The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

In 1886, a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, Le Cirque des Rêves delights all who wander its circular paths and warm themselves at its bonfire.

Although there are acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists, the Circus of Dreams is no conventional spectacle. Some tents contain clouds, some ice. The circus seems almost to cast a spell over its aficionados, who call themselves the rêveurs - the dreamers. At the heart of the story is the tangled relationship between two young magicians, Celia, the enchanter's daughter, and Marco, the sorcerer's apprentice. At the behest of their shadowy masters, they find themselves locked in a deadly contest, forced to test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love...

A fabulous, fin-de-siècle feast for the senses and a life-affirming love story, The Night Circus is a captivating novel that will make the real world seem fantastical and a fantasy world real.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

4 of 5 stars

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Actual rating: 4.5

Quick thoughts: I can't think of a book I've read over the past year that was anywhere near as beautiful as The Night Circus. I can't argue with anyone who refers to this book as enchanting (even if at this point it sounds cliché) because really, it is enthralling, captivating, spellbinding, delightful and every other synonym you can think of. From the very first chapter, I was taken in. The fact that Jim Dale narrated the audiobook pretty much sealed the deal for me. After all, who wouldn't be intrigued by the following sign at the entrance of a circus?
Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn
Full review to follow.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 August, 2014: Finished reading
  • 31 August, 2014: Reviewed