Early Review – Carnival Fantastico by Anglea Montoya (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 444 pages
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Release Date: February 3, 2026
ASIN: B0F8MS2V72
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from Netgalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival’s resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army.
Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he’s ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.
Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they’ll need to confront.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley from review.
Thoughts: I liked this; it was a quick read, that was engaging and fun. The story has a fairly dark tone to it and is very YA dark fantasy in vibe. I enjoyed the circus setting and the glimpses into this war-torn country. The world building is fairly thin here, but I did enjoy the magic and characters. This was very readable, and I would consider reading more books by Montoya in the future.
Esmeralda is the Carnival’s fortune teller but her year long residency at Carnival Fantastico is almost up, if she is going to stay longer she needs win a place as the main act. Luckily, she gets notification that she is one of the final acts competing for this coveted position. A wrench is thrown into Esmeralda’s plan when Ignacio shows up at the carnival. The two were very close, but after Ignacio left to join the army, Esmeralda and Ignacio never spoke again. Igancio is following clues to help the rebellion against his warmonger of a father and they have led him to Carnival Fantastico. If Ignacio and Esmeralda can just get past their…well, past…maybe they can join forces to rebel against this endless war. However, Carnival Fantastico has other plans and a dark history to go with those plans.
This was a quick read that I enjoyed. There are heavy elements of romance throughout this story. The main theme is very much lovers to enemies to lovers. I enjoyed the carnival setting; it is dark and glittering. The world-building is a bit weak. You know that this country is at war with other countries and that the carnival is a refuge of sorts. There is a mystery around how Ignacio’s father is involved with the carnival, but this definitely takes a back seat to Ignacio and Esmeralda’s story.
I enjoyed Ignacio and Esmeralda as characters. They both have a lot of drive and conviction to get what they want (Emeralda to become the main act and Ignacio to overthrow his father). They are both trying to move past their previous relationship but failing. There are a lot of decent side characters in the fellow carnival acts. The book is easy to read, engaging, and moves along at a good clip. I thought the ending was a bit odd in that it involves old gods, and that wasn’t a topic that was really discussed much throughout the story; because of this, the ending feels a bit contrived.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a solid addition to the dark circus genre if you are into that sort of thing. I didn’t find this as amazing as The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or as magical as Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series. The writing wasn’t extraordinary but I enjoyed the story and found it engaging and easy to read. The world is a bit thin, but the characters are decent and the plot moves along at a good clip. I would recommend if you are interested in YA dark fantasy romance in a carnival sort of setting.
