Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, paperback edition book cover

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Genre: Adult fiction, fantasy, historical
Editions available: Hardback, paperback, ebook, Kindle, Nook
international, audiobook, audio CD, large print
Publisher: Double Day (first ed) / Anchor Books / Harvill Secker
Date published: September 13, 2011 (first edition)
Source: bought
Buy: Book Depository * Indiebound * Amazon* iTunes

Rating:

Summary (Goodreads):

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My Thoughts:

Let me give you my reason for giving this book a rating of five and why I really liked it when other readers would say that this book is slow-paced and too much of magic that they can't keep up. I'd say that the magnificent magic stunt that left me in awe--every time there would be, which is every time--masked the 'slow-paced-ness' of the book that I didn't mind (or noticed) it at all. For me, it's not too much; it kept me excited and read the rest of the pages.

The story was that two 'masters' decided to have their battle again with their new chosen students. There's not an exact reason for the competition or reward known for the winning master and his student. It remained a unknown mystery throughout the book, but whoever student lost shall die.

It is, indeed, not the kind of book I've never read before. The short summary (seen above) is promising yet another forbidden love, which is more expected in books these days. But the thing is, how can the two main characters, Celia and Marco, can escape this competition to be together without hurting each other when the magic itself bounds them into the never-ending competition? It took until the near-end of the book to finally have a solution. I love the romance between them but I wished they were given more exposure with it to make it more appealing.

I loved how some parts of the book was narrated like you're the one entering the circus, the overall mystery and twist in the end. I also loved how the author thought of showcasing other interesting characters, besides the main. Each have their own way of shining with the roles they play. They didn't appear as supporting characters, but one of the reasons how the circus--and this book--sparked.

Let me share you a line from the book..

M. Chandresh Christophe Lefevre continues to push the boundaries of the modern stage, dazzling his audiences with spectacle that is almost transcendent.

And let me re-write this line to describe how the book is for me..

E. Morgenstern pushes the boundaries of the modern stage, dazzling her audiences with spectacle that is transcendent.

I must say that I am dazzled by this book. It is enchanting and mysterious at the same time that it don't hurt.

Recommendations:

I've met a lot of readers who is having second thoughts about this book and promised to share my review once I finished it. The Night Circus is really good. I'm recommending you read it but be prepared to the 'slow-pace' if you've never been a fan of it. But I must say that for me, the 'slow-paced-ness' is rather entertaining and enchanting.

Although it's an adult book, it doesn't have an adult content and I can also recommend it to YA-base readers.

Book cover comment/s:

I love the cover. It clearly illustrates the book's vibe and content. I also loved the alternate covers I'm gonna show you below..

Alternate covers:

1) This is the cover when I first came across of this book in Goodreads. I loved it as much as I loved the cover above.

2) The Spanish cover. I think it's too cartoony. If I first saw this, I might think it's a MG or children's book. It didn't gave justice to the book at all. 

3) Dutch cover.

4) The Czech cover.

5) The Slovakia cover.