Circus of the Stars: Ringmaster

by Lichelle Slater

Step right up to the Greatest Show in the Universe...where nothing is as it seems. Crystal's life is turned topsy-turvey when the Sirkus av Magi shows up for a special performance on Earth. Sneaking off for a fun night at the circus turns into chaos when she gets home to see her father has been murdered. After chasing the culprit back to the spaceship before it launches, it's up to Crystal alone to find the culprit. But there's more to the circus than meets the eye. The fire breather is a dragon, the gymnast duplicates himself, and the shapeshifting animal has an attitude problem. When the Ringmaster discovers Crystal is a stowaway, Crystal is forced to choose between finding her father's killer or following in his footsteps. Can Crystal solve the mystery and save the performers? Or will the Ringmaster kick her off first? "The Night Circus meets Star Wars, or The Greatest Showman with a sci-fi twist...I didn't know I needed a sci-fi circus in my life until reading this book." --Dream With Your Eyes Open Book Reviews You're going to fall in love with this fast-paced science fiction adventure because of the magic, twists, and mystery.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2017

About the author

Personal dragon trainer, lover of glitter, writer of fantasy.

Reading has always been a huge passion, from The Hobbit to Goosebumps. Some of my fondest memories are at the library or being read to, and when I embarked on my journey of becoming an author, I did so with the dream of sharing the worlds in my mind with others.

I currently live in Salt Lake City, UT with my adorable King Charles, Perseus, and work full-time as a special education preschool teacher.

I am a USA Today Bestselling author and was nominated for "Unforgettable Book of the Year" for The Beast Princess and "Mind-Blowing Fantasy of the Year" for The Siren Princess at Penned Con 2020, and as Best Debut Author at UtopiaCon in 2017 for Step Right Up (now Circus of the Stars, Ringmaster).

Reviews

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok all you fantasy, sci-fi, magic and circus lovers out there, this is a book I think you might enjoy! The beginning is a little slow moving but I think that's due to the fact that the author has to build up this world for us readers. So you get background info on the characters and the world. It's told from Crystal's (a teenage girl) perspective so she really hasn't proved herself or had any character growth. She is very passionate about life and acts as if she is almost invisible. That life is hers for the grabbing and becoming/doing anything she sets her mind to. We do see character arc throughout but she's still a character who rushes headlong after something that she believes in. She tries, she fails, and she tries and succeeds sometimes. Occasionally the view is from a couple different characters, just little glimpses into their lives, even though those POVs aren't as frequent or as lengthy as Crystal's, those characters' stories are just as important to the telling of this story.

I liked the idea of the world, people can travel all over space, planets and moons can be inhabited by special development of the locations, alien species of all kinds interacting with humans and each other and lots more fun fantasy/sci-fi aspects. There was a fun mix of everything within this created world. The circus aspect was really fun. Lichelle does a great job with her descriptions of the circus, the colors, the sounds, the smells and most especially the performers and their specialty acts. Now remember we're dealing with magic here so that adds a fun spin off of a normal circus performance. I also really figured out the Sirkus av Magi, maybe I was a little slow or maybe I was tired and overloaded brain but think of it as 'circus of magi' or 'circus of magic'. Maybe you all figured that out long before me or maybe not and I was helpful in my little aha moment here and sharing it with you. Hee Hee!

The blurb is perfect in explaining the basic info you need about this story. There are lots of twists and lots of chances for Crystal to have to step up her game and quickly mature in her understanding of the world, scratch that, universe, and those outside her little earthly town of Vear. She meets and makes many friends along the way and creates a few enemies as well. There's a little bit of romance throughout, nothing graphic, just sweet but definitely not the main event of this story.

The ringmaster, the Shadow Magician, Crystal, clowns, red clowns, The Freaks, the performers, Ite(one of my favorite parts of this story), Jimm, James, Tovast, and many more very interesting characters add a great dynamic and dimension to this story. Lots of characters but they're fairly easy to keep track of and know who's who.

