Miraculum

Post presents a novel with similar supernatural elements as Erin Morgenstern's modern classic The Night Circus, featuring plenty of money men and the seductively strange. But where Morgenstern memorably paints a world of beautiful magic and tragic love, Post delves into the ugliness of the struggle to achieve self-determination within it. She uses a third-person omniscient voice to offer many perspectives on lice-ridden, moonshine-soaked carnie life but ultimately focuses on protagonist Ruby Chole, tattooed lady and enchantress of serpents, vs. antagonist Daniel Revont, a singular geek with bespoke suits and a preternatural power of persuasion. As Ruby learns more of her own powers and Daniel employs his for casual, destructive cruelty, the path to their showdown intertwines with a mutual realization that they understand each other better than anyone else ever could.