The Black Carnival

by Harlequin Grim

Review: The Black Carnival by Harlequin Grimm

The Black Carnival is a darkly atmospheric, genre-bending novel that blends the grotesque beauty of a gothic circus with gritty historical fiction. Set in the 1800s, it captures the era with an immersive voice and rich, moody descriptions that made me feel transported to another time. While the book didn’t fully work for me, there’s a lot to admire in its ambition.

The strongest aspects, in my opinion, are the setting and the atmosphere. The circus backdrop is vivid and eerie in all the right ways, haunting, strange, and uniquely compelling. Grimm’s use of language is elegant, and their prose effectively evokes a sense of unease. The “found family” theme, while subtle, adds a touch of heart that helps ground the darker elements of the story.

That said, the pacing was a real challenge for me. The first half felt overly slow, with a heavy emphasis on worldbuilding and scene-setting. While this eventually pays off to some extent, the plot felt uneven overall. Most of the action and emotional payoff is packed into the final chapters, which made the structure feel unbalanced. I think a bit more momentum earlier in the book could have helped maintain engagement and allowed for deeper immersion in the later twists.

The shifting points of view were intriguing but didn’t always feel necessary. Atherton stood out as the most compelling character, and I found myself wishing the narrative had centered more firmly around him, or perhaps just him and Boo. Some characters, like Lester, showed real promise but didn’t get the development or page time they seemed to deserve.

Dialogue, while authentic to the historical setting, was at times hard to follow. I appreciated the commitment to period accuracy, but I found myself occasionally lost in the language early on. Fortunately, that eased as the story progressed.

Overall, The Black Carnival is a beautifully written novel with a unique concept and standout characters, but its slow pace and uneven plot progression made it hard for me to stay fully invested. Readers who enjoy rich atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and slow-burn storytelling will likely find more to love here. It’s a book I wanted to love more than I ultimately did, but I’m still intrigued by Harlequin Grimm’s voice and vision, and I’d be open to reading more from them in the future.