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The Carousel of Forgotten Places
A romantic, time travelling fantasy filled with humour and a charming cast of found family, the perfect read for those craving a whimsical, cosy romantasy in the vein of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
For nearly 500 years, Ryka has lived by a few golden rules.
1. Unravel the time knots.
2. Don’t interfere with the timelines
3. Avoid at all costs being left alone with the annoyingly sexy time god, Everest.
Ryka runs a magical fair outside the space-time continuum, bound to her duties as the immortal timekeeper after she struck a deal to save her best friend’s life. She has been searching for a way back to her timeline ever since.
When the carousel at the heart of the fair begins to show signs of time rot, threatening the fabric of her world, and a mysterious woman falls out of it, Ryka must break her third golden rule and partner up with Everest to investigate. As they jump in and out of time trying to determine where the woman came from, Ryka finds Everest isn’t as overbearing as she initially thought, and 500 years of working together can make for some long-brewed feelings.
As the clock ticks, Ryka will need to embrace the family she’s built, both alive and dead, magical and not, to get to the root of the issue – even if it means abandoning her chances of ever going home.
A time travelling romantasy filled with classic tropes and takes place in an exciting new world. Perfect for those wanting to dive into the increasingly popular cosy fantasy genre!
For nearly 500 years, Ryka has lived by a few golden rules.
1. Unravel the time knots.
2. Don’t interfere with the timelines
3. Avoid at all costs being left alone with the annoyingly sexy time god, Everest.
Ryka runs a magical fair outside the space-time continuum, bound to her duties as the immortal timekeeper after she struck a deal to save her best friend’s life. She has been searching for a way back to her timeline ever since.
When the carousel at the heart of the fair begins to show signs of time rot, threatening the fabric of her world, and a mysterious woman falls out of it, Ryka must break her third golden rule and partner up with Everest to investigate. As they jump in and out of time trying to determine where the woman came from, Ryka finds Everest isn’t as overbearing as she initially thought, and 500 years of working together can make for some long-brewed feelings.
As the clock ticks, Ryka will need to embrace the family she’s built, both alive and dead, magical and not, to get to the root of the issue – even if it means abandoning her chances of ever going home.
A time travelling romantasy filled with classic tropes and takes place in an exciting new world. Perfect for those wanting to dive into the increasingly popular cosy fantasy genre!
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2026
About the author
S. Hati
4 books124 followersS. Hati is a speculative fiction writer, currently residing in the Bay Area. She holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from UCLA and a master’s degree in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University, and pretends to use them both while working in health tech. She writes about brown girls in strange worlds that straddle the line between magic and science.
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July 6, 2026💫✨ The Carousel of Forgotten Places ✨💫
📖 Bookish Thoughts
A full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
⌛What to Expect
• Cozy Fantasy
• Time Travel
• Found Family
• Magical Fair
• Whimsical Adventure
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 25, 2026
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
A full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
⌛What to Expect
• Cozy Fantasy
• Time Travel
• Found Family
• Magical Fair
• Whimsical Adventure
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 25, 2026
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
August 26, 2026
Unfortunately I think S. Hati is just not for me. Great concepts and ideas but the execution falls flat.
There was something missing in this book, a connection between reader and characters that made it hard to care much about their plights. I found the writing itself to be lovely but the overall story lagged and lacked worldbuilding. I wanted to know more about the lore and the carousel rather than having a ton of conversations about nothing.
There was something missing in this book, a connection between reader and characters that made it hard to care much about their plights. I found the writing itself to be lovely but the overall story lagged and lacked worldbuilding. I wanted to know more about the lore and the carousel rather than having a ton of conversations about nothing.
August 25, 2026
The Carousel of Forgotten Places was such a lovely and heartwarming read! I didn't quite know what to expect going into it, but I loved being drawn into these characters' lives and their time-travel shenanigans.
Set at a whimsical Fair, the book follows Ryka, the timekeeper, and a fun cast of characters including a time god, Everest, and a duo of funny little ghosts, Ender and Beam. Ryka is in charge of solving any glitches in the timelines, but nothing has prepared her for the sudden spread of Rot all over the Carousel, causing countless timelines to glitch all at once... and a human to mysteriously appear at the Fair with no memories of her own life. With the help of her friends, Ryka needs to put everything back into place before all dimensions collapse onto themselves... and figure out her own future in the meantime.
I have to admit I wasn't instantly hooked, but after about 25% of the story I was totally drawn in and attached to these delightful characters and the incredible found-family dynamics at the Fair. Ryka is a bit of an ice queen, keeping people at a distance because she still grieves her human life - and I loved following her journey and seeing how she changed throughout the book. Everest was PRECIOUS. He tries SO hard, and he made me smile every time he appeared on the page. As did the little ghosts, albeit for totally different reasons... they were just so cute, and I adored reading about their closeness with Ryka. Valentine was an interesting character, too. I couldn't quite "read" her for most of the story, because she suddenly felt so close to everyone without me having really seen those relationships develop, but I did enjoy the role she played in the plot.
The story itself was intriguing, with an original take on timekeeping, a fun atmosphere created by the coexistence of humans, gods, and ghosts, and some well-done twists in the last part of the book. It kept me guessing about the two main issues for quite a while! The ending was very satisfying, too, wrapping up all the loose ends in a way that felt very fitting.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in a cozy time-travel fantasy with excellent found-family dynamics!
Set at a whimsical Fair, the book follows Ryka, the timekeeper, and a fun cast of characters including a time god, Everest, and a duo of funny little ghosts, Ender and Beam. Ryka is in charge of solving any glitches in the timelines, but nothing has prepared her for the sudden spread of Rot all over the Carousel, causing countless timelines to glitch all at once... and a human to mysteriously appear at the Fair with no memories of her own life. With the help of her friends, Ryka needs to put everything back into place before all dimensions collapse onto themselves... and figure out her own future in the meantime.
I have to admit I wasn't instantly hooked, but after about 25% of the story I was totally drawn in and attached to these delightful characters and the incredible found-family dynamics at the Fair. Ryka is a bit of an ice queen, keeping people at a distance because she still grieves her human life - and I loved following her journey and seeing how she changed throughout the book. Everest was PRECIOUS. He tries SO hard, and he made me smile every time he appeared on the page. As did the little ghosts, albeit for totally different reasons... they were just so cute, and I adored reading about their closeness with Ryka. Valentine was an interesting character, too. I couldn't quite "read" her for most of the story, because she suddenly felt so close to everyone without me having really seen those relationships develop, but I did enjoy the role she played in the plot.
