From the moment the circus first arrives, readers are immediately taken into its multiple tents, how it’s only open from sunset to sunrise, and how it only contains performers that can’t be found anywhere else. Speaking of unique things, the world-building of the circus was exquisite.

Some people may be irritated by this, but I was fine with it since the novel’s subject is about something that’s unique and follows its own set of rules like how the developers don’t age. This book has a non-linear structure, for it tends to jump around in the timeline. Morgenstern apparently wrote this novel over three years during National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo), and I can tell. However, the game must play out, and everyones’ fates from the performers to the patrons hang in the balance.

Things get complicated when they fall in love. They’ve been training for this purpose since they were young and by their mercurial instructors, but unbeknownst to them, only one can be left standing. Behind the scenes, there’s a fierce competition between two young magicians named Celia and Marco. Called Le Cirque des Rêves (or The Circus of Dreams), it contains black-and-white canvas tents and breathtaking amazements, yet it’s only open at night.

First and foremost, it centers on the titular object that arrives without warning. Now, I realize that it’s full of wonder and enhancement, but I wish I cared about it more. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. Have you ever read something that was so enchanting and baffling that you needed some time to think about it? That recently happened to me when I finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

The night circus