Untamed City: Carnival of Secrets

by Melissa Marr Narrated by James Marsters

Overview

Warriors Kaleb and Aya will stop at nothing to destroy their competition. But when Kaleb finds his fate entwined with that of Mallory, a seventeen-year-old human girl, he can't seem to separate the vicious Carnival contest he's entered from his sudden devotion to her. He and Aya may be prizefighters from the otherworldly Untamed City, but his strange, obsessive connection makes staying away from the witch-ruled human world, and Mallory, harder every day.

All Mallory knows of the Untamed City is what her elders have told her-that it's full of debauchery and daimons looking to destroy her. But she knows she's being pulled toward Kaleb with an emotion so fierce that it's utterly foreign.

The two are forced apart by Mallory's overprotective witch father, stranded by necessity between warring populations that can't coexist. But when The City's ruler raises the stakes of the Carnival's prize, there's nothing Mallory, Kaleb, or Aya can do to stop the two worlds colliding. Mallory's about to discover her true identity-and stumble into a fate she'd die to avoid.

Fans of The Hunger Games will devour this tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny from the bestselling author of Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr.

(Formerly published as Carnival of Souls)

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Kicking off a new series, Marr (the Wicked Lovely books) introduces a pair of worlds whose fates are intertwined. In “our” world, witches secretly run corporations and spread their influence. In “The City,” daimons reign supreme, plotting and scheming, and anything can be found in the sinister Carnival of Souls. A bloody competition to determine who will rise up to help rule the City draws close to conclusion, with several contenders vying for the last slots. Aya is a high-caste daimon, who must win to survive; Kaleb is a low-caste assassin willing to risk all to succeed. And in the mortal world, 17- year-old Mallory has been raised by a witch, Adam, and trained to fight dai­mons. When their paths cross, it sparks revelations and a dangerous change in the status quo. Marr’s trademark blend of dark romance, fantasy, and action is on full display, but while Marr makes Mallory strong and independent, those qualities are undercut somewhat (in this installment, anyway) by the multiple brain-wipes she receives from Adam, what amounts to a forced marriage, and an abrupt ending. Ages 13–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writer’s House. (Sept.)

Margaret Stohl

Melissa Marr’s best book yet, which is saying quite a lot.

Kami Garcia

A novel so dangerous and decadent it’s impossible to put down.

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

Marr showcases her impressive talent by crafting an incredible, fantastical, complex world. This book is worth reading for the amazing fight scenes alone. Immerse yourself in the CARNIVAL OF SOULS, you won’t regret it.

Booklist

The fast pace, feisty female warriors, and themes of social justice bear more than a small resemblance to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, but Marr’s many fans from the Wicked Lovely series won’t be disappointed.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)

Lives collide in a spectacular tangle of love, hate, and long-standing vendettas…Add in class warfare, a deadly tournament, and the Carnival of Souls, where any pleasure or contract can be fulfilled, and this is one novel that will be at the top of everyone’s to-read list.

RT Book Reviewss

Marr showcases her impressive talent by crafting an incredible, fantastical, complex world. This book is worth reading for the amazing fight scenes alone. Immerse yourself in the CARNIVAL OF SOULS, you won’t regret it.

OCTOBER 2012 - AudioFile

Through tone and pacing, narrator James Marsters gives a dark, atmospheric feel to the world of the Carnival of Souls. At the heart of The City, a place for daimons, is the Carnival of Souls, where a bloody tournament gives one daimon the opportunity to join the ruling class. All the competitors have reasons for wanting to win. Each will risk much and forge unlikely alliances to have the chance to rule. Marsters smoothly juggles his portrayals of the paranormals from from The City and the human world. There is depth and characterization in his voices, especially those of the four main characters. Marsters excels with dialogue, making a heated conversation among various parties as exciting and breathless as if the characters were hiding inside one’s speakers. C.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

Festive title notwithstanding, traversing the complicated, shallowly rendered world of this exposition-heavy fantasy is a dreary slog, like reading a gaming manual cover to cover. Years after the Witch Wars exiled witches to the human world, daimons remain in possession of The City. (Daimon attributes include retractable talons, fangs and, under stress, berserker temperament.) Encroaching on the overcrowded, brutal City is a beast-ridden wilderness, a parting gift of the witches, power-hungry, magically gifted humanoids. For City residents outside the ruling caste, career options are limited: assassin, thief, con artist, prostitute or, once a generation, combatant in deadly gladiatorial games. For entertainment, there's the eponymous Carnival and the Night Market (see career options). As heirs of daimon rulers rarely survive childhood, Mallory, daughter of City ruler Marchosias, has been hidden in the human world, raised by her adoptive witch dad. Kaleb, the daimon sent to kill her, is smitten instead. Drably generic Mallory is ignorant of her heritage, but it's revealed early to readers, leaching the story of suspense. Characters frequently pause the action to muse on what they and readers already know. Vaguely orgiastic, sadomasochistic sex and violence stand in for genuine emotion. Only the violence, delineated in bloody detail, is graphic. Marr fans will be happy to learn this is a series opener. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160562247
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/04/2012
Series:	Untamed City , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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