Book Review: The Night Circus

Like the circus itself, the writing of The Night Circus is mystical and enchanting, filled with ornate scenes of ice gardens and paper forests that can only come from the most romantic and whimsical of imaginations.  If this is what runs through author Erin Morgenstern's mind on a regular basis, I would love to take a swim around her head for a while.  To its visitors, the mysterious Cirque des Rêves is a place to live out their childhood fantasies.  However, those who are truly a part of the circus (like the tattooed contortionist, clockmaker, and redheaded twins) are more deeply connected than they realize, as their entire world is the game board for a challenge of strength and magical ingenuity between Celia and Marco, the pupils of two prideful men who deem them disposable.       

It took a while for me to realize that the story jumps back and forth between time periods that converge as you reach the challenge's culmination.  The shifts in time, combined with Celia and Marco's dreamlike illusions, make it seem like you are reading through a mist.  The mist fades as Celia and Marco's challenge comes to a head, the two magicians straining for their independence and the chance to love each other.  It may be billed as a love story, but romance plays a small role in this novel.  It is more about the entwining of fates, the power of storytelling, and the [lack of] limits to imagination.

As the book reaches its conclusion, you feel just as you do when you leave the circus tent: grounded.  With no more acrobats flying above or lions being tamed, everything around you suddenly feels ultra-real and dull and you wonder if you'll have to wait a full year to feel bewitched again.

4 out of 5 stars