"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

387 pages

At the end of the 19th century, a very special circus travels around the world. This show is special, not only because it is open only when the sun is down but also because it is sustained by real magic. In fact, the Night Circus is the stadium for a fierce competition between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who must use their powers of illusion to out-do each other. Their fates were sealed by their guardians when they were children, and they don't even understand all of the implications of the contest. When Celia and Marco fall in love, they realize that the forces driving them apart might be more than they can handle.

I loved this book for two primary reasons: the atmosphere it creates and the fascinating characters. Morgenstern's writing has a way of making it seems like you're at the circus yourself, and it feels incredibly full of magic. The sense of wonder it created for me felt like a grown-up version of Harry Potter. The characters, like real people, are complicated and I like that it took me a while to figure them out. I can't decided whether or not I like the crazy back-and-forth chronology. On one hand, it made the book a bit difficult to follow. I often found myself flipping back through the pages to remind myself when a particular part of the story was taking place, and that was annoying. On the other hand, it was interesting to try to put the story together as I went along and I liked the way that the timeline came together near the end. Bottom line: I think this is going to be a really big hit, especially for book clubs. "The Night Circus" creates a really cool world and also gives readers a lot to think about. Side note: Summit Entertainment has already bought the rights for a Night Circus film, and I can hardly wait to see the story come to life on the screen.