Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Airs Above the Ground
SERIES: Carnival of Mysteries – Multi-Author
AUTHOR: Rachel Langella
PUBLISHER: Self-Publishes
LENGTH: Approximately 298 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2024
BLURB:
As a member of the Flying Galliers in the Carnival of Mysteries, Mario Gallier has remained an eternally young and carefree teenager for over a hundred years. When the Carnival stops for a time on a magic-sparse world, Mario finally meets a man for whom he wants to grow up. Unfortunately aging takes time, and the Carnival doesn’t linger anywhere for long.
Ilya Mirov was part of the greatest aerial straps duo in the world, but after losing his husband and partner Derek to cancer, he retired from performing to take a role as coach for the next great Circo Del Artes show, Capriccio. Yet men who are strong enough for the demands of the aerial straps are few and far between, and Ilya despairs of finding anyone who can handle his choreography.
Fate — and the Carnival — bring Mario back to Ilya’s world and to Circo Del Artes. Ilya is blown away by Mario’s talent and offers him a job. Elated, Mario believes he’ll have the chance to make Ilya see him as a man, not a child, and win Ilya’s heart at last.
Yet overcoming Ilya’s grief is only one hurdle in Mario’s way. Someone is preying on Circo’s paranormals, and Mario’s own hidden nature begins to surface. Ilya doesn’t believe in magic, and he doesn’t understand why Mario is driven to protect those who came from the Carnival. Dark forces press in from all sides, putting both Mario’s and Ilya’s lives at risk. Yet Mario knows that he alone can stop whoever is taking his friends, as well as find the killer who will stop at nothing to destroy both Mario and the man he loves.
REVIEW:
As a teenager, Mario witnessed the aerial strap artistry at the Big Top in Vegas. He also fell hard for one half of the act, Ilya. As a result, he went back to the carnival and told Errante Ame that he wanted to grow up. Years later, the carnival returned to Vegas. Ilya retired from flying after the death of his husband, who was the other half of their aerial strap act. All he wants to do is coach, but the emergence of a talented artist from the carnival awakens something in Ilya that he feels guilty about, and he tries to ignore it. But when people begin to go missing, the prospect of loss has further reached effects.
If you like Cirque Du Soleil, you will love this. The carnival is akin to a paranormal life train – some get on and stay on, others get off and stay off, while a few get on, off, and on again, depending on where it stops. The tale is not fast-paced, but while reading, I felt like I was in a beautiful bubble of characters, story, and me – it was a lovely place to be, and I didn’t want to stop reading.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Ilya and Mario. I will happily admit that I didn’t notice anything technical because I got lost in the imagery, ambiance, and emotions created. Each turn in the straps, strength movements, flying, costumes, and colors are all there. Then there’s the mystery of the missing – all good stuff.
Ilya is a taciturn man who, under a blank façade, is a storm of thoughts and emotions. He knows what he wants, but the guilt over having such feelings gnaws at him. Then there’s choreographing the straps routine, showing his imagination and taskmaster side.
Mario may look young, but he wears an old head and comes from an interesting heritage. He is only somewhat naive about the world outside the carnival. Even then, there are friends of the carnival who band together. Also, there is more to Mario than the body of a man in his twenties. Mario knows his strengths, abilities, and what to do in the face of adversity.
Airs Above the Ground is an enchanting tale with an enigmatic feel. The characters navigate grief, upheaval, new surroundings, and circumstances. Emotions run high, and when sabotage and missing persons enter the fray, protectiveness and the will to survive show that carnival people are a force to be reckoned with.
RATING: 
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