Freeks

by Amanda Hocking

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I have no idea why I'm so drawn to Paranormal circus stories, but I am, and I knew I had to read Freeks. I'm really glad I did, because it was so fun! Yes, the plot is predictable and there's insta-love, but I was hooked from the very beginning and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mara is part of a traveling carnival, where the employees mostly all have supernatural abilities (not that the audience knows). Unfortunately, they're going broke and if their upcoming stint in Caudry isn't successful, they'll have nothing. Well, Caudry isn't at all the sleepy small town that it appears to be, and getting out alive is more important than getting paid.

Freeks does start out with the typical introduction to our narrator, Mara, who is an ordinary girl amongst the extraordinary. She doesn't complain though. It just is what it is, and she helps the carnival however she can. Then she meets a boy, and relishes being a regular girl for once and not part of a freak show. I did really like Mara and how she starts a relationship with Gabe without intending it to be serious. Obviously, it does develop into more, but Mara knows she's leaving and just wants to enjoy it while she can.

The plot of Freeks revolves around the strangeness of Caudry. When a bunch of supernatural circus performers think a town feels weird and randomly get attacked, you know something big must be going on. While I did figure out who was behind everything, I didn't come close to guessing the details. It wasn't a huge shock, but I was still very interested in this weirdness. I know that is very vague, but I don't want to spoil anything! There's a kind of good vs evil showdown at the end.

Basically, I liked Freeks a lot. The circus setting is fun, and the creepy small town was interesting. It's not the most original story, and I've definitely read the same basic premise plenty of times before, but it still had something about it that I just enjoyed. The romance was pretty cute and being set in 1987 added a little extra something special.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.