Which to choose: a dark circus or a gray reality?

A circus travels the roads. A big circus, an entire motorcade. An unusual circus: it puts on mesmerizing performances, and these aren't just parlor tricks—this is real mysticism. An invisible circus; no one notices how it moves, it simply suddenly appears in one city or another. A sad circus: all its performers are unhappy people who would love to abandon these travels and return to a normal life, but it is not in their power to do so. This circus exists in several realities at once, is controlled by an unknown force, and gathers along the way people who are convinced of the insignificance of their own lives. This is exactly how fifteen-year-old Kristina ends up in "Collision"...

Kristina is fed up with her backwater town and miserable life, annoyed by her classmates, pestered by her parents, and most of all, infuriated by her younger brother with special needs. After attending a performance, Kristina, without even understanding how, leaves all this longing and dullness behind to travel with the circus. Now she must reconcile herself to the impossibility of returning, blend in with the troupe (a group that is far from a dream team), and, most importantly, choose a circus profession and start performing as soon as possible, because if an artist does not perform, the circus gets rid of them. Not the troupe, but the circus itself, as a kind of superintelligence, destroys those who are idle. The circus even handles the choice of profession itself, sending hints to the potential performer about what they could become. But in Kristina's case, these hints are so strange and contradictory that it’s as if the circus itself is confused.

Meanwhile, back at home, a double of Kristina appears, an identical girl, and no one even noticed the swap. Only the double is very sweet and kind, helps her parents, makes friends, and succeeds in school—everyone is happy: finally, the girl has come to her senses and dropped her tantrums! And only one person clearly sees something eerie in Kristina Number Two...

"Collision" is a new fantasy trilogy by Marina Yasinskaya, the author of the wonderful "Vosemirye." But this series is for older readers—14+.