The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Bree's Book Reviews: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
"The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones"

Rating (out of five): 4.5

Hi everybody,

for my second book review I wanted to knock off another one of my favorite books; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Now, I read a lot of young adult literature because, as a young adult, it resonates very well with me. This is one of the first modern books that I loved that didn't fit into that genre.

I originally came across The Night Circus on instagram or twitter or something - I can't really remember all that clearly. It was a beautiful colored pencil drawing of a girl in a green dress standing with her back to the viewer, holding a brown leather book in her hands. Next to her was a young man facing the same direction in a brown suit with green papers strewn out about him. The quote below the picture read "I would have written you, myself, if I could put down in words everything I want to say to you. A sea of ink would not be enough." I was hooked right then and there. I had to know more. So mom ordered me a used copy of the book off of Amazon for cheep. It was in rough condition when it got to my house but I didn't care; it was beautiful. Everything about the book felt right in my hands; the colors, the pages, the weight. I couldn't wait to read it. 

And admittedly I didn't even pick it up for another couple of months. It sat on my bookshelf for a good long while. Once I read it, though, I couldn't put it down. 

Synopsis here:

Two dark magicians have faced each other in a simple game over and over again; they both chose an apprentice to play. When they can no longer play a winner will be chosen. Prospero the enchanter takes his daughter Celia Bowen as his apprentice while Mr. A.H grooms a young Marco Alistair to be his heir. Both are young - seven or eight - when the competition begins and neither of them know what it means. They will not meet one another for several years. 

The years begin to tick by. A great and mysterious circus begins; le cirque des reves. The Circus of dreams. It opens when the sun goes down and closes when dawn approached. Both Celia and Marco are involved; Marco as a coordinator and Celia as a performer. Their magic is strong; as is the magic of the circus. 

As the opponents discover each other, the sinister magic of the circus and the sinister magic that lies within themselves, the rules of the game become more clear. Only one person can survive the competition. But by this time Marco and Celia have fallen in love. People in the circus are dying. Lies are coming to truths and sometimes it feels as if only the night circus will survive. 



I don't have a lot to say about this book except for that sometimes I just sit down and cry because it's so beautiful. The story is told in the late eighteen hundreds through the early twentieth century. The characters are beautiful and mysterious; raw and emotional. The circus retains that bit of mystery that leaves the pit in your stomach gaping open. At times in the book you wonder how oh how the characters will get through this. At other times you can vividly picture the creations of the night circus. You are there. There's not doubt in my mind that I've been to the night circus time and time again.


Erin Morgenstern isn't very well know for much except for this book, but I love her description on the inside jacket. It says that she considers all things she makes to be a fairy tail of sorts. 

Yeah, Erin. I agree. This was a fairy tale beyond belief.

Read this book. 

Bree.