Carnival Fantástico
Esmeralda has made herself the resident fortune-teller of a magical travelling carnival, spinning false fortunes out of tricks and wit. What she is really working toward is the lead role in the Big Top Show — and the freedom it would win her from her former employer, the commander of the King's army.
Ignacio has defected from that army. He is hunting evidence of his father's corruption, and the last thing he expects to find on the trail of his father's lies is the only girl he has ever loved, telling fortunes she does not believe under a carnival tent. He brings a warning with him: the carnival is more sinister than it appears.
The two strike a deal to help each other get what they came for. What neither can get around is what is still between them, or what the carnival is keeping from them both. Carnival Fantástico is Angela Montoya's young adult romantasy of political intrigue, carnival magic, and second-chance romance, published by Joy Revolution in February 2026. It is a standalone.
Poses as the carnival's fortune-teller; she is after the lead role in the Big Top Show and the freedom it would buy her.
A defector from the King's army, hunting evidence of his father's corruption. He once broke Esmeralda's heart.