The story itself was intriguing, with an original take on timekeeping, a fun atmosphere created by the coexistence of humans, gods, and ghosts, and some well-done twists in the last part of the book. It kept me guessing about the two main issues for quite a while! The ending was very satisfying, too, wrapping up all the loose ends in a way that felt very fitting.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in a cozy time-travel fantasy with excellent found-family dynamics!
August 31, 2026
This was a beautifully written story about love, grief, found family, and self discovery.
The world was so bright and colorful, and the characters even more so (shoutout beam you lil diva).
The love story was slow, intentional, and incredibly tender, and went beyond romantic love to a level of platonic affection romance stories don’t often build into.
Rykas self discovery as an imperfect character was characterized so well, I felt like I could really feel her emotions and relate to her need for self preservation.
Overall, another wonderful book from Hati and I really hope I get to see more of Cyrus one day.
The world was so bright and colorful, and the characters even more so (shoutout beam you lil diva).
The love story was slow, intentional, and incredibly tender, and went beyond romantic love to a level of platonic affection romance stories don’t often build into.
Rykas self discovery as an imperfect character was characterized so well, I felt like I could really feel her emotions and relate to her need for self preservation.
Overall, another wonderful book from Hati and I really hope I get to see more of Cyrus one day.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the ARC of S. Hati’s book “The Carousel of Forgotten Places.”
This was such a fun story. It presents time travel in a fantasy theme rather than science fiction, which I think is a brilliant approach.
In a manner similar to Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus,” Hati’s characters live in an otherworldly carnival where time and history are controlled by the revolutions of the carousel. Timekeeper Ryka follows the threads of time spun by the carousel to keep time and the carnival’s inhabitants alive (sort of), but her desire to return to her own place in time causes her to break a cardinal rule of the Timekeeper, causing a rift that could destroy time itself.
Take a great adventure, add a little heartbreak and a dash of romance, and you have this thoroughly enjoyable story.
This was such a fun story. It presents time travel in a fantasy theme rather than science fiction, which I think is a brilliant approach.
In a manner similar to Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus,” Hati’s characters live in an otherworldly carnival where time and history are controlled by the revolutions of the carousel. Timekeeper Ryka follows the threads of time spun by the carousel to keep time and the carnival’s inhabitants alive (sort of), but her desire to return to her own place in time causes her to break a cardinal rule of the Timekeeper, causing a rift that could destroy time itself.
Take a great adventure, add a little heartbreak and a dash of romance, and you have this thoroughly enjoyable story.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I picked this up because of the original premise, but ended up being disappointed with the execution.
The protagonist and narrator is Ryka, a woman of Indian heritage brought up in the US, who has spent almost five centuries as the Timekeeper in a magical pocket dimension created by a time god, from which she undertakes expeditions to repair timelines that have somehow become corrupted (exactly how or why this happens routinely is not explored in any detail). The founding time god's brother Everest is generally around and plays an important role in the time repairs. Despite being demisexual, or perhaps because of it, she is in lust with him, but doesn't want to mess up their working relationship by doing anything about it.
Ryka is self-pitying, emotionally immature despite her 500 years, and one of those people who make sure that everyone around them shares in their bad mood, and she makes some poor decisions even though she should have both the intelligence and the experience to know better. Everest is flaky, unreliable and lacking in empathy. That was never a ship I was going to be on board with; I have to like both members of a couple to care about whether they end up together, and I didn't like either of them.
Among a good few small imperfections, the most prominent one for me was the implausible reason for the MC to understand languages. Because she has been visiting various places and times for a little less than 500 years, she has "developed fluency in most languages" (according to her). There are about 7000 languages currently spoken in our world, and of course many more (and many mutually unintelligible earlier versions) throughout history, and this book has divergent timelines too, so... well over 10,000. And she later claims it is "thousands," so the "most" is probably not intended as a rhetorical flourish, or to refer only to languages with a large number of speakers.
Clearly nobody, no matter how good their memory, could become fluent in "most" of those 10,000 languages, even in 500 years. Even if we're very generous and say it's 4000 (most of 7000), that's a language every six weeks, and we know (because we're told) that her memory isn't supernaturally perfect. It's absurd.
It would be absurd even if she was immersed in each language continuously for the whole six weeks, doing nothing but learning it by constantly interacting with native speakers. But she's not. She undertakes very short missions about once a week, each one to a random place and time and never to the same place and time on two consecutive occasions, and actively avoids engaging with anyone if she can help it. The languages claim is, honestly, less plausible than if you just say that her supernatural role as the Keeper of Time gives her fluency in all languages. Sure, she also has a magical library which can presumably produce books from which she could learn languages, but that's not the claim she's making.
If we set that nonsense aside, though, and assume that the excess hyphens and vocabulary glitches will be fixed between the pre-publication version I had via Netgalley and when the book comes out, and ignore the fact that the romance is between two people I don't much care for or about, the book is... OK. Fairly simple plot (Ryka messes up and has to fix it, and this helps her somehow to get over herself at last), interesting and whimsical world, secondary characters that are adequate for their roles.
I didn't love it. That's probably just me; other people seem to like it fine. Perhaps you will too.
The protagonist and narrator is Ryka, a woman of Indian heritage brought up in the US, who has spent almost five centuries as the Timekeeper in a magical pocket dimension created by a time god, from which she undertakes expeditions to repair timelines that have somehow become corrupted (exactly how or why this happens routinely is not explored in any detail). The founding time god's brother Everest is generally around and plays an important role in the time repairs. Despite being demisexual, or perhaps because of it, she is in lust with him, but doesn't want to mess up their working relationship by doing anything about it.
Ryka is self-pitying, emotionally immature despite her 500 years, and one of those people who make sure that everyone around them shares in their bad mood, and she makes some poor decisions even though she should have both the intelligence and the experience to know better. Everest is flaky, unreliable and lacking in empathy. That was never a ship I was going to be on board with; I have to like both members of a couple to care about whether they end up together, and I didn't like either of them.
Among a good few small imperfections, the most prominent one for me was the implausible reason for the MC to understand languages. Because she has been visiting various places and times for a little less than 500 years, she has "developed fluency in most languages" (according to her). There are about 7000 languages currently spoken in our world, and of course many more (and many mutually unintelligible earlier versions) throughout history, and this book has divergent timelines too, so... well over 10,000. And she later claims it is "thousands," so the "most" is probably not intended as a rhetorical flourish, or to refer only to languages with a large number of speakers.
Clearly nobody, no matter how good their memory, could become fluent in "most" of those 10,000 languages, even in 500 years. Even if we're very generous and say it's 4000 (most of 7000), that's a language every six weeks, and we know (because we're told) that her memory isn't supernaturally perfect. It's absurd.
