Pantomime (Micah Grey Trilogy, #1)

by Laura Lam

R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass - remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone - are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It's a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimeras is still there. It's a place where anyone can hide. Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist's apprentice and soon becomes the circus's rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.

• ISBN10: 1299598625
• ISBN13: 9781299598621
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 February 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Angry Robot
• Imprint: Strange Chemistry
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I’m totally conflicted about my feelings for Pantomime. At first it reminded me too much of The Night Circus, which I didn’t like. It wasn’t just the circus theme that was similar, but the alternating between past and present and extremely slow pacing. However, the plots are completely different, and once things started getting going I enjoyed it much more. This is he second book I’ve read this month where the protagonist repeatedly brings up the fact that there’s something different about them, but refuses to say “what” they are until a quarter or more into the story. It’s extremely annoying rather than intriguing, and I didn’t see this point of it in Pantomime since it’s super obvious what Micha’s medical condition is. Not the specifics, which we get later, but the general idea is clear early on.

If you think the secret is going to be a spoiler, you should stop reading this review, since I’m going to talk about in the next paragraph. So STOP reading now if you don’t want to be “spoiled” but like I said it’s revealed fairly early so…

I’ve never read about an intersex character before, so I was definitely interested in learning more about Micha/Gene. Gene has had to hide her “condition” from everyone for fear of being called a monster, but one day she up and leaves, and joins the circus. She feels like a freak, so why not run away to be with more freaks? Once she gets there’s though, she’s Micha, a boy, which is easy for her to pull off due to having a fairly boyish figure.

I also really enjoyed Micha’s struggle with her sexuality. Would she be dating as a boy, a girl, both, or neither? Did that really matter? Is she attracted to boys, girls, or both? Does she have to choose one? It was all very confusing for her, but it was nice watching her discover who she was and who she wanted to be with. I do think that the author handled these topics very respectfully.

I also really liked the world. It’s a fantasy realm, but it’s very much like our Victorian era, especially in the fashion and social etiquette. However, there’s magic and Chimaera! At the beginning of each chapter there’s little excerpts from different texts that are about the circus, ancient magic, social lessons, etc. I’m almost always a fan of little tidbits like this, so I definitely enjoyed that touch to the world building.

The plot isn’t really much of a plot at all. Once we know “what” Micha is, the only thing left is whether or not he’s going to get caught and dragged back home. I desperately hoping not, since Gene’s parents are pretty awful and selfish people, and she deserves so much more!

In the end, I liked Pantomime but it failed to wow me. I absolutely LOVED the concept and the themes presented, but the lack of an interesting plot and the slow pacing stopped me from loving it overall. It’s most definitely an amazingly unique story though, so I would recommend it simply based on that. I’m just wondering if this was the first book in a series or not. The ending is quite open for a sequel, but it could also be seen as a standalone. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

First off, this review isn't going to be a full review. There is a big secret within the pages of Pantomime - a very big secret - and both Laura Lam and the publishers, Strange Chemistry, want the secret to stay well under wraps until Pantomime is released. To talk about it would be to spoil a major part of this book, but it's something I want to talk about. So, with Strange Chemistry's permission, I am writing a mini-esque review now (it might not be that mini), and my full review after publication. But now, on with this review!

Pantomime is absolutely amazing! It's a fantastic character driven fantasy, that will draw you in from the very first page and have you caring deeply about it's brilliant main characters, Gene and Micah.

When I asked her on Twitter about the genre of Pantomime, Lam said, "I've been calling it gaslight fantasy, since it's sort of steampunk without the steam." I'm going to describe the genre based on my experience of reading fantasy. I haven't read any steampunk, it's definitely not dystopia or urban fantasy, so for me, that leaves high fantasy. Except, it only just fits into my idea of high fantasy; an imagined world that feels historical, with magical people and creatures. This Pantomime has - the very different way of living, the magic in the chimaera and the Alders - but it doesn't have so much of the politics or any of the epic battles that most high fantasies I've read I have, or at least not in this book. But the fantasy elements of the story - the magic, the chimaera and the Alders - are not a massive part of this story. Pantomime is very much about the characters, and so feels more like a historical about historical teenagers, though I have a feeling that the fantasy elements will play a much bigger part in future books.

So on to Gene and Micah. Gene is the teenage daughter in a noble family; she's expected to go to balls and wear beautiful dresses, to enjoy embroidery and high tea, but she doesn't. It's just not her. Micah is a teenage runaway who has joined the circus in order to find his own way in life. For both characters, Pantomime is very much about being true to yourself, and working out just exactly who that is. It's about fighting against being pigeon-holed - especially when you, a square peg, are being forced into a round hole. These characters are brilliant, and they're unlike any other characters I've read before. You can't help but fall in love with each of them in turn, and want so badly for them to be accepted for who they are, rather than being made to do what is expected of them. Your heart goes out to each of them; there are moments where I was so disturbed by the way they were treated, and moments when my heart just broke over the crappy choices they had in front of them. These are characters with terribly hard lives; lives where only more difficulty lies ahead.

As I said, I feel the fantasy elements will play a much bigger part in the next books. Which means the questions you have relating to our characters and the fantasy elements aren't all answered. In any other book, this would be quite frustrating, but I'm so invested in the lives of the Micah and Gene, in the people they are, that I almost don't care that I have unanswered questions, because the characters - who have found a permanent home in my heart - are much more important than the questions I have.

Pantomime is not only an amazing story, but an important one. You're not wowed because of the world building, the mythology behind the chimaera and the Alders, or the cliffhanger ending - which are all incredible - but by the truly beautiful, enthralling people we find in Micah and Gene. There's is a story that needs to be told, and that everyone should read. A completely eye-opening, enthralling debut, and I can't thank Lam enough for writing it. Another book to add to the favourites list.

Thank you to Strange Chemistry for the ARC.