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The Lost Spectacular
Not yet published
Expected 29 Sep 26Both magical fable and a tender love story, The Night Circus meets The Midnight Library in this dazzling ode to the life-changing power of books, as childhood loves-turned-rivals chase each other through the stories that shaped them, leaping through classic literature and famous paintings and private letters and family dinners, until all that’s left is to confront the grief they’ve been running from...and decide whether they might face it together, instead.
Everything you love must leave you.
Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest weren’t always rivals chasing each other through the pages of books. They grew up listening to stories from Munro’s grandmother and arguing over their favorites. But then one night, they discovered the Spectacular, a mysterious, ever-changing festival glittering with everything lone pearl earrings and apple orchards, abandoned first drafts and shipwrecks, a skyful of umbrellas. This Spectacular, found only by invitation or in the pages of misprints, is the most precious thing in the world. In its wake, stories settle. Noon has always been the sort to move on with grace, and Munro goes into the business of never letting go—their divide starker than ever after a misstep abruptly closes the door on what could have been.
Now long estranged yet forever drawn to one another, Noon and Munro’s differences have defined their ways of life. Munro, an ambitious museum curator, vows his next exhibit will trap the Spectacular and return its lost treasures, while Noon, queen of cat-and-mouse, has been chosen as the next captain of the show.
As opening night for Munro’s exhibit draws closer, he and Noon will have to stop running and finally agree on how their story ends—and perhaps, find a way to start again.
Everything you love must leave you.
Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest weren’t always rivals chasing each other through the pages of books. They grew up listening to stories from Munro’s grandmother and arguing over their favorites. But then one night, they discovered the Spectacular, a mysterious, ever-changing festival glittering with everything lone pearl earrings and apple orchards, abandoned first drafts and shipwrecks, a skyful of umbrellas. This Spectacular, found only by invitation or in the pages of misprints, is the most precious thing in the world. In its wake, stories settle. Noon has always been the sort to move on with grace, and Munro goes into the business of never letting go—their divide starker than ever after a misstep abruptly closes the door on what could have been.
Now long estranged yet forever drawn to one another, Noon and Munro’s differences have defined their ways of life. Munro, an ambitious museum curator, vows his next exhibit will trap the Spectacular and return its lost treasures, while Noon, queen of cat-and-mouse, has been chosen as the next captain of the show.
As opening night for Munro’s exhibit draws closer, he and Noon will have to stop running and finally agree on how their story ends—and perhaps, find a way to start again.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 29, 2026
7 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Zoé Duhaime
1 book20 followersauthor and reader in Montreal; occasional illustrator, handspinner, and purveyor of sweet dreams
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love books about books. But for some reason, I just didn't love this book.
It was a bit too surreal for my tastes. I never felt like I got a good sense of what was happening. I prefer a bit more world building.
I feel like this was a beautiful story. I feel like Munro showed a lot of character growth. But... I'm not sure. Because I'm not sure what happened 😬
If you are a fan of books like The Starless Sea or The Night Circus, this might be the book for you.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an early copy for review.
It was a bit too surreal for my tastes. I never felt like I got a good sense of what was happening. I prefer a bit more world building.
I feel like this was a beautiful story. I feel like Munro showed a lot of character growth. But... I'm not sure. Because I'm not sure what happened 😬
If you are a fan of books like The Starless Sea or The Night Circus, this might be the book for you.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an early copy for review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Quirky. That’s my one word precis. But of course, you want more than that so here goes…
The things I enjoyed;
- what a fantastic premise for a story. The ability to enter stories, texts, and paintings via magic… Unusual, interesting and yes - quirky
- Some unusual, evocative writing.(‘Apollonie was starlight in a dish’)
- The odd little, inconsistent, asides from the narrator. I wish this had been more consistent throughout.
However… It’s a good job I had read the book summary before starting to read, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the foggiest what was going on!
The story follows Noon and Munro, once close childhood friends, now grown up (and apart). Their lives are entwined with The Spectacular, a strange paranormal circus where lost things end up. How they view it is completely at odds with each other and this drives the story to a final confrontation, where the magic of the spectacular has them careering from story to story.