It would be absurd even if she was immersed in each language continuously for the whole six weeks, doing nothing but learning it by constantly interacting with native speakers. But she's not. She undertakes very short missions about once a week, each one to a random place and time and never to the same place and time on two consecutive occasions, and actively avoids engaging with anyone if she can help it. The languages claim is, honestly, less plausible than if you just say that her supernatural role as the Keeper of Time gives her fluency in all languages. Sure, she also has a magical library which can presumably produce books from which she could learn languages, but that's not the claim she's making.
If we set that nonsense aside, though, and assume that the excess hyphens and vocabulary glitches will be fixed between the pre-publication version I had via Netgalley and when the book comes out, and ignore the fact that the romance is between two people I don't much care for or about, the book is... OK. Fairly simple plot (Ryka messes up and has to fix it, and this helps her somehow to get over herself at last), interesting and whimsical world, secondary characters that are adequate for their roles.
I didn't love it. That's probably just me; other people seem to like it fine. Perhaps you will too.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is a whimsical romantic fantasy featuring Ryka, a former human who is now a 500-some year old immortal timekeeper. Ryka lives inside of a magical fair outside of time where she is charged with repairing corrupted timelines that appear inside of a carousel. I loved the imagery of the fair, the carousel, and the river where time was made. The way the author wrote really did a fantastic job painting a picture of the landscape in my mind. And the idea of "time rot" as a central danger was super intriguing.
This story features a found family of quirky characters, including a sentient book named Quill and a ghost cat named Cillian. I really enjoyed all the unique personalities and I felt each character had something to contribute to the story.
The romance between Ryka and Everest, a time god, was sweet. I could feel the history between them and believed in their love story. It definitely seemed to be a case of "he falls first" with lots of longing, and there were moments I was begging Ryka to just kiss him already.
I really appreciated the demisexuality representation with Ryka. I myself am on the asexual spectrum and it's not something that has enough visibility. However, I felt very sad for Ryka during a scene in the book where she was explaining her sexuality and seemed resigned to making herself fit in with others sexually. Ryka admits she "mostly engaged with men because it was what was expected from relationships" but that she was usually repulsed by sex "counting down the seconds until it would be over". I wish someone had told her that sex isn't owed in a relationship, and she didn't have to engage in sex when she didn't want to.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. I would have liked more about all the time god siblings and their family dynamics. The potential story there is definitely something I would read. But really, any chance to return to this world and all the wonderful characters would be welcome.
Spice Level: 2/5 🌶️ - one multiple page open door scene
I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story features a found family of quirky characters, including a sentient book named Quill and a ghost cat named Cillian. I really enjoyed all the unique personalities and I felt each character had something to contribute to the story.
The romance between Ryka and Everest, a time god, was sweet. I could feel the history between them and believed in their love story. It definitely seemed to be a case of "he falls first" with lots of longing, and there were moments I was begging Ryka to just kiss him already.
I really appreciated the demisexuality representation with Ryka. I myself am on the asexual spectrum and it's not something that has enough visibility. However, I felt very sad for Ryka during a scene in the book where she was explaining her sexuality and seemed resigned to making herself fit in with others sexually. Ryka admits she "mostly engaged with men because it was what was expected from relationships" but that she was usually repulsed by sex "counting down the seconds until it would be over". I wish someone had told her that sex isn't owed in a relationship, and she didn't have to engage in sex when she didn't want to.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. I would have liked more about all the time god siblings and their family dynamics. The potential story there is definitely something I would read. But really, any chance to return to this world and all the wonderful characters would be welcome.
Spice Level: 2/5 🌶️ - one multiple page open door scene
I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
The Carousel of Forgotten Places introduces us to Ryka, a once normal human who is now a 500year old immortal time keeper after making a deal to save her best friend's life. Ryka runs a magical fair that exists outside the space-time continuum with a carousel as its heart. She lives within a community of ghosts, gods and other magical entities. One day unexpectedly, the carousel appears to be deteriorating due to "time rot" and an unknown woman falls out. Ryka and the other magical fair inhabitants have to try and figure out when and where this woman is from by jumping in and out of time, as well as work out how to cure the carousel before it's too late.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is probably one of the most unique books I've ever read, in the best way. It's such a hard book to explain because I feel like I don't do it justice and have just ended up begging people to read it when it releases. It had such a unique and fascinating take on time travel, especially the magical fair and the carousel elements. I was curious but I will admit to being a little sceptical about how all these elements could work but they did SO well and the author did a wonderful job. There were a couple of elements of the story that were a bit predictable, but honestly I was enjoying the book enough and it was done well enough that this really didn't bother me at all.
The characters were all done really well I thought. They each had their own backstories, personalities and vulnerabilities. Despite the uniqueness of Ryka's situation, I actually found her to be quite relatable in her feelings and frustrations. The other characters too, both main and side, all had the personalities and quirks that often made them memorable. Most also had a level of depth I wouldn't have expected but very much enjoyed. They also had great relationships with each other and it was fun to read the banter. The setting/location also worked really well with the story and felt like in many instances it really tied everything together well.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is such a wonderful book that really allowed me to escape into another world. I have already recommended this book to people to keep an eye out for upon release and will continue to recommend it!
The Carousel of Forgotten Places introduces us to Ryka, a once normal human who is now a 500year old immortal time keeper after making a deal to save her best friend's life. Ryka runs a magical fair that exists outside the space-time continuum with a carousel as its heart. She lives within a community of ghosts, gods and other magical entities. One day unexpectedly, the carousel appears to be deteriorating due to "time rot" and an unknown woman falls out. Ryka and the other magical fair inhabitants have to try and figure out when and where this woman is from by jumping in and out of time, as well as work out how to cure the carousel before it's too late.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is probably one of the most unique books I've ever read, in the best way. It's such a hard book to explain because I feel like I don't do it justice and have just ended up begging people to read it when it releases. It had such a unique and fascinating take on time travel, especially the magical fair and the carousel elements. I was curious but I will admit to being a little sceptical about how all these elements could work but they did SO well and the author did a wonderful job. There were a couple of elements of the story that were a bit predictable, but honestly I was enjoying the book enough and it was done well enough that this really didn't bother me at all.
The characters were all done really well I thought. They each had their own backstories, personalities and vulnerabilities. Despite the uniqueness of Ryka's situation, I actually found her to be quite relatable in her feelings and frustrations. The other characters too, both main and side, all had the personalities and quirks that often made them memorable. Most also had a level of depth I wouldn't have expected but very much enjoyed. They also had great relationships with each other and it was fun to read the banter. The setting/location also worked really well with the story and felt like in many instances it really tied everything together well.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is such a wonderful book that really allowed me to escape into another world. I have already recommended this book to people to keep an eye out for upon release and will continue to recommend it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is described as a romantic, time travelling fantasy filled with humour and a charming cast of found family, the perfect read for those craving a whimsical, cosy romantasy. So immediately requested a copy for review and was overjoyed when I was able to get one.
