Carnival Magic (Other Side)

by Amy Ephron

Tess and Max are back in England for another summer with their Aunt Evie - this time by the seashore in South Devon. And they’re incredibly excited about the travelling carnival that’s come to town. There are rides, games, acrobats, The House of Mirrors - and even a psychic, with a beautiful wagon all her own.

In a visit to the psychic’s wagon, while Tess is being hypnotized, the wagon seems to move. Before Tess can shake herself out of the hypnosis, before Max can do anything, they seem to be travelling - along with the rest of the carnival - too quickly for the two of them to jump out. But where are they going and what awaits them? Will they be caught in a world different from their own? And do the Baranova twins, acrobats who miss their sister almost as much as Tess and Max miss their family, hold the keys to the mystery?

Internationally bestselling author Amy Ephron returns with a companion novel to The Castle in the Mist and creates a magical tale filled with adventure, mystery, fantasy, family, and fun.

• ISBN10: 1524740217
• ISBN13: 9781524740214
• Publish Date: 1 May 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 5 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Philomel Books,U.S.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781524740214

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

Thank you to Penguin for a free physical copy.

"Sometimes the best way of making sure you might see someone again is by not saying, good-bye."

See reviews first on my Blog



Tess and Max are going to go back and spend some more time with their Aunt, this time in South Devon. They've come before their parents to spend a little time with just there aunt as well as just getting to explore the summer house. The aunt takes them to two fun places, both full of wonder and charm for Tess and Max who have a tendency to find magical things.

Overall while this was the second book in a series, I was able to put the pieces together of what happened in the first one to make sense of what was happening in this one. I ended up really liking this one and I absolutely loved the carnival and magic system. Carnival Magic while extremely at creepy at times, also was never too scary. We worry for Tess and Max and the characters we meet along the way. There is also a sense of knowing that somehow Tess will figure it out either on her own or with a little help from some of the friends they've made along the way.

The carnival itself without the magical elements seemed like the usual fun carnival and I loved how normal it was while also being different at the same time. It was really easy to follow along with the urban fantasy elements and how things were kind of happening.

I am going to go back and read the first book in this series and I will be impatiently waiting to see if this book series continues on because I need more of life in this world.

I highly recommend this book for all middle-grade readers as it has a great sibling relationship as well as being a fun summertime read.

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