The Night Circus Review

Synopsis from Edelweiss:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

About: The Night Circus is a historical fantasy written by Erin Morgenstern. It was published on 9/13/11 by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House, 400 pages. The genres are fantasy, fiction, historical, and romance. This book is the author’s debut. According to Doubleday’s website, “Doubleday was founded in 1897. Among their first bestsellers was The Day’s Work by Rudyard Kipling. Today, Doubleday publishes an array of commercial fiction, literary fiction and serious nonfiction titles.” Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading The Night Circus on 8/15/17 and finished it on 8/21/17. This is my second time reading this book. It is an amazing read. The writing is so magical. I can’t read any other circus books without thinking of The Night Circus. I feel offended when I read The Nowhere Emporium and saw how the author copy almost every idea off of this book.  I can’t read Caraval without putting it on hold to read this book again. The way Erin Morgenstern describe the circus is magnificent. The world building and the story is as smooth as pearls. I can’t get enough of this story and the author’s writing!

This book started out in the present day when The Circus of Dreams arrived without warning. This circus only opens at night which makes people in town wonder why. As soon as the doors open, everyone gasps in amazement. The story then go back to 1873 to introduce Celia Bowen, daughter of Hector Bowen (aka Prospero the Enchanter), a magician. The magician likes what he saw in Celia after their sudden meeting and went to contact the man in the grey suit (aka Alexander H.). They meet where they discuss a challenge that will take place in the future, Celia Bowen versus Marco Alisdair, a boy the man in the grey suit found at an orphanage. Many years passed by while Celia and Marco trained, separately and differently, not knowing each other or much info of the game. It’s important to pay attention to the date at the beginning of each chapter because it goes back to how the circus started to the present day where readers attend the circus to somewhere in the future where Bailey is predicted to be involved in the circus. There is a lot involved in this book and many characters to know. All of the characters are likable, from main to supporting. This book is told in the third person point of view with many angle views to an event.

This book is impeccably written. I love reading it so much and I don’t ever want it to end. I wish there was an epilogue in this book that will give me a glimpse to what the future brings for the characters, especially Poppet and Bailey. I know it’s left for the individual readers’ interpretation but I personally want the author to conclude it for me. I love the design of the game. It’s vague to start out with but fall into place in the end. The writing in this book is addictive. My attention was on this book all the time. I really like Celia because she does awesome magic. I also like Poppy and Widget, especially Widget’s bottles and stories. Marco’s magic is cool too because I can’t imagine how much he can do just by reading a lot of books. This book is full of suspense and can be summarized as a love story. I highly recommend everyone to read this book! Reading the second time is definitely better than the first!

Pro: awesome cover, beautifully narrated, unique characters, magic, suspense, couldn’t put down, fast pace, page turner, a love story

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

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About the Author:

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and multimedia artist who describes all her work as being “fairy tales in one way or another.” She lives in Massachusetts. (Photo obtained from Goodreads and info obtained from Edelweiss).

***Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from the library and my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine