This was Viano Oniomoh's first book so I'm going to try another one of her books in the future. But this one was rough for me.

The writing felt kind of stilted/juvenile. The world building was confusing and there would be random fact dumps. The "love story" was awkward, rushed, and yet the characters seemed uncomfortable with each other til the end - constant blushing and really cringey text messages. 

This book was trying to be a fantasy mystery thriller type story but I think it would have been better as a "finding yourself, finding love, finding your future" story as the main character is running away from home to join the circus. Had it been that story - with the added detail of it being a magical circus - it could have found more solid footing, I think.