Review: ‘The Gracekeepers’ by Kirsty Logan

Who doesn’t love a good circus story? Especially one set in a post-apocalyptic water world? As per usual, I was originally drawn to the cover, but once I read the description I knew I was going to have to read this book.

Synopsis: The Gracekeepers is about North and Callanish who are two unique young women trying to live in a world that doesn’t understand either of them. North is a sea-faring circus performer who can only seem to connect with her performance partner, a bear. Callanish was born on land, but has left her island home to work as a gracekeeper, performing funeral ceremonies at sea in penance for a mistake made many years before. Their lives are continually drawn together throughout the years, and the secrets they share bind them closer than either one could have imagined.

The book jumps between points of view, mainly that of Callanish and North, but many of the background characters got a chapter or two as well. I would have loved to read more about the acrobats, or about the ringmaster, and especially about what happened to the rest of the circus in the end. There are so many unanswered questions, but the main characters get their resolution, which is really the point of the story. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the world building is magical. Logan has written a wonderful first book and I look forward to reading more from her.

If you enjoy unique books about the circus, you should definitely read this one, as well as The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland, and Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine. All of them are amazing and wonderful.

LC rating:  (amazing book)