Review: The Night Circus

I have been privileged to read two books in the last year that really pushed beyond what I am used to reading and changed the wake I look at reading and writing. The first was the Fifth Season by NK Jemisin (which I can't recommend highly enough for anyone looking for something different), and the second was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I just finished.

I really wasn't sure about this one when I picked it up; I found it hard to imagine how an author could keep my attention through an entire book that took place almost entirely in a circus. It just didn't sound like that interesting of a premise to me. But I had heard a lot of really good things, so I did want to read it eventually.... and then my book club chose it. (Incidentally, the book club was what got me to actually pick up the Fifth Season as well!) I was definitely wrong that it wouldn't keep my attention.

What was so unique, at least to my reading experience, was the depth of atmosphere Morgenstern created here. The characters were great, and the basic premise was interesting, and the plot was unique enough to be interesting as well, but that atmosphere is really where she excelled. She managed to really evoke the feel of the circus, which is no ordinary circus. She manages to make you really feel the mysterious, magical, other worldly feel of the circus and the sense of wonder, even though you as the reader know the "secret" behind it, which seems like it must have been very hard to do, but Morgenstern makes it feel effortless.

If there is anything negative to say about this book, I would say the ending wrapped up a little too pat and neat for the overall feel of the story; I would have expected a less perfect, pretty ending given the sort of gothic, slightly horror like feel of the book itself. I would normally say it was a bit predictable, but at the same time it wasn't because the feel of the book made me expect an unpredictable ending. It was unpredictable in its predictableness, if that is possible.

But this is a very minor thing in comparison to the other strengths of the book. The atmosphere created by the author and the circus is incredible, and its worth reading for that alone. Every time I picked this book up, the reading time just flowed by. I felt as if I could have read this book in one sitting, had I wanted to, which is rare for me. It's an effortless read that creates a remarkably immersive experience. Highly recommend.

Stay tuned/subscribe for upcoming reviews of:

• The Firebrand, Marion Zimmer Bradley 
• The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See
• Star Wars: Queen's Shadow, EK Johnston 
• The Romanovs: 1613-1918, Simon Sebag Montefiore