While waiting for a flight to Ecuador, I realized I had not brought a book to get lost in when I would need to get away from the stress of traveling for a wedding. I figured the magical circus would be the perfect escape.
Synopsis
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 both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Amidst the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance.
Review
Growing up, I hated the circus. Loud noises, smelly animals, creepy clowns, it was far from my first choice of places to spend a summer afternoon, but for some reason my aunt insisted we go each summer.
The world of The Night Circus is nothing like the smelly, creepy world of the modern circus. It is full of magical, romantic, fantastical elements that find their home, as its name states, at night. The circus is held as a forum for a magical competition between two apprentices of two old and over-the-hill wizards and Celia and Marco, our contestants, manipulate the circus in order to “out-magic” one another and win the competition. Eventually, they realize that neither will really “win” and that failure is equivocal to death. This isn’t the first time such a competition is held and it isn’t the first time the contestants find themselves falling in love – but it is the first time they manage to change the rules in order to prolong their love and avoid the necessity of having one winner and one, dead, loser.
The setting is mysterious, the characters are elusive and the reader never fully understands what’s going on. Usually, I find such premises aggravating, but in this instance, it simply adds to the aura of this magical realm where circuses are magnificent and truly magical!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars
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