Published by Doubleday in Sep. 13, 2011
Genre(s): Historical, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction
Format: Audiobook/Kindle
Pages: 400
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.
Within these nocturnal black-and-white striped tents awaits an utterly unique, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and become deliciously tipsy from the scents of caramel and cinnamon that waft through the air.
Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves.
Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way--a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a "game" to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.
The premise of this novel is captivating, and definitely keeps you interested; however, the author incorporates tedious detail throughout the story, making for a very long read. The plot unfolds rather slowly, as well, threatening to be boring at times, but I never wanted to stop reading- I had to know what would happen next. Because of the intricate aforementioned details involved in the magic and fantasy of The Night Circus world, the events that occur are hard to understand at times. I found myself flipping back to earlier chapters to comprehend something being discussed pages later. Even at the end, I found the way things concluded to be complex and a bit far-fetched, even by magical standards.
There are a lot of story lines entwined within each other, and the organization of the novel was hard to follow at times, as well, as subsequent chapters often occur years before and after one another, rather than in chronological order. This definitely added to the suspense of the tale, but again, if you aren't mindful of the date of the chapter you are currently reading the entire time reading it, a lot of backflipping occurs, here, too.
If you like a story about magic, fantasy, and romance, and don't mind working a little to stay focused on the complex plot lines, you'll love it. Suspenseful and surprising at times, The Night Circus was definitely interesting and overall, an enjoyable read.
0 comments:
Post a Comment