Let's Bust a Recap : The Night Circus

"A riveting debut. The Night Circus pulls you into a world as dark as it is dazzling, fully realized but still something out of a dream. You will not want to leave it." (Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger's Wife)

The Night Circus, published in 2011, is the debut novel of American author Erin Morgenstern. By 2013, it had already been published in more than a dozen languages and won the Locus Award for Best First Novel. It has also won an Alex Award and spent seven weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. 

According to Wikipedia, The Night Circus is "a phantasmagorical (how much do you love that word?) fairy tale set near an ahistorical Victorian London in a wandering magical circus that is open only from sunset to sunrise." 

The Night Circus is a slow-burning book with the bulk of the plot spanning approximately 30 years with parallel stories taking place in two different periods of that time. In the first story (starting in 1873), we meet Celia and Marco, two children unknown to one another who are bound by their mercurial instructors into a lifelong challenge of their magical abilities. This challenge inextricably links them to the circus which becomes the stage for their remarkable battle of imagination and will, and the stakes of this competition are dangerously higher than they ever could have imagined. The second story begins in 1897 in Boston. The Night Circus comes to town and steals the heart of a young boy named Bailey. The way the author brings these two stories together is truly impressive. I was spellbound. (Yes, all the magical puns intended.)

And that is where my description ends because it's all very involved and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I really appreciated the masterful plot development, the elegant imagery, the gradual build in suspense, the unique characters, and, most of all, the imaginative Night Circus itself. I found myself wanting to step through the wrought iron gates at dusk myself to explore all the different black and white tents of this mysterious, magical, beautiful circus. 

While The Night Circus certainly isn't marketed to the Middle Grade/Young Adult crowd, I'll give a quick Parental Advisory: There is one random F-bomb dropped at the very beginning of the book. It seemed out of place and completely unnecessary, but there it was. There is also a somewhat steamy love scene that I probably wouldn't want my 13 year old reading. Just things to keep in mind.

This book may not be for everyone, but I found it mesmerizing and would definitely recommend it if you're looking to get lost in a fantastical world of magic and romance. Perfect October/wintry read.

Oh, and one final fun fact: The Night Circus was originally written over a span of three years for the annual writing competition NaNoWriMo of which my BFF Christina has taken part in in the past. 

Have you read The Night Circus? Did you love it or hate it? What's your favorite book in the genre of fantasy?