However I really struggled to get getting into the story as I felt like I had jumped straight into the middle of the plot and had no idea what was going on. It was very confusing and off-putting. Eventually though most of the gaps were filled in but it took a while to settle in.
The MC, Ryka, is human, however in order to save a dying friend she has been a timekeeper for almost 500 years. She is currently living with ghosts and repairing corrupted timelines for a huge sentient carousel in an alternative universe, but she longs to return to her time. As as the story opens the carousel is in trouble - it has started decaying, the timelines are fraying. If the carousel dies there is no chance for Ryka to ever get back to her time. Ryka needs to fix the rot and she only has Everest (her eccentric boss and one of 12 time gods) along with a myriad of quirky characters to help.
To be honest Ryka was a very hard person for me to like. And I really couldn't get past her constant moaning and complaining, although if I had been stuck in a magical fair and unable to return to my own time I would probably be a tad grumpy too. However I eventually came to care for her and how the story ended was just perfect for her.
Despite the beginning The Carousel of Forgotten Places is very readable and I would certainly give some of S. Hati’s other books a try.
Thank you to Angry Robot Publishers for providing an advanced copy of this book, at my request, for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
However I really struggled to get getting into the story as I felt like I had jumped straight into the middle of the plot and had no idea what was going on. It was very confusing and off-putting. Eventually though most of the gaps were filled in but it took a while to settle in.
The MC, Ryka, is human, however in order to save a dying friend she has been a timekeeper for almost 500 years. She is currently living with ghosts and repairing corrupted timelines for a huge sentient carousel in an alternative universe, but she longs to return to her time. As as the story opens the carousel is in trouble - it has started decaying, the timelines are fraying. If the carousel dies there is no chance for Ryka to ever get back to her time. Ryka needs to fix the rot and she only has Everest (her eccentric boss and one of 12 time gods) along with a myriad of quirky characters to help.
To be honest Ryka was a very hard person for me to like. And I really couldn't get past her constant moaning and complaining, although if I had been stuck in a magical fair and unable to return to my own time I would probably be a tad grumpy too. However I eventually came to care for her and how the story ended was just perfect for her.
Despite the beginning The Carousel of Forgotten Places is very readable and I would certainly give some of S. Hati’s other books a try.
Thank you to Angry Robot Publishers for providing an advanced copy of this book, at my request, for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
October 24, 2026
Ryka has been working as an immortal timekeeper at the edges of time. Ghosts and one of the twelve sons of Time, Everest, populate the four. Her job is to fix any snarls in the threads of time and keep the Carousel running. The Carousel is now showing signs of time rot, and a human falls into the fair. Ryka and Everest now have to get her home, all while keeping the fabric of time safe and their repressed feelings from getting in the way.
The Carousel is a fairy tale in this world, and Ryka agreed to become a timekeeper to save her friend's life. She's been working on a way back ever since, in between fixing snarled threads of time or a rotten thread. With the new widespread rot, Everest comes with her, changing how she had done things for centuries. The two dance around each other, and the rot in the middle of the carousel is scary for them. Small trinkets she had taken on past trips to find a way back to her prior timeline haven't helped her find a way back, and the trips to fix timelines are more and more complicated, with no way to actually correct it. Ryka and the other fair residents see the effects on the fair weather, and Everest himself when he tries to fix it.
The worldbuilding here is fun and new. The idea of churning the river of time to make threads, that it's built from memory, regrets, and fragments of lives lived. This book reflects the wish to know what lives we would have had if we chose differently, the guilt over choices we didn't make, and the family we don't always get to see. The flip side to that grief is the family you build in its place, the choices you do make, and the life you actually have. One of the characters even says that life never turns out the way you plan, which is true. Over the course of the novel, Ryka learns this for herself. It's wonderful to see, and this is a great book.
The Carousel is a fairy tale in this world, and Ryka agreed to become a timekeeper to save her friend's life. She's been working on a way back ever since, in between fixing snarled threads of time or a rotten thread. With the new widespread rot, Everest comes with her, changing how she had done things for centuries. The two dance around each other, and the rot in the middle of the carousel is scary for them. Small trinkets she had taken on past trips to find a way back to her prior timeline haven't helped her find a way back, and the trips to fix timelines are more and more complicated, with no way to actually correct it. Ryka and the other fair residents see the effects on the fair weather, and Everest himself when he tries to fix it.
The worldbuilding here is fun and new. The idea of churning the river of time to make threads, that it's built from memory, regrets, and fragments of lives lived. This book reflects the wish to know what lives we would have had if we chose differently, the guilt over choices we didn't make, and the family we don't always get to see. The flip side to that grief is the family you build in its place, the choices you do make, and the life you actually have. One of the characters even says that life never turns out the way you plan, which is true. Over the course of the novel, Ryka learns this for herself. It's wonderful to see, and this is a great book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places is the kind of romantasy that feels like stepping into a pocket of soft, humming magic — a place where time bends, ghosts gossip, and love has been quietly waiting for centuries. S. Hati gives us a world that’s whimsical without losing its emotional weight, anchored by Ryka, an immortal timekeeper who has spent 500 years tending a magical fair perched on the edge of time.
The fair itself is a delight: spectral cats, mischievous ghosts, and a found family stitched together from the odd corners of eternity. And then there’s Everest — Ryka’s infuriating, magnetic, impossible boss, a time‑god with five centuries of unresolved tension trailing behind him. Their dynamic sparkles with that delicious mix of banter, longing, and “absolutely not talking about our feelings”.
When a human quite literally falls through time and lands in their laps, the story shifts into a charming, chaotic adventure. The carousel at the heart of the fair is rotting, the timeline is fraying, and Ryka and Everest must work together to fix what’s breaking — all while trying (and failing) to ignore the feelings that have been simmering for half a millennium.
What makes this book shine is its blend of humour, heart, and gentle wonder. It’s cosy without being slight, romantic without losing its playfulness, and full of that found‑family warmth that makes you want to linger in its world just a little longer.
A whimsical, time‑tangled delight perfect for readers who love soft magic, slow‑burn immortals, and fantasy that feels like a warm hand pulling you onto the carousel for one more ride.
