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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Review

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.

I’ve been after The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern for a while, in fact I featured it on my Birthday Wishlist about a month a go but it never materialized when the day came around. However, the other day I was early to the station so I had a wander to the charity shop near by. I didn’t expect to find anything but there it was on the shelf for a mere £1! It would of been rude not to, if i’m honest! I’m so glad I did because it was probably the best book I’ve read this year.

I love fantasy, it’s probably my favourite genre. I have a very vivid imagination so these sort of books really appeal to me. I love to pick up a book and be completely absorbed into the world the author creates to the point I want to be in the book, experiencing everything the characters experience. That is exactly what The Night Circus presented me with over the last day and a half. I can’t say there was anything I disliked about it. I had read reviews on Good Reads before picking this up and I had been worried that I would struggle to get into it as some people had mentioned it was slow to start. I didn’t experience any of this, I was hooked from the start.

The book is beautifully written and the despite it being almost 500 pages I found it so easy to read and get involved in. It’s also really clever.. it jumps all over the place between different times but I never once felt lost. I love how the book culminated in all the different timelines reaching one particular point. At the end of the book I felt happy, I felt everything was tied up in a satisfactory way which is something so important to me. I hate when I feel empty at the end of the book but after finishing The Night Circus I just wanted to recommend it to everyone! It had me wanting to be a Rêveur!

I loved the characters and their complex relationships with one another. My favourite is Celia Bowen, I want to be her. The characters were wonderfully described to the point I could imagine them, I could hear them in my head as I devoured the whole novel in less than two days.

I could of picked a million favourite quotes, but I’m sharing the one below because it’s how I feel at the moment. And although i’m not an illusionist, I do have to try and hold things together that are really out of my control for the sake of my daughter..

I am tired of trying to hold things together that cannot be held. Trying to control what cannot be controlled. I am tired of denying myself what I want for fear of breaking things I cannot fix. They will break no matter what we do.”

Anyway, I could go on about this book all night but I think the more I write the more I’ll spoil for you and since it’s such a good book I’d hate to do that. Go out and buy it, borrow it from a library, just read it! And after you’ve read it join The Night Circus website so my Rêveur Rank can improve! I don’t think a book has effected me this way since I read The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak last year.

Now reading… The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

6 Comments

  • Alice

    I LOVED this book. Found it so easy to read, but so enjoyable. Think Poppet was my favourite, but Celia is so cool- an I SO wish that it was real, I would love to go!!! xx

  • Kirsty M

    What a lovely review! I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages. I think I’m going to have to download it, I’ve heard such good reviews but this one has tipped me over the edge xx

  • Libby

    I read The Book Thief the other month and haven’t been able to bring myself to read another book since. Nothing else compares.
    I might have to give this one a go, although it has a lot to live up to after this review! I hope it doesn’t disappoint otherwise I’ll have to hold you accountable (Just kidding)
    Can’t believe you got it for a squid! I might start raiding my local charity shops for books because that’s crazy! xx

    • Amy Marie

      Hold me accountable.. because if you don’t like it I’ll just think there is something wrong with you 😉

      And oh god yeah, get to charity shops! They are the best place for cheap books! Loads of mine come from them!

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