THE NIGHT CIRCUS (ERIN MORGENSTERN)

Story Description: 

In this mesmerizing debut, a competition between two magicians becomes a star-crossed love story. 

The circus arrives at night, without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stand awestruck as a tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and gaze in wonderment at an illusionist performing impossible feats of magic.

Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is underway--a contest between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in "a game," in which each must use their powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. 

My Review: 

Erin Morgenstern has done it!  “THE NIGHT CIRCUS” has definitely lived up to the hype and hoopla.  This is a purely magical and enchanting story that will fit the bill for every reader.  The prose is beautiful but not too simplistic, the fantasy images are easily understood and so vivid and almost real.  The descriptive narrative is so clear and concise that one’s mind easily slips into the circus at night as you experience the words on the page with such clarity and vividness that it’s startling. 

The love story that takes place between two illusionists is at once real and tempered with just the right amount of verbage to keep you guessing and wondering to the end.  It’s fairy-tale atmosphere that makes this romance a slow-burning ride to the conclusion. 

THE NIGHT CIRCUS was utterly flawless and Ms. Morgenstern is well on her way to becoming a well-known, respected, and talented author.  For a debut novel it surpassed the mark by millions!!