Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern, 2011

'The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not'

Filled with magic, mystery and intrigue 'Night Circus' is a must read for everyone.

The Night Circus is based around Le Cirque Des Reves which is only open during the night and no one knows where or when the circus will appear. But behind the cast of talented performers, the delicious food and the black striped tents a magical duel is happening between two young magicians, Celia and Marco.

The two have been trained since childhood by their mentors for this moment and the circus provides the backdrop. But unbeknownst to the two magicians they are in a duel where only one can survive, a problem when they are falling mady in love with each other. But the fate of everyone hangs in the balance and the duel must play out.

Whilst reading the Night Circus I could imagine myself right in the middle of the circus. Morgenstern writes using incredible imagery and with such passion that you can truely picture everything from the circus, the performances and the characters that make the circus a place that you wish was real. When one of the characters is talking about the food offered at the circus I could almost smell the toffee apples.

However, the story is a little slow going and a few times it was a little hard going. Also the love story has little passion or umph behind it which is strange for how well written the rest of the story was.

Overall, although there are slow parts they are massively outweighed by the parts which transport you to a place you never want to leave.

Snapping Turtle Ratings - 4