Carnival of Shadows is the second installment of Leslie Scott's Firewater Springs series and is a formidable follow-up to the first book, Blackwater Magic. I've read a ton of series where the author struggles to find the flow so early in, even my beloved Dresden Files took 3 or 4 books to hit the sweet spot, but it is obvious to me that Leslie has this series already fully fleshed out in her head and she's just putting it on paper now.
The characters have more depth and personality, I'm loving the act of uncovering each of them, and all of the in's and outs of Firewater Springs. I walked into this book thinking to like it, and found myself fully invested from chapter 1, and eagerly awaiting book 3 the minute I finished this one.
The best thing in the world is uncovering a new series and realizing the realm of potential for it, seeing how far it could go, and Leslie led us right into that trap with Carnival of Shadows. She is an author who knows where her books are going and I am more than willing to hang on for the ride. Glittery goats, demons, a creepy carnival, a super hot werewolf cop with a good butt? count me in ya'll.

*4.5*
Carnival of Shadows is a great second book in the Black Water Magic series by Leslie Scott. I do recommend reading the first book, Black Water Magic, as a few plot points and relationships are established that develop and impact this story.
Teagan is still settling into her new powers and role of the Swamp Witch after her grandmother, Nola, was killed at the beginning of book one. Towards the end of that book the carnival were driving into town and giving off very creepy vibes. Now they're here and all is not well as the circus folk are far from normal, or even human so it's something that Teagan and Sean, the town Sheriff, look into. Unfortunately, things are a lot darker and disturbing than they could have imagined with new and old Foes causing trouble.
Teagan is doing well with all of the responsibilities that have fallen in her shoulders. Throughout this series she continues to learn about her new magic and its a wild ride for her, sometimes even learning in the heat of the moment. It's clear that she struggles, which humanises her character and she has great support from Oliver, her best friend, and Shelly, another witch on their trailer park. Together they work to keep everyone safe and look into what's going on. She also has Sean's back-up, and his very up close and personal attention too which she is definitely not turning down. He's something more than I thought when we first met him! What neither could have seen coming, despite how attracted they are to each other, is the connection you can feel developing that goes a lot deeper than I think either of them know. Even though they don't spend a lot of time together, they quickly form a bond both in and out of the bedroom.
One thing about her that occasionally irks is that she doesn't really communicate well, often thinking she has to do things alone because of who she is now but that way will only lose her people even as she strives to keep them safe.
The carnival itself hasn't just brought the freak show to town, it ends up containing demons, fledglings and an old foe. One of my favourite scenes from the book actually takes up the last section of the book as Teagan and her team of merry men and women go and fight for the people of Firewater Springs. It gets intense and is really well written as we do from location to location and involve most people from the story but it all flows well and I was gripped to the end, especially loving how things turned out for Teagan and the big bad enemy.
While the first book took me a little while to get into, I fell straight into this one and enjoyed it from the start. I found the characters engaging with a good mix of personalities as well as a range of supernatural beings. Teagan is really coming into her powers and building something with Sean. There is a brilliant balance between the drama and action, the plot developing well across the story and relationships either strengthening or weakening.
If this is just going to be a two book series, then I think things have mostly been tied up for Teagan regarding Nola's death and her mother but there's also the possibility for more, especially with Sean and the group at the Crazy Eight Mobile Home Park.

What an entrance this book has you are straight into the story. It very interesting to see how the development is going in this story. I kept dipping on and out of the story as it didn't feel as connect to the characters and felt they were just through at me. It's a decent read.

Witches, demons, and werewolves?! What more could you ask for? How about a little mystery and some romance and you have one amazing story!! I loved Teagan’s attitude and just her character in general, I felt like I could relate to her. Also the whole concept of the circus and how it works into the whole story and the mystery behind it! The way Leslie Scott writes just sucks you into the story and you can escape reality for a little bit. If you want an amazing series to binge read pick this up now!

This is my first read from this author and I am very satisfied. I had such a hard time putting this down. Everything from the plot to the characters developed nicely. I love how it brings everything to life in an intriguing paranormal way. Highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read more from this series.

Who thought going to the carnival could be so adventurous and quite dangerous? Yet having Colby, a sexy Nordic MC biker, and Sean, a HOT werewolf Sheriff can make a girl feel a little better, if they aren't ready to go at each other. Teagan Blackwater is just trying to get her life back together after her mother killed her grandmother. Along comes the twisted carnival with their evilness. Teagan, along with Colby and the rest of the MC, Sean,, Olive, Shelley, and Anna have to figure out how to stop them. Lots of adventure, action-packed drama, surprises and twists. I was sitting on the edge of my seat rooting for Teagan feeling like I was going through it with her. The author did a fantastic job of making the characters feel real and very personable. I love the plot. It felt real, kept the flow and you just couldn't put the book down because it kept you hooked. Didn't see that ending. Can't wait to see more from this author!

