as humans and are all faceless to me. They sound like they might be scary but the description feels just vague enough that i have a feeling of "meh". ----maybe I will circle back but I don't think i will.

[Jesse Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The monsters of Devil's Shallows are explained.

I normally avoid novellas and short stories like the plague. This novella was an exception and one I'm so glad I made. I adore the author's storytelling and themes, and The Devil's Shallows had some fantasticly creepy, and unfortunately lusty, creatures. I was excited to learn more about the beasties and this book delivers a bittersweet adventure told by a young woman who goes on a journey to save her lover after her brother sells him to a circus owner. I won't give anything else away, but this book is so good. I picked up The Copper Man this past week, so I think I'll dive into that next .

[Hullabaloo22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good addition to the series.

The Carillo's have a coffee farm in Mexico. Ana Maria has never had a good relationship with her abusive brother, Nestor. When he catches her with one of the plantation workers, Javier, Nestor decides to teach both of them a lesson by selling Javier and some of the other workers to Ambrose Hinsworth.
When Ana Maria learns that Hinsworth owns a circus, she is determined to rescue the man she loves, even if she has to join the circus herself.
The story is well paced, with a host of varied characters which makes this a good addition to the Dark Earth Rising series.

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step right up ladies and gentlemen! What you see before you is something bewitching. Something to make your heart tingle and spine chill. A book so absorbing you won't be able to put it down until your time with it is at an end.
It has romance, monsters, evil men and strong women. It reads like a dream and a nightmare, and so satisfying, You learn the story of the creatures of Devil's Landing from author, Debra Castaneda, a delightful storyteller that will cast her spell on you.
Price of admission is well worth it.
I loved it.

[Vix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella has such a creepy cover - I love it! It's great to find out the origin of the creatures as it now gives an added layer to The Devil’s Shallows.

The ringmaster gave off such a sinister air, I respected Ana for going up against him. I liked meeting all the circus characters, but I'd love to learn more about Ewa.

I wish there was a bit more about Silas and his abilities - the extent and history. As per usual, when Debra writes novellas, I always want them to be novels!

Overall, another great addition to the Dark Earth Rising series that I sped through.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Debra Castaneda's books! They're always a wonderful read.
This is a horror novel which is a prequel to "The Devil's Shallows" though they can be read stand-alone as well. This is the kind of book that keeps you in suspense and it also has themes of romance and tragedy. The characters are well developed and I feel that it was in-line with the time it was written in. It's definitely a must read!

[Stefanie Silvestri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circus at Devil’s Landing by Debra Castaneda is a romantic, Gothic, horror Novella in her Dark Earth Rising series. This is a Prequel to the third book in the series that is called A Devil’s Shallows. This book follows Ana Maria as she joins a creepy circus and is set in the 1900s. I got absorbed into this book, and as I’m reading it, my imagination plays the story out my head. She is easily becoming one of my favorite authors.

[Lis. Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

I wish I would have seen this before I read the book. Thank you for writing and for explaining the origin of these creatures. I should have known it was because of a man's greed. This is the reason I don't go to circuses or rodeos. I can't handle the cruelty the animals receive to make them do things they normally wouldnt.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good prequel! I was expecting a story about a circus and only a circus and how the “Slough Devil” came to be. So I was pleasantly surprised to read a story based around Ana Maria. It’s rare that I enjoy a story that’s a prequel because they usually feel rushed but this one satisfied everything I didn’t know I wanted to know about the Slough Devil’s history. Don’t sleep on this gem!

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because I loved the previous and wanted to see the origin story of the beasts but my god did this book completely suck bum. I skimmed the whole thing bored as all shite. the only entertaining portion was ana maria wrapping up nasty lil silas in a blanket and tossing him around like a sack of potatos

[Lisa Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story from Debra Castaneda! This is the origin story for the creatures in The Devil's Shallows! Monsters, compelling characters, a storyline that kept me turning pages; this book has it all!

[Cody Paxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware the slough devil(s)

Literally the *chef's kiss* of origin stories! Debra did an amazing job giving (a sad) history to the creatures of The Devil's Landing.

Also gave me more than a few reasons to never trust a traveling circus.

Bravo 👏

[Kristi Boulware · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Winner

Can this author write anything bad? I honestly haven’t found one yet.

I really enjoyed the culture and richness in this one. The creepy factor and love story was so good.

[Kim Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this.  I had been hoping for a prequel to Devil's Shallows and this did not disappoint.  

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story!! I couldn't put it down and I immediately started the sequel!!

[LORRIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing

This was a fantastic book. It was interesting and exciting. There was a lot of secrets and action. I look forward to morenfrom this author

[Teresa Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Such a great book couldn't read it fast enough I discovered this author by chance can't wait to read more

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up until done

Went to bed with the book in my hand, just finished it and now it's1:30 am.
It's the type of book you just can't put down.

[marie reads stuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one before the devils shallows, it says they can be read in any order but it’s way better in that order