Reading this book made me wish I could visit Le Cirque des Reves with its magical ice garden, wishing tree, and labyrinth of wonders. The novel begins with a wager between two rival magicians; they bind two of their students, Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, to playing out this wager, neglecting to mention to either player that the wager will only end with one of their deaths. The Night Circus, or Le Cirque des Reves, is created as the chessboard on which Celia and Marco play out their game. Through magic and illusion they take turns adding to the circus, each new attraction even more amazing than the last. Celia travels with the circus as an Illusionist; Marco does not. Marco knows who his opponent is; Celia does not.
Years pass, but none in the circus seem to age. When Marco and Celia finally meet face to face, they discover the passion they feel for their magical creations in the traveling circus is really a passion for each other. But not even their love can change the fact that one must die in order for the wager to end. And what happens to the circus when the challenge is done and there is no more magic to keep it running? I found myself racing to the end of the book to find out the answer, anxious to see what became of Celia, Marco, and Le Cirque des Reves. Part of what makes this book so fun to read is its uniqueness. Morgenstern outdid herself inventing a circus filled with so many marvels, and so many memorable characters. This is a must-own book!
Can't wait to read this one!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely review! You mentioned on my review that this was one of the first books you reviewed, so I popped over to see what you had to say. And I agree, it's definitely a must-own book! I have two copies -- the audiobook, and a hardcover that I bought because I loved the book so much.
ReplyDeleteI had to buy a copy of this book, too! It's just so good. Your review really made me want to pull my copy out and read it all over again. :D
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