I keep thinking about some of the twists and I am pretty excited to dive into book 2 to figure out what happens. Yes it is a cliffhanger, a great cliffhanger but a cliffhanger none the less. You will have no closure but happy news, the second book is coming out soon. I'm not sure if there'll be more than two books in the series but I can honestly say that I'm hooked and want to know what's going to happen. Again the beginning is a little slower with all the setting up of the world but stick with it and the plot picks up and keeps moving right along with all the twists and turns. The book kept getting better and better the more I read and discovered. I want more of the ringmaster!!! I NEED answers!!!! I have a few theories floating around in my head as to what is coming but I'll have to wait for the next book. I really liked the magical aspects of the story and thought they were pretty clever. Well done Lichelle!

I would recommend this book for teenagers, even pre-teens and up. Fun fantasy and magic book that I think YA lovers would enjoy.

Content: Clean. There is a murder but nothing graphic, just talk of the body being in blood.

I snagged a free copy from joining the author's newsletter via instafreebie.

Happy Reading!!!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a circus in space.





Overall, this is a light read. The sci fi and fantasy elements are both very soft. Our main character, Crystal, is pretty lucky throughout and overcomes her obstacles without much difficulty. Then the ending throws a wrench into the whole thing—we get a cliffhanger in which Crystal is totally screwed.



There are a few typos (like the misspelling of Enceladus) but not many. There were a few scenes where the dialogue or action seemed to contradict what was just said or done; that left me a little confused.

Overall, it’s a fun story. The blend of sci fi and fantasy was cool.

Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Mention of a dead body and blood; not graphic
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): Slavery, betrayal, murder of parent, manipulation

[Jessica Jesinghaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out this review, and many more, on my blog https://jessjesinghaus.wordpress.com

4 out of 5 stars

Step Right Up is a very interesting read. Part sci-if space saga, part magical fantasy, with a murder mystery to solve, and a healthy dose of coming-of-age thrown in there's a little bit to love for everyone. I felt I could identify with the MC Crystal right from the get go. She's young, with something to prove and a father she idolizes. So when Crystal finds her father's dead body and tracks his killer to the spaceship of a traveling circus...what's a girl to do? Sneak her way on board and find the murderer of course!

Along the way, she makes many friends and allies, each as likable as the last. Far and away the crowd fave though, I'm sure, will be Ite: a grammatically-challenged size-changing furball with a heart of gold. To say I want an Ite in my life is no joke. He's adorable!

The storyline and writing bridges that young adult / adult gap nicely. It's a book I can see my 9 year old daughter loving, same as I'm sure her brother (13) will. If you're looking for a book to read aloud as a family I highly recommend this one!

Crystal travels to some amazing places and meets a ton of folks, not all of them human. Each was described well by the author, in such a way as to give the reader a lovely sketch upon which to let our imagination color. Brilliantly done.

