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 rakesandrogues on

4 of 5 stars

Share
I debated whether or not to review this one. It’s not YA and it’s not a romance novel. But eventually, I realized that I do have a bit to say about it, so I might as well just write them out.

First of all, I don’t think it would be fair if I summarized the novel for you. I think part of the enjoyment that comes with reading THE NIGHT CIRCUS is experiencing the circus for yourself like the audience members attending the Night Circus for the very first time in the book. There’s fun and excitement opening up the first few pages of the novel, not knowing what quite to expect but knowing that something good has to lie between the covers.

What I will tell you is that THE NIGHT CIRCUS is a love story, and it is a fantastic one at that. I loved the chemistry and tension between Marco and Celia. I think it was very easy to put one’s self into Celia’s shoes. I easily empathized with Celia, and I definitely felt my heart breaking whenever hers did. THE NIGHT CIRCUS is a rollercoaster of so many different emotions: passion, excitement, betrayal, and more. It’s hard to predict what will happen in the book, and that uncertainty was quite depressing. Would it end with a Happily Ever After? As a reader, I was uncertain until the very end.

Love the world-building. Morgenstern’s writing just transports you to the turn of the 19th century England and New York. Morgenstern is so descriptive and you can’t help but feel like you’re part of the story. Her descriptions of the circus are rich and vivid. It’s a circus like no other, but she explains every tent, nook, and cranny so beautifully.

This has little to do with the book, but more to reviewers and critics. I think it’s quite unfair to compare THE NIGHT CIRCUS to Harry Potter. While THE NIGHT CIRCUS was – no doubt – beautifully written, you can’t just compare it to Harry Potter. THE NIGHT CIRCUS isn’t even a children’s novel!!! Besides that, the only other similarities between the two is that David Heyman, producer of the Potter films, is in talks to produce the film adaptation of THE NIGHT CIRCUS. But before I digress even more….

Overall, THE NIGHT CIRCUS is one of the best books that I’ve read this year. Morgenstern crafted a beautiful novel. It exceeded my expectations, but I wouldn’t go out as far to say that it is the next Harry Potter. Nonetheless, I have pushed this book to several people already, and I can imagine continuing to encourage others to pick it up.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 November, 2011: Finished reading
  • 6 November, 2011: Reviewed