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My rating: 3 / 5 ★

Picked up this book for two reasons: 1) Its gorgeous cover; 2) Dark circus concepts intrigues me.

Circus of the Unseen is a rather light read thanks to its short length, with a subtle touch of darkness in it. To be honest, I was expecting a much darker theme for the story, perhaps something that could send chills to my bones (note: I read the book at 3 A.M.), unfortunately to my slight disappointment, there wasn't enough dark elements to it. The plot feels rather flat and we never actually get to know Rosie personally, except for the fact that she's too curious about her grandmother's past.

But I do like the setting and idea of the circus; I believe I enjoyed the minor characters and wished that their characters had more exposure than just how they ended up at the circus instead. I would have loved to know more about Madam Matushka especially. There were not many scenes of the things that they do at the circus either, making it to be rather dull when it could have been a wonderful part of the story.

There are also a few unnecessary characters, or perhaps characters that are supposed to make a point in the story but the author seemed to forget so. For instance, the boy that came to see Rosie before she "fell" into the circus– I mean, who is he? And he even has a sister, which probably only said a sentence or two. I could not see the point of their characters at all. And there were not much being mentioned about Rosie's own sister either. I know she's just a minor character, but her presence could have been made better.

Overall, it was a quick read and a rather enjoyable one too despite its shortcomings. The idea of it was wonderful, and I do like the author's writing style, but it could have been better if the story is extended just a little bit more so details can be added into it. The ending was not quite agreeable to me (I definitely would choose my family first, no matter what), but I guess it is better for Rosie to accept what has happened to her. There are matters that you could not control in this world anyway.

And yes, of course, not to miss the photocard/postcard set of my lovely boys that comes with the box ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ If only I could get a clear smooth skin like them after wearing the mask though ಡ ̯ ಡ

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My rating: 4 / 5 ★

I have to admit, nothing excites me more than being able to understand the reference of the local ghost names in The Ghost Bride. I mean, it's not every day that I get to see "pontianak" or "pelesit" being mentioned in an English book, much less a young adult one. Despite being happy with the rep of Malaysian ghosts, I did notice a mistake when "pontianak" is mentioned as a flying head of a woman who died during childbirth, with her inside organs trailing down—I can't recall the exact words the author used, but still, no. That's supposed to be "penanggal", which is definitely way more terrifying than a "pontianak". I suggest not to look it up though.

The Ghost Bride is about a young maiden from the 1890s Malaya, who got caught into marrying a man who has already died. The story mentions a lot of superstitions and folklore surrounding the Malayan people, especially the Chinese people, most definitely due to the fact that the main character, Li Lan is a Chinese herself. In escaping her fate of being courted by a spirit, she found a first love, lost her own body leading to her spirit wandering and encountering other spirits as well as a dragon.

I appreciate the way the author introduced several cultures and things about Malaya, but it's a shame that it was not a focal point in the story since most of the plot involved Li Lan's journey in the spirit world instead. It was interesting at first as Li Lan was slammed immediately regarding being a ghost bride from the first page, and then the ghost of Tian Ching started to haunt her dreams. I was expecting the plot to be fast paced and perhaps able to incite an adrenaline rush through me, but sadly to say, it was rather slow.

Once Li Lan was parted from her body and her spirit wandered away in search of "secrets" of the ghost world, it started to become draggy. I saw no point in most parts of her journey that contributes to her mission–but then again, I don't think she actually had a solid mission as well.

Although I applaud Li Lan's courage as she wandered around (I swear I would never step out of the room if I was her), I don't fancy her character that much, except during her moments with Er Lang. Apart from the side characters like Amah and Old Wong making the story a lot better, Li Lan's interactions with Er Lang are what made me decide to give the book a four stars instead of three. The qi transferring scene is just oh-so-scandalous, and I'm glad my reading buddy Jessica (check out her review as well!) agreed that it was possibly the best part of the book. I do however admit that there were not enough moments for their chemistry to build strongly, but it was understandable how it came to be.

This review is a mess and I probably didn't convince anyone (not even myself), but I'll just say that as a whole, The Ghost Bride is actually a good read. It would not be perfect if you're looking for a historical fiction based in Malaya (old Malaysia), but if you'd like to know a thing or two about our culture and enjoys fantasy and supernatural elements, this might be the right book for you.

A huge thank you to Pansing for giving me the chance to read The Ghost Bride in exchange for an honest review! This book is currently available in all good bookstores.