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The Contortionist cover art

The Contortionist

By: Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Narrated by: Hollie Jackson
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Summary

Come one, come all, to Harrow Faire...and greet your sweetest nightmare.

Cora Glass’ humdrum existence as a bank teller flips upside down when a long-abandoned circus mysteriously returns to life. But the entry fee to this big-top show is far more than Cora bargained for.

A deal struck. A soul...stuck.

As Harrow Faire shines a spotlight on Cora, she discovers there are far more secrets in that three-ring nightmare than she could possibly imagine. Trapped in the world of the fiendish and alluring man known as the Puppeteer, Cora finds herself caught in a war between him and the reclusive Mr. Harrow. Both parties will stop at nothing - even murder - to get what they want.

And what they want...is her.

©2021 Kathryn Ann Kingsley (P)2021 Podium Audio

What listeners say about The Contortionist

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly new, award-worthy creative ideas: gripping

Dark indeed. One reviewer wrote " steamy " but I have no idea why - it's not - there are only hints. It is superbly written fantasy because it is so utterly different from the norm - and I was gripped. If you like your fantasy to have a predictable happy ending, try elsewhere ... but you will be missing something truly original.
The narration is as good as it could be with only one woman voicing several very different men as well as the eponymous female contortionist; the narration (but not the excellent narrator personally) gets a star short of 5 for that reason only.
I've already bought book 2.

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Interesting

Dark romance comedy. That's first for me. But I like it!
This book feels like prolog to the story. It is easy to dismiss it, I know I almost did. But after the second book I'm glad I sticked around.
It's steamy and cheesy, oddly satisfying combination.

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Come One Come All...

🖤 Review 🖤

Book: The contortionist
Author: Kathryn Ann Kingsley @kathrynannkingsley
My rating: 4⭐

From the back of the book:

Come one, come all, to Harrow Faire...and greet your sweetest nightmare. Cora Glass's humdrum existence as a bank teller flips upside down when a long-abandoned circus mysteriously returns to life. But the entry fee to this big top show is far more than Cora bargained for.

A deal struck.
A soul...stuck.

My 💭

Okay so for me as a huge Kingsley fan this series has rocketed to the top as one of my favourites. Kingsley has done it again! I didn't think I would find a book of hers I loved as much as The Masks of Under series. But this came real close.
I adored Cora. She was an emotional character. The descriptions of her chronic pain really echoed with me as a person with daily pain myself.
Simon has been one of my favourite male characters Kingsley has ever written.
Kingsley cas captured the eerie quality of a fair and combined it with a tense story.
Something is always happening!
The foreshadowing was brilliant. I love how the Tarot reading at the beginning is all the titles of the books in the series.
There were moments in the book where I felt genuine panic.
The threat to Trent... seriously mentally screaming... "please not another Nick!"

I've also now gone through the audiobook and as a person who typically prefers a male narrator I was pleasantly surprised. And honestly the way the narrator plays simon was refreshing. Finally a woman who can do a convincing male voice! I loved the lilt that she put on it.

A solid 4⭐ read and an eager reader for the rest of the series.

(Read the book December 2020 finished the audiobook May 2021)

🖤

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  • Surelda Heard
  • 29-09-21

Great story and performance

I'm always hesitant at the interpretation of a story after I've initially read a book. I was pleasantly surprised by a very engaging and entertaining interpretation of the book by the narrator, but this proves once again the writer's talent. it was even more enjoyable with my second read through listening. I love this series.

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  • serenity carroll
  • 11-02-23

Very interesting

I waited to listen to the entire series before i rated it and id say the first book has a completely different vibe from the rest in my opinion. The first one seems more thriller i had goose bumps but it was very good. I truly cant remember the second one very well but i remember liking it. all in all a very interesting and good read one of the books feels closer to erotica but i didnt mind that but i guess if you weren't here for that id be a bit wary of it.

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  • ailene H.
  • 10-01-23

Great series!!

I absolutely loved every series that I have read and listened to by Kathryn Ann Kingsley! She creates amazing characters and great twists and turns in her books. Her work is so creative and unique. I love dark romances and this book does not disappoint in that but it’s so much more than just a romance series. Hollie jackson is an awesome narrator. Her voices and accents work perfectly with the story. I love the tempo that she narrates and just the perfect amount of acting.

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  • Brian S.
  • 07-01-23

So incredibly creative!

I read a lot of fantasy and romance. This didnt have that much romance but set the stage for the series I guess. I was entranced by the uniqueness of the story and still am left wondering. I’ll be diving right into the next!

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  • Breanne Malzow
  • 07-01-23

Much better than expected! Enjoyable!

I was skeptical at first. So many free books of this genre( romance/ whatever) are HORRIBLE! I liked the narrator a lot,she was able to stretch her voice for multiple characters. This one was free, I'm gonna buy the next in the series. I suggest you give it a try....you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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  • Emily
  • 27-12-22

Surprisingly Good

As someone with chronic pain/illness, surprisingly good representation, and almost TOO relatable. The narrator was good on her own, if somewhat dry, but her accents all sound the same. not trying to be harsh, but I'd honestly rather she not try a transatlantic accent imo. Seriously though, definitely not all bad and the story was intriguing to make me want more.

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  • Ashley
  • 14-12-22

Love this series!

One of my favorite series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. Simon is the best psycho MMC and Cora is perfect for him. Narration was also amazing, kudos to Hollie Jackson for that.

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  • Eb
  • 08-12-22

Enemies to Lovers Bad Romance (Kindly)

I can't say this is the most well written or creative story I've ever read, but it does scratch an old itch. I'm a big fan of questionable and somewhat over simplified romances. Cora, the scared and stubborn photographer, and Simon, the sadistic and stalkery puppet master, who are attracted to each other despite it all, are another pair to catch that bit of my attention.

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  • AE
  • 15-11-22

main character has EDS & so do I

great story and author does a good job explaining EDS. EDS is a rare genetic disease so it's very cool to see it in a book. hoping my friends read it.
engaging plot line so much so I can't wait to get the sequel.

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  • Emily Ann Benedict
  • 26-08-22

I’m Hooked

I decided to try this one because I really loved the Immortal Souls series and now I’m hooked. Moving right on to book two. Very creepy, yet throughly satisfying.

I will say I did not like the narration choice. Hollie Jackson is usually really good, but her inflections choices were strange. Not bad enough to ruin the book, but kind of disappointing.