This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

$6.32

Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less

FREE delivery May 15 - 16. Details

Or fastest delivery May 9 - 13. Details

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$13.20 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from and sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (69) from $6.32 & FREE Shipping

Follow the author

Constance Sayers

+ Follow

More books from this author

The Ladies of the Secret Circus

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

VIDEO

The Ladies of the Secret Circus Hardcover – March 23, 2021

by Constance Sayers (Author)

4.3 2,015 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$13.20","priceAmount":13.20,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"20","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"XW83MbxFfXs%2BoGbwKtC5li8fCOkHgQ%2BCiTCYNfV2s7QcoNP%2FFTvbpQY2Q3FkR4zKacLESs4kUQHvGQH1u5MIn7ClrlRaTtU6SC93vk7ONK8qeP2omClNpBxe41DzjT5jSs2j8rpErrZVDRo7%2F%2BOsFokAAixEAqZSYxeDv9n1ylAgziQit6g2Hw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.32","priceAmount":6.32,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"32","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"XW83MbxFfXs%2BoGbwKtC5li8fCOkHgQ%2BC3vA4vgK9jmfzt839EnFdSnyPuwOflsvbau8v9rHrF0nSfTeLWvjzJ5lyzVyX7A74rHxgWEqZQ0vOdX7bpfZVqa8bwXAoUJIpXCrvGbbi%2Fwmh6YR7wkk%2Bly1reAMp4Iv5hEQi7jl6HQSG9rh3G9rUT0ODetD%2BLcjB","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus.

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder—a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love.

Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance

Praise for The Ladies of the Secret Circus:

"At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women." —Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch

"Fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder.” —Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation

For more from Constance Sayers, check out A Witch in Time.

Frequently bought together

$13.20

Get it May 15 - 16

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by Deep_Discount_Entertainment.

+

$25.50

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Constance Sayers
116
Paperback
46 offers from $13.80
Erin Morgenstern
46,743
Paperback
204 offers from $1.99
Adrienne Young
3,869
Hardcover
92 offers from $9.34
Charlie N. Holmberg
27,049
Paperback
27 offers from $5.79
Alix E. Harrow
16,671
Paperback
111 offers from $4.40
Gareth Brown
1,531
Hardcover
55 offers from $16.16

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder.” ―Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation

"A spellbinding historical fantasy....Fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women."―Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch

"Encompassing as many genres as a circus carousel has animals to ride, this is ultimately a story about love. Highly recommended for lovers of timeslip fiction, readers who enjoy their genres very bent indeed, and those who have dreamed of running away to the circus."―Library Journal (starred review)

"The novel’s massive network of connections—tactile and ethereal, physical and mystical—makes for a luxurious reading experience, like a rich tapestry. The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a book to get lost in. Through beautifully orchestrated prose and careful, confident pacing, Sayers constructs a story that feels like sitting down with an older relative and slowly, over hours, getting all the family secrets in one juicy, enchanted package."―BookPage

"The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a dazzling tale, laced with sinister magic, blood and beauty, love and loss. This is a book that will haunt you long after the last page is turned."―Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

"Romance, mystery, and a family curse — The Ladies of the Secret Circus has it all.” ―Popsugar

“Spellbinding. The Ladies Of The Secret Circus is a dazzling, high-wire feat of storytelling." ―Catherine Taylor, author of Beyond the Moon

Praise for A Witch in Time:

"A sweeping story of magical, star-crossed love, as glamorous as it is romantic. Prepare to be dazzled." --Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger

"A captivating tapestry of a tale."-- Gwendolyn Womack, bestselling author of The Fortune Teller & The Time Collector

"Fans of Deborah Harkness will devour this page-turning tale of love, reincarnation, and dark magic.A highly unique and enjoyable read!" --Hester Fox, author of The Witch of Willow Hall

"Sayers cleverly twists the loves-lost-through-time motif....A smart, engrossing debut from a writer to watch." --Kirkus

"Sayers weaves a spell of love, lust, and magic to create a page-turner like no other." --Steph Post, author of Miraculum