So what didn’t resonate so much for me?
- There are a few weird turns of phrase that meant I had to re-read sentences at times eg ‘he had been many late nights spent in his own library…’ or ‘Under her care, there had a faint spaghetti-western atmosphere’
- On occasion it is simply impenetrable, especially at the beginning. I think more clarity about what was going on is required earlier in the story.
- I would have got more out of the overwhelming amount of book scenes quoted if I had read the books referenced. Instead, I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke and it resulted in me feeling a bit disengaged with the story.
So, I had struggles which resulted in me taking a while to get through it. I do wonder if this fantastic idea would be better as a short story or novella, focussed on the section of the pursuit.
As a novel it was too long, the heavy descriptions dragging the pace down, and the lack of clarity about the storyline creating frustration rather than intrigue as it went along.
In conclusion, I wouldn’t read it again, though I would give another book by this author a chance.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion for the e-Arc.
Overall 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 for GoodReads.
The things I enjoyed;
- what a fantastic premise for a story. The ability to enter stories, texts, and paintings via magic… Unusual, interesting and yes - quirky
- Some unusual, evocative writing.(‘Apollonie was starlight in a dish’)
- The odd little, inconsistent, asides from the narrator. I wish this had been more consistent throughout.
However… It’s a good job I had read the book summary before starting to read, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the foggiest what was going on!
The story follows Noon and Munro, once close childhood friends, now grown up (and apart). Their lives are entwined with The Spectacular, a strange paranormal circus where lost things end up. How they view it is completely at odds with each other and this drives the story to a final confrontation, where the magic of the spectacular has them careering from story to story.
So what didn’t resonate so much for me?
- There are a few weird turns of phrase that meant I had to re-read sentences at times eg ‘he had been many late nights spent in his own library…’ or ‘Under her care, there had a faint spaghetti-western atmosphere’
- On occasion it is simply impenetrable, especially at the beginning. I think more clarity about what was going on is required earlier in the story.
- I would have got more out of the overwhelming amount of book scenes quoted if I had read the books referenced. Instead, I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke and it resulted in me feeling a bit disengaged with the story.
So, I had struggles which resulted in me taking a while to get through it. I do wonder if this fantastic idea would be better as a short story or novella, focussed on the section of the pursuit.
As a novel it was too long, the heavy descriptions dragging the pace down, and the lack of clarity about the storyline creating frustration rather than intrigue as it went along.
In conclusion, I wouldn’t read it again, though I would give another book by this author a chance.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion for the e-Arc.
Overall 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 for GoodReads.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Unfortunately, this book did not really work for me. I was very intrigued by the premise and the cover with comp titles like Caraval and the Night Circus - books I absolutely love. However, the execution of this book is where it lost me. I found the writing a little unusual and hard to follow or understand at times. This also made it hard for me to connect to the characters or the story or stay engaged. I found myself rereading sentences or pages to try and figure out what I had just read. I think the premise of this book is great and I wish the execution had lived up to that.
Thanks again to NetGalley for this ARC!
Unfortunately, this book did not really work for me. I was very intrigued by the premise and the cover with comp titles like Caraval and the Night Circus - books I absolutely love. However, the execution of this book is where it lost me. I found the writing a little unusual and hard to follow or understand at times. This also made it hard for me to connect to the characters or the story or stay engaged. I found myself rereading sentences or pages to try and figure out what I had just read. I think the premise of this book is great and I wish the execution had lived up to that.
Thanks again to NetGalley for this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Zoe Duhaime for providing me with an e-ARC of The Lost Spectacular. The gorgeous cover drew me in along with the comparison to The Night Circus. I've never read the Night Circus before, but I've heard it's fantastic, so I decided to give this a try. This book was not a good fit for me. I did not end up finishing it. I'm not a big fan of overly surreal books, and this one lost me. That's just my preference though. If you are a fan of that style of story, I'd recommend this book.
Did not finish
March 29, 2026 Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris/Rebellion for the eARC
Review to come closer to release date
Review to come closer to release date
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews