Early Review ~ Spectacle

Spectacle (Menagerie #2)

by Rachel Vincent
published by Harlequin MIRA
expected release date: May 30, 2017
genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

**E-Galley received from publisher and netGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary (Goodreads): 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.

My Thoughts: I had a hard time reviewing this one. I liked the first one so much and could not wait to read this one. I wanted to know what the menagerie group would do with their freedom and what would cause them to end up at the Spectacle. Unfortunately, that was not to be found. We know from the summary that they get captured but it happened so fast and the reason that "they were found out" was just an excuse to get to the Spectacle.
Delilah is as she was in Menagerie, worried about everyone else and doing everything she can to try and free them all. There is a lot more mental torture in this one based on Vandekamp's technology that leads to many of horrible things that are done to the cryptids.
Speaking of horrible, the things that the clients pay for are as bad as you think they would be. Most you are told or hinted at and are (thankfully) not actually detailed, but some are. We usually just get the aftermath of preparing the cryptids for the next client, party, or sporting event.
Overall, this was a well written book but had too much of the same theme/storyline as book one. I'm not sure how I feel about where Delilah ends up at the end or how she got there. It kind of ruined a relationship that I liked the aspects of in Menagerie. Also, am I the only one that wanted to know what happened to the two little girls in the "secret hallway"? Delilah was the only one that could have remembered them and saved them but she doesn't do this. Are they still there locked in their cages? Will probably read the next book just to see what happens but not as enthusiastically waiting for it.

Rating: 4