Mini Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Ladies and gents...for those wondering, occasionally I will do a Mini Review on my blog. As my blog has evolved, I've found that providing length, in-depth reviews takes time and a great deal of effort, which I'm always willing to provide. However, sometimes I read books just for fun, and when I do so, I feel it's time to give my thoughts as an average reader, rather than a book bloggin', reviewing fiend. All Mini Reviews will be labeled as such!

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Doubleday
Publish Date: September 13, 2011
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 387
Source: Bought

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.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, 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. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

I've heard nothing but rave reviews for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and one would think that would calm my fears. Much to the contrary, however, I was even more concerned going into reading this one. It had to live up to an extraordinary hype for me, especially when a novel is being touted as the "next Harry Potter" - a term that I feel so flippin' overused. I digress. The fact of the matter is that this novel has the innate ability to live up to its incredibly searing synopsis and spin you into a world where true magic is hidden as an illusion.

This book definitely had elements of other stories I loved, and there was a darkness tinging all the action, which made it all the more enticing for me, of course. Marco and Celia were beautiful, well-rounded characters whose love was a sweet and tangy mix of beauty and irony, fueling the plot and the reality of the circus. The full cast of supporting characters added depth, vivaciousness and life to an already fun and engaging story. Most of all though, the prose was stunning. While the novel is about magic and a world of illusion, the true magic is in the words. This one gets a 4.5 out of 5 for me, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy fantasy.

Have you read this one? What did you think?