The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Rating: ★★★★★
This book is so beautifully written. The pictures it drew in my mind were stunning and magical. I want this to be made into a movie so badly. The black and white aesthetic of the circus is absolutely fascinating to picture. I want to see Poppets red hair against her white dress. I want to see the ice garden and the wishing tree. The imagery in this story is all just so lovely.
My favorite parts of the story were the pages from the patrons perspective wandering the circus, and the pages from Bailey's perspective. The patrons chapters were so mystical, and they made me feel like I was walking through the circus myself. Bailey's chapters were from a child's perspective and simplified the magic experience of the circus. Bailey's chapters often describe the unforgettable food - the popcorn, the caramel apples, and the hot chocolate.
The food actually reminds me of Harry Potter. The chocolate mice remind me of the chocolate frogs. A lot of the magic in The Night Circus remind me of Harry Potter. The circus itself reminds me of Hogsmade. Someone take me to the circus and let me explore!
Favorite Quotes:
"Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case" (377).
"Someone needs to tell those tales... There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict... Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that" (381).
SPOILERS
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I don't know how I feel about the ending. I didn't care enough about Celia and Marco to be deeply invested in their fate. If I was rooting for them to end up together I would have been happy with the ending, but because I didn't really care about their romance, I found the ending to be too easy. It felt like the author just couldn't bring herself to let the inevitable have its way with her beloved characters. Unfortunately she cared more about these characters than I did. Poppet, Widget, and Bailey were definitely my favorite characters. I wanted to hear more about the circus after they took over.
