Spectacle

By: Rachel Vincent

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

In this riveting sequel to New York Times best-selling author Rachel Vincent's acclaimed novel Menagerie, Delilah Marlow will discover that there is no crueler cage than the confines of the human mind.

When their coup of Metzger's Menagerie is discovered, Delilah and her fellow cryptids find their newly won freedom brutally stripped away as they are sold into The Savage Spectacle, a private collection of "exotic wildlife". Specializing in ruthless cryptid cage matches, safari-style creature hunts, and living party favors, the Spectacle's owner, Willem Vandekamp, caters to the forbidden fetishes of the wealthy and powerful. At the Spectacle any wish can be granted - for the right price.

But Vandekamp's closely guarded client list isn't the only secret being kept at the Spectacle. Beneath the beauty and brutality of life in the collection lie much darker truths, and no one is more determined than Delilah to strip the masks from the human monsters and drag all dark things into the light.

©2017 Rachel Vincent (P)2017 Recorded Books

great series

this is a great series so I suggest starting with Menagerie before this one. I love the series but this was my least favorite of the three books. Not that it's bad. I just didn't realize some of the details would be needed for book three so at points I was confused. Its worth pushing through for the entire story and all three books were worth the price.

Best of the trio

This was my favorite book in the series. It was harsh and emotional, but seeing the characters deal with their situation was very satisfying.

No spoilers!

OH MY GODESS!! This book lived up to the first one and more!
My heart is still pounding in my chest! The way Vincent writes is so consuming it makes u feel as the characters do, rage, pain, love and bloodlust. I have never wanted revenge on a character more than Joffery from Game of Thrones, or Umbridge of Harry Potter until now.
I can't wait until the next book is released!

Too much like the first

Menagerie was a great book and ended in a way that looked like the second was going to be different and possibly ever better. Sadly *small spoiler* by the end of the first chapter, it becomes very much the same book as the first. The plot is not identical, but the situation is nearly the same... but missing much of the character interaction and development that made the first book a great listen. I would give the book a three, but once again it ended in such a way that the next book could be new and refreshing.

As good as the first

I loved Menagerie and nearly didn't purchase this second book based on a few negative reviews. I am very glad I did. I did not think it was too similar to the first book. It took the story further, showed you an alternative to the circus life of cryptids, and gave us greater insights into the characters we met in the first book. As with all good books I found myself making excuses to listen and completed the book in just two days. I now can't wait to listen to the final book in the series.

cryptids

This was another excellent read, and i am looking forward to the next in the series coming out.
i did find it very difficult to read due to the levels of degradation and humiliation these people suffered but it again goes to show what a great writer Rachel Vincent is.
Definitely worth the credit!!

Just as good as the first!

So good! I loved it every bit as much as the first. I'm already anxious for book three!

alright

The first book was pretty cool and this ones story was decent, but I found myself getting very irritated at how helpless/stupid the characters were when confronted, making assanin decisions which somehow made a great character easy to take down with little to know effort until later when all of a sudden everyone can dodge and fight.

As good as I had hoped!

This book lived up to all of my expectations. That is saying a lot because I really set the bar pretty high for this one. Last year, I picked up the first book in the series, Menagerie, on a whim and completely fell in love with the story. I immediately started counting down the days until I would be able to see what happens next in the life of Delilah and everyone else from Metzger's Menagerie. I had a few guesses about where the story would go next and all of them ended up being wrong. I couldn't be happier about that because I love it when a book really surprises me as this one was able to do.

This book picks up right after the events of Menagerie. This is a series that really should be read in order so I do recommend that readers new to the series go back and read Menagerie before starting this one. It is a great book so you wouldn't want to miss it anyway. Delilah and the gang are running the show and trying to make things work. Things are tough but they are enjoying their new found freedom until things go horribly wrong.

They soon find themselves being added to Vandekamp's Spectacle. This is not a place you would want to be. It isn't a traveling show as Metzger's was. Vandekamp's serves a different kind of customer. The exhibits are subjected to pretty much anything the clients are willing to pay for and the owners find profitable. The captives are controlled through high tech means which seem impossible to overcome.

This story proved to be incredibly exciting for me. Everything that Delilah goes through and sees in this story really got to me. I was as confused about what was happening at first as the characters were and my heart broke for them as we discovered more about what was going on. I kept wondering what was going to happen next and by the end of the book, I couldn't turn the pages nearly fast enough. Let's just say that this book definitely ends with a bang.

I would highly recommend this series to others. It is the kind of story that really makes you think about the things that people do to each other. Even though this is set in a world full of cryptids, I think that the behavior of the humans really felt authentic which makes me very sad. This is a series that has earned a spot on my favorites list and I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Harlequin - MIRA via NetGalley.

Thoughts on the Audio
I liked this book just as much the second time around. This book really makes you think about what makes a real monster. Spending time in Delilah's mind as she deals with everything that is happening to her in this new situation was very powerful. Gabra Zackman does a fantastic job with the narration.

Book source: Audible purchase

Wonderful Second Book in the Series

I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. The author has an extremely fertile imagination. The narration was perfection. I hesitate to listen to the last book in the series because a thoughtless reviewer gave away the ending. The least the reviewer could have done was to give a spoiler alert.