With thanks to S Hati, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
The fair itself is a delight: spectral cats, mischievous ghosts, and a found family stitched together from the odd corners of eternity. And then there’s Everest — Ryka’s infuriating, magnetic, impossible boss, a time‑god with five centuries of unresolved tension trailing behind him. Their dynamic sparkles with that delicious mix of banter, longing, and “absolutely not talking about our feelings”.
When a human quite literally falls through time and lands in their laps, the story shifts into a charming, chaotic adventure. The carousel at the heart of the fair is rotting, the timeline is fraying, and Ryka and Everest must work together to fix what’s breaking — all while trying (and failing) to ignore the feelings that have been simmering for half a millennium.
What makes this book shine is its blend of humour, heart, and gentle wonder. It’s cosy without being slight, romantic without losing its playfulness, and full of that found‑family warmth that makes you want to linger in its world just a little longer.
A whimsical, time‑tangled delight perfect for readers who love soft magic, slow‑burn immortals, and fantasy that feels like a warm hand pulling you onto the carousel for one more ride.
With thanks to S Hati, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
November 10, 2026
*Actual rating is 4.5 stars*
I love books set at a fair/carnival/circus as well as a whimsical world with cozy vibes. So when I heard about The Carousel of Forgotten Dreams, a magical carousel set at a fair outside of time and space that allows for time-travels, I knew that I needed to pick up this book. The book throws you straight into the action, and with everything going on, it took a little while for me to ease into it all. But once I did, I had such a fun time with the book.
The fair is such a magical setting filled with gentle whimsy, and I would have loved to spend even more time exploring it. As can be expected from a story about time travel, it deals quite a bit with the question of “what if?” and the eternal pondering of possible different lives. Especially the immortal timekeeper and main character Ryka, who has spent almost 500 years tending to the carousel. Following alone on her journey of growth was a nice side-plot alongside the main plot of the time rot on the carousel threatening to destroy the universe. But trust me, the story is very cozy. Mainly thanks to the heartwarming found family aspects. Because Ryka isn’t alone at the fair. Among the many residents there are her two ghost companions Bean and Ender as well as the time god Everest. The latter has a centuries long slow-burn with Ryka.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places takes time-travel and makes it fantastical, whimsical, cozy and romantic. It’s the kind of story that really lets you escape into a world of wonder. Even though it’s a standalone, I would love to dive back into the world in another story in the future.
I love books set at a fair/carnival/circus as well as a whimsical world with cozy vibes. So when I heard about The Carousel of Forgotten Dreams, a magical carousel set at a fair outside of time and space that allows for time-travels, I knew that I needed to pick up this book. The book throws you straight into the action, and with everything going on, it took a little while for me to ease into it all. But once I did, I had such a fun time with the book.
The fair is such a magical setting filled with gentle whimsy, and I would have loved to spend even more time exploring it. As can be expected from a story about time travel, it deals quite a bit with the question of “what if?” and the eternal pondering of possible different lives. Especially the immortal timekeeper and main character Ryka, who has spent almost 500 years tending to the carousel. Following alone on her journey of growth was a nice side-plot alongside the main plot of the time rot on the carousel threatening to destroy the universe. But trust me, the story is very cozy. Mainly thanks to the heartwarming found family aspects. Because Ryka isn’t alone at the fair. Among the many residents there are her two ghost companions Bean and Ender as well as the time god Everest. The latter has a centuries long slow-burn with Ryka.
The Carousel of Forgotten Places takes time-travel and makes it fantastical, whimsical, cozy and romantic. It’s the kind of story that really lets you escape into a world of wonder. Even though it’s a standalone, I would love to dive back into the world in another story in the future.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In The Carousel of Forgotten Places, Ryka is a 500-year-old Timekeeper living in a pocket dimension with a gaggle of ghosts, repairing corrupted timelines for a sentient carousel. Everest is an eccentric time god that helps where he can, when he remembers time exists.
The original premise hooked me, but the story just wasn’t what I was hoping for. At the start, I was thrown into the middle of the plot with very little info about the world or backstory. It was jarring and confusing. We never find out how or why the timelines became corrupted, nor do we get any of the carousel’s lore.
I also struggled to root for the main characters or their relationship. I was hoping for a deep story about a smart, wise woman who knows herself after 500 years and handles business like the boss she is. Instead, we get Ryka, who is self-pitying, emotionally immature, makes poor decisions, and lives in the past. Ryka spends so much time trying to leave the situation she’s in rather than appreciating the people around that care about her. It was exhausting waiting for Ryka to grow as a person and start living in the moment.
I don’t have much to say about Everest other than he was flaky, unreliable, and lacked empathy.
I might be in the minority here with my review. It wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for. A lot of people like this story. You might like this story too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.
The original premise hooked me, but the story just wasn’t what I was hoping for. At the start, I was thrown into the middle of the plot with very little info about the world or backstory. It was jarring and confusing. We never find out how or why the timelines became corrupted, nor do we get any of the carousel’s lore.
I also struggled to root for the main characters or their relationship. I was hoping for a deep story about a smart, wise woman who knows herself after 500 years and handles business like the boss she is. Instead, we get Ryka, who is self-pitying, emotionally immature, makes poor decisions, and lives in the past. Ryka spends so much time trying to leave the situation she’s in rather than appreciating the people around that care about her. It was exhausting waiting for Ryka to grow as a person and start living in the moment.
I don’t have much to say about Everest other than he was flaky, unreliable, and lacked empathy.
I might be in the minority here with my review. It wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for. A lot of people like this story. You might like this story too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this one! I was drawn in by the premise of a unique take on time travel but stayed for the found family, the excellent writing and the ghosts that had me thoroughly charmed.
I liked the idea of Ryka as an immortal human, she is now immune to illness etc but she knows she’s different from the ghosts and gods that surround her. I thought S. Hati’s world building was really great here, I loved the idea of the carousel and thought the concept of the Quills keeping the gods informed of events in other realms really interesting.
I liked Ryka and Everest but I was truly in love with the side characters in this. We have a ghost cat and a dragon. Beam and Ender are ghosts but also Ryka’s friends.
S. Hati has a great writing style with a subtle humour that weaves throughout the story and makes you love with the characters. For example, when describing how Beam always leaves out details we hear about the time that they reported the arrival of a new ghost but forgets to mention that they had an axe and looked pretty angry. These small observations had me giggling and make me really excited to pick up another book by this author.
The story does start by dumping you in the middle of the action but if you keep reading for just a few more chapters then everything is explained and you’ll settle into the fair.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I loved this one! I was drawn in by the premise of a unique take on time travel but stayed for the found family, the excellent writing and the ghosts that had me thoroughly charmed.
I liked the idea of Ryka as an immortal human, she is now immune to illness etc but she knows she’s different from the ghosts and gods that surround her. I thought S. Hati’s world building was really great here, I loved the idea of the carousel and thought the concept of the Quills keeping the gods informed of events in other realms really interesting.
