The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Doubleday (Sept. 13, 2011)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
My Rating: 4 Solid Stars

Goodreads Description:

 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.

My Review:

 You are about to enter into a place that is beyond imaginable. A place where anything is possible. A place that defies gravity and time itself.
Where it can snow in summer and where dreams come true.
A place you can jump into the clouds and wish on a tree.
A place like no other.
Welcome to the Night Circus.

I will admit, I really really had fun reading this book.
It was mysterious and just plain captivating.
It did have a lot of detail but Morgenstern has a way with words that suck you right into the pages and makes you feel like you are there along with the characters feeling what they are feeling and seeing what they are seeing.
I completely felt like I was there, as if I had jumped through the pages and landed along side them waiting anxiously to enter into the Night Circus and experience it all for myself. To feel the mystery and magic that is their world.
I wanted to know them and be a part of it too.
I loved the underlying romance between Celia and Marco. I loved the challenges that they had to face not only with the competition but with each other as well and most of all I love how this ended.
There were so many twists and turns and unexpected happenings that I never felt like the story lagged or got old, in fact I craved all the details and stories and people.

I admit, I almost didn't read this book because of all the hype and some of the reviews, it seems you love it or you hate it.

I am so glad that I did because if I hadn't I would have missed out on so much
Morgenstern is truly a master with words and I so look forward to seeing what she comes out with next.