Genre: Paranormal Romance, Magic Realism

Narrative Style: Third person from a variety of view points. Non-chronological

Rating: 5/5

Published: 2011

Format: Kindle

Reading Challenges: Eclectic Reader Challenge 2016 – Genre paranormal romance

Synopsis: Celia is trained by her father to take part in a mysterious magical competition. She is bound by the scar on her finger. She has no idea what the rules are or who her opponent will be. Marco is rescued from an orphanage by a strange man who trains him in the art of magic. He too has a scar. 

The Cirque de Reves appears in towns with no warning. It is the most amazing thing that people have ever seen. They go back night after night as there is always more to explore. Then the circus disappears just as suddenly. Could this be the playing field for two extraordinary young illusionists?

I was dreading this genre, conjuring up as it did images of vampires and ridiculously twee films. I’m not really a romance fan and the addition of some supernatural creature didn’t make it any more appealing. When I started to read The Night Circus, I didn’t realise that it would fit but it soon became apparent that this was a romance.

From the start, there is a magical atmosphere. Celia’s father is an entertainer, a magician who has to make his illusions less good so that the public think it is not real. His training of Celia is ruthless. He is determined to win the game and Celia is his pawn. Marco is trained in a different way but his trainer – the mysterious man in grey – is equally determined. The stage is set straightaway for a magical battle.

Admittedly, the pace is slow but I liked that. There was so much illusion, so much beautiful description that it would have been a shame to miss out on it. The circus is almost like another character in the book as it quickly takes on a life of its own. We learn of the different personalities and are given hints of future events. The act of reading this book was not unlike a visit to the circus. You want to take it slow so you can take in every detail.

The romance is equally slow burning. It takes a while for Marco and Celia to realise they are adversaries and then when they do, they are frightened by the intensity of feeling when they are together. Finally, they discover that the only way to end the game is for one of them to die. They realise they have to find a way to escape.

I did find the changing chronological sections a little confusing. I spent a lot of time looking back at chapters to see when they were set. However, I think that it worked. The importance of the character of Bailey becomes apparent and I realised why Morgenstern had structured it the way she had.

This was one of those books that I didn’t want to finish. It was so beautiful, I felt really sad leaving it behind. Still, it is good to think of the circus carrying on, appearing suddenly to charm people before disappearing into mystery again.