Freeks by Amanda Hocking ~ Blog Tour + Review

Step right up for a thrilling new read!

I am so excited today to be a part of Pan Macmillan Australia's blog tour for author Amanda Hocking's new standalone novel Freeks. Prepare to enter a world of magical visions and pyrokinesis, but be sure to beware the dark presence lurking within...!

Read on for my thoughts on the book + a sneak peek at a few of my favourite moments. A big thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a review copy for the tour.

Title: Freeks
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publication date: 31/01/2017
Imprint: Pan
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance (Teenage), Fiction


Synopsis: The Carnival is all she's ever known - but an old terror could tear it down.

In the spring of 1982, the carnival comes to small-town Cauldry, Louisiana. Then events take a dangerous turn. For Mara Besnick, the carnival is home. It's also a place of secrets, hidden powers and a buried past - making it hard to connect with outsiders. However, sparks fly when she meets local boy Gabe Alvarado. As they become inseparable, Mara realises Gabe is hiding his own secrets. And his family legacy could destroy Mara's world.

They find the word 'freeks' sprayed on trailers, as carnival employees start disappearing. Then workers wind up dead, killed in disturbing ways by someone or something. Mara is determined to unlock the mystery, with Gabe's help. But can they really halt this campaign of fear?

Add to your Goodreads bookshelf today!

              Rating:

Amanda Hocking's writing thrills the imagination and stirs up curiosity.

Her writing is the kind that transports as well as entertains. I've always admired how her characters shift ever so slightly as you read. They're like ripples on the surface of a lake, their personalities ebbing and flowing tantalisingly close to the surface. But you're never quite sure who they truly are...or who they want you to believe they are.

Mara and Gabe make for an intriguing duo.

The stark contrast between their worlds makes for many great moments - especially when we as readers get to experience the raw emotion behind Mara's struggle for normalcy. The longing she feels to simple be without the burden of 'otherness', powers, or the brand of 'freak'. Gabe's ability to see past Mara's role in the show and to appreciate her fully made him a sweet character that had a steadying presence throughout the book.

The setting was everything!

The 1980s setting and references were the perfect backdrop for the freak show and all its mystery. It added an antique, curious, and almost otherworldly air to the tale and further enriched the story's plot in the process.

Darkness lurks just around the corner.

The town that is the show's newest location and is an almost sinister location. There is something so unsettling about it. Especially since it seems as if no one within it is willing to lift a finger to help Mara and the rest of the crew.

Darkness also lurks within. What I found so intriguing was the realistic glimpse behind the sparkling lights and the flashy powers. Amanda Hocking focuses quite a bit on the negative impacts and effects the 'freaks' powers have on them and the toll they take on their bodies and minds.

Original and with a satisfying collection of twists and turns, Freeks is a show you're definitely going to want to buy a ticket for.

'He looked at me, and I felt the shift in his gaze as he tried to search out what I did in the freak show. What thing made me a freak.

And I couldn't talk to him anymore. I couldn't bear the thought of hateful words coming from his lips, the same lips I could still taste on mine. I'd hear all the insults before, and they shouldn't hurt, but they still did.'

Although I was provided with a review copy by the author and/or publisher, all opinions expressed in the this post are purely my own. To find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.