4.75 stars
“The circus arrives without warning.”
The Night Circus follows a circus that travels in the night. Its colors are black and white and the magic inside is unlike anything you will ever see. There’s an illusionist whose illusions are more grounded in reality than they seem. A fortune teller whose tarot card readings prove true once you leave the curtains. A contortionist who can bend in ways that seem impossible for the human body. The thing is that Le Cirque des Rêves is as magical as it seems. It’s the structure for an epic tournament between two powerful magicians—Celia and Marco— and the impact that magic can have on those who invest in it of their own free will or just happenstance. The game must go on and it doesn’t care who it hurts, including the two young contestants who have fallen for one another. I read The Night Circus when it first came out years ago. I remember I was scrolling on Amazon and I saw this book in my recommended section. The cover was beautiful and mesmerizing. My mom gets Doubleday catalogues and when I saw this book inside, I begged her to buy it for me. I was so excited. I remember cracking it open and preparing myself for a sweeping love story steeped with magic. I got those things, but not in the way I desired them. If I’m being honest, this story was far too sophisticated for me when I was eleven-years-old. I knew in my heart that I would return to this story and give it another ago one day. It was something I knew in my bones and I believe that’s why this book made it through twenty unhauls and stayed tucked away on my shelf waiting to be picked up again. I think rereading books that you don’t always like, but have appreciation for is important and this is one of those instances where I’m proven right. I’m not discrediting my younger self’s opinion by any means because I was valid in my opinions. I do still think this book is confusing and at times it takes shuffling around to get everything sorted out. I, however, do love time jumps and stories told out of chronological order usually hold a dear place in my heart. So, that’s a huge change from my original opinions. My biggest problem, I remember, was the love story between Marco and Celia. It wasn’t nearly dramatic enough for little ole me, but oh did this romance tug on my heart. It’s quiet and stunning. It creeps up slowly and then the little comments of endearment become comments with intention and love behind them. My heart was squealing and I just felt fluttery. There was something there in this quiet, slow-burning passion that ignited my heart to ship these two people.
Morgenstern’s writing is exquisite and magical. There are no other words for me at this moment than utter astonishment. The Cirque des Rêves has become a place I want to get lost in. I want to wander under the Labyrinth, cause mischief with Poppet and Widget, gorge on delights, and see the spectacle unfold. The different points of view was a brilliant way to show that this dual severely impacted countless of lives over decades. It was more than just a game. My heart races at thinking how well-crafted each chapter was. Amidst the countless POVs we have these small little second person passages that walk you through the circus and I loved it. It was so brilliant. It was like walking into rooms and seeing another level of the story unfolding. The writing is truly a labor of love and I’m betting money that Morgenstern is an illusionist whose skill is in words.
I also listened to the audiobook by Jim Dale. Jim Dale is the same man who narrated the HP series. He is FANTASTIC. The voices and the atmosphere of his tone illicit a whimsical and dark presence that made feel as if I was entering the circus at all times.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 5
Narration Scale: 5
Celia is an interesting character. Her childhood is depressing. She was groomed and basically tortured into becoming a stronger magician by her father. She is quite strong in both magic and in heart. She runs the circus and is its heartbeat. She isn’t a favorite character for me, but there is something about her that I really love.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 4.5
Marco is a bit more complex. I kind of want to hate him because he led Isabel on for so long while being in love with Celia. He wasn’t with Isabel at the time, but he didn’t tell her that he didn’t feel the same way. It caused unnecessary drama. I do like Marco though. Besides that one major flaw. He is kind and noble. Not a favorite and not the dreamiest of men, but he’s a good man who just made a bad mistake that lead to people dying.
Swoon Worthy Scale: 4
The Villain- I’ve always seen Prospero and Mr. H as the villains. They have created countless duels that have wrecked peoples lives and they go to great lengths to keep this game alive. The game itself is a beast of its own. Magic is a deadly thing when pacts are made.
Villain Scale: 5
Oh, the characters. There are so many and I love them all. Widget and Poppet are my favorite. Especially Poppet who can read the future in the stars. Bailey, a young boy destined to be a shepherd who loves the circus, was a character I didn’t like when I first read this, but this time around he stole my heart. He reminds me of King David (yes, that David). He was a shepherd destined for more, but in this case, he just happened to be in the right place and was chosen. Tsukiko is also a character I originally wasn’t sure about, but as an adult I see this incredibly woman who has been broken by the game. Isobel is a character that I pity. I like her, but she is so tied to her love for Marco that I have trouble differentiating her outside of that. I wish that she would’ve bee more than just the girl who loved Marco and read tarot cards. I loved Chandresh. He was always there and he seemed to be incredibly mischievous and insightful to the circus and its going-ons. Friedrick Thiessen also hurt my heart. He’s a brilliant clock maker who is a rêver, someone dedicated to following the circus, and he’s so sweet. He’s that nice guy who you want only good things to happen to, but ends up meeting a tragic end. These characters stole my heart this time around in a way that they hadn’t before. They made this story for me.
Character Scale: 5
Revisiting The Night Circus was something I was bound to eventually do, but I didn’t know I’d be encountering it as an audiobook. I think that is what made me fall so head over heels with this story a second time. It has its faults and there are times in the middle where it lagged and the pacing is slow because the dual its takes decades to unravel, but I appreciated it in a way I hadn’t years ago. Overall, I have been on the meh-side and the fan-side of this novel, but I think I’m more of a fan this time around. I’ll be keeping my copy of this novel on my shelf and I think it’ll be something I return to again one day. This reread was a success because my mind changed, but also because I fell in love with storytelling again.
Plotastic Scale: 5
Cover Thoughts: This is one of my all-time favorite covers. All of the covers for this book are spectacular, but the clock and the circus in the hand is so symbolic and I just adore it.
Have you read The Night Circus? Which side are you in- love or hate? What was your favorite part of Le Cirque des Rêves? What are some of your favorite dark fantasy novels? Let me know down below in the comments!
Lovely book!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
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