The Night Circus

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
387 pages
Publisher: Doubleday
Source: library
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

The Night Circus is only open from dusk to dawn and visitors are enamored with its many tents filled with mysterious wonders, but behind the circus there is something greater going on - a competition between a young woman and a young man who do not know the rules, nor what happens when you win... or lose.

Even though The Night Circus is not a YA novel, I would be remiss to not talk about it.  Quite honestly, I got this book out of the library after being on the wait list for ages.  Yesterday, when I realized it was due back in just a few days, I briefly considered returning it unread because my pile of things to do is a bit out of control at the moment.  But I'm so, so glad I decided to read this book, it was absolutely fantastic and I cannot rave about it enough.  It may be of the fantasy genre, but I think there's something in here for everyone...

Romance, for a start.  There is such a beautiful love story told in The Night Circus's pages that I'm sure it will be a classic in the future.  It's a romance people will reference like that of Romeo and Juliet, though the fate of our lovers was somewhat different.

Magic, is another.  The book contains such a fantastical world filled with magic that you can't help but be sucked into the pages, wishing that this were a real world.  If The Night Circus existed, you would be there every night until it mysteriously vanished for its next destination.  I know I would.  The magical world Erin Morgenstern created within the pages is awe-inspiring.  What caught my attention the most was the ice forest - a tent in which everything is white and made from ice.  I would love to play there.  There were several parts of the book, particularly the descriptions of the rides at the Circus, that filled me with childlike-wonder.

Morgenstern is a fabulous writer.  They way she wrote this book was utterly graceful.  The short chapters were so gorgeously written and filled with beautiful detail that I couldn't help turning the page and reading just one more chapter.  I really cannot rave about this book enough!

Five stars!  What a glorious novel.  Even if you're strictly a YA reader, you must give The Night Circus a read; the child inside will thank you.