About the Author

Constance Sayers is the author of A Witch in Time. A finalist for Alternating Current's 2016 Luminaire Award for Best Prose, her short stories have appeared in Souvenir and Amazing Graces: Yet Another Collection of Fiction by Washington Area Women as well as The Sky is a Free Country. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

She received an MA in English from George Mason University. She lives outside of Washington D.C. Like her character in The Ladies of the Secret Circus, for many years, she was the host of a radio show from midnight to six.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Redhook (March 23, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316493678
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316493673
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.75 x 9.55 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #648,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,742 in Occult Fiction
- #4,042 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- #11,426 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 2,015 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Constance Sayers

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Constance Sayers is the author of A Witch in Time, The Ladies of the Secret Circus, and The Star and the Strange Moon from Hachette Book Group.

A finalist for Alternating Current’s Luminaire Award for Best Prose, her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

She received her master of arts in English from George Mason University and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She attended The Bread Loaf Writers Conference where she studied with Charles Baxter and Lauren Groff. A media executive, she’s twice been named one of the “Top 100 Media People in America” by Folio and included in their list of “Top Women in Media.”

She splits her time between Alexandria, Virginia and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

2,015 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

JaB27

Couldn't Put it Down

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book was recommended by Bookbub for those who enjoyed Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus". It was very different but still compelling. I couldn't put it down. There were surprises at the end, too. It's a five-star read.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Travis Hayden

Everything about this book is...

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

Everything about this book was magical, whimsical, mysterious, and demonic. The Ladies of the Secret Circus is the second book by Constance Sayers and while not a sequel to A Witch in Time, both books take place in the same world and have parallels. Be known though you may read either book without having read the other.

The plot of this book splits between two time lines and through those two characters. Our first is Lara Barnes who is our primary focus for the majority of the book. She was such a delight to read about. She is not whiney, she is not naive, she is actually intelligent and strong. It is so refreshing to read a female character in her style because often times I feel like authors , male and female, create the weak-minded type. Our second character is Cecile Cabot, who we do not spend that much time with. Now Cecile is that weak, fragile leading lady but has a wonderful character progression throughout the book. Constance did a wonderful job with both characters.

Ladies of the Secret Circus has such a intriguing historical, mystery plot that was captivating and head-turning from beginning to end. The mystery aspect of the book, for me, was so strong. It had me guessing and theorizing. I had AHA moments that turned into PSYCHE moments multiple times throughout. So to say that Sayers had me guessing and guessing is accurate. That is not to say I didn't have some aspects of the plot figured out.

Now, my one little issue with the book is regarding the ending. With everything I just said up above, the ending was rushed. Had me a little disappointed but nothing too much so as to ruin my enjoyment of the book. Reason being the mystery and character arcs were so good that it outweighed the rushed ending.

All in all, I was highly satisfied with The Ladies of the Secret Circus. Constance Sayers is going to be a force in the historical-fantasy genre just you wait. If your looking for some gripping stories then look no further. I for one am looking forward to Sayers next book whenever that may be.

45 people found this helpful

Helpful

Elena

LOVE

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

You know what I didn't like about this story? That it ended!! I loved it. This was my second book to read by Constance Sayers, and it delivered as well as the first book. I loved Lara, Audrey, Cecile, Ben, and all the supporting characters. (I will even admit to secretly enjoying Althacazur, evil and manipulative, though he was, 😈) I liked the tiny crossover with A Witch in Time, but this is definitely a stand-alone story. If Ms Sayers decides to delve deeper into the lives of any of these characters, I would certainly give it a read. The story keeps a great pace and flow, descriptions are thorough and not overly done, and the weaving of real history into a fictional world was done beautifully. 👏 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I definitely recommend this book!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

gabebrown

Beautiful, intriguing story—unsatisfactory but ending

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

I was so immersed in this lovely, imaginative story. I loved everything about this book until the last. But that ending was rushed and left things unresolved in many ways. Without a follow up, I am left with too many unanswered questions and feelings I don’t know what to do with. In A Witch in Time, Sayers wrote a similar style ending but in that book, the reader had a firm understanding of what came next, even if it wasn’t explicitly stated. Not so much in this one.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Roberta

Excellent Copy

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

Book arrived very quickly and was in excellent condition as described by the seller. Would definitely buy from this seller again.

