The Night Circus by Author Name

Here is the summary from the back (goodreads):

“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.

“Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.”

*** Spoilers to Follow ***

I first heard about this book from an ad on Mugglecast. They really talked it up as a post-Harry Potter read. Especially the audiobook because it is read by Jim Dale who also reads the US Harry Potter audiobooks. I totally ignored the recommendation because I picked up the book in Target and someone had compared the book to Twilight, and I was not having any of that. Then the hosts of the Book Riot podcast kept mentioning how good the audiobook is and how they have gotten other people in their personal lives into this book. After a few months of this, I finally added the book to my goodreads wish list. Then, I bought the book, but I finally decided to read it when I found the audiobook listed in my local library’s ebook and audiobook app. Boom! The Night Circus was downloaded and listened to during my commute.

Did I absolutely love this book? No. Did it sweep me up into its world like Harry Potter? No. Does it have lovable characters that I want to see in more books? No.

This was not a Harry Potter-like story for me. I do think it would make a good Tim Burton movie though. The visuals for this book would be lovely in a high-end TV movie or a Hollywood flop.

…. I’m starting to think I really didn’t like this book. At least, I didn’t really enjoy the story. Loved the imagery. Cosplay ideas abound from this book which seems like the only good thing I can say.

 

Use the tags to find more titles like this. Tags may contain spoilers.