Epeolatry Book Review: The Extravaganza Eternia by Kristin Osani

My reading tastes tend toward books focused on otherworldly concepts, the unusual or weird, fast-paced, and one where I lose myself in the work. This usually brings me to certain genres and characters: the underdog, the loner, the one held down by society and/or their own constraints. The main character must decide what’s right and fight to survive. We all get a healthy dose of reality every day. So, I’ll take the fantastical, new-world, raw, page-turning novel any day of the week. 

When I read the synopsis of Osani’s work, the author grabbed me at the word’s magical circus, curse, and mystery. I wanted to read it straight away. 

This piece will hook its reader, as it did me. The main character, Leathan, quickly shows us the stakes, and we’re thrown into her circus outfit. Osani’s prose and description have a textured feel, building the Extravaganza world with vibrant imagery. Her word choice occasionally had me googling, but I didn’t mind looking up a few words every now and then. 

The reader learns about the magical system through showing, dialogue, and when the story moves forward. This technique settled me in easily. From the beginning, we know Leathan is a survivor, a loner, and one who wants no connection, even if she’s still hopeful for it. We find out early on what she wants, which pulls the reader even deeper into Osani’s story.  

Even if it is one-sided, I fell in love with Leathan and Renni’s friendship. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough scenes of these two characters for me. Renni was by far my favorite secondary character. He was witty and warm, and I loved how he drew Leathan to him. This was a great way to show her inner conflict. 

Soon, the stakes are upped for Leathan, and her quest continues when a murder occurs in the troupe, forcing her to become an amateur sleuth. And yes, this reader was curious, despite Leathan’s flaws and story constraints, how she would catch a murderer.

From here, it’s a fast-paced novel with Leathan taking continued action. Every evening when I sat down to read, I genuinely wanted to turn the next page, snooping and speculating right along with her. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to those who enjoy this genre. As her piece concluded, I wanted more from the end. It wrapped up a bit too quickly for me and left me with plot questions I’d like to ask the author. Perhaps some telling might work nicely in all the action. Although maybe it was intentional and intended to build onto a second novel if Osani desired.

Osani doesn’t know it, but reading her fiction helped me work through a stale spot in my WIP, which, as you may have guessed – from my reading interests – is within a similar genre. Many thanks! 

/5

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.