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is an utterly original story with so many interwoven genres. It makes for a wonderful read, with events and characters all completely interconnected by the final page. My only quibble was the ending being less satisfying than I would have liked and it might possibly have benefited from more aggressive editorial pruning. Overall a delightful read.

Helpful

ALTaylor

Pure Escapism Delight

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers was Pure Escapism Delight! It had magic and murder and mystery all rolled up into a mystical circus that can only be found if you're invited into the fold.

I find that the more I love a book, the harder it is for me to write about WHY I loved it so much. Was it the multiple strong female characters? Was it the traveling back and forth between past and present only to have them come together in the end? Or was it the magic that wove its way through from beginning to end? YES.

This is one of those books that will hold a special place on my bookshelves and be revisited many times when I am wishing for a way to escape into another world.

5 Solid Stars and wish I could give it more...

A HUGE Thank You to NetGalley and Redhook Books for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy to review. (Confession: I also bought it the day it was published.)

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Loves to create

odd

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was hands down the oddest book I've ever read. It was well written - kept me engaged - couldn't put it down - it was just ... odd. Maybe the subject matter of the father being the devil.... I don't know... Overall it was very good and nothing like anything I've ever read before.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Mfransayers

family history can be deadly

Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book is very lyrical and the pictures it paints are glorious. However having powers is not always a good thing and family cannot always be trusted.

Lucy Pidgeon

A magical read that had me captivated from the first chapter!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for approving me for an ARC of this brilliant book. I read A Witch In Time in October and loved it so couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Luckily a few of my friends from my book group also had this one so we did a buddy read.

I immediately got sucked into Lara’s story and desperately wanted to know what had happened to all these men that had disappeared over time. Once she found Celeste diary I couldn’t put the book down! I found Lara’s relationship with Audrey very interesting and loved how it developed throughout the story, the final chapters had me welling up. As a main character I admired Lara’s determination to discover the truth and stare into the face of danger. To say she was brave would be an understatement.

Cecile and Esme’s story was fascinating. I loved the setting and was horrified but also captivated by the circus. Everything was described so beautifully that I could picture the show, the scenery and everything in between. Learning more about Althacazur was a pleasant surprise as well. We briefly met him in the ‘A Witch in Time’ so having him in this book as a main character provided clarity about him. Whilst he was without a doubt very evil, conniving and murderous I also found his sarcasm and wit very funny. I enjoyed reading Cecile’s diary entries and learning about her life in the circus and Esme was another character that I had a lot of sympathy for. Once you learnt her backstory you could see how much she had shouldered for her sister and why she had turned out the way she had.

Constance Sayer has only fed my obsession with circus books and witchcraft further. This was a beautifully written, captivating story that utterly terrified me at times. I am eagerly awaiting her next book and adding her to my auto buy author list.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Some brilliance, some clumsiness

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the book, particularly the mystery and the atmosphere. There were instances of brilliance, whether in a detail of a characters physical actions or emotional reactions. There were also some confusing parts where things that had already been said were repeated. I think it impressive how so many threads (and perhaps even genres) were included, but made to feel natural and necessary to the distinctive story.

I saw another review unhappy with the use of The F Word; at the time I disregarded it because I've no issue with the word - sometimes it's quite refreshingly realistic and immediate to find it used in a character's narrative or speech. But I utterly agree. It was used so much in the last 15% that I started rolling my eyes. Indiscriminately across characters, some of whom didn't suit it at all. Too frequently through the narrative - often, it seemed, as a lazy solution to lack of vocabulary. The times it would have been necessary for fury, despair or contempt were rendered listless for the f-ing over saturation. An odd choice for a writer so capable of nuance in other parts of the book. I'd go so far as to say it let the ending down, for me, as irritation took me out of the story.

9 people found this helpful