I don’t know where to start with this review. I had seen everyone on Goodreads, BookTube, Twitter, Bookstagram… Basically, everywhere there was hype about this book and say how amazing it was and that it was perfection.

A few weeks ago, I popped down to my local library and I saw this book on the shelf. I picked it up and I realised it was about time that I read it. I had high expectations: I wanted to love it and I wanted to take a big breath and scream to the world about how amazing it is.

In 1886, a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, Le Cirque des Réves delights all who wander its circular paths and warm themselves at its bonfire.

Although there are acrobats, fortune-tellers, and contortionists, the Circus of Dreams is no conventional spectacle. some tents contain clouds, some ice. The circus seems to almost cast a spell over its aficionados, who call themselves the rêveurs – the dreamers. At the heart of the story is the tangled relationship between two young magicians, Celia, the enchanter’s daughter, and Marco, the sorcerer’s apprentice. at the behest of their shadowy masters, they find themselves locked in a deadly contest, forced to test the very limits of their imagination and of their love…

The Night Circus jumps to different timelines. One chapter you could be in 1894 and the next chapter, you’re in either 1900 or 1890. I don’t know. I got very very confused by it, I can understand why Morgenstern did it: there were characters who’s lived intertwined with the circus and their point of view had to be told so that all of the loose ends could be tied up at the end. So I get why she did it; it just wasn’t an easy read so if that’s what you’re looking for, this book isn’t for you.

I also found the blurb on the book very misleading. It states there’s a deep romance between the two main characters. There really isn’t. One minute they’re just going about their typical Night Circus days and the next, they’re professing their love for each other. What? Where in the world did that come from? The romance was just so sudden and there was hardly any build up to it.

The blurb also states that there is a battle. Again. No there isn’t. There is a thirty-something year battle and for half of those years, they don’t even know who they’re “battling” against. And it’s a magic match. To see which one of the two competitors is the best at using magic because two very old guys are bored and just want to use kids for fun.

BUT! ENOUGH OF ME MOANING! MOANING IS BORING! LET’S GET ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!

The plot idea was fascinating. A circus that only comes at night and includes actual magic? A circus that is actually a stage for a life-long battle? It sounds amazing and the plot really was. I loved the characters of Herr Thiessen and the twins. And I also loved to hate the teachers: Hector and Alexander. They just didn’t have a care in the world about the consequences of their games. I also really didn’t like Marco. I found him to be very arrogant and selfish. But I loved Celia, so again, I loved to dislike Marco.

This is a slow book to read but when all of the characters come together and the timelines become consistent, the book gets rather exciting because all of the individual storylines come together and become one.

The Night Circus is a very good read. If you’re looking for something different then I recommend this. There’s beautiful writing, a beautiful, magical world has been created. There are elements of this book that are just brilliantly thought out and proves how much of an excellent writer Morgenstern is. I actually do understand the hype that surrounds this book and although I wasn’t that captivated to scream how much I love it from the rooftops, I did thoroughly enjoy reading it.