Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
Release Date – September 4, 2012
Publisher Website –  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  306 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live. 

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls. 

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

A darkly seductive tale filled with secrets, lies, and a dash of romance. Would love, family, freedom, or society be something you would risk everything for? How far would you go to gain what you wanted?

The dangerous and decadent world of the Carnival of Souls comes alive under Melissa Marr’s fantastic descriptions. I was drawn in by it’s seductive charms. The masks worn to advertise yourself as a body for hire either as an assassin or for sex intrigued me. This is a world that has many secrets and I think we are just beginning to unravel them.

The different classes that exist were fascinating. The various groups had social classes within them, as well as the larger caste system itself. The varying benefits given based upon the class you are in, and the treatment of the lower classes make the competition quite alluring. It was easy to see why someone would risk everything for what they believed in.

It’s rare as a reader that we know more than the main characters. This is the case with Mallory. She’s been sheltered, and kept from a lot of important things in her life. As the lies, half truths, and secrets begin to come undone she’s left wondering who to trust. This is a character I look forward to seeing grow, as her role in this first instalment is rather light.

Zevi a fiercely loyal member of Kaleb’s pack enchanted me immediately. His lack of filter, his heartbreaking willingness to do anything to help Kaleb made him some I want to see more of.

Aya, a female character that backs up everything with action. She is cunning, dangerous and fantastic. She is the type of female character I love seeing in any kind of fiction. Her unwillingness to settle into roles set out for her, and to attempt to break free from them regardless of who gets hurt make her a force to be reckoned with.  Aya’s place in society is immediately less because she is a woman, no matter how high her social standing. The way in which women are treated in this world provides a great basis for an insightful discussion. The fact that women are selected to marry certain people, and can be chosen by the ruler to breed made me quite glad I do not live in this world.

This novel felt like a prologue to the main story. The setting up of this intricate world took most of the novel, and the ending feels like the story is getting starting when it‘s ending. It leaves you wanting more.