I liked Ryka and Everest but I was truly in love with the side characters in this. We have a ghost cat and a dragon. Beam and Ender are ghosts but also Ryka’s friends.
S. Hati has a great writing style with a subtle humour that weaves throughout the story and makes you love with the characters. For example, when describing how Beam always leaves out details we hear about the time that they reported the arrival of a new ghost but forgets to mention that they had an axe and looked pretty angry. These small observations had me giggling and make me really excited to pick up another book by this author.
The story does start by dumping you in the middle of the action but if you keep reading for just a few more chapters then everything is explained and you’ll settle into the fair.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An enjoyable book about choices, regrets and missing what's right in front of you.
For me, the first chapter of this book is a little overwhelming. You are thrown into the plot with no explanations or back story but after that, the book does settle into an rhythm.
Ryka is a timekeeper, 500 years old but frozen at the age she became a time keeper (26). She has created a life for herself through her job as the timekeeper and her relationships with the ghosts at the fair where the time carousel is. The only other 'mortal' at the fair is Everest, a time god who sort of oversees the whole place. Ryka and Everest have a push-pull relationship that has developed over all the years.
After the carousel spits out another human into the fair, who has forgotten who she is and where she comes from, and the timelines begin to rot and decay. Ryka, Everest and the ghosts have to find out who this mystery human is and how to get her back home, which also gives Ryka hope that she may finally get to leave the fair.
Ryka has spent all those years trying to find a way to return to her own timeline and the life that she thought she would live. This does make her come across as quite petulant and childish at times. Her regret overwhelms everything, leading her to miss what is right in front of her - a life she never expected.
For me, the first chapter of this book is a little overwhelming. You are thrown into the plot with no explanations or back story but after that, the book does settle into an rhythm.
Ryka is a timekeeper, 500 years old but frozen at the age she became a time keeper (26). She has created a life for herself through her job as the timekeeper and her relationships with the ghosts at the fair where the time carousel is. The only other 'mortal' at the fair is Everest, a time god who sort of oversees the whole place. Ryka and Everest have a push-pull relationship that has developed over all the years.
After the carousel spits out another human into the fair, who has forgotten who she is and where she comes from, and the timelines begin to rot and decay. Ryka, Everest and the ghosts have to find out who this mystery human is and how to get her back home, which also gives Ryka hope that she may finally get to leave the fair.
Ryka has spent all those years trying to find a way to return to her own timeline and the life that she thought she would live. This does make her come across as quite petulant and childish at times. Her regret overwhelms everything, leading her to miss what is right in front of her - a life she never expected.
August 31, 2026
I love time travelling fiction, so was really looking forward to The Carousel of Forgotten Places but while this is an enjoyable it was not quite what I was hoping for this. This isn’t a book about time-travel in its strictest sense but does feature an unusual twist in that there is a time travelling carousel ( I think) that is powered by a time-travelling god. Ryka is the unwilling time-travelling guardian, serving the carousel for the last 500 years, after agreeing to deal without realising the fine print.
Ryka is the main POV character but unfortunately while I sympathised with her grief for a her lost life, she was a hard person to like. The other characters like Generva ( the previous guardian) Everest ( the sexy time God), Ender and the other ghost and even the new traveller on the carousel Valentin are more interesting and fascinating than Ryka and I would have loved to learn more about them.
The Carousel was a different concept and the book itself it a beautifully written book on how the life we are dealt with and don’t want maybe the perfect life for us. The heart of the story is the love Everest has for Ryka and the slow burn romance works well and it is a lovely grown-up love story with all the complications of being older and having baggage.
I received a free eARC for a free unbiased opinion.
Ryka is the main POV character but unfortunately while I sympathised with her grief for a her lost life, she was a hard person to like. The other characters like Generva ( the previous guardian) Everest ( the sexy time God), Ender and the other ghost and even the new traveller on the carousel Valentin are more interesting and fascinating than Ryka and I would have loved to learn more about them.
The Carousel was a different concept and the book itself it a beautifully written book on how the life we are dealt with and don’t want maybe the perfect life for us. The heart of the story is the love Everest has for Ryka and the slow burn romance works well and it is a lovely grown-up love story with all the complications of being older and having baggage.
I received a free eARC for a free unbiased opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The atmosphere in this one is genuinely wonderful. The fair itself is beautifully realized, whimsical, and unique. S. Hati clearly knows how to build a world you can picture, and that's easily the strongest part of the book.
Where it lost me was Ryka. She spends centuries grieving her past, but I never felt like she grew enough from those experiences. She often overlooks the people who are trying to support her, and when her perspective finally begins to change, it happens too late for me to feel fully invested in her journey.
The romance didn't quite land for me either. Ryka and Everest are supposed to share centuries of history, but I never fully felt the emotional weight of that relationship. I wanted a stronger sense of why their connection had endured for so long.
I also wish the mechanics of the carousel and the time magic had been explained more clearly. The rules remain fairly vague throughout, and I think a little more clarity would have made the stakes feel stronger.
That said, the setting and overall concept are genuinely creative, and I can absolutely see why readers who connect with Ryka will enjoy this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Where it lost me was Ryka. She spends centuries grieving her past, but I never felt like she grew enough from those experiences. She often overlooks the people who are trying to support her, and when her perspective finally begins to change, it happens too late for me to feel fully invested in her journey.
The romance didn't quite land for me either. Ryka and Everest are supposed to share centuries of history, but I never fully felt the emotional weight of that relationship. I wanted a stronger sense of why their connection had endured for so long.
I also wish the mechanics of the carousel and the time magic had been explained more clearly. The rules remain fairly vague throughout, and I think a little more clarity would have made the stakes feel stronger.
That said, the setting and overall concept are genuinely creative, and I can absolutely see why readers who connect with Ryka will enjoy this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 17, 2026
This was such a wonderfully weird little adventure. 🎡👻
I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a magical fair existing somewhere outside of space and time, and I really enjoyed getting to explore the Fair and all the characters who call it home.
The atmosphere was definitely one of my favourite things about this book. It has ghosts, time travel, a mysterious carousel and plenty of magical weirdness, but somehow still manages to feel warm and cosy. The found family was a particular highlight for me — I really grew attached to the ghosts and the little community around the Fair.
And Ryka and Everest… 👀 I loved their banter and all the history between them. Their slow-burn relationship was definitely something I was invested in, and I enjoyed watching all those unresolved feelings slowly come to the surface.
I also appreciated the more emotional themes around grief, longing and holding onto the past. They gave the story a little more depth beneath all the whimsy.
