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.