Yay or Nay?: The Night Circus (Novel)

Happy day after Valentine's Day everyone! I thought, since its the day of loveeeee, why not do an angsty, dark, magical romance novel for the occasion. A novel which, surprisingly, I was dying to read, but ultimately, was disappointed. 

The Night Circus is one of those odd novels that looks daring and mysterious on the front but then, you kinda read it and you finish it and, well, you still think it’s weird and mysterious. 

I wasn’t quite sure what to take away from this novel. First, it was cool, then it was slow and confusing, and then, really good again.

But what I went in thinking with was that this was some forbidden love story in the midst of a forced magical competition—and I felt like I was duped, either due to lack of explanation and world-building, or just of the sheer amount of characters and plot lines I had to keep up with. That or the utterly painful and slow way the story is told. 

The Story

This synopsis is taken directly from the back of the novel. I want you guys to see it because, for me, this is a big reason why I felt the novel was not what I received.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Now the reason I’ve posted this is because with a synopsis it’s supposed to give you a light version of what to expect, and you know it goes deeper than that. But with The Night Circus what you see here is what you get. Like exactly this—and no deeper. 

That’s where I really have a problem with this story. 

My Thoughts 

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a horrible book, but one I just had a lot of issues with. The story itself is actually pretty unique and having it set in a dark circus gives it the feeling of a creepier The Greatest Showman Remake with a fantastical twist. And I really loved that, and Celia, one of the main characters and a competing magician in the “game” (which I’ll get to in a moment). She’s a strong independent woman who isn’t a damsel (given the 19th-century timeline), and is quite enjoyable to read all around. Similarly, with all the other characters, I didn’t find many weak characters—save for Prospero and Alexander. These are the two mysterious figures that initiated the game Celia and Marco compete in, the arena being the magical circus. Alexander’s motives become more clear later on in the story, but Prospero, now a ghost, not so much. I didn’t see these characters much outside of the beginning and end of the story. For the purposes of the background—the why, the who’s, hell the reason why they do this game or how magic works in this semi-real-albeit-fictitious world, was not focused on at all. The main characters don’t even find out anything until about halfway through the story’s completion. 

And the lack of information or background about the game, competition, whatever—was annoying and made no sense especially about the ending of the novel, which I won’t spoil. It confused me really when trying to explain how the novel ended. 

Aside from that, the story moved so slowly and jumped perspectives so often that the “romance” between Celia and Marco was random and sporadic. Rather than a slow buildup that shows a romantic path, or really, long conversations or scenes between Celia and Marco that at least indicate or show that their relationship might be taken to the next level. For me, when reading, it just kinda happened. And really, that I also found confusing, and hard to follow. I wasn’t really invested in their relationship, their magic, and the connection they have through both of these aspects, mainly because it wasn’t explained, shown, or I didn’t understand it. Therefore, it didn’t feel real, or even tangible given the storyline—more like stuffed into the myriad of plots surrounding it. 

That said, the highlight of this novel was its setting—it’s intricate circus and the magic of how it’s made, not just in the main characters but other side characters like the twins Poppet and Widget, born into the circus who have the abilities to see the future and the past. I found the circus itself just fantastic, surreal, and really, the type of writing I wanted throughout the story, not just in selected parts. 

My Rating

So overall, although this book was one I asked for, and one I was looking forward to reading, I have to say this one disappointed me. I’d say this is worth a borrow at your library, but ultimately not a buy. But, as I will always say, this is my opinion strictly so read at your discretion. 

My Rating: 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

~Meghan