What an incredible book from start to finish, from the writing style to the complex characters to the gorgeous formatting.
I'm not even sure where to begin with this review as there is so much wonder to talk about. So, I guess I'll start with the story. There are essentially three different stories; the main story, the future, and "your story", at least that is what I liked to refer to them as. I love how each story is told in the present tense, something I don't often see, although not entirely rare. What is rare, however, is the use of 2nd person perspective. Morgenstern is literally making the reading a character in the story (hence the "your story" perspective I mentioned). I love that in the end, all three stories eventually meet up and merge into one and it was done so masterfully that I have to applaud Morgenstern for the execution.
The Night Circus cover
The main story itself centers around a circus (as stated in the title) that appears randomly at night. Each story perspective all centers around this circus. How it came to be and why. The main players are a girl named Celia and her competition/love interest, Marco. At a very young age, they were bound to compete in a magical competition. The thing about this competition is that its rules are very vague throughout the entire novel and I did feel like most of the time the author almost didn't know about the rules of the competition as well. Granted it does get mostly explained at the end and it felt a little anti-climactic since these characters were training since they were really young and at least 30 years have passed and neither knew much about it. However, though it is a talking point of the story, I don't think it's the main purpose. I think the main purpose of the story was the love between Celia and Marco and how dreams become reality. Also, it was about character growth. At least, that's how I see it.
The magic system was never explained. It seems that people just will things to happen and they do. No spells or anything. There was no showing of how anyone learned their magic, though it is implied that anyone can learn magic should they try hard enough. While most people would consider the lack of magic description a flaw in the world-building, I think it adds to the mystery of the Night Circus. Therefore, I actually think it works well with the world Morgenstern had created.
Overall this was a highly enjoyable read from start to finish. If you are looking for a fantastical read filled with wonders and mysteries, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.
