The Night Circus, like the fantastical traveling Cirque du Reves, is something to be absorbed. Through Erin Morgenstern's talented writing, the novel slowly steeps the reader in details, sights and colors and sounds just as much as character dialogue and plot. It is an experience, and one I wholly enjoyed, as The Night Circus has cemented itself as one of my all-time favorite books. I cannot give it justice, but I will try. The Cirque du Reves is as much of a mystery as it is a marvel, and even the participants do not fully understand it. Instead, they piece together the information they are given, until something resembling an explanation is found. Morgenstern's writing mirrors this and adds to the air of wonder surrounding the story. The main element of the Circus of Dreams is established early on: two magicians who choose young proteges to compete in an elaborate competition. From there, Morgenstern introduces elements: characters and objects and places within and without the circus. She doesn't initially state their purpose, or their role in the story. Instead, each time they reoccur (and they do), she draws these elements closer and closer together, until it is revealed to the reader what their ultimate purpose is. The Night Circus was unlike anything else I've read. It has an almost dreamlike quality, and it resolved so well that I actually cried. I've owned this for quite some time now, and I am glad that I finally read it.