Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Format: Kindle
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Personal Copy
Published: September 13th 2011 by Doubleday
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From 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.

 I'm not even sure where to start talking about this book! I don't really know what I expected when I first picked it up, but I knew it had a beautiful cover and lots of buzz (not hype, but buzz) among the book blogging community.

I was confused at first with reading, the book not only jumps from character to character - even putting the reader as a character at times - but from year to year, with no real method to the madness. Yet somehow, all this hopping works. It works, well, magically.

Erin Morgenstern does a fabulous job of describing the circus, you can smell and feel it as though you are there with her wonderful descriptions. There are several predictable moments, but many that had my gasp out loud through the book.

What I loved about this book:

• Bailey! I think he was my absolute favorite character in this, although I can't quite put my finger on why. (With Poppet and Widget being a close second!) 
• The circus atmosphere. I seem to love all things circus... Water For Elephants is one of my favorite books, and I think this one probably ranks in my top ten.
• The Clock - the description of this clock was absolutely amazing. I even had a dream about it the night I started reading!
• The love story revolving around Marco and Celia which was the heart of the book; although I love how beautifully Erin Morgenstern makes it blend in well with the rest of the storyline.
• The flow of time. Just the way everything in this book meshes together, and takes it's place. I found myself totally satisfied by the end of the book, although sad it was over. 

What I didn't Love:

• The Challenge itself, I found it a slight bit confusing until the very end. I'm sure that was the point; but it was rather frustrating for me at times. 
• Chandresh. I just didn't care for his personality, although I understand why he was the way he was. 

The Night Circus was such a wonderful read, I took my time with it and cherished each word. I cannot tell you how much I loved this book, and how anxious I am for one of my friends or family to read it so I have someone to gush openly too without giving away spoilers! I give The Night Circus 5 hearts! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