REVIEW: Paralyzed by Sarah Noffke

Format: Kindle
Publisher: Createspace
Series: The Vagabond Circus #2
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: February 15th 2016
Buy The Book: Amazon - Amazon UK

When the worst case scenario befalls the Vagabond Circus, Zuma knows she must ensure it doesn’t fall to doom. Titus’s job is to guarantee the show goes on, while the acrobats seek to avenge and rescue. Jack has no idea that he’s about to levitate himself into a deadly situation, and only Zuma and Finley can save him from a threat unlike what most have ever encountered. In this second whimsical and dark installment of the Vagabond Circus tale, the reader learns just how the ringmaster, Dr. Dave Raydon, rescued everyone in his troupe and also brought love and treasures into their lives. The unveiling of this history only brings more mystery as the true enemy to Vagabond Circus is unveiled. Charles Knight isn’t an evil man with a deadly agenda. He’s the worst kind of human being and he won’t stop until he’s ruined everyone and everything that the ringmaster loves. Paralyzed is an episodic ride that unravels the pieces of this fantasy circus one act at a time. 

My Thoughts:

*Please note: this review will contain spoilers for the previous book in this series. If you have yet to read it, you may want to avoid this post!

Paralyzed is the second book in The Vagabond Circus series, and it picks up where we left off in book one, Suspended. Ringmaster Dave Raydon is dead and the rest of the circus has to try to pick up the pieces and continue on. Meanwhile Jack has left to track down Charles Knight, the man responsible for Dave’s death, so Zuma and Finley are rushing to save him from the dangers that Knight possesses. 

I want to start by talking about the characters. My review for Suspended mentioned how much I adored the wide variety of characters that we come across in this series, and once again I continued to adore them in this latest story. Particularly, Jack. I’ll admit that in the previous book, I wasn’t a huge fan of him. But this time around, his story is heart-breaking but also captivating. Without spoiling anything, his character goes through a life-changing event that shows the strength and determination of his character. 

The relationship between Zuma and Finley continues to develop in this second story, but I was more invested in the plot going on around them than I was the romance. Although I enjoy the scenes they share, their romantic relationship doesn’t define them. They work well as a strong team together and I’m excited to see how the end of the second book will change things for them in the future. 

We get introduced to both Zuma and Jack’s families in this book and it was interesting to see the stark contrast between them. Whilst Zuma’s family are friendly, welcoming and supportive, Jack’s family broke my heart with how they treated their son. 

Characters back in the circus are going through a difficult adjustment period after Dave’s death and it was interesting to see how they coped. Whilst I enjoyed that this book focused more on Zuma and Finley’s important rescue mission, I would have liked to have seen more scenes take place in the circus, simply because the characters working there are so wonderfully written and I want to learn more about them. I’m very keen to see what secret Fanny knows with regards to Finley’s heritage! 

The plot throughout Paralyzed was well-paced and exciting. The scenes in which Zuma and Finley finally reach Knight’s compound were chilling to read, and I’m looking forward to discovering more about this creepy villain. There is a fantastic cliff-hanger at the end of the novel that definitely has me nervous for the final chapter in this thrilling series!

Royal Rating: