"The circus arrives without warning." The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
There’s not enough time to read all the books in the world, a heartbreaking thought for all the bookworms out there. After reading a fair share of them, the trends and similarities that appear between them gives the illusion that you have read them all. Plots of different books start to blur together and become predictable. Like the tired-out story of an average school girl with two love interests who just can’t decide which guy she wants to be with. Spoiler alert; it’s going to be the “bad boy.” So before reading becomes dull, break the humdrum cycle by reclaiming that spark of creativity by reading a book so original that there is no possible comparison.
Luckily, these imaginative books exist and the The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of them. The primary story is of a circus where the magic shows are real. I have yet to read a book that is more magical.
Everything about it is unique. The writing style, the complex plot, and the characters all set this book apart from the masses and makes this book “un-put-down-able”. The plot is quite complex due to multiple plots simultaneously happening between the characters and it is pared strategically throughout the book.
The Night Circus serves as a contest, a battleground, between two magician’s disciples, Celia and Marco. Except for their teachers, the rules and time constraints of this contest are unbeknownst to everyone, including Celia and Marco. All they do know is that only one of them will survive it, which becomes an issue when love inevitably enters the picture. However, this is not just about Celia and Marco. There are other story lines with other people who shape the game (and the book) in profound ways. It may sound difficult, but Morgenstern walks you through it, page by page, and everything braids together in the end.
This book is not just read, but experienced. You can smell the popcorn at the circus, see the white glove tossed into the air and land lightly as a dove, and feel the warmth of the circus cutting through the night. So crack it open and let it enchant you. You’ve never read anything like it, and you never will again unless you read it twice… which is a distinct possibility.
