Source: Author via Goodreads
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Combining the survival instincts made famous in The Hunger Games with the intensity of The Book Thief, Last Stop Klindenspiel is a tightrope of horrors that will make anyone think twice about running away to join the circus…
It’s been eight years since the Second World War has ended – long enough for people to forgive and forget – but feelings of hate run deep in Norway against people like fifteen-year-old Katya Holberg and her family. Separated from her father when the Allies liberated Poland, Katya and the rest of her family are sent to an internment camp in Oslo where they’re eventually rescued by a Norwegian war hero.
After four tumultuous years together, he brutally murders her sister, forcing Katya and her mother to seek refuge with her grandmother in faraway Droeback where Katya’s mother is murdered by villagers soon after their arrival. Fearing for her safety, Katya’s grandmother sends her to Klindenspiel, the only circus of its kind in Europe, where all of the performers are children.
Once there, Katya quickly learns that all of the young performers share her terrible secret, making them more like her than she could ever have imagined. Things become complicated when Klindenspiel’s artistic director pairs Katya with Aleks, a good-looking but secretive seventeen-year-old, who’s skilled in acrobatics and dance.
Curious about, and attracted to her new partner, Katya secretly follows him one night and learns the horrible truth behind Klindenspiel’s magic. With the curtains about to rise on Klindenspiel’s newest show, Katya and Aleks must give the performance of a lifetime – both on and off the stage – because their lives, and those of their fellow performers, are depending on it.
My Thoughts:
*I received this book for an honest review from the author.*
Where do I begin? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was nervous at first reading this because I was thinking it would be a lot more history oriented, but the amount of history in the book was perfect. I enjoyed Marta Tandori's writing style so very much. Everything flowed together so well and it kept me intrigued as I turned each page (well as I my Kindle turned the page).
Each and every paragraph added more and more into the book. I do not think there was a paragraph that was there and had no importance. You know how in some books there are pages/chapters that are there just for fillers - not in Last Stop Klindenspiel. Each paragraph was perfect and I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much. I learned so much throughout the first few chapters and I liked that. I didn't have to wait for it to get good...it started off that way.
The book had me on my toes - I never knew where it was going to go. Surprise after surprise hidden among many of the pages (although I predicted one of them). There is loads of heart-break, struggle, angst, and death...but there is also love, desire, happiness, and relief. I loved how there were so many emotions throughout the book and it kept my heart going on so many roller-coasters.
I was on the fence about whether to rate the book with just 4.5 or move it on up to a five. The only read I wanted to bring it down is because I wanted more and the other books that go along with this book do not seem to give me the more that I want. But, then I thought, I am judging on this book and this book alone and I immediately chose the 5 stars.
