Le Cirque des Rêves

The Night Circus

By Erin Morgenstern

"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."

This book was part of a project that I had set my mind to. I had decided that to re-fuel my love of books and reading, I would go about the Internet and find some books that I wanted to read that I had never read. I found many good reviews for this curious book, The Night Circus. The excerpt that I kept seeing did not give many hints so I wasn't entirely sure what the book was about; and yet it kind of filled me with wonder. I wanted to know more. I bought it online and waited impatiently for it to arrive in the post. When it did, I gave a little squeal, did a happy dance and did not let go of it all evening.

I love the way it's written. A little strange a the beginning, different from what I've read before, but it really gives you the impression that you're there, seeing the tents and smelling the chocolate mice. In my head, I could see the circus, the artists, the performers. That's why I love this book. I'm a very visual person and when a book is written so that I can see everything clearly in my head, I am very happy. This book not only had the sense of sight, but I could almost smell the sweets and the smoke of the bonfire, feel the rough fabric of the tents as I walked in, hear the rustle of my dress as I sat down to enjoy the show and the excited silence as the crowd waited expectantly for the show to begin. I fell into the book headfirst, I really did.

The back story of the characters however, wasn't as interesting as I wish it had been. I liked the characters, but didn't really feel anything for them. They didn't have very much depth, they were... I don't know, a bit too perfect, too one-sided. The plot twisted and turned around them in a very elegant and well-planned way but the characters weren't quite up to scratch in my opinion.

My favorite parts were when it was written as if someone were talking you through the circus. It's written in the second tense, which is interesting but not out of place. I usually don't like the way that some authors use the second tense, but this time it was appropriate to the story and while it didn't really drive the plot, it added depth to the setting and made it more tangible.

You can check out the author over here. She's a really wonderful person.
I hope that you enjoyed my first review and maybe want to read the book? (You should you know.)
Leave any questions and book suggestions in the comments down below and I will do my best to reply to them!