Be forewarned though: major cliffhanger ending! If that's a big deal to you, consider yourself warned. Otherwise, this is a highly enjoyable book your whole family will love.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step right up to read this circus space adventure!
Yeah, you read that right. A heckin circus. In space. With spaceships. What more could you want??
This book is sort of like The Night Circus meets Star Wars, or The Greatest Showman with a sci-fi twist (though I refuse to believe Hugh Jackman has a mean bone in his body). I didn't know what I was getting myself into at first - I certainly wasn't expecting a sci-fi circus - but the author, Lichelle Slater, does an exceptionally well job of blending two unexpected elements - space sci-fi and circus magic - together. I didn't know I needed a sci-fi circus in my life until reading this book.
Our main character, Crystal, grows up on Earth like the rest of us, though she lives during a futuristic time in which space travel is pretty common and people have general knowledge of life in space and on other planets. Slater does a fantastic job of opening up the seemingly-normal life of our MC, who lives with her father and - for the most part - gets along with him and has a pretty normal father/daughter relationship.
Until one night she comes home to find her father murdered.
The pace of the story at this point has been pretty average, perhaps a little slow but it allows the reader to establish Crystal's average day and lifestyle. But THEN it hits you with the fast-paced space adventure mystery as Crystal seeks her father's killer and finds herself... among a crowd of circus freaks.
Slater's writing up until this point has been just as engaging, but I think it's once she rolls out the circus that her descriptive style and imagery REALLY hit home. I mean, I'm circus trash enough already (thanks, Hugh), but her writing literally makes you feel you're aboard the spaceship, traveling through the galaxy with Crystal and the rest of the circus crew. And the mysterious aspects surrounding her father's death are already intriguing enough, but it's when she meets Ringmaster Zrea and discovers a secret among the performers that the mystery really breaks off into several different directions, becoming even more in-depth, and leaving you wondering what the heck is going on. This book is a melting pot of unexpected literary genres and I absolutely freaking love it. The little romance that this book has is more of a side-plot and even it's seeping in mystery.
As for the characters, there's a pretty extensive cast to this circus adventure so I won't talk about them *too* much, but our main character Crystal is particularly likable. I *do* think that there's a problem here or there that seems like it's a little... too conveniently solved, but that's really my only overall issue with the plot, and the rest of the Circus Space Mystery is so extensive that I can almost let those little plot points slide. And, as for the rest of the characters, there's one that I particularly ADORE - he's my new favorite thing. I won't spoil him for the potential readers reading this review, but he's such a fun little addition to the plot! All you need to know is his name begins with "I." But even the villain(s) are so in-depth that, even though you don't/can't like them as a person, you can appreciate them as a villain, and I LOVE the little side-plot involving the (in this first book, at least) main villain. Most of the story is told in third-person limited and follows Crystal, but every once in awhile the plot deviates to follow this villain and I love it in particular.
Overall, I loved this book so much it hurts, and that cliffhanger at the end KILLED ME. I'm a huge circus nerd, apparently, and love dark plots so this, to me, was such an interesting, unique read. I definitely, definitely recommend for anyone who likes space adventure and/or for anyone who may have been converted into circus trash by a particular musical starring a singing Wolverine.

[Tabi Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! Lots and Lots of Excitement

Another new author to me and another new author for me to beat over the head with wet noodles and things for keeping me on the edge of my seat, only to make me fall off of it with a ending so surprising I am still reeling over it.

The book was so exciting and left you guessing from one page to the next what was going to happen. You never see what is coming until it knocks you out of your seat and leaves you gasping for air.

I cannot wait to continue on this journey, so bring it on.

Until Next Time... Tabi

[Brittany Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

This part of the story is kind of the build up. Not a ton of action. We have a little but most of the story is Crystal making connections and learning about something in the background that np one else knows. By the end though we are left hanging. We have fallen in love with the characters and can't believe what has just happened although we saw it coming. Looking forward to the next book.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a friend.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intriguing.

From the moment I started reading this book to the end I felt like I was right there in the story. I loved following Crystal and her adventure. The characters were fantastic and I wanted to join in on being a red clown to help Crystal. I would highly recommend this book to all my friends. I'm excited that this is a series and I am in line to get the next book.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also named Ringmaster (Circus of the Stars), so I was very confused when I read one and the other name appeared on my Goodreads.

I love circuses. This one guaranteed magic. It was supposed to be like Night Circus meets The Greatest Showman meets... something in space?

Crystal lives on Earth - but it's Earth-in-the-future. She's training to help free slaves across the galaxy, and for completing her training, she decides to go to the circus with her friends to celebrate, even against her dad's wishes. On her way back, she finds her dad's dead body. The body disappears and she follows a mysterious shadow as it makes its way back to the circus ship.

Crystal's earth-friends were a disappointment. Neither seemed to care much about her disappearing, her father's death (and disappearance), and their calls to her were... well, I wouldn't like friends like that.
Her travels bring her in contact with some really fun species, and I love Ite, the little size-shifting monkey.
We learn more about the circus and the magic that the entertainers have - THERE'S A DRAGON, a shapeshifter, circus performers who use magic to create vines to do their act. I wish we had gotten a little bit more detail and description on their acts because it was fascinating.

There's a Shadow Magician on the ship, a forgetful ... spell...? and a ringmaster who might be a villain but might be not. It was an interesting read. I'll definitely read the next book to see what happens