*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Trapeze
Author: Leigh Ansell
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Publication Date: September 10, 2019
ISBN: 9780993689956
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Corey Ryder can’t remember a time when she wasn’t gliding through the air of Cirque Mystique’s big top. As a trapeze artist in a traveling circus, Corey wakes up every day in a different place, buzzing for the moment she can suspend gravity during the night’s performance. When the circus pulls into small-town Sherwood, California, everything seems normal—aside from meeting the exceptionally cute Luke Everett at a local diner. But that night, in the midst of the performance, tragedy strikes and flames overtake the tent. While Corey narrowly escapes, in the ashes of the circus pitch lies the only home she’s ever known. Repeatedly thrown out of her comfort zone, Corey must learn how to push toward her future without forgetting her past, what it means to be a daughter to a mother she’s never known, and how to navigate the confusing magic of first love, even as she performs the high-wire act of being true to who you really are.
I was immediately drawn in by the stunning cover of Leigh Ansell’s Trapese. I wasn’t expecting this one, so opening up the package to such a striking book brought me pure joy. The description caught my attention as well. It’s not often that I come across a plot centered around the circus. It’s a mysterious theme, but runs the risk of coming across too hokey. Ansell does a pretty good job of bringing her story together: a circus tale about a mother and daughter long separated and a girl who’s trying to discovery who she is when everything she’s ever know suddenly goes up in smoke.
While I really liked the idea of this story, there was just something missing for me. It fell a bit flat. Corey is quite an appealing character and her arc of growth is fascinating to observe. Her inner monologue as she first encounters her knew life and her knew world draws the reader in with the unknown. For a book about a trapeze artist who’s coming into her own, would have really loved to see more incorporation of the trapeze into the story. When she loses the circus, Corey turns away from everything related to the trapeze–a passion that has occupied every moment of her life until the point where we meet her. There is so little of the circus, that I was left feeling disappointed. I was hoping there’d be more to make this book stand out from the array of teen romance novels that dominate the YA literary landscape, but if you’re looking for a really unique read, this isn’t the one, I’m afraid.
This was my first Wattpad print read, but I don’t feel compelled to pursue any more printed Wattpad books. As a platform, it’s great for what it is and I would recommend the community to anyone looking to connect readers and writers, but perhaps they should stick with their digital forum.
Worn Pages and Ink 