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Blood Circus

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

In this lush and terrifying debut—perfect for readers of The Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone—Camila Victoire creates a future where cruelty and spectacle hold the keys to subjugating humans on a ravaged earth.

At the end of the twenty-first century, climate change and famine almost ended humanity—until the discovery of the Klujns, a barbaric, humanoid species with strangely colored eyes and even stranger abilities. Their crystal claws and bones fertilize barren soil, and their tender meat is a super-protein. Klujns are both humans' saviors and natural-born enemies, meant to be hunted and used.

When sixteen-year-old Ava finds herself on the wrong side of a military fence erected to protect the North American Territory, she's captured by Klujns and made to participate in the Blood Race, a macabre tradition where young human hostages compete to the death for Klujn amusement. At first, she is terrified, but as Ava observes Klujn behavior that contradicts what she's learned, she begins to wonder: Are Klujns as different as she was led to believe? And, as she fights for her life, does it matter?

Inspired by four years on the road with a traveling circus, where the word itself embodies an entire culture built on dark spectacle, Camila Victoire delivers a twisted coming-of-age tale that combines elements of fantasy, magical realism, and suspense. Blood Circus will capture fans of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games and Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone. Its masterful worldbuilding, plot twists, and boundary-pushing Blood Race are wholly immersive—and compel readers to call their own long-held assumptions, values, and belief systems into question.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 28, 2022
      Debut author Victoire tackles themes of environmentalism and prejudice via a bone-chilling plot in this dystopian fantasy. Sixteen-year-old adopted Ava Sparrow lives inside the fenced area of Red River, a settlement in a future Canada, with other human survivors following an ecological and near-societal collapse almost a millennium prior. Though she’s safe from terrifying humanoid beasts known as Klujns, she struggles to evade bullies and prepare for the hostile winter approaching. Having grown up fearing the Klujns, whom her people hunt for their crystal claws and protein-rich meat, she’s especially frightened when she’s captured by a group of Klujn alongside 13 other teen girls and forced to fight to the death in a macabre ritual known as the Blood Race. While captive, the girls realize that the beasts seem more human than their respective settlements have led them to believe. Weighty plot points involving murder and governmental corruption are touched on only lightly, but vividly wrought imagery, steady pacing, edge-of-the-seat action, and a gutsy cast accompany a harrowing, Hunger Games–level atmosphere, making for a thrilling adventure. Ava reads as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 12–17. Agent: Mollie Glick and Abby Walters, CAA.

    • Kirkus

      November 15, 2022
      In a devastated future, as humans struggle to dominate ferocious predators, a 16-year-old seeks the truth about her identity. After they successfully hid in the wilderness for millennia, tribes of creatures called Klujns were discovered by people in 2071. Construed as nonhuman yet somewhat humanlike in appearance, Klujns are hunted for their protein-rich meat and valuable crystal claws. Ava, the narrator of this story, which takes place in the early 22nd century, eventually finds herself among the hostages taken to the Klujns' annual Blood Race. But as the book opens, it's another lonely day in Red River, one of the few towns left in the smidgin of North American Territory formerly known as Qu�bec that has survived the climate catastrophe. Borders have long since closed, and English made the sole official language. Ava's origins are mysterious: She was found washed up on a riverbank and raised in an orphanage until she was adopted by a Klujn expert and an agriculturalist who still occasionally speaks the banned French language. Combining moon worship and a battle to the death between teens with explorations of feminism and environmentalism, this socially progressive dystopian adventure with strong worldbuilding and suspenseful plotting will appeal to fans of the Hunger Games. Ava reads White; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast members. Pointedly questioning what it is to be human, this absorbing debut expresses profound longing for the disappearing wild. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      May 19, 2023

      Gr 9 Up-This post-apocalyptic coming-of-age novel starts quickly and sets the scene well. Within a few pages, readers know the timing, hints of location, and a couple of the main characters. Sixteen-year-old Ava is trying to find her way through an environment that favors both boys and brawn. Reminiscent of Kim Liggett's The Grace Year, with its roots in mysticism and strict rules about what girls are allowed to do, here Ava struggles with the strictures placed on her from outside her family. The school bully is always furious with her, his father always takes his son's side, and even her understanding brother Mercy, tumble through her thoughts but she remains trapped in the woods, on the wrong side of the fence, unable to escape. The Klujn capture and take Ava into enemy territory to fight for her life. Victoire's lyrical prose and the clear and informative dialog of key characters are a pleasure as readers find themselves immersed in a horrifying future. The pacing fits the action perfectly and the vivid prose is descriptive. Readers who enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing, The Hunger Games, and strong female protagonists in Alison Goodman's Eon and Eona, will love this novel of hardship, mystery, gore, and growth. Ava's reflective questioning will make readers consider their own societal norms. VERDICT A first choice for high school libraries.-Cathleen Ash

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      June 14, 2024
      Grades 9-12 Ava, 16 and curious, finds herself in a world of trouble when she decides to escape a fence protecting North America's territory from the Klujns, a group of evil spirits. The species, meant to be the downfall of humanity, controls their currently hostile environment (and the people who inhabit it). Ava's escape is short-lived; the Klujns immediately catch her and decide she will participate in a Blood Race, where teens battle to death to appease and entertain the Klujns. While the book follows the Games with an intensity that will keep readers invested, it's Ava who carries the story, as readers will find themselves trying to understand her feelings about her situation, the reality of the Klujns control, and her battles with her inner demons. Readers missing The Hunger Games and Divergent series will be satisfied by this magnetic dystopia that's packed with dramatic storytelling and apocalyptic elements.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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