This is a book that’s going to be on my mind for a little while. I just finished it last night, and I’m not ready to leave the world of The Night Circus, so I’ve been looking at reviews and went on the author’s Instagram, which is how I discovered that she collaborated with the Old Growth Alchemy tea shop and there’s a Night Circus loose leaf tea you can buy – I’m a tea drinker, so I couldn’t help but place an order, and I can’t wait to try it. (Morgenstern has also created an Instagram account for her cat Lady Vesper, and you should definitely check that out, too.)
The Night Circus is really more about atmosphere than plot. There is certainly a plot, of course. Marco and Celia are two magicians who are groomed – and I do think that’s the best word considering the terrible, abusive/neglectful people who are their fathers/mentors – to compete against each other in a magical challenge that is supposed to last until only one is left standing, though of course they aren’t informed about that last part. A large part of the book takes place within the confines of the circus. There are beautifully evocative descriptions of the performers and exhibits, and circus tents are continually being added by Celia and Marco as part of their competition with each other. Their magic also influences the other performers and organizers involved in the circus, dramatically slowing down the aging process, for example. And the circus itself is, essentially, its own character.
Because there is so much focus on world-building, there is a point at which the novel began to lag a bit for me. Around halfway through, I started to be a bit antsy, waiting for something to happen, but eventually it picked up again, as I expected it would simply from the section titles and noticing how the parts of the book set in different times were close to converging. I also had to work on just going with the flow of the novel. There were times I wanted more answers or clarity or pushback from the characters, but all of this is more my issue than the author’s issue because I tend to be more concrete and kind of like being spoon-fed information and answers. I think it’s a testament to the writing that I was able to eventually let that go when I realized that wasn’t the point of the novel, and it was fairly easy to get swept back up in what I was reading.
If you’re looking for something fast-paced with a hard magic system, this isn’t the book for you, but I heartily recommend it for anyone who likes books focused on atmosphere and characters. I may have had a few quibbles with it, but overall I loved it. It was a library book I read on Kindle, but I think I’m going to buy it because it’s worth a re-read. It’s just a shame the illustrated version is no longer available.