I don't even want to write this review, because writing this review means that i've finished this book. It means it's over for me and there's nothing more to read about the world of the Cirque des Reves. Which makes me sad, because i loved everything about the story and didn't want it to end, ever. 
 This is just going to be a long list of loves, and i'm going to try not to give anything away. I loved the love story. I loved every one of the characters, except for the bad guys, of course. (I do kind of wish we had a little more explanation for why the #1 heinous bad guy was the way he was, but i can live without it.) I loved the many descriptions and i didn't think they were the least bit too long or too plentiful. They took me away to a magical world, and who wouldn't want that? I loved that i could smell and feel and taste and touch absolutely everything. I loved the time period. I loved that there were young and old characters and people from all over the world. I loved the element of mystery and the intertwining storylines. I loved the ...asides? that were written in second person. I kind of loved that the story was drawn out for such a long timeline. It didn't feel stretched, and the anticipation was great. I loved that it was a little bit sad but not enough to affect me negatively the way sad stories tend to do. I loved that there were strong women and weak women and strong men and weak men and everything in between. I love that there wasn't really just one hero. I loved that every little detail was meaningful and important to the story. I love that some of it was left mysterious. Why would we want magic to be explicable, anyway? 
 At about 3/4 of the way through, i wrote that i was a little worried that the ending would disappoint me in some way. I thought it would either be devastatingly tragic or disappointingly happy. I'd say it was satisfactory. It didn't blow me away, but it didn't disappoint me, either. 
 Finally a story that is both a huge amount of fun AND well written. I hope Erin Morgenstern keeps writing for many years to come, and i will be a devoted fan even if her next work isn't as magical as this one. 'Cause i don't know how this could be topped.