Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

5/5 stars

(Finished 17/8/17)

Dreamy, whimsical, magical.

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

I absolutely adored this novel. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, truly stunning. The writing was so beautiful and unique. Erin Morgenstern’s descriptions were so enchanting and vivid. It felt like I was dreaming as I was reading this because the effect of her writing was exactly like a dream: sweet yet surreal. Reading about the circus made me feel like I was actually there myself in this magical world of acrobats, fortune tellers and, of course, magicians.

The plot is very difficult to summarise without ruining the book itself so I highly recommend going into it knowing as little as possible. But ultimately, it’s about this challenge or ‘game’ set up for these two magicians. However, the story is told across different time periods and across many continents. Each chapter flicks between different characters in different years however the story mostly follows Celia and Marco between the late 1800s to 1902. It’s quite slow moving but it’s also exquisitely atmospheric from beginning to end. So if your expecting a fast paced story this probably isn’t it. However, if you love deliciously written descriptions with a particular focus on setting, then I promise you, you will LOVE this!

Although not particularly fast paced, the plot itself was mysterious and kept me on edge. The circus itself is an ongoing enigma that is unravelled throughout the novel. We get to see what happens when characters try and discover more but also see how the characters central to the circus are the most clueless. The concept of the circus was so imaginative and I was completely absorbed in the mystery surrounding it right until the end.

I also loved the vast amount of diverse characters we get to know throughout the novel. Each of them were so interesting and individual, with their own stories to tell. We read about young and old as well as watching Celia and Marco grow up throughout the story. I found the ball/party scene to be particularly mesmerising, the descriptions of the characters and the scene itself were bold and breathtaking. Everything was so colourful—emotionally and physically.

It’s hard to give this book the praises it deserves without spoiling it! But I did think the ending was particularly beautiful and a great way to finish the book. If the concept of this novel interests you I’d definitely say go read it because it is amazing! There’s a lot more to it than there seems, that’s all I’ll say! But a truly wonderful read, the writing was so beautiful. Fully deserves five stars!