The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Hey, hey, I'm back! Yay! I read like a fiend over break, so I'm going to write reviews and try to get back on the weekly posting schedule! I've missed blogging. :) So without further ado, the review:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Rating: PG-13; 5 stars

Summary: Imagine a circus that only opens at night, with monochrome tents that belie the colorful performances within. Inside the tents—feats you never thought possible: a garden made of ice, a labyrinth of clouds, magicians, fortune tellers. Welcome to that circus; welcome to Le Cirque Des Rêves. Within this circus, meet two dueling magicians, each vying for the upper hand in magnificent feats. Meet the only people born within the circus: Poppet and Widget. Meet the enigmatic masterminds behind the whole affair. And stay awhile, enjoy yourself. You don't know when the circus will be in town again.

While you're here, though, pay no attention to details that don't really seem to fit. After all, the competition fueling this circus is really none of your concern...oops, guess the cat's out of the bag, now. :P

Opinions: Good God, I loved this book. By the time I was twenty pages in, I was recommending it to friends. It is so different from almost everything else I've read. There is a certain magic contained in the prose itself that makes what it describes seem all the more real. This is Morgenstern's first book, and after The Night Circus, I can't wait to see what else she comes up with.

I think one of the things I really liked was the shifting perspective in the book. The book shifts between the stories of various circus people and second person accounts of the reader in the circus. I think those little bits are my favorite. They really drew me into the world that the book created. Similarly, Morgenstern deftly manages a large cast of characters without confusing the reader (or at least, she didn't confuse me). Even though the story jumps around a bit with characters, I didn't find myself lost (especially once I started paying attention to the dates at the top of the chapters. They're kind of important). I found myself caring about nearly all the characters (though I will admit that Poppet and Widget were my favorites)

I love Morgenstern's genre-bending: The Night Circus is a fantasy novel that reads like literary fiction. Or you could say that it's a literary novel with a little magic (for lack of a better term) thrown in. The writing style is definitely more literary in nature, but the book does throw fantasy around quite a bit, and I don't think it would be far off to think of it in part as historical fiction. After all, time and period is quite important to the plot.

If I thought I loved this book while I was still reading it, the ending completely blew my mind. I so wasn't expecting what happened. I think that anyone, even if they aren't particularly enjoying the book, will really appreciate the final twist.

So...ratings, ratings, ratings! Clearly I loved this book, so the 5-star rating is not unexpected at all. However, I do have a feeling that this is one of those books you either love or hate, so fair warning there. As for the PG-13, there is a bit of violence in this book. There's also some sensuality. I also think that a reader under 13 (and many readers under 16 or 17) would have a very hard time getting through the writing itself; Morgenstern clearly appreciates the craft of writing, and the descriptions can make things a little slow going at times.

In short, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I will say that some people won't like it. And if you don't like incredibly detailed and poetic prose, this probably isn't the book for you. However, I especially recommend this for readers of commercial fantasy, because I found this to be a very interesting bridge between literary and genre fiction. This book was highly enjoyable, and is easily one of my top books of the year.

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Rating: PG; 4 stars

Summary: The P siblings, Kate, Michael, and Emma, have been shunted from orphanage to orphanage for as long as they can remember, each one growing progressively worse. Kate knows they're not orphans, she remembers her mother telling her that she'd be back for them. But that doesn't stop everyone from calling them orphans. After the Edgar Allen Poe Home for Incorrigible Orphans, the P children wonder how any home could possibly be worse. But as it turns out, the quality of the food and beds is the least of their concerns. Upon arriving at their new home, the children discover a magical book and are promptly taken back in time. Although Kate and Emma find their way back with no problem, they soon realize that Michael was left behind. The two sisters journey back in time, hoping to save their brother and return to their own time. But there are many in the past who have different plans for the trio...

Opinions: The Emerald Atlas begins on an enchanting note. The first chapter, to me, was very reminiscent of the beginning of the Harry Potter series, and not in a copy-cat way. It just had the same magical spark. I'm predicting big things for this series. As a whole, the book reminded me of Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, all excellent book series. The book was fast-paced, but still took its time on the details that can make a story like this really shine.

I thought that the P siblings were what really made this book wonderful. They are all uniquely their own person, but each had qualities that nearly any child could relate to: outward toughness with inward uncertainty, bookish, reluctant leader, etc. I found myself relating to Kate because she is the oldest, but also with Michael because of his academic leanings, and also to Emma because of her devotion and loyalty. I think that most readers will find something of themselves in each of the children.

I also felt that the worldbuilding was very well done. Everything fit, from the different races, to the magic system. The “nameless” characters of the townspeople were realistic. The villains and monsters were frightening. In short, this has everything that should make a series like this a big hit.

I gave this story 4 stars because although most of the time the familiarity and comparison to other books was welcome, there were times when I felt like I'd read this before. They were few and far between, but still, originality isn't appreciated today the way it should be (ahem, the 18 million vampire novels out there). The orphan angle has been done a lot, and there isn't much new to do by it. Other than that, this book was truly endearing to me. I rated it PG for some frightening moments. There isn't a lot of one-on-one violence (as opposed to a battle, where although many people may be hurt, you don't hear about it). There's no swearing that I can recall, and seeing as this is a middle-grade book, I'm sure I'd remember if there was some.

In short, this is an excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who likes Harry Potter, Lemony Snickett, or the Chronicles of Narnia. I'm waiting eagerly for the second installment of the series.