Carnival of Shadows: A Teagan Blackwater Urban Fantasy Novel (Black Water Magic Book 2) by Leslie Scott
4 Stars!!!!

I have a bad habit of finding new series but starting out of sequence. This is another case of that but I am not at all put off or feeling a bit out of sense. I found that the author has a very unique batch of characters and find it a really great read.

I really was glued to the pages to see how the story would play out. I found that this was such an easy read that I just got lost in the pages. I felt as though I was right there in the midst of the action. I like how even though it is a paranormal book the characters just seemed real and jumped off of the pages. The author has a great way to grab the reader and keep you hooked. I will definitely read more from this author in future.

This was the first book I have read by Leslie Scott. It took me a couple chapters to get into it, but then I was hooked. Teagan Blackwater, is just a witch, or is she? The carnival comes to town full of paranormal characters, Teagan is warned a couple times to get out of town. Being stubborn, she can’t leave. Not until she knows what is behind the warnings. I really enjoyed the relationship between Teagan and Sean, the local werewolf Deputy. It made me smile, laugh, and fight right along with all the characters to save her town.
My favorite quote in the book was: “Here I was, Teagan Blackwater, the ultimate demon slayer-armed with a sticky note.”

Teagan Blackwater is a young woman with extraordinary power, she is still reeling from the loss of her grandmother and the reality that it was her mother who killed her, she is finding the house too quiet and the routine impossible to settle into, not to mention keeping her young teenage friend out of trouble and running the trailer park in Firewater Springs she has inherited. Thankfully, she has her friends to help her out and keep her grounded, that is until a Carnival rolls into town and starts to disrupt the tenuous control she has over herself.

Talking of her teenage neighbour, she has a slight problem, her teenage hormones have gotten the best of her and she has managed to do something a little drastic when her current flavour of the month was moving too fast for her liking, it is easily sorted out, but the revelation which comes with it is less appealing. The cover up is a bit easier, a local police officer turns up after getting a call about a drunken teenager, however, after his vest camera is turned off, he asks for the truth of the matter, and when Teagan tells him some of the truth, he understand that things are not as they seem around there, that could be because he is one of those something else's, he exudes a certain power which can only mean one thing, he is supernatural as well and he is smoking hot too! When he leaves, after asking Teagan on a date, he throws in that the MC club nearby is looking a bit too quiet and that maybe Teagan should go check it out seeing as she used to date one of them and owes a favour to another, however, when she gets there, things are definitely not good, she gets the feeling that she shouldn't be there and that she also isn't wanted there and she knows this means that when demi-demons are worries, that something is terribly wrong.

After this experience, she decides to ask the local hottie cop to meet her to talk about what she has just seen and heard and so she decides to go to a local watering hole to try and steady her nerves and meet him there to kill two birds with one stone, however, things don't go to plan when she is given another warning by a set of supernatural twins and then is party to a show of the powers the Circus contains. This power is nothing she has seen before and it is so strong that everyone around her is affected by it, apart from her and the cop, their combined influence keeps them safe, but also opens them up to something even more dangerous, each other, especially when an ex brings out the testosterone in the group.

While Teagan and her friends come up with a plan to defeat this Circus of Shadows, Teagan is more and more drawn to the cop and asks him for help investigating the Carnival and the paranormal freakshow it contains, but when they find out who is behind it and what they are after, life becomes even more dangerous and complicated than it already is. Will Teagan and her friends be able to defeat the Carnival before Firewater Springs succumbs to its demands, or will the place they love fall into the clutches of the Shadows surrounding them? This is a paranormal romance with plenty of supernatural action which will pull you along with the investigation and have you rooting for Teagan and the others all the way to its conclusion, but to find out how it ends, you have to read it to believe it.

I did not know what to expect going into this book. I didn’t realise this was book 2 but that did not take away from the storyline and I was quickly drawn into the world. I am curious enough to go back and read book 1 though to get the backstory. This is a little bit of a mystery wrapped up in a paranormal world with a bucketload of romance. Teagan is a likeable character and grows throughout the book. This ties up nicely but leaves an opening for book 3.