
The Chaos Circus
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Cynthia Espinoza-Smith
-
By:
-
R. Dugan
About this listen
All Tessa LaRoche wants is to be the most ordinary person on Barrow Island. After a stint in a mental asylum, she's had quite enough of being anything else, thank you very much. But when a commission at her new reporting job forces her into the path of a not-quite-human murder suspect, Tessa finds that the unordinary is not through with her yet. Spirited away by a devilishly charming Nicolai to the Mirror Lands - a parallel reality manipulated by the immortal Deathless - Tessa loses one of the most precious tethers to her sanity. In order to reclaim it, she must risk entering The Chaos Circus: a citywide fair where mortals trade years for prizes in vicious attractions from which the Deathless draw their power. But there's a catch: If Tessa can't defeat the Deathless at their own freakish carnival games, she will lose her mind...and Nicolai will lose his life.
Forced to rely on one another despite the secrets that come between them, Tessa and Nicolai embark on a dangerous adventure through the deceptively beautiful life of the Circus, where little is as it seems - even the games, their pasts, and the strange whirlwind of memories that Tessa can no longer recall.
©2020 Renee Dugan (P)2021 Renee DuganListeners also enjoyed...
-
Darkwind
- The Starchaser Saga, Book 1
- By: Renee Dugan
- Narrated by: Rachel Leblang
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Middle Kingdom of Talheim has enjoyed peace for decades. But with the threat of war rising from the ruthless South, the dream of a quiet life is fading. And for the noble but naïve Princess Cistine, that means embarking on a dangerous quest to the Northern Kingdom, where she hopes to forge an alliance against their southern foes and save her people.
-
-
Amazing Found Family!
- By Jennifer V on 06-04-24
By: Renee Dugan
-
Nettle & Bone
- By: T. Kingfisher
- Narrated by: Amara Jasper
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marra never wanted to be a hero. As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince. Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
-
-
If Only I Could Cut Out Half the Story
- By Ree on 04-28-22
By: T. Kingfisher
-
Promises and Pomegranates
- Monsters & Muses, Book 1
- By: Sav R. Miller
- Narrated by: Rock Engle, Charlotte Claremont
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To most, Kal Anderson is a villain. Harbinger of death, keeper of souls, frequenter of nightmares. Doctor Death. Hades incarnate. They say he stole me. Usurped my fiancé and filled the cracks in my heart with empty promises. Imprinted his crimson fingerprints on my psyche and tried to set me free. They’re not wrong, per se. Except it was my choice to stay.
-
-
Their ruin and salvation
- By Minge&MurkinsMom on 07-26-22
By: Sav R. Miller
-
Clockwork Angel
- The Infernal Devices, Book 1
- By: Cassandra Clare
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When 16-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
-
-
Melodramatic teenage story in an intriguing world
- By Luke on 09-15-11
By: Cassandra Clare
-
Strange the Dreamer
- By: Laini Taylor
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old, he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
-
-
Great until the ending
- By Shane A. McGarry on 10-23-17
By: Laini Taylor
-
Caraval
- By: Stephanie Garber
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful - and cruel - father. Now Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the faraway once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend.
-
-
Fantastic narration but *very* purple prose
- By Jane on 02-08-17
By: Stephanie Garber
-
Darkwind
- The Starchaser Saga, Book 1
- By: Renee Dugan
- Narrated by: Rachel Leblang
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Middle Kingdom of Talheim has enjoyed peace for decades. But with the threat of war rising from the ruthless South, the dream of a quiet life is fading. And for the noble but naïve Princess Cistine, that means embarking on a dangerous quest to the Northern Kingdom, where she hopes to forge an alliance against their southern foes and save her people.
-
-
Amazing Found Family!
- By Jennifer V on 06-04-24
By: Renee Dugan
-
Nettle & Bone
- By: T. Kingfisher
- Narrated by: Amara Jasper
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marra never wanted to be a hero. As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince. Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
-
-
If Only I Could Cut Out Half the Story
- By Ree on 04-28-22
By: T. Kingfisher
-
Promises and Pomegranates
- Monsters & Muses, Book 1
- By: Sav R. Miller
- Narrated by: Rock Engle, Charlotte Claremont
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To most, Kal Anderson is a villain. Harbinger of death, keeper of souls, frequenter of nightmares. Doctor Death. Hades incarnate. They say he stole me. Usurped my fiancé and filled the cracks in my heart with empty promises. Imprinted his crimson fingerprints on my psyche and tried to set me free. They’re not wrong, per se. Except it was my choice to stay.
-
-
Their ruin and salvation
- By Minge&MurkinsMom on 07-26-22
By: Sav R. Miller
-
Clockwork Angel
- The Infernal Devices, Book 1
- By: Cassandra Clare
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When 16-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
-
-
Melodramatic teenage story in an intriguing world
- By Luke on 09-15-11
By: Cassandra Clare
-
Strange the Dreamer
- By: Laini Taylor
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old, he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
-
-
Great until the ending
- By Shane A. McGarry on 10-23-17
By: Laini Taylor
-
Caraval
- By: Stephanie Garber
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful - and cruel - father. Now Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the faraway once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend.
-
-
Fantastic narration but *very* purple prose
- By Jane on 02-08-17
By: Stephanie Garber
-
Heartless
- By: Marissa Meyer
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker.
