Book Review: The Night Circus

Book Review:

The Night Circus

By Erin Morgenstern

In the late 1800s, unbeknownst to each other, Celia and Marcus are bound together by powerful magic. For several years, the two are mentored by magicians of different philosophies. They are taught to finesse their trade and understand their strengths in order to prepare for an undefined challenge that only one can win.

The venue for the challenge is Le Cirque des RĂªves, a circus that comes and goes without warning. The circus is unusual. Only open at night, the circus is a stunning vision in black and white. It’s a magical place filled with the smell of warm caramel apples and tents full of bottled memories, mazes, ice sculptures, and more. It is at the circus that Celia and Marcus use their imaginations and willpower in exhibitions, in order to win the challenge.

But outside the circus, Celia and Marcus fall in love. A love that is forbidden by the bond they shared since childhood.

Recommendation: Although there was a lot of hype about The Night Circus, I initially had no interest in the book. I ended up reading it for a book club, and the day after I started it, Life Is Short, Read Fast posted a review. Jennie had similar misgivings as I did but ended up loving the book. She gave me hope!

I ended up really enjoying The Night Circus. One of the big strengths of The Night Circus was the writing, and the incredible descriptions of just about everything. The magical places came alive with the vivid descriptions of the sights and smells of the circus. Remember those long books you used to read in school, where the author would describe the street for pages upon pages? This isn’t it. You need and want those descriptions in order to really get a feel for the circus.

Pretty quickly, I got pulled into the story and attached to the characters (although I will admit that it took me a little while to keep them straight). Some of the scenes were written in a vague, mysterious manner which only encouraged me to read a little longer, staying up a little later. The magical world was far more mature than the likes of Harry Potter, but if you enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.

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