Book Details: Barren (Carnaval des Ténèbres Book 1) By Yolanda Olsen #LGBTRomance Published: May 25, 2020 Print Length: 168 pages I always wanted to find a place where I belonged.
A place where I wasn't looked at differently for being one in a million.
I left home when I was seventeen looking for this nirvana on Earth that I knew had to exist somewhere, and I finally found it in a small revival of traveling performers.
No one here looks at me any differently because of my illness. See, even though I look like the perfect picture of health, that couldn't be further from the truth.
I don't believe that my anomalies make me any less of a person than someone who has the ability to feel certain things.
My new family has welcomed me with open arms, and even made me a top billing because of what I can withstand—which to say is a lot.
Until him.
I never knew that I didn't care to feel anything until he joined us.
I want to feel him.
I need to feel him.
I’ve finally found the one thing I’m unable to withstand, and when I feel his eyes on me, I know that things will be alright eventually.
He wants to help me—I can see it in the way he looks at me. Whether he admits it or not, I know that he’s come here for me.
The fact that this book involves the Carnaval des Ténèbres immediately caught my attention. I have always been a bit fascinated with bizarre things. The strange and unusual will always catch my eye.
Barren involves a group of traveling performers. This book focuses on Yager Gates who cannot feel anything. No pain, no emotions. Nothing. You follow his story and his trials of the Carnaval life. For the most part things seem to go well for the performers until Indigo shows up. After that crazy things start happening and Yager is trying his best to figure this character out. At the same time, he is trying to figure out his feelings for Indigo. Could it be possible? Does Indigo have the ability to make Yager feel? I was anxious to find this out myself.
As for the characters I thought each of them were wonderfully done. Yager is the focus in this book and I really felt for him. I cannot imagine going through life never being able to feel anything. I cannot wait to read more in this series to find out about the other characters. You learn just enough about each of them in Barren to get hooked on them.
The story flowed well, the characters were memorable, and I enjoyed the setting. Very intriguing and left me wanting more. This does end in a bit of a cliffhanger which bummed me out a bit. I wanted to know what happened with Yager and Indigo so bad! I am hoping that everything will come to light as the series continues. This was my first time reading Yolanda's work and I will be checking out more from her. Indie Book Addict Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
About the Author
Yolanda Olson is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author. Born and raised in Bridgeport, CT where she currently resides, she usually spends her time watching her favorite channel, Investigation Discovery. Occasionally, she takes a break to write books and test the limits of her mind. Also an avid horror movie fan, she likes to incorporate dark elements into the majority of her books. Stay up to date with the latest on Yolanda's work. |Amazon|Facebook|Instagram|