-
-
A truly miserable story
- By Anna Allison on 01-07-17
By: Marissa Meyer
-
Kiss of the Damned
- Fallen Cities: Elisium, Book 1
- By: Elena Lawson
- Narrated by: Holly Fielding
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paige has no interest in being a demon’s plaything. She shouldn’t even be in the Fallen City of Elisium, but all it takes is one Nephilim jerk proclaiming her to be tainted and that’s exactly where she winds up. The demons she encounters there are vile, wicked beings, though none more so than Kincaid: The cruelest and most powerful of them all. To ensure her safe return home, Paige must strike a bargain with him. Forty days in exchange for her freedom.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Breya R. on 11-29-22
By: Elena Lawson
-
Alice
- By: Christina Henry
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls that echo the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn't remember why she's in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood.
-
-
Superb writing and narration
- By Jennifer Wadsworth on 08-27-16
By: Christina Henry
-
Promised to the Shadow King
- Captive of Shadows, Book 1
- By: Bailey Dark
- Narrated by: Isabella Tugman
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Love. Joy. Anticipation. That’s what your wedding day is supposed to be filled with...but not mine. I’ve never seen my future husband or even heard his voice. I only know that long ago, my father made a vow, and now, I have to fulfill it. They say Kane is a monster, with sharp clawed hands and hoofed feet. They say he’s cruel, violent, and likely to kill me before the end of my first night. They say...a lot of things. So when my future husband arrives to collect his debt, I’m terrified of the fate awaiting me.
-
-
Good read
- By brenda l. moreno on 05-13-21
By: Bailey Dark
-
Dark Desires
- By: Eve Silver
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Betrayed by those she trusted, penniless and alone, Darcie Finch is forced to accept a position no one else dares as assistant to dangerously attractive Dr. Damien Cole. Ignoring the whispered warnings and rumors he's a man to fear, she takes her position at his eerie estate, where she quickly discovers nothing is at it seems, least of all her handsome and brooding employer. As Darcie struggles with her fierce attraction to Damien, she must also deal with the blood, the disappearances...and the murders.
-
-
Blah Blah Blah Blah.. Geez..
- By Tracy T on 10-01-18
By: Eve Silver
-
Sing Me Forgotten
- By: Jessica S. Olson
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house. Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary. All he asks is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high - and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives. But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet life out of balance.
-
-
Tragically Wonderful
- By Eagle1 on 09-14-21
By: Jessica S. Olson
-
Entranced
- Prince of the Doomed City, Book 1
- By: Sylvia Mercedes
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clara is an Obligate—a human servant at the Court of Dawn. She doesn’t know why. She knows only that she broke the Pledge and must therefore spend her days obliging the every whim of a capricious fae princess. If she can keep her head down and follow the rules, she might survive to the end of her Obligation, spending her days working in the vast palace library.
-
-
I better not die before this series ends
- By Hoops on 05-01-22
By: Sylvia Mercedes
-
Passenger
- Passenger, Book 1
- By: Alexandra Bracken
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn't even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time.
-
-
love the writer, but performance is a zoonzer
- By Richard & Lynzie Siegrist on 02-02-16
-
Firelight
- Darkest London, Book 1
- By: Kristen Callihan
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman. Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime.
-
-
What's behind the mask?
- By Jennifer on 10-30-12
By: Kristen Callihan
-
Belladonna
- By: Adalyn Grace
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother.
-
-
The narrator is amazing!
- By Nemofishy on 10-05-22
By: Adalyn Grace
-
Hush
- A Novel
- By: Dylan Farrow
- Narrated by: Emily Shaffer
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards - and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother five years ago. Ever since, Shae fears she's cursed. But when tragedy strikes again, and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger - a weapon used only by the Bards - Shae is forced to act.
-
-
Predictable, for kids
- By Julie on 11-22-20
By: Dylan Farrow
-
The Girl at Midnight
- By: Melissa Grey
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For fans of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war. Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.
-
-
Adventure and excitement
- By Angelique on 11-12-17
By: Melissa Grey
What listeners say about The Chaos Circus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Edward Robinson
- 08-09-21
A fresh fantasy with intertwining storylines
This book kept me listening to just one more chapter until the author masterfully finished the book in such a satisfying way. I don't read many single standing fantasy books but this one was well worth it. The world was wonderfully rich is detail, and the main character has you rooting for her from the very beginning.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary
- 08-21-21
Couldn't stop listening !
if you like mystery and fantasy, this is the book for you! The narrarator, Cynthia Espinoza Smith, is excellent! Easy to listen to and understand. Enthusiastic about what she was reading. I hope to listen to more books narrarated by her.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-28-21
Intriguing, addictive, otherworldly, mystery
An amazing story, Cynthia's narration teleported me to the chaos circus and enthralled me.
Perfectly blending fantasy and mystery the story hooked me and Cynthia's embodiment of the characters made me fall in love. I dont just want more, I need more!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emily
- 02-09-24
Fun Twists. A Better Circus than Caraval
Twisty and turny and fun and spooky. Some of the twists I saw, some of them I definitely did not.
SPOILERS: Two things happen toward the end that I have mixed feelings about. First, I never believed that she might actually be mad, so the mirror sequence where she "kills Nicolai" didn't have a lot of weight to me. House of Salt and Sorrows is my top tier madness plotline, and I hold that as the standard, I guess, and this wasn't there. Tessa's too with it for the whole book, and aside from her missing memories there never feels like there's anything actually mad about her, so why would she actually be mad now? Second, when it was all a dream vision of the future, I wasn't sure if that was cool or if it cheapened the rest of the story. I'm still undecided.
But overall an enjoyable, short read. Made me want to watch Mirror Mask again. Definitely recommend over other popular chaotic circus novel Caraval, which I did not enjoy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!