I did find the pacing a little slow in places, which is why this ended up being a 4-star read for me, but overall I had a really good time with it.
Magical fair + ghosts + found family + slow burn = yes please. 💕🎡
4/5 ⭐
I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a magical fair existing somewhere outside of space and time, and I really enjoyed getting to explore the Fair and all the characters who call it home.
The atmosphere was definitely one of my favourite things about this book. It has ghosts, time travel, a mysterious carousel and plenty of magical weirdness, but somehow still manages to feel warm and cosy. The found family was a particular highlight for me — I really grew attached to the ghosts and the little community around the Fair.
And Ryka and Everest… 👀 I loved their banter and all the history between them. Their slow-burn relationship was definitely something I was invested in, and I enjoyed watching all those unresolved feelings slowly come to the surface.
I also appreciated the more emotional themes around grief, longing and holding onto the past. They gave the story a little more depth beneath all the whimsy.
I did find the pacing a little slow in places, which is why this ended up being a 4-star read for me, but overall I had a really good time with it.
Magical fair + ghosts + found family + slow burn = yes please. 💕🎡
4/5 ⭐
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places has a wonderfully cosy, almost dreamlike quality. A magical fair existing outside the space-time continuum, a quirky found family of ghosts - even a spectral cat! S. Hati builds it all with such warmth that you feel genuinely at home there pretty quickly. The writing is easy and fluid, never bogging you down, which made it the perfect curl-up-under-a-blanket read. There's a whimsy to it that reminded me of those books that just make the world feel a little more magical while you're in them.
The slow-burn romance between Ryka and Everest is perfect. Five hundred years of unresolved tension is a premise that could easily feel overdone, but Hati earns every bit of it, the push and pull feels real and genuinely yearning rather than forced. I loved watching it unfold gradually as the plot picked up around it. If you're looking for a cosy romantasy with a big heart, a light touch, and a romance that actually makes you feel things, this one's a pre-order you won't regret.
The slow-burn romance between Ryka and Everest is perfect. Five hundred years of unresolved tension is a premise that could easily feel overdone, but Hati earns every bit of it, the push and pull feels real and genuinely yearning rather than forced. I loved watching it unfold gradually as the plot picked up around it. If you're looking for a cosy romantasy with a big heart, a light touch, and a romance that actually makes you feel things, this one's a pre-order you won't regret.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a quick read but a hard one to review. I did really like the worldbuilding. The fair was such a nice place to be and I would have loved to get some different pov's from the ghost and read about some adventures there. I liked the idea of the story as well. But I had a hard time getting into it. Ryka was a very hard person for me to like. And I really couldn't get past her complaining and whining the whole story. I really can't see what Everest saw in her because whe was only complaining and whining at him as well. She did some nice things but it was always with the understanding that she would be gone from there if she could manage it somehow. Maybe because of not liking Ryka I didn't feel the urgency of the problems in the story. The repercussions of the problems weren't really a big deal on the fair in my opinion. But maybe that is because it's cozy fantasy? The setting of the book saved it for me.
Thank you for the e-arc NetGalley and Angryrobot. All opinions are my own.
Thank you for the e-arc NetGalley and Angryrobot. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places, at its best moments, swept me away. The plot is quick and snappy; it's clear that Hati has a good sense for the progression of the story and, as a reader, I never felt as though it were too rushed or too slow. The setting is lovely. I really enjoyed getting to know the carousel world and its quirks. However, the standouts really are the characters: they were all-too real, down to the frustrations that come with people making choices (or not) that you disagree with, with their actions holding a light to your own life. While it wasn't a perfect book--I could undoubtedly critique a few scenes and construction choices, particularly in the last 1/3 of the book--it was very enjoyable. I hope to find more from Hati going forward and perhaps return to the world of the carousel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone; this review was written without AI assistance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone; this review was written without AI assistance.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I had such high expectations for this one. I’ve recently become a big fan of fantasy, and as a very visual person, I absolutely love getting swept away into completely different worlds. That was exactly what I was hoping for here, but unfortunately, I never managed to get fully immersed.
I constantly felt like I was being dropped into the second book of a series, with the assumption that all the important worldbuilding had already happened in book one. Instead of feeling intrigued by the world, I often felt lost in it. And because I struggled to get into the story, I kept putting the book down—only to forget even more about the world when I picked it up again. Cue the vicious circle.
Not being able to connect with the world ultimately ruined the reading experience for me, which is such a shame because I really do think this book has a lot of potential. I just needed more worldbuilding and a stronger sense of where I was before I could truly get lost in it.
I constantly felt like I was being dropped into the second book of a series, with the assumption that all the important worldbuilding had already happened in book one. Instead of feeling intrigued by the world, I often felt lost in it. And because I struggled to get into the story, I kept putting the book down—only to forget even more about the world when I picked it up again. Cue the vicious circle.
Not being able to connect with the world ultimately ruined the reading experience for me, which is such a shame because I really do think this book has a lot of potential. I just needed more worldbuilding and a stronger sense of where I was before I could truly get lost in it.
September 13, 2026
3.5 stars
The ghosts to me were the stand out. The images of them running around chaotically was great.
At the start I was confused by what was going on, and honestly I think I still am by some of it. What was the rot? Was it something that was going on before Ryka was the keeper?
I enjoyed the base of the story. Ryka wanted to save her best friend and is bound to be a keeper in exchange. She is stuck somewhere she does not want to be doing a job she does not want to do. All she wants is to get back to her life. She is not perfect. She rebels in small ways and holds back on so many things. But her actions have consequences that she needs to fix.
I liked the growth, but boy it did take almost 500 years for it to be realised.
I know the relationship was on a precipice, but I don't think I needed the spice in this. Holding on to a kiss from hundreds of years ago made it feel like it ramped up to 100 really fast.
(ARC provided by NetGalley)
The ghosts to me were the stand out. The images of them running around chaotically was great.
At the start I was confused by what was going on, and honestly I think I still am by some of it. What was the rot? Was it something that was going on before Ryka was the keeper?
I enjoyed the base of the story. Ryka wanted to save her best friend and is bound to be a keeper in exchange. She is stuck somewhere she does not want to be doing a job she does not want to do. All she wants is to get back to her life. She is not perfect. She rebels in small ways and holds back on so many things. But her actions have consequences that she needs to fix.
I liked the growth, but boy it did take almost 500 years for it to be realised.
I know the relationship was on a precipice, but I don't think I needed the spice in this. Holding on to a kiss from hundreds of years ago made it feel like it ramped up to 100 really fast.
(ARC provided by NetGalley)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you are looking for a cozy, low stakes fantasy, this was an absolute gem.
