Book Review - Night Circus

Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I was drawn to it last summer when I saw it in the stands at Target, but I didn't buy it because it's not the sort of book I usually read. I'll admit, I like books that draw me in immediately, and this one seemed like it would take a while. I like stories that are more character based, rather than ones that rely on plot and setting, which Night Circus seemed to do.

I wasn't wrong on either count, but this book is special. Once I was past the first fifth of the book I was completley hooked, and the layers and levels to the story became more and more intricate and developed. There are so many allusions and illusions in this book, I feel I need to read it several more times to really understand any of it. However, the story is compelling and suspensful, and it doesn't need to be completley understood on every level in order to be deeply enjoyed.

Here's the basic premise: Magic exists, but very few people believe enough to be capable of it. Two magicians in an epic battle of will and educational philosophy commit their students to a battle/contest. Those students have no choice in the matter, just as they seem to have no choice but to fall in love with one another. The battle plays out in a circus. There are other characters, subplots, and references to the nature of time, fate, and reality, and they're all interwoven with unusual skill and in beautiful prose.

I can't reccomend this book more.