The Night Circus

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”

4 STARS

Okay, if there is one thing I have to say about this book it is that please, please can this author share a little bit of whatever makes her mind think such beautiful phrases with the rest of us? The writing of this book blew me away as in it is some of the best writing I think I have ever encountered and I've read a great many books. However, this book is not without flaws, and I think I would have given it a lower rating if not for the amazing quality of Morgenstern's writing. We follow several points of view in this book, but the main two are Celia and Marco, two magicians trained since childhood to partake in a competition that has no other apparent purpose than to crown a victor and one-up the loser. We travel with the pair as they age and come together and find love in one another, all while the game looms over them. The characters of this book were all very compelling, and I liked a great many of them, but I did not find myself liking Marco. I felt that he was extremely arrogant, rude, and pompous to most of the people he met, and often used immoral means of getting what he wanted. As Celia and Marco came to find romance with each other, I didn't really feel the connection, and also because it was drawn out over so many years it seemed to be an extremely slow going relationship that I couldn't really understand. I wouldn't say it's instalove as so many YA books present, but it certainly didn't have the same feel as a slow, healthy relationship. However, back to the characters. I really, really enjoyed reading from Celia's perspective. She was kind, ambitious, and the perfect heroine. I absolutely loved whenever she displayed her illusions, and it was interesting whenever she had to have people help her seem like the magic was just stage tricks, when so many people have to go the opposite way. I also loved that Celia kind of ended up as the mother figure for Poppet and Widget in the later years of the circus, almost a Mary Poppins figure as many people have told me. The twins were among my favorite characters, possibly because they were so eccentric, but maybe just because I loved the freedom they were given and the lightness to their characters despite the dark situations they found themselves in. The plot, though slow, was very interesting to watch unfold. I would have liked to see more instruction from Hector and Alexander teaching their respective students, because I think that would have given us more insight into the moral grounds Celia and Marco stand on, and a better understanding behind their motivations. But, overall the storyline was engaging and held my attention, until I got lost in the beauty of the writing and had to reread a sentence or two, which isn't such a bad thing. My two main complaints with this book are the romance between Marco and Celia and the ending of the book. I felt that this book had been advertised as romance novel with magic involved, but I really didn't feel that connection as I stated above. However, I didfeel a strong connection to the love all of these characters had of the circus. It was almost a love story between the characters and the enigmatic circus that seemed to be a creature all of its own, almost a separate character. But now we come to the end. I am still completely confused and I do not understand what happened with Tsukiko, though I liked the plot twist revolving her history. Although, I have to wonder, is everyone in this book immortal? Did whatever binding spell Marco performed bind all of them to their current state? And how old are Hector and Alexander? Centuries? Millennia? I felt that the end of the book was a bit rushed and could have definitely been explained more, but then again, maybe it's meant to leave an air of confusion, as often the circus did to its patrons when it left abruptly in the night on its magical train. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and if you read for nothing else than the writing, you won't be disappointed. Share your thoughts!