What I Loved:
The Main Characters: Ryka and Everest are fantastic main characters. Their slow burn romance was beautifully paced, and their banter was so good.
A Unique Found Family: I absolutely adored the side characters. The fact that the found family trope is made up of ghosts gave the story such a unique, whimsical twist.
The Cozy Vibes: It’s a wonderfully low stakes whimsical read.
What Missed the Mark:
A Slow Start: My only real critique is the pacing at the very beginning. It definitely has a slower start, and it took a few chapters before the story really found its stride and hooked me.
Overall, it’s a beautiful, whimsical fantasy that I highly recommend it if you love witty banter and supernatural found families!
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC.
What I Loved:
The Main Characters: Ryka and Everest are fantastic main characters. Their slow burn romance was beautifully paced, and their banter was so good.
A Unique Found Family: I absolutely adored the side characters. The fact that the found family trope is made up of ghosts gave the story such a unique, whimsical twist.
The Cozy Vibes: It’s a wonderfully low stakes whimsical read.
What Missed the Mark:
A Slow Start: My only real critique is the pacing at the very beginning. It definitely has a slower start, and it took a few chapters before the story really found its stride and hooked me.
Overall, it’s a beautiful, whimsical fantasy that I highly recommend it if you love witty banter and supernatural found families!
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 3/5
The premise of this book intrigued me immediately. I love time travel stories, but surprisingly, this book had little time travel actually involved. I feel that this book is mismarketed—the writing style is not particularly whimsical, and I didn't feel the chemistry of the romance enough to call it a romantic book. Ryka and Everest are fine as characters, but I didn't feel the hundreds of years of yearning that is supposedly between them.
Where the real heart of the book lies is the relationship between Ryka and the ghosts who live in the magical fair. Ryka spends the entire story yearning to return home only to realise that they are her home. This was a sweet ending, and overall a decent story.
Rating: 3/5
The premise of this book intrigued me immediately. I love time travel stories, but surprisingly, this book had little time travel actually involved. I feel that this book is mismarketed—the writing style is not particularly whimsical, and I didn't feel the chemistry of the romance enough to call it a romantic book. Ryka and Everest are fine as characters, but I didn't feel the hundreds of years of yearning that is supposedly between them.
Where the real heart of the book lies is the relationship between Ryka and the ghosts who live in the magical fair. Ryka spends the entire story yearning to return home only to realise that they are her home. This was a sweet ending, and overall a decent story.
August 25, 2026
The premise sounded so good, but the novel didn't work for me. My main dislike was Ryka, the female main character, she was annoyingly emotionally immature for a person who's been living inside a pocket dimension for over 500 years. There's also Everest, the MMC, a time god who spent a lot of time with Ryka at the Fair. She's been lusting after him for centuries, but never acted on it because she was hoping to leave the dimension and return to her real life at any moment.
The worldbuilding made me wonder whether I was reading the second novel in a series and all the important information about how the carousel works and why the time travel is important was to be found elsewhere.
I might be an outlier here, with too high expectations, other reviewers seem to have enjoyed this cosy fantasy novel much more than I did.
The worldbuilding made me wonder whether I was reading the second novel in a series and all the important information about how the carousel works and why the time travel is important was to be found elsewhere.
I might be an outlier here, with too high expectations, other reviewers seem to have enjoyed this cosy fantasy novel much more than I did.
September 10, 2026
this book felt like a breath of fresh air from all the fantasy romance books i have read in a while! the time traveling trope and the carousel concept were some of my favourite tropes in the book. Ryka, our protagonist, works in along with the time god Everest, to keepthe timeline in order. Also she wants to to her timeline if possible. But as time rot spreads, she and her friends along with Everest must find a solution before all goes to hell.
I adore found family tropes and this one had such a huge portion of it. Like right away fromt he firet chapter, one could sense it. The carousel Ryka manages is so intriguing and the storyline connected with it was makes this so enjoyable too. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a scifi fantasy romance!
thank you so much angry robot books for providing me with an earc inexchange for an honest review!
I adore found family tropes and this one had such a huge portion of it. Like right away fromt he firet chapter, one could sense it. The carousel Ryka manages is so intriguing and the storyline connected with it was makes this so enjoyable too. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a scifi fantasy romance!
thank you so much angry robot books for providing me with an earc inexchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I started "The Carousel of Forgotten Places" after finishing another Mafi book, "Morbid Curiosities," which has excellent pacing and doesn't quit with its plot. In contrast, "The Carousel of Forgotten Places" has the pacing of a cozy fantasy. There is a nice romance, slow burn of course, and also has a unique time travel method that is new to me. There is a found family of sorts and some humorous elements. I had some difficulty getting through the story as the pacing is a bit slower than I prefer. I would encourage anyone who likes the aforementioned elements to give this story a read. Mafi is an excellent writer regardless of the genre.
#TheCarouselofForgottenPlaces #NetGalley #AngryRobot
Thank you to Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheCarouselofForgottenPlaces #NetGalley #AngryRobot
Thank you to Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Carousel of Forgotten Places by S. Hati
Rating: 2
For a book that is only 288 pages it took a long time to plough through.
This is not because the idea of time a river that power a sentient Carousel, and there needing to be a time keeper isn't a fascinating idea, it absolutely is an tantalising premise. It was our FMC Ryka that absolutely did my head in.
Despite her 500 years as time keeper, Ryka is mainly drowning in self pity and not talking about how she feels, causing her to break the core rules of the Carousel. It's not often you root for the FMC to get eaten by a dragon due to their own emotional constipation, but there is a first for everything.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 2
For a book that is only 288 pages it took a long time to plough through.
This is not because the idea of time a river that power a sentient Carousel, and there needing to be a time keeper isn't a fascinating idea, it absolutely is an tantalising premise. It was our FMC Ryka that absolutely did my head in.
Despite her 500 years as time keeper, Ryka is mainly drowning in self pity and not talking about how she feels, causing her to break the core rules of the Carousel. It's not often you root for the FMC to get eaten by a dragon due to their own emotional constipation, but there is a first for everything.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm going to start this review off by admitting i did not finish it. it just wasn't a book for me. i hadn't realized it was a YA romance when i picked it up, nothing against the Genre, it's just not one for me. it was a fantastic book for those who are more into the Genre though! with a vibrant world filled with some very interesting characters and a romance that made me wanna smack their heads together and demand they kiss. it just couldn't keep my attention and i found my attention wandering too much. even though it wasn't a book for me, anyone who likes slow burn and wibbly wobbly wimey whimey stuff, this is definitely a book you will enjoy.
thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for this ARC
thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for this ARC
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