The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Le Cirque des Reves is a circus like no other. Manipulating the audience with tricks and illusions brings in many awestruck customers. Prospero the Entertainer is a very experience magician who, not delighted about being a father, takes it in stride when young Celia is dropped on his doorstep.


Celia has the ability to move things with her mind, even at such a young age. Her mom called her the devil's child. Prospero, or Hector as his given name, finds her ability to be a good reason to reach out to his adversary Alexander. Alexander is also a powerful magician and he jumps at the chance to best Prospero again. They make a wager.

Alexander immediately looks for a worthy apprentice. He finds Marco, a quiet child he can train in the arts. As the years pass, Celia and Marco learn what they will need for the ultimate duel. They believe it is a challenge of skill and imagination,, but what they do not realize is that it is until the death.

Marco and Celia fall in love but the duel cannot be denied. It is to be held at a grand and public venue. They have both been bound for thirty years to participate in this duel. There is no way out, or is there? Will Alexander and Prospero get their children to push away their feelings for one another and do what they were raised to do?

The Night Circus is a vibrant and detailed story. Morgenstern has such an imagination, the detail is perfectly wrought, drawing you into this magical world. A clever and solid plot, complex characters, a splash of romance, suspenseful and thrilling, I was entranced.