Carrie shares a Mini Review of Step Right Up by L.A. Witt – one in a magical series by multiple authors.
Narrated by John Solo and Michael Ferraiuolo
Jason Richards is ridiculously in love with his friend and coworker, Ahmed Kazimi. Unfortunately, Ahmed is a package deal—he has a boyfriend who, as far as Jason is concerned, needs to be launched into the sun.
Then a mysterious carnival rolls into town, and Jason and Ahmed can’t resist going. Not even if Ahmed’s boyfriend can be depended on to make everybody miserable.
When Ahmed wins a strange prize from an even stranger carnival game, weird things start happening. First, a mishap with a friend’s newly purchased love potion. Then a cascade of steadily worsening bad luck starts to rain down on every corner of Ahmed’s life. Though he doesn’t believe in the paranormal, he can’t help but wonder if his prize is cursed. Just to be safe, he throws it away.
But it comes back. And it keeps coming back.
Upon learning about the prize that won’t go away, Jason suggests the only solution he can think of is to return it to the place it came from.
Now Ahmed and Jason are on a mission to get rid of the cursed prize… assuming they can find that game again.
Step Right Up is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains some long overdue friends to lovers, a strangely insightful caricaturist, and a little magical realism.
The above blurb pretty much sums up the magical painting plotline. It gets resolved, but it’s fairly straightforward. Even with the magical set-up, the romance in Step Right Up is fairly typical. The only obstacle to Ahmed and Jason being together is removed abruptly, and the magic has nothing to do with that.
Once Ahmed and Jason get together, the book gets a bit repetitive, with internal monologues and external dialogues covering the same ground several times. Then there’s a small subplot involving the caricatures and one of Ahmed and Jason’s friends that simply feels tacked on, like an afterthought or perhaps as filler. Still the two main characters are easy to like and easy to root for.
Michael Ferraiuolo is a talented narrator and handles the many character voices with ease. He has both a lovely speaking voice and a knack for conveying the character’s emotions accurately. John Solo has a pleasing voice and differentiates between characters well, but his delivery is not as successful. He raises and lowers the volume of his narration, starting a sentence with almost a whisper and building up the volume as he goes. I suspect it’s for emphasis, but it doesn’t work well for me. He also chooses to emphasize words in a sort of “announcer voice” at times. A more even delivery with less artificial emphasis could improve the listening experience.
Step Right Up is an enjoyable romance overall, but while the magical element acts as the catalyst for the story’s events, it fails to make the romance feel unique. Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration adds to the story, but John Solo’s narration isn’t as successful. I give this a qualified recommendation, but it may be just as good in print.
Carrie
Buy Step Right Up by L.A. Witt on Amazon
I really like Michael F, but I think I’ll probably read this one with my eyes rather than with my ears!
Yep. Michael F is the main reason I gave this a go and he does a great job. Overall it’s a pleasant read with some fun magic elements and a sweet if predictable romance. It should be a relatively quick read in print.