The Night Circus

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it as I have loved circus books since reading and loving ‘Water for Elephants.’ Unlike ‘WFE’, Night Circus has a surreal and magical element to it. The magical ‘element’ is actually a major part of the book as it centers around a Magician’s daughter and a Sorcerer’s apprentice.

Love the cover too!

The aforementioned Magician and Sorcerer have been rivals for a very long time. When the Magician learns that he has a daughter who is unceremoniously dumped in his hands and who has inherited his magical powers, he seeks out the Sorcerer and challenges him to a magical duel featuring his daughter and a student of the Sorcere’s choosing. A circus is created as the arena where the battle will take place, unbeknownst to the two ‘duellers’ and all the folk employed in the circus. ‘The Night Circus arrives without warning. No announcements proceed it… It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.’

I love this book.  It is beautiful and the characters and story are intriguing and very likeable.  The circus seems so real, despite having tents that contain some weird and wonderful displays from Wishing Trees to bottles that open to reveal stories that you experience by smell alone.  A clock at the main gate has ‘…a silver dragon that curls around the visible clockwork, a tiny princess in a carved tower who paces in distress; Teapots that pour into teacups and miniscule curls of steam that rise from them as the seconds tick.’  Somewhat predictably, the daughter and apprentice fall in love with each other but only one is aware that they are pawns in a lifelong battle between their respective father and tutor.  Other select characters are also aware, and it is fun and also nerve-racking to watch as they interact with each other not knowing what each character is privy to.

Animalistic!

Bizzarly, the last three books I have read have focused on animals. The first one was the fabulous ‘Water for Elephants’ which is one of my favourite books EVER (and the movie actually did it justice too, I felt.) Then there was S.J.Bolton’s ‘Awakening’ (which heavily features a snake or two – review coming this way very soon) and finally, I’m 20% through (yes, I’m reading it on my Kindle!) ‘The Tenderness of Wolves.’ Mind you, despite the title and being a fifth of the way through the book, there hasn’t been any mention or sightings of wolves so far. Maybe it’s hypothetical and the ‘wolves’ are the people who live in the small, isolated community where the novel is set? Hmmm, interesting premise… Must get to a higher percentage today and see where the book takes me. It’s a pretty interesting read so far. A gruesome murder happens in the opening scenes of the book and then you get to meet a whole bunch of locals and you learn more about each one through another’s thoughts. It’s becoming apparent that they all have some bones